It appears the explosion of home gymnasiums and the surge in purchases of equipment like Peloton bikes, the Mirror Home Gym and Nordic Track’s Vault has subsided and individuals and groups are heading back to area gyms — to the delight of many fitness centers including the Becker Community Center (BCC).
Bartt Gevens, Recreation Services Manager at the BCC, said “It’s been a tough couple years,” he said. “But, we are starting to see our numbers getting back to pre-COVID days.”
Gevens said that when COVID-19 reared its ugly head in March of 2019, the industry took a major hit. Especially when the state stepped in and demanded shutdowns of certain businesses to curb the spread of the virus.
“For three months we were completely closed,” Gevens said. “We were at a standstill, not knowing when it was going to end or how long the shutdown was for.”
The members of the facility were also wondering what they were going to do should the shutdown linger longer than they hoped. Many — to keep their exercise routines and physiques — began building their own personal gyms in their basements to stay physically fit. Companies began heavily advertising their home gyms and consumers began biting. All the while, Gevens and his 80+ part-time employees were put out to pasture.
“It was a sever challenge,” Gevens said of the closing. “And, we didn’t know if we’d be able to lure the members back when this was all over.”
As of this week, Gevens says it’s been a slow trickle, but they are just about back to where they were pre-pandemic.
“People are returning because they’ve been socially-distanced for too long, wanting to be around others and getting out of their homes,” Gevens said. “We saw a small surge late in the year and as typical,
January is when the floodgates opened. It’s been steady since.”
Peloton reported weaker-than-expected earnings results on Thursday, sending its stock price lower. Sales of its connected fitness products – its high-tech treadmill and bike – fell by 17% during the quarter. It also saw its smallest quarterly gain in connected fitness subscriber growth since the company went public in September 2019.
Google searches for home gym equipment overall have continued to fall since their high in March of 2020.
The Mirror Home Gym sells a $1,495 smart mirror that streams virtual exercise classes on the surface of the device as one works out. Just a few months into the pandemic, Lululemon bought Mirror for $500 million in a bid to capitalize on the big transition to at-home fitness. Over a year later, the athleisure brand has cut its estimated revenue expectations for Mirror in half.
Meanwhile, NordicTrack’s parent company, iFIT, announced that it would go public last September, but a month later, it delayed the move, citing “adverse market conditions.” And Nautilus, which owns fitness brands like Bowflex and Schwinn, also reported late last year that some of its products haven’t been selling as well as they did earlier in the pandemic, though many are still more popular than they were back in 2019.
During the three month shutdown of the BCC, the city retained all of its employees at the center despite being closed down. Memberships were “paused” and staff at the BCC started brainstorming on what they needed to accomplish once the center was allowed to re-open.
“Our staff kicked butt,” said Gevens. “We moved our treadmills and exercise machines to the gym and spread them out so people didn’t feel they were packed in together. We put in some new variables to accommodate the customers while adhering to the CDC and MDH mandates. I couldn’t be more proud of the hard work and determination these staffers exhibited.”
With the restrictions removed, the gym equipment is back in the fitness center and all classes are back up and running. The pool too, is seeing a good surge in returning customers.
“That is in great part because of the great lifesaver crews we have and the dedication to their jobs,” said Gevens. “If we didn’t have them and all the long hours they put in, the pool situation would look very different than it does today.”
Other amenities the BCC boasts is the sizable main gymnasium that gets utilized for more than just basketball or fitness classes. It gets used for holiday events, craft shows, Freedom Days events and indoor pickle ball tournaments.
The group fitness classes include Aqua Jam in the pool, boxing, cardio training, step classes, indoor cycling, Spartacus, Spinergy, Tabata, yoga and Zumba.
For seniors, there is a Sail class consisting of strength, balance and fitness for people 65 years and older. They also have a Silver Sneakers circuit to help increase strength and range of motion — most done while sitting. They also have Head-To-Toe Adult Conditioning that focuses on Tai Chi forms that work on fall prevention, cognitive work and dynamic balance.
Outside, the BCC has a brand new splash pad for the kids as well as pickle ball and basketball courts open to the public.
Gevens said council just approved recently the renovation of the rock wall room into a recreation room for families and events. The front foyer of the building has a newly-designed look with a more open concourse and small workstations or reading areas.
“I tell you, it’s good for things to be getting back to normal,” said Gevens.
Other Options
The BCC is not the only place one can go to get a good workout in the area. See the following list for alternatives:
• Snap Fitness in Big Lake, 651 Rose Dr, Big Lake, MN 55309 - 763-220-0787; Snap Fitness in Becker, 14083 Bank St, Becker, MN 55308 - 763-220-0787; Snap Fitness in Clearwater, 800 Nelson Dr, Clearwater, MN 55320 - 320-558-6088;
• Anytime Fitness in Becker, 14030 Bank St, Becker, MN 55308 - 763-262-2333; Anytime Fitness in Big Lake, 570 Humboldt Dr NW, Big Lake, MN 55309 - 763-263-1300;
Evolution Tae Kwon Do in Big Lake, 321 Co. Rd 43 N, Big Lake, MN 55309 - 320-493-3932.
