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ALBANY— Gyms in the Capital Region that have been open for two months are seeing a slow and steady increase in members coming back, though they are nowhere near operating at the capacity they were before the pandemic.

Colder weather and braver friends and family coming home from the gym with good reports of gym-goers wearing masks and staying six feet apart are keeping gym owners optimistic about their survival.

Despite the optimism, most are fearful they won’t be able to survive if another shutdown comes.

This is why some gym owners are split on the state’s mandated 33 percent capacity limit— some see it as essential to keeping the rate of infections at gyms minimal and are happy to abide by it so they can remain open. Others see it as limiting and something that will need to grow to at least 50 percent for them to financially stay afloat.

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The GBOX gym in Clifton Park, which closed in July when the state did not include gyms in phase four reopening plans, is the only gym in the area that has officially closed. Some gyms aren't open because they are restructuring business models or facilities. Others, like Real Fit Life, haven’t reopened because the MERV13 filter, capable of removing viruses, that the owner ordered is backordered.

“The cap could possibly put us out of business,” said Erin Breslin, the director of marketing and membership for the Capital District YMCA. “It is just a fraction of who would be in our building…The pool, for example, what we might normally now only have eight people in the pool at one time, instead of the usual 30.”

The YMCA was supposed to open a new location in downtown Albany in April, but everything was put on pause, said Breslin, adding that they aren’t prioritizing opening the location because the small space would make social distance requirements challenging to abide by.

The YMCA locations in Guilderland, East Greenbush and Bethlehem are open because the facilities are more spacious. The East Greenbush branch is the only location hitting the capacity cap.

“Thirty-three percent is not a sustainable model,” Breslin said. Fifty or 75 percent occupancy is what the YMCAs would need to be at to be sustainable, she said.

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Bigger gyms like Planet Fitness are not worried about social distancing if the 33 percent cap grew. While they only want to do so if the state deems it is safe, they would welcome an increase in capacity, said John Hrinda, the New York Division President of the 38 Planet Fitness gyms in upstate New York.

“October is usually a big month for us,” Breslin said. This year, the number of new members is running well below previous years' numbers.

"Last October, we welcomed 993 new members for the month," Breslin said. "This October, we have welcomed less than 100."

In addition to only operating at 33 percent capacity, everyone must wear a mask and remain six feet apart. For some group fitness classes, like those at Metabolic gym, members must stay in a designated box marked on the ground.

Metabolic gym's seven locations have a total of about 4,000 members. They are seeing about 500 members stick to online classes only. Since the pandemic began, they’ve lost about 650 members, according to Lynsey Abbale, the regional manager for the gym.

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Vent Fitness is seeing 55 percent fewer check-ins compared to this time last year. “Our biggest challenge right now is convincing the other 45 percent of members to bring them back,” said Bryan Lupian, the regional manager for the gym.

“We hope those regulations do get lifted, if we do show it is working,” Lupian said, stressing that it is up to the Department of Health and their expertise, and not individual gym owners, to make that decision. “If the cap becomes 50 percent then it would show the consumer a lot. We all do hope it happens.”

Coronavirus safety guidelines are posted at Vent Fitness on Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, in Guilderland, N.Y. New York gyms reopened Aug. 24 under the state's coronavirus reopening plan. (Will Waldron/Times Union)

Lupian noted they aren't aware of anyone contacting the virus in their facilities. Nationally, data that track cases contracted at gyms is hard to come by and not representative.

The New York Fitness Coalition, a group created during the pandemic to advocate for gyms to be open, feels the 33 percent cap should be lifted completely. The industry group International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association estimates that 25 percent of health clubs will have to close permanently without financial relief from Congress.

Travis Gil, owner of Fitness Artist, doesn’t necessarily think lifting the capacity cap is a good idea because gym-goers could feel more hesitant to come back to a more crowded gym. He wants to focus his time and energy serving his clients in whatever way they feel safest.

“It is like a roller coaster, but I'm constantly thinking of ways to be strategic about what we are offering and our services,” said Gil. “I don’t really see the pandemic winding down for the very near future.”

Most of the gym-goers that are returning were dedicated members before the pandemic. And many, while eager to get back, recognize that they are putting themselves at some risk.

“I don’t feel 100% safe, but I definitely feel like the situation is calm enough in the Capital District that it warrants going back,” said Laura Hunter, who is a member of both Metabolic and Vent. “You also have to keep in mind your mental and physical health as well, outside of the coronavirus, and I feel going back to the gym preserves my sanity in that capacity.”