Technogym’s Nerio Alessandri says ‘gyms are safe'

Globally renowned wellness champion Nerio Alessandri has outlined his predictions of a boom in business for fitness clubs around the world in the aftermath of the Coronavirus crisis.

Alessandri, the founder and Chief Executive of global equipment supplier Technogym, sees that gyms will ultimately be one of the few businesses that will be immune to the impact of the Coronavirus.

Speaking to Arabian Business, Alessandri said COVID-19 has raised awareness on the importance of fitness for personal health, and that lockdown measures will lead to higher demand once gyms reopen.

When asked if gyms will face closures due to Coronavirus, Alessandri advised “fitness clubs are safe”, going on to explain “lockdown (measures) have created forced physical inactivity with strong damages to people's general health. People have been gaining weight and also their mental health has not been positive, so we expect very strong demand as soon as different countries ease lockdown measures.

"I’m very positive about (fitness) clubs. People will want to go back. Of course, we are in hard times at the moment and I’m worried and concerned about the hard times we’re living in right now. But I'm very positive about clubs because people will want to go back, and the big inactivity that the lockdown measures have created will reset a strong need for fitness considering there is scientific evidence on the benefit of regular exercise against diabetes, hypertension.”

With gyms around the world having been closed and then reopened and, in some cases closed again, Alessandri has seen a rise in home fitness, prompting him to state “due to isolation measures that have been put by countries, home fitness is having great momentum. People want to keep active with their lifestyle so we’re getting strong requests for home fitness products from all over the world.

"Home fitness is experiencing strong growth. I believe this will continue. Generally speaking people will be spending more on health and fitness and give it more importance in difference spaces including home.”

Alessandri argues that gyms are generally safe spaces because they guarantee social distancing, particularly when it comes to weightlifting where machines are placed metres apart.

He went on to say “compared to other spaces, (fitness) clubs will definitely be a safe space for different reasons. First of all because the equipment, the exercise and training position, guarantees social distancing. Then of course clubs are fitted with technologies that can manage access to the club, so they can guarantee a limited amount of people will be let in for the right capacity inside the club.

"And most importantly, compared to different sports activities, fitness (can be) an individual activity. So compared to other sports, there is less contact between people - it’s not like playing football where there’s a lot of contact between people. Of course, I'm very concerned about the short term [impact] but very positive about the future of fitness clubs.”