When the coronavirus halted daily life, gyms were forced to close their doors. The outcome? Sold out fitness equipment on countless retailers’ websites, a lonely one-pound weight stranded on the shelf. As Americans shift to home workouts, the demand for gyms will likely lessen once the economy is up and running. 

Weightlifting items are out of stock, and good luck buying a cruiser bike to meander around the neighborhood. To avoid cabin fever, many people have opted for home workouts. 

I was lucky enough to wrangle a yoga mat, resistance band and two pairs of 15-pound dumbbells. I have been surprised to find that there are so many exercises that can be done within a limited space and with a few pieces of equipment. The warm weather makes it easy to work in cardio—the motivation is a little tougher to find. 

I am sure that others have come to the same conclusion. The gym is not necessary for the average person. I am not trying to turn into a mini Hulk. Like most, I simply want to maintain a healthy lifestyle and see positive results. 

Now that countless people have their own makeshift setups, why would they feel the need to return to the gym? It will be challenging to maintain coronavirus rules and regulations in these environments. The turnover rate on equipment use, paired with sweaty people trying to workout with masks on, seems like an inevitable disaster. 

To avoid such a predicament, new technologies are being developed to bring the gym experience to people at home and replace the need for in-person trainers. As YouTube and Instagram fitness videos are being launched for free, the revenue for trainers is dwindling, too. 

The Tonal device is an artificial intelligence-driven item that adapts to your body’s capabilities and creates a workout designed to give you optimal results. It also provides all of the necessary equipment. The price tag of $3,000 is a little steep for my college budget of $50 weights. However, it is reasonable that people who can afford it will invest in equipment like Tonal to escape the gym and get a personalized workout.

Of course, there will be people who will still go to the gym. Many individuals savor the social interaction they get from seeing fellow gym-goers or partaking in fitness classes. Plus, it is always nice to have more options than a pair of dumbbells and a resistance band. 

There will always be gym rats who want to return to their natural habitats. On May 11, there were “push-up” protests in Florida, where residents advocated for the reopening of gyms by doing pushups in a large group outside of a courthouse. 

Do what you want with that information. Whether or not you are a push-up protestor, couch potato or home workout user, one thing is for sure—post-COVID-19, gyms will not be in good shape.