YORK, Pa. — As we approach two years into the Coronavirus pandemic, the first fitness trend might not be one you immediately think of, but it won't surprise you.
It's called being social.
"I mean with isolation, fitness still had to be a part of everyday lives. With Peloton, there was a place for that, but we're seeing that people missed that connection," said Heritage Hills Athletic Club General Manager Matt Schaeffer.
Schaeffer talks to many of the gym members as they check-in at the front desk of the Club, so he knows how many of them are feeling as more and more people leave the isolation of at-home workouts for gyms.
The way people can experience Zoom conference call fatigue, looking at monitors for two years worth of workouts can have the same impact.
"They're getting burned out of working out at home. Group fitness numbers have been up tremendously the past six to eight months," said Heritage Hills Athletic Club Fitness Manager Becky Gibney. "But people are coming back because they want that friendship, they want that community, and that motivation to work out again, that's not simply on the screen."
"Whether it be in a group fitness class with people beside you, an instructor pushing you, or even just working out in the gym, it's feeding off of each other's energy, and it makes it a whole different experience," added Schaeffer.
Human beings are a social species, so workouts in a group setting or with a partner help keep things fun, push you more, and will help you to be more consistent with the amount you work out because you know that someone is counting on you.
"I would say at least a fifty percent increase in classes," recalled Gibney. "Class numbers have definitely been going up the past six to eight months. People are complaining, about maybe getting rid of the Peloton, or maybe it just collecting dust, and getting rid of the on-demand programs."
If you're hesitant to return to a gym because individual workouts, or fitness in general, took a back seat one of the many things going on in your life in the last two years, you're not alone.
"They're coming back in and they're kind of unsure. They haven't worked out in a while Some members we see kind of fell off during the pandemic," added Schaeffer. "So we want to cater to them and cater where they want to go."