The workout routine at Xcel Fitness & Crossfit East in Bend is a little different these days, but Tyler Nice doesn’t mind.

Before he can start, Nice must answer questions outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and prevention: Does he have a fever? Does he have a new or worsening cough? Has he been in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days?

Then Nice has to sanitize his hands before a gym staffer behind a plexiglass screen can take his temperature to ensure it’s less than 100.3 degrees.

Complete those steps, and Nice is free to sign in, grab a bottle of sanitizer and a clean towel, and begin working out.

Gyms were allowed to reopen May 15 as part of the phased reopening of businesses in Deschutes County, giving some who may have acquired “COVID-20” during a two-month closure a chance to sweat.

For Nice, a member at Xcel Fitness for nearly a decade and who spent the previous two months working out from home, the gym’s precautions are necessary and welcome.

“I think they are doing about as much as they can to make people feel safe,” said the 27-year-old Nice. “Everything is more spread out, people are distancing from one another more. People are really good about wiping down machines. I see a lot people doing that before they start using equipment, which is rare. People are pretty respectful of each other.”

Xcel Fitness owner Israel Love has noticed his customers fall into one of three categories. The first are those who do not see the coronavirus as a threat and are ready to get back to the way things were before businesses were shut down in mid-March to slow the spread of the virus.

The second are those still taking the stay-at-home order seriously for a number of different reasons. And the third are those who fall in the middle, who want to return to normal activities, but with caution as Deschutes County works through the phases of reopening. On Friday, the county was approved to enter Phase 2.

It is the third group that Love is hoping will feel safe with the new protocols.

“We are definitely going above and beyond to keep everyone safe,” Love said. “We haven’t had any adverse reactions to having to do what we are doing. Everyone has been very understanding and there has been a good response to what we are doing.”

Xcel East was one of several gyms to open its doors when the lockdown was lifted, along with Fusion Fitness. Since then, gyms such as Code 541, Oregon Crossfit, Snap Fitness, Fitness 1440, and Planet Fitness have slowly opened up. Juniper Swim & Fitness Center are planning its reopening its “dry side” activities on Monday.

“The operations are going to be a little different than people are used to at Juniper with reservations and planning,” said Julie Brown, of Bend Parks & Recreation District, in a video interview with The Bulletin. “We are asking everybody to make a reservation before they come and be intentional on what activity they will be participating in.”

When Smith Martial Arts and Fitness closed its doors, it pivoted to holding training sessions online.

“It has been an honor to train with you and allowing me to be your coach,” said owner Jimmy Smith in a heartfelt video on Smith Martial Arts and Fitness YouTube page.

“I am pivoting my business to online. Coaching from group classes to personal training, which I really love and enjoy. I would love for you to continue your training with me.”

Xcel Fitness, which has seen anywhere from 300 to 400 people a day since reopening, spread out its fitness machines and taped off every other cardio machine to keep people six feet apart. Similarly, Empower Strength, taped off boxes on the mats in its gym to adhere to social distancing guidelines while still being able to conduct workouts.

Even though gyms are starting up, Love said that shutdown set his business back a decade and it will take several years to get back to where it was financially. Right now, only one of the two facilities is open. Xcel Fitness South remains closed.

“We have both of our memberships coming into our club, and we are still not at the capacity that we were running in and out in a day,” Love said. “We have definitely seen a decrease in business and the people we are servicing. And we’ve been understanding of that.”

Smaller gyms, like Strength Warehouse, a powerlifting gym off of Cyber Drive on Bend’s west side, with roughly 100 members, are making members sign up with an app hours before they show up to the facility. And only 10 members are allowed in at a time. The app has made it easy to manage the number of people coming in.

“It is easy to spread out people so that everyone is able to lift with a small group of people,” said Mitchell Lamer who is an employee and member of the Strength Warehouse power lifting team. “It is pretty easy to control. You aren’t going to get caught with an 11-person rush. We haven’t had that problem yet. Everyone has their own belts, wraps so no one is sharing sweaty equipment.”