Out-of-work trainers hope gyms can make gains after pandemic

NEW YORK (AP) — During a normal week, fitness instructor Jason Tran would dart among grueling group spin classes, high-intensity interval training sessions at boutique studios in Manhattan and an occasional one-on-one workout with private clients.

But for Tran and the tens of thousands of other New York workers who make up the state’s $3 billion fitness industry, the coronavirus pandemic shut down most of the business in mid-March. The virus forced many workers into long, virtual lines for unemployment insurance and onto Zoom and Instagram to maintain relationships with their clients.

Now, some New York City trainers and instructors say they’re worried the industry won’t be the same when the shutdown eventually lifts and gyms can reopen in one of the globe's pandemic hot spots. They wonder: Will loyal customers come back? Will they care enough to continue spending money on niche workouts? Will they wait until there is a proven COVID-19 vaccine?

“I’m wondering, how long do people want to work out in their apartments?" said Tran, who was laid off from the spin studio Swerve and the small-group workout gym Fhitting Room. “I feel like people are going to get bored, and they’re going to want something else to do besides body weight workouts on a computer.”

Tran, a certified fitness instructor for eight years, currently trains people via Zoom from his living room in Harlem. He has accepted donations from generous clients. But so far, that’s not getting him close to the $3,500 in weekly earnings he is used to. His unemployment benefits total about $1,100 per week.

“I would say this could probably last for another two months,” said Tran, 36. “After May, I’m going to be trying to figure out my next hustle.”

The fitness industry had been thriving nationwide prior to the pandemic, analysts say....