Ray Whitacre of Jamestown is pictured lifting weights while spotting is Carrie Trisket, Jamestown Area YMCA employee, Monday at the Jamestown Area YMCA, located at 101 E. Fourth St., Jamestown. Both the Jamestown and Lakewood Family YMCA, located at 183 E. Fairmount Ave., Lakewood, were allowed to reopen their gyms Monday for the first time since March following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

Those looking to get in a much-need workout finally have some local options.

Mark Eckendorf, Jamestown Area YMCA CEO, said he was surprised that by 3 p.m. Monday, 132 people had used the two Jamestown Area YMCA gyms, with one located at 101 E. Fourth St., Jamestown, and the other at the Lakewood Family YMCA, located at 183 E. Fairmount Ave., Lakewood.

“I’m pretty pleased with that,” Eckendorf said. “We didn’t even have any classes and we usually almost double (participation) when we have classes.”

Eckendorf said he didn’t know what to expect during the reopening of the two gyms for the first time since March following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is usually our slowest time of the year, but it’s been pretty steady,” he said. “By 7 p.m., once people are out of work, we might have double what we have now.”

Elsewhere, Darwin’s Health Club in Fredonia, Gowanda Fitness and Chautauqua Health & Fitness either reopened Monday or are scheduled to open this week after Gov. Andrew Cuomo released guidelines last week.

The capacity at all New York gyms is to be no more than 33% at all times, and visitors must sign in with contact information. Visitors are also required to wear face masks at all times, be 6 feet apart and be screened for symptoms.

Equipment in the gym has to be cleaned and disinfected after use by gym staff, and supplies must also be made available to customers. As for classes, they must be by reservation only and the maximum number of people must not exceed the 33% rule, but also must be able to socially distance in the room they are in.

Darwin’s Health Club opened on Monday, following these guidelines from the state. The gym sent out a release to its members, explaining the changes and new requirements.

“We’ve missed you all so much and can’t wait to have you back,” the gym said on Facebook. “Over the last few months, we’ve been working to make sure your return to the gym is as safe as possible.”

The gym also went under some minor construction, making upgrades to it’s inside, laying down new flooring and moving lockers and other equipment. “It’s going to be a little different, but we’re all in this together!”

In Dunkirk, Chautauqua Health & Fitness also opened on Monday, “ensuring safety while keeping the gym environment as comfortable as possible.” The gym released a statement explaining all of its new procedures and protocols now that they are open again. Much like Darwin’s, the club has also finished some new renovations and their new expansion is now complete.

“Having a strong immune system is more important now than ever before,” Chautauqua Health & Fitness said in a statement. “We want to remind the community that you have 100% control of your health and wellness.”

The club will not be forcing reservations or limiting workout times, as they believe their building is big enough to provide proper social distancing and the maximum occupancy comfortably. The owners do advise customers that they need a face mask on the entire visit and some face coverings are not acceptable in gyms at this time according to the guidelines from the state, such as neck gaiters and bandanas.

Gowanda Fitness is scheduled to reopen Thursday. “We’re super excited. We’ve done so much work,” owner Karen Johnson-Clabeaux said. “We’re so excited to see everybody again and hope that people will come back down and join us.”