Winter comes for outdoor fitness

In a few months, the coronavirus pandemic unraveled what we’ve known for the past 10 or so years as the group fitness industry — workouts like [SoulCycle, Barry’s Bootcamp, and Rumble boxing](, where 50-some people gather in a room to exercise together. Companies have laid off employees,shut down their brick-and-mortar establishments, and gone out of business in the wake of the pandemic. In an attempt to stay afloat, studios have, for the past few months, [taken their workouts outdoors](. Those classes have been a [blessing for clients]( who are fighting off pandemic fatigue and who love working out. But just how long can these workouts continue with winter looming? And the bigger question that trainers and businesses face: If things do get better, will we even want to work out together again? —[Alex Abad-Santos](, senior correspondent for The Goods Fitness studios moved outside to stay afloat. Now winter is coming. [many people working out on their stationary bikes]( Noam Galai/Getty Images In the shadow of the Vessel, the sky-scraping copper honeycomb structure in New York City’s Hudson Yards, is a huge tent full of bikes that go nowhere. In the parking lot of the Beverly Center, the famed Los Angeles shopping center, there’s a blocked-off section peppered with treadmills and benches. And this summer, the Southampton Arts Center’s west lawn was transformed into a dance-workout space. These outdoor gyms are the new normal of group fitness. Because companies like SoulCycle, Barry’s, and the up-and-coming dance-inspired workout [Forward Space]( haven’t been allowed to reopen in major cities like New York and Los Angeles, those companies (and many others, from CrossFit boxes to local Planets Fitness) brought the workouts outside. “I feel very safe working out outside,” Anna Lev, a devotee of Forward Space, told me. She says her trainers “have created a really safe environment for everyone.” [Read the full story ]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( The vicious cycle of never-ending laundry We’ve tried and tried to make washing our clothes less painful, but it never seems to get better. [Read the full story ]( The new maximalism The next big thing in home design is overstuffed, garish, and glorious. [Read the full story ]( What’s a three-letter word used to describe Vox crosswords? The answer is “fun,” but don’t take our word for it. See for yourself [here](. More good stuff to read today - [Home, bittersweet home]( - [Why everything from furniture to diet soda is so hard to buy right now]( - [Can a pair of jeans kill the coronavirus?]( - [Presidents hate to look sick. Trump has never needed to appear strong more.]( - [Get yourself a pandemic crush]( - [What “home for the holidays” means during a pandemic]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences](, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Policy]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved.