Coach's Corner: All's quiet on the fitness front

After closing for nearly three months, my first comment upon returning to the Glenview Park District Park Center Fitness Club was "where is everyone?" Machines sat quiet, almost lonely, literally longing for some user affection like a dog whose owner finally comes home after a long time away.

But for right now, anyway, no such love was forthcoming.

My second comment was, "ok, why do these machines seem so much harder now?"

Did they crank up the resistance? Tighten the cables? Buy new tougher-to-lift machines?

Or maybe it was the fact that I, like so many Glenview and Northbrook residents, were shut off from our local fitness clubs for the nearly three-month pandemic shutdown, and maybe had become just a bit "soft" during the break from machines.

Pushups and situps and doing biceps curls with laundry detergent containers are all very good, but they struggle to compete with the multitude of fancy exercise and resistance equipment that our local Glenview and Northbrook fitness clubs offer.

As to my first question - where is everyone - the good news is the people are starting to come back, and the better news is the facilities are better than ever. Cleaner, fresher, newer, brighter and with enough sterilization procedures to satisfy the American Medical Association's most delicate of surgical operations.

Glenview resident and workout veteran Jim Douglass, who was there as soon as the Park Center doors opened, proudly told me "I wasn't worried. I was here the first day it opened and more than ready to get back to the routine. I knew they would have all the precautions put in."

Indeed, they have, including all regulations in place according to CDC and IDPH guidelines. No health related stone is left unturned: Social distancing? Check. Mask wearing? Check. Proper spacing between machines? Check. Plexiglass barriers between treadmills and weight machines? Check. Sterile wipes for cleaning the machines? Check and check - a veritable small army of them. In fact, you can't walk more than a few stations over without disinfectant wipes and cleaning fluid staring you right in your newly overworked pectoral muscles.

And just to show you they have left nothing to chance, if goodness gracious, you get distracted and shockingly somehow forget to wipe down the machine you were using - a friendly (or maybe not so friendly, depending on the rate of occurrence) "health guard" will be there to remind you. The afternoon I went to work out, two very nice women were serving as "health guards," but I have little doubt there is a large, burly man with ample hair on his back named Bruno waiting in the wings in case some patrons forget to follow the rules.

Despite all of these safety procedures, though, not everyone is comfortable coming back just yet.

"People are still a bit hesitant," explains Park Center manager of health and fitness Kathleen McInnis. "We opened a couple months ago, and we only had a few people. But it has been gaining, and now we are up to about 25% of where were before. That may not sound like much, but it is about the national average for fitness clubs across the country and, most importantly, it is improving each week."

Front desk supervisor Erin Ryan has also noticed the difference. "Oh yeah, you can see people starting to come back that we hadn't seen before." Ryan goes on to explain: "Here's the key. Once they come in for the first time - once they get over that initial nervousness - they almost always come back. They see the things we are doing to make it safe and feel totally comfortable returning."

Ditto for the always popular workout room at Northbrook's North Suburban YMCA.

"Things were slow at first," says YMCA personal trainer Ossy Simmons. "Maybe 10% to 15% only returning. But you can tell it is starting to pick up." Simmons, who was there on a Saturday, added "This is our busiest day so far."

Another example might be Northbrook resident and regular workout maven Billy Moore.

"I had no problem coming back. The Y has done a nice job of spacing out the crowds so there are not too many people at one time," Moore said. "I come at all different times, and you have to reserve a spot in advance, so that way they control the numbers."

Hopefully soon, the crowds in the fitness rooms will be back.

It does help when you're working out to feed off the energy of others doing the same. When you're hearing the grunts and groans of the lifters, and the huffing and puffing and buzzing coming from the treadmills and bicycles and elliptical machines, it is a motivator. It helps you push to get a better workout.

For now, though, it is still for the most part "all quiet on the fitness front."

• Jon Cohn of Glenview is a coach, retired PE teacher, sports official and just an all-around local sports fan. Any topics you'd like to see him tackle? Email glenbrooknews@dailyherald.com and include "Coach's Corner" in the subject line.