WYOMING, Pa. — Workouts are in full swing at Anytime Fitness in the Midway Shopping Center in Wyoming. The new gym opened a little over a week ago and already has a steady stream of people inside exercising.
"It's a big relief finally to be open, finally, be back to some resemblance of normal," said Steve Sherwood, a club operator at Anytime Fitness.
The gym was scheduled to open in mid-December, but the same day, Gov. Tom Wolf's three-week COVID-19 mitigation efforts began, closing gyms and delaying the opening.
Sherwood says that hurt. January is one of the biggest months for new sign-ups for gym owners, but he's been fortunate.
"We're still far below what we usually do in a presale or what we usually do in January. However, we're still getting five to 10 to 15 members that come in every single day and join," said Sherwood.
While many gyms had to close their doors because of the pandemic, Sherwood looked at it as a business opportunity and saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
"I was scared when I opened this gym in the middle of a virus, but I know that there's hope out there," Sherwood said. "I think that this past year of having the coronavirus, of all of us, enduring this painful process, has taught us that actions still trumps everything."
Those working out at Anytime Fitness in Wyoming tell Newswatch 16 they never understood why gyms closed in the first place but are happy they're back open so people can enjoy them.
"Just getting out, the different machine, the different exercises space. I have a few things at home, but you are limited on what you can do. Here you can really do whatever imagination you have to get a workout in," said Brian Skusky of Exeter.
Sherwood says while It maybe is quiet now, three months from now, he hopes the gym will be exactly where it should be — back to normal.