(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) A U.K.-headquartered fitness center is stretching out to America, with its first U.S.-branded location opening in Tysons on Jan. 6.

“PureGym, the leading European fitness and gym operator, is excited to announce the launch of its first gym in the United States under a new brand, Pure Fitness,” the company said.

The Tysons business will be located near the Greensboro Metro Station at 8311-B Leesburg Pike in Tysons Square, which is anchored by Burlington and Marshalls department stores.

“We believe that the Tysons area has a strong long-term outlook and is an opportunity for our high quality, flexible, low-cost fitness offer,” spokesperson Kitty Ryder said in an email. “The location we have chosen is close to transport links and is surrounded by potential Pure Fitness members — both residential and office based.”

The U.K.’s largest gym operator, PureGym provides 24/7 access and allows customers to cancel their memberships at anytime. Introductory memberships at the Tysons location will start at $9.99 per month with a $1 joining fee and a $39 annual maintenance fee, according to the company.

“At Pure Fitness we want to make it as easy as possible to come to the gym, which is why we don’t lock our members into lengthy year-long contracts,” company officials said in a news release.

“Instead, members will have the freedom to freeze, leave and re-join whenever they want, in order to fit with their lifestyle and other commitments,” the company said. “New joiners will also be able to sign up in as little as two minutes on the Pure Fitness website or app.”

The gyms provide dozens of classes both in person and virtually, and the Tysons location features a turf training freestyle area, over 70 pieces of cardio equipment, over 80 pieces of strength equipment and certified personal trainers.

The app provides a live attendance tracker, with options to record progress, book classes, and gain contactless entry.

While the COVID-19 pandemic upended people’s workout routines over the past two years, cutting into fitness businesses’ bottom lines, PureGym has seen a resurgence in customers, The Guardian reported in April.

This fall, the company was reportedly considering an initial public offering. The U.S. expansion also includes locations in Springfield (6701 Frontier Drive) and near Baltimore in Elkridge, Md.

The Weekly Planner is a roundup of interesting events coming up over the next week in the Tysons area.

We’ve searched the web for events of note in Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield, McLean, and Falls Church. Know of any we’ve missed? Tell us!

Tuesday (May 18)

• Fit4Mom Stroller Strides — 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the Mosaic District (2910 District Ave) — Fit4Mom Stroller Strides is a 60-minute workout that includes strength training, cardio, and core restoration, along with entertainment for the little ones in your stroller. Classes meet in Strawberry Park in front of Mom & Pop. Register online. Your first session is free. A second class will be held on Thursday (May 20) at the same time.
• Mainstreaming African American History in the Schools (Online) — 7 p.m. — Come join a discussion on integrating local African American history into Falls Church City Public Schools curriculum. Panelists include Falls Church Historical Commission Chair Ronald Anzalone, Vice Chair Edwin B. Henderson II, and FCCPS Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan. Topics of discussion will include the school renaming efforts. Email Pete Sullivan for the Zoom link.

Thursday (May 20)

• Epidemics of the Past — 9:30-10:30 a.m. at Historic Huntley (6918 Harrison Lane) — Learn about epidemics of the past and how they’ve shaped the society we live in today. The program will be outdoors and costs $8 per person. Register online and call 703-768-2525 for more information.
• A Conversation with Author Angie Kim (Online) — 7-8 p.m. — Angie Kim, author of the Edgar Award winner Miracle Creek, will have a public Q&A discussion on issues and experiences that have shaped her life and work as an Asian American. Registration is required. A Zoom link will be sent 24 hours in advance of the event.

Friday (May 21)

• Fredricksburg Nationals Game — 4-11 p.m. — The Old Firehouse is taking a trip to see the Fredricksburg Nationals play the Salem Red Soxs in a minor league baseball game. The cost is $60 ($50 for MCC district residents) for the tickets, dinner, and transportation to and from the game. Bring extra money for souvenirs.
• Bike to Work Day — 6:30-9 a.m. at Strawberry Park — Visit the Mosaic District on National Bike to Work Day for a free T-shirt and entry in a raffle for more prizes. Participants should register in advance to be eligible for prizes. Masks are required for participants at rest stops. For more information, visit the Bike to Work Day Metro DC website or check out @MosaicCommutes on Twitter.

Sunday (May 23)

• Virtual Afternoon Tea (Online) — 2 p.m. — Green Spring Gardens is hosting its weekly virtual tea. This week’s topic is personal grooming throughout history. Learn about how bathing was a public affair for years and how it turned into a private event. Register online for the Zoom link. For more information, call 703-941-7987.

Photo via Angie Kim/Twitter

Early Voting Underway for Vienna Town Council Election — Vienna residents can cast an early ballot in the May 4 town council election at the Fairfax County Government Center. Voters who register by April 12 can also apply for a mail absentee ballot. In-person early voting ends at 5 p.m. on May 1, and mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and arrive at the Fairfax County Office of Elections by noon on May 7. [Town of Vienna/Twitter]

Church Street Pizza No Longer on Church Street — Vienna’s New York-style pizza eatery has moved out of its longtime home at 113 Church Street NE and into a new space at 115 Maple Avenue W, which also houses a Potomac River Running store. Church Street Pizza is still offering contact-free takeout, curbside pickup, and delivery. [Lombardi’s Pizza]

Vienna and Falls Church to Compete in Fitness Challenge — Vienna, Falls Church, and Fairfax are squaring off in the first-ever Mayors’ Fitness Challenge, which will begin on April 3 and conclude on May 29 with a winning locality being dubbed the “Most Fit Community of 2021.” Community members can register for free at any time and will be tasked with tracking their physical activity each day. [Sun Gazette/Inside NoVA]

Asphalt Work on Old Meadow Road Postponed Indefinitely — The left lane closure on Old Meadow Road approaching Route 123 in Tysons that had been scheduled to start at 9 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday) has now been “postponed until further notice.” The planned minor asphalt repair work stems from the ongoing realignment of Old Meadow Road with Capital One Tower Drive at Dolley Madison Boulevard. [Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project]

Tysons Partnership Report Shows Milestones, Struggles — Released on March 31, the Tysons Partnership’s 2021 annual report highlights the economic challenges that Tysons has faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in its hospitality, retail, and entertainment sectors. The past year has also seen a sharp drop in Metro ridership, while introducing new virtual and outdoor events, like drive-in movie screenings, and new businesses like the now-open Wegmans. [Sun Gazette]

As fitness centers are starting to reopen in the Tysons area as Virginia continues to roll back COVID-19 restrictions. 

Currently, Northern Virginia is in Phase Two and plans to enter Phase Three on Wednesday (July 1).

Here are a few updates on which gyms are reopening, which are staying virtual and which are closing for good. 

Solidcore in Tysons is offering in-person classes as of June 23. They are enforcing a variety of measures to enforce social distancing, such as “alternating machines back-to-front” to maintain 6 feet of distance.

They are asking customers to “minimize gathering in common areas,” to use the bathroom at home and to bring duffles to be stored in the pit of their machine rather than in a common area, according to procedures posted on their website.

Additionally, coaches will not be giving hands-on corrections and will be wearing masks and gloves at all times. 

Crunch in Vienna is offering special reopening hours from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on the weekend.

 24 Hour Fitness has closed permanently in Tysons. However, the Falls Church location plans to reopen soon with new protocols to maintain safety. They have created a way for customers to check-in on their own, make workout reservations and even continue working out at home via digital instruction through a mobile app.

Hot Yoga Tysons is offering “two to three” virtual classes each day throughout the week for people who are craving yoga and pilates sessions from their homes.  

1 To 1 Fitness in Tysons is also continuing to offer virtual personal training. Their sign-up provides users the opportunity to request a trainer who meets their specific preferences in a coach and a workout.

May gyms and fitness centers may start to open up in July as future guidelines have fewer restrictions. Virginia’s Phase Three will allow fitness centers and pools to open up to 75% capacity.

Photo by Danielle Cerullo on Unsplash

People who have missed hitting the gym for the last few months are seeing options reopen.

Several gyms and yoga studios in the Tysons-area pivoted to online classes in April. Ahead of Northern Virginia starting to ease COVID-19 restrictions, some fitness center owners and clients pushed for more opportunities.

Now, fitness centers are allowed to open indoor spaces at 30% occupancy under Phase Two, which Northern Virginia entered June 12.

Fairfax County offers indoor and outdoor public swimming only for lap swimming, diving, exercise and instruction. Public pools, including community pools, are not allowed to open for recreational use.

When Virginia enters Phase Three, Gov. Ralph Northam said that pools and gyms may open at 75% capacity. The date for when Virginia will enter that phase has not been announced yet.

Just because pools and gyms can open in limited capacities doesn’t mean that they will. Some gyms, like 24 Hour Fitness in Tysons, won’t reopen at all.

We want to know how you feel about going back to the gym during the pandemic. Let us know in the poll below.

Photo by Danielle Cerullo on Unsplash

After a temporary closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 24 Hour Fitness location in Tysons is now closed permanently.

The facility at 1500 Cornerside Blvd previously offered a variety of workout membership services, according to its website.

Guests who visited the website for the Tysons location were greeted with a notice that read, “This Location Has Closed,” accompanied by a link to find other facilities in the area.

The Tysons gym is also on a list of 24 Hour Fitness location around the U.S. that are closed: “24 Hour Fitness has made the difficult decision to close the following locations.”

CNN reported today that 24 Hour Fitness has filed for bankruptcy and permanently closed 100 locations in 14 states — about a quarter of its gyms.

The gym chain now only lists two locations left in Virginia.

For people who want to take advantage of the company’s offerings, they can visit the Falls Church location (1000 E. Broad Street), which is set to reopen July 7, according to the website.

Photo via Google Maps

Owners of CrossFit gyms in the Tysons area are distancing themselves from an insensitive tweet by CrossFit’s CEO.

Greg Glassman, the CEO, recently apologized for saying “It’s FLOYD-19” in response to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s tweet calling racism a public health issue, according to BET.

Reebok and several CrossFit athletes have since cut ties with the branded fitness regimen because of the tweet, and hundreds of gyms across the U.S. have disaffiliated from CrossFit over the tweet, according to reports from Forbes and People.

Tysons Reporter reached out to CrossFit gyms located in Vienna, Falls Church and Tysons. Six of them have denounced Glassman’s tweet.

The staff behind the CrossFit Tysons Corner (8453-K Tyco Road) told Tysons Reporter in an email that they do not condone Glassman’s statements. “We are exploring options for de-affiliation,” the email said.

Curtis Blake of CrossFit Falls Church (130 W. Jefferson Street) said that its members are aware of the gym’s stance.

“I was deeply saddened by the insensitivity that was shown and/or the malice in Glassman’s post,” Blake told Tysons Reporter. “I would like to see him step down and a change in leadership before we personally [make] a decision.” Blake declined to comment further.

CrossFit Route 7 (8504-B Tyco R0ad) and CrossFit North Vienna (234 Dominion Road NE) — a.k.a. the Phoenix Athletix Club — both shared on social media that they do not support Glassman’s comments.

“At this point, we do not know exactly what the next steps look like for the gym,” CrossFit Route 7 said in its Facebook post.

Meanwhile, CrossFit Fairfax (2831 Dorr Ave) wrote on Facebook that it will honor the Black Lives Matter movement on Saturday, June 13, but did not include a direct mention of Glassman’s tweet.

“Racism and discrimination have no place in our gym, the broader fitness community, or the world at large,” the post said.

Marcus Ford of Tinner Hill CrossFit (336 S. Washington Street) said that the gym took to Facebook yesterday to reaffirm the location’s beliefs.

“I simply wanted to iterate to our extended community that we are steadfast in our beliefs, have always and will always operate without discrimination,” Ford told Tysons Reporter. “We openly welcome ALL people with no concern for race, religion, gender(s), sexualities or otherwise.”

Ford said that the incident “called into question the beliefs of CrossFit affiliates all over the world, and I personally and professionally felt the need to remind our community that no matter what methodology we use for fitness, we are resolute in the principles we’ve been known for by our community.”

The location is still a CrossFit gym, “however only time will tell what the future may hold for us in terms of affiliation,” Ford said.

Photo via CrossFit Tysons Corner/Facebook

People looking to exercise with someone while staying home can turn to their local gyms and fitness studios.

While Gov. Ralph Northam’s stay-at-home order is in place, many fitness studios in Tysons have decided to offer virtual classes.

A few months ago, Tysons Reporter rounded up the gyms and fitness studios around Tysons. Now, we took a look to see which ones have pivoted to online services, including group classes and one-on-one sessions.

From boxing videos to yoga classes, here’s what we found:

• [solidcore]: As of yesterday (Tuesday), all of the chain’s studios are closed but people can sign up for virtual live classes
• 1TO1 Fitness: virtual personal training program
• Fitness Together: virtual one-on-one personal training
• F45: at-home workouts
• The Bar Method Tysons Corner: virtual classes
• 24 Hour Fitness: home workouts and live classes
• Tysons City Boxing: boxing videos on Facebook
• Hot Yoga Tysons: virtual classes
• BREAKAWAY Fitness: virtual training sessions
• CrossFit: workout guides online

Interested people can check out each studio’s website for more information.

Photo via BREAKAWAY/Facebook

The Athleta store in Tysons Corner Center plans to offer a monthly fitness bootcamp starting this weekend.

The free bootcamps are set to take place at the Fashion Court on the second level across from Nordstrom. Attendees can expect themed workouts, giveaways and snacks, according to the event page.

Tysons Corner Center recruited Athleta to create the monthly series, which will vary depending on the month and time of year, Todd Putt, the mall’s senior marketing manager, said.

Todd said that the bootcamps are a new take on the former Tysons FitClub.

“Bootcamps used to happen weekly when it was Tysons FitClub,” Todd said. “Attendance varies, but the goal is to have around 50 people attend this series, monthly with the joint collaboration with Athleta.”

The first one will be held on Sunday, March 1, from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Attendees can expect a yoga instructor, Todd said, adding that the format and class offerings will change from month to month.