There’s been a 30-50% drop in attendance at gyms and sports centres in Majorca compared to the numbers before lockdown, according to the Association of Entrepreneurs of Sports Facilities of Mallorca, or AEIEM, whose President, Naty Company owns the Illes chain.
"Customers are slowly returning and there is more atmosphere every day," she said.
But, attendance at gyms in Majorca is higher than on the Peninsula, where the numbers barely reach 40% percent compared to before the State of Emergency.
"All gyms suffer from summer lows, but there are also highs," says Company, who’s introduced social distancing at all Illes premises.
Pedro Pzja, Manager of Profitness gym, says more and more people are heading back to the gym all the time.
"The response has been good and the number of customers has tripled compared to the first week. Right now, we have around 35-40% of the customers that we had before the State of Emergency,” says Pzja, adding, “and customers are being compensated for the closure with three free weeks, so they haven't paid since we opened last Sunday."
Pjza is not worried about the boom in sales of gym equipment during lockdown.
"We are more concerned about the coronavirus, the decline in summer and our competition," he said. “Confinement has reinforced sport as a healthy habit and many people prefer guided classes and state-of-the-art professional machines.
Online classes inspired many people to continue exercising at home, but others gave in to temptation.
“People who were exercising before the State of Emergency have lost weight because they’ve lost muscle mass, which weighs more than fat, others have gained weight because of the lack of physical activity during lockdown and some were tempted by homemade bread and pastries,” says Pjza.