We’re Open!

What a world we are currently living in! Who would have predicted how a pandemic would have us experiencing a shut down to the magnitude we did and moving everything to our homes (work, school, gym, entertainment, etc) as we followed the guidelines for sheltering in place to help flatten the curve.

Now that the curve has been flattened and the nation is beginning to open back up, we are discovering how touchy it is for small businesses to open their doors and keep them open. There are obviously some out there concerned about leaving their self-isolation especially with the predicable spikes occurring and then there are those who are ready to return back to life pre-COVID-19.

We aren’t here to place judgement on anyone and say some are right and some are wrong. We believe this decision is left up to each individual based on their unique circumstances in life. The question is how can businesses – especially this fitness business – serve our customers smartly & safely

First and foremost we were very quick moving our sessions to the virtual gym soon after our physical gym was forced to close. We fostered so much of our equipment to our clients because it was important for us to keep them moving forward while staying at home.

Pivoting into the virtual fitness training not only allowed us as coaches to adapt better to this new situation, but also allowed us as a business to offer the FLD experience to more people outside our small town of La Crosse, Wisconsin. We are currently serving people in Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, New York, and North Carolina – talk about turning the lemons of 2020 into lemonade!

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Now that we’re a month into being reopened there are still a handful of our clients choosing to stay at home right now and we are very excited to keep our virtual doors open for them whether its for personal training or group training sessions. So this is one way we are able to serve our community in a way that is safe and smart.

For our FLDers ready to return to the physical gym we have gone above and beyond to ensure there is minimal risk according to the La Crosse County & CDC guidelines. Here is what you can expect to see now at Fitness Lying Down…

Cleanliness

It’s not that we weren’t clean before, but we have more. More sanitizing disposable wipes we like to use for our kettlebells, resistance bands, sandbags and suspension trainers between usage. More disinfectant sanitizing solution (and hospital grade to boot) to keep our environment clean and safe. We are using this solution on our turf daily and spraying our equipment down with it between sessions.

We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: our equipment is not only practical for use, but for staying clean. There is a reason we decided not to go low budget & grade with our sandbags, kettlebells, and resistance bands. The Ultimate Sandbag is the only clinically approved fitness sandbag because the material is able to be sanitized, meeting the rules and regulations of hospital and clinical settings.

Did you know that in 2019 the US Navy put in a very large order for Ultimate Sandbags? When our friends at DVRT inquired why such a purchase was made they found out there was an outbreak of ringworm at this naval base due to a lower quality fitness sandbag! We knew from the get-go that investing in a higher quality sandbag was going to be better for us and for our clients!

Physical Distancing

Two years ago we decided to expand our gym because of the growth we were experiencing. This expansion came in handy back then and is definitely coming in handy now! Prior to our expansion who knows how we’d be doing right now with the limited amount of space we had. However, thanks to doubling our square footage we are able to accommodate our clients with room to spare!

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Each FLDer is set up in a 12’x12’ pod with 6’ of space between pods. This provides ample space for them to get an effective session in while maintaining a safe distance from others. In their pod our clients are set up with the equipment necessary during their session.

What is a great part of the DVRT system we employ at FLD is how one piece of equipment can be used for many different exercises and if an exercise is too easy or challenging we can change the intensity without having to change the load just by altering body position or holding position. This is extremely helpful in minimizing the amount of handling of equipment between clients.

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Find out from FLD owner, Cory Cripe, and his assistant coach ways
to make one Ultimate Sandbag feel heavier or lighter!

Limiting Capacity

It’s true, we could allow for more people in our gym and still keep at least 6 feet of distance between everyone. However, based on guidelines and recommendations we are limiting our capacity to no more than 10 people at FLD at one time — and that includes our coaches.

With our expansion we were holding multiple sessions at one time, having our group training rockin’ at the same time our personal training sessions were going on. In light of the current climate locally and nationally we have suspended multiple sessions and only run one session at a time.

Our semiprivate personal training sessions have always been capped at 4 people per session and so we are still able to keep that number consistent with plenty of room for distancing. Our group training sessions would have a maximum of 12 clients per session. We have changed that so only 8 clients can reserve a spot through their app for the group sessions. This is keeping in mind how one coach will always be present (making 9 people total) and just in case another coach happens to be around.

In addition to these changes we have also taken other, more subtle steps to help minimize the risk at FLD. For example moving our water cooler, keeping the entrance door open, and more. We are not naive in believing we can eliminate all risks, but are set up in a great way to keep the risk very low so our FLDers can improve upon their physical fitness (and emotional, as well) while feeling safe inside our four walls.