Coronavirus Australia: How to workout now public outdoor gyms are closed

The Prime Minister has introduced even tougher social distancing measures — here’s what they mean for your exercise regimen.

Last night Prime Minister Scott Morrison introduced a raft of new social distancing measures limiting who we meet with and further restricting movements.

Chief among them were more changes to how we exercise, with Mr Morrison slashing public gatherings to just two people, with the exception of family members and those who live in the same household.

People should be venturing out of the home only if it's necessary and boot camps have now been banned, limited to just one-on-one sessions with a personal trainer.

“We need to all stay home unless we're going out to shop, to do personal exercise, to go to medical appointments or to go to work or study if you cannot work from home," Mr Morrison told reporters.

It's a change that's been deemed “absolutely necessary” by Fitness Australia CEO Barrie Elvish despite the financial impact it has on fitness professionals.

"Everyone has to pull together no matter how it impacts individual sectors. We all have to get through this together, so we're very supportive of it," he told news.com.au.

"We're really, really pleased that both the Prime Minister last night and the chief medical officer and the health minister this morning all stressed the importance of maintaining exercise. In fact, they nominated that it was a valid reason to go outside."

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Running outside is still permitted, but people must not gather in groups of more than two and keep their distance. Picture: Matrix Media Group.

WHERE CAN I EXERCISE?

Under the new measures you can still exercise in parks while maintaining a 1.5 metre distance from other people.

However, exercising using outdoor gyms, playgrounds or skate parks is no longer allowed from midnight tonight.

Gyms and other indoor exercise areas such as yoga studios and swimming pools also remain closed for use.

Alternatively, you can exercise from home, with many gyms and fitness studios now offering online classes for members, something Mr Elvish hoped would continue.

He called for the Government to show “common sense” and allow those in the fitness industry to stream classes from their gyms to clients.

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Outdoor gyms like this one in Sydney’s Bondi Beach are now closed. Picture: AAP Image/John Fotiadis

Last week, gym Ion Training was issued a warning by police to stop recording fitness videos from their Sydney premises, The Daily Telegraph reported.

“There has been some anecdotal stories last week about personal trainers putting together online content in a closed gym being confronted by police and threatened with fines and so on because they were inside a gym,” Mr Elvish said.

“Well, we would certainly hope that common sense prevails. Even with the two-person limit that still means a person can be creating online content (and) having it filmed with two people.”

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Australian fitness queen Ashy Bines. Picture: Instagram.

CAN I WORK OUT WITH A PERSONAL TRAINER?

You can still work out with a personal trainer either via video or in person, provided a 1.5 metre distance is kept at all times.

Bootcamps of up to 10 people will no longer be allowed from tonight and personal training sessions will be restricted to just two people, the trainer and the client.

Exercising in groups of two or more if you’re not from the same household is banned. Picture: Matrix Media Group.

WHO ELSE CAN I WORK OUT WITH?

Australians can exercise with members of their household, as the two-person gathering limit does not apply for people you live with or family members.

Otherwise you are limited to gathering with just one person at a time and keeping a distance from each other.

Mr Morrison said the rule meant people would still be able to exercise safely outside.

“That provides, importantly, for those who may be getting daily exercise, particularly for women, that they wouldn't be required to walk on their own, and they'd be able to walk with another person,” he said.