The Woodlands-area gyms collaborate to prepare for end of coronavirus

Legacy Barbell, a gym located in Oak Ridge North, had just expanded into a larger space and paid the first month of rent before it was closed due to orders from the county for social distancing.

Owner Henry Walker said in an effort to help his members out where needed he is offering the option to put a 30-day freeze on accounts to help with their finances. However, many members are not asking for it.

"We're not trying to make a fuss about it," Walker said. "In announcing that, we had a lot of our current members reach out and offer [to cover for others] or say, 'Hey, put me down for the next two years, I'm not going anywhere.' All of us owners have been astounded by that."

To pay members back, Walker said he has been coordinating with other gym owners around the Greater Houston area to throw a celebration with T-shirts free of charge for members staying during this time. All of the participating gyms will have their logos on the shirts, which are being commissioned through print shop Best Shirts 4U, which is based out of Galveston County.

"You won't be able to buy these shirts," Walker said. "Each gym is also going to throw a member appreciation day where we are going to sit down and show our thanks and gratefulness to each member."

Walker said it is important for local gyms to be supporting each other as coronavirus concerns continue.

"We show solidarity by sticking together," he said. "We are all friends. We want to show the community that it is not an 'us vs. them' situation. Small businesses are the backbone of the community."

While gyms such as Legacy Barbell are closed to the public at this time, Walker said new members can still sign up if they wish to support businesses such as his.