Making his way to the gym after work has become routine for business development manager, Pradeep Nair. Unfortunately for him, this would change come tomorrow (May 8). 

Amid a string of stricter community measures announced on May 4 by the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19, indoor gyms and fitness studios have been classified as high risk settings and will be closed from May 8 to May 30.

Some other measures include reduced social group sizes from eight to five people and a reduction of event sizes.  

In order to maintain his fitness levels, Nair is making plans on finding the most effective and efficient alternatives to his daily workout.

Today is his final workout at fitness studio Fight Zone, for now.

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The 27-year-old said: “They announced on social media that they intend to suspend membership from May 8 to May 30.

"Now that I can't continue my routine of heading there after work, I need to find a way of replicating the HIIT [high intensity interval training] exercises at home."

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One option that Nair is considering is the online workouts that his fitness studio is relaunching. In addition, his membership, similar with other members, will be suspended at no cost during this closure period – any fees charged previously will be prorated accordingly.

Similarly, for fitness studio True Fitness, they announced on their website on May 6 that all their indoor gyms and studios will be closed during the same duration.

Meanwhile, they are looking to conduct outdoor classes and outdoor personal training lessons as outdoor organised exercise programmes are still allowed to continue – but with a class size limited to 30 and safe distancing measures strictly enforced.

Indoor bike rental

Some studios are providing novel alternatives for those undeterred in continuing their fitness routine at home. 

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Though class cancellations and membership extensions seem to be expected responses, fitness studio Absolute Cycle launched a bicycle rental programme just during the period of tightened measures. 

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Priced at $450, excluding the $600 deposit, it includes a stationary indoor bicycle, spin shoes, one kilogram dumbbells and a subscription to on-demand and live classes from home. If you are keen, you can purchase the indoor bicycle from AbsoluteClass for $3,900 and with extras.

The increased spate of Covid-19 cases has led to this tightening of measures, effectively bringing Singapore back into phase 2.

From April 7 to June 1 last year, a circuit breaker was introduced where social gatherings were prohibited both in private and public spaces. 

During those two months, gyms and fitness studios had to get creative when conducting their classes, with many harnessing social media to its fullest. For example, local singer and yoga enthusiast Tay Kexin conducted a 30-minute HIIT yoga session on Facebook Live.

amierul@asiaone.com