Pandemic Reshapes Fitness Industry in Pasadena

Gyms, personal trainers, and the fitness industry in general, which was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, continue working to adapt to the current environment with online classes and outdoor workouts. While some are finding their niche, others have already folded.

Personal trainer Ron Le of Pasadena

Gyms were shut down along with many other businesses by “safer-at-home” orders issued in the early days of the pandemic. State policy allowed them to reopen in June, but the governor closed them again in July as the novel coronavirus began a surge.

Personal trainers like Ron Le of Pasadena have been getting creative, reworking their business models and doing whatever they can to stay in business, he said.

“Overnight, I lost like 50% of my business, for example,” Le said.

Meanwhile, stay-at-home guidelines are causing many to pack on extra pounds, he said. “The COVID 15 is very real,” he said, referring to the 15-pound weight gain many say they have picked up during quarantine.

While Le has managed to keep afloat by largely focusing on one-on-one training, the effect on the industry has been devastating.

“The personal trainers that were struggling before they lost all their clients, this is just too big of a hurdle for them to come back,” he said. “Even for me, as an established trainer after 12 years of training, this is probably the biggest business obstacle that I’ve had to overcome.”

“A lot of personal trainers won’t be personal trainers by the time this thing is over, which is really unfortunate,” according to Le. “A lot of personal trainers are trying to transition to online training, but it sounds easier than it is because now you have to learn the software, the technology, all this stuff that maybe some online trainers have been doing for five years already. And now, all of a sudden, everybody’s trying to do online training.”

While the end of the pandemic will likely bring many fitness aficionados back to gyms, many of the changes are likely to be permanent, at least to some extent, Le said.

“I feel like a lot of the group fitness really got taken over by online fitness,” he said. That trend may outlast the pandemic.

“As far as one-on-one training, it’s back to where it was pre-COVID. But the group thing completely disappeared,” he said. “I feel like the one-on-one training thing is a different niche. The people are paying a higher dollar per session. They’d rather have that in-person thing then than being virtual.”

“I think anybody that has group fitness… it’s really taken over by the big online companies,” Le said. “As far as one-on-one training. I feel like it’s going to come back.”

Lara Manjikian, a head trainer at 1Up Personal Training in Pasadena

Lara Manjikian, a head trainer at 1Up Personal Training in Pasadena, recalls the initial panic that swept through the industry upon the first order to shut down in March.

“Everybody went frantic, and everybody started producing content on social media,  just to keep relevant, basically, to keep my clients working during the shutdown because we initially thought it was going to be like four weeks,” she said.

“It was, um, a wave of panic initially. Some of my clients went on to do video training with me,” Manjikian said. “I did Facebook live workouts for donations, and it was just the beginning.”

“When the gyms reopened, with our safety protocols and check — masks and sanitizing, and all the things that we’re supposed to be doing in this current state of the world — not all of my clients came running back,” she said.

“When the gyms closed down again for indoor fitness, I had to scramble, and I pivoted towards outdoor training, and I had gotten a [Small Business Administration]loan from the government and used that to invest in some equipment, including a commercial canopy, and adjustable dumbbells,” Manjikian said. “That it took off. It was great.”

The canopy-covered workout area is set up in the parking lot of the gym, she said.

“It’s been going really well, and I still have clients doing video training. They’re thriving, and the initial panic has gone away,” Manjikian said. “And I know that a lot of my colleagues are, unfortunately, not saying the same thing. I feel so bad because our industry is essential. This is health and wellness.”

“I feel like as long as we continue to adapt and act like chameleons, we’ll get through this a lot less painfully,” she said. “As long as we stick together and we just help each other out.”

Los Angeles County personal trainer Jeno Rae Siapno has been conducting sessions online since late last year. He had no idea how in-demand the service would soon become.

“It was present, but it wasn’t like a big thing. And honestly, I just started online training because I just wanted more independence,” he said. “And it ended up working well because a lot of people needed training because gyms are closed.”

He said he suspected a portion of the recent converts to online personal training would stick with it, even after the pandemic has ended.

“For the people who enjoy the homework, they’ll continue to do that,” he said. “And, of course, there’s people like me. I love being in the gym, so I want to get back into the gym like how it was in the past.”

But whether it’s taking part in online instruction or just quick-and-simple workouts at home, Siapno urged people not to allow the pandemic to prevent them from looking after their health.

Despite the pandemic, “You can still reach your goals, and you can still work on your health, and your mental health too,” he said. “That last one is very important, especially for right now.”