Beverly Fitness Studio Owner Eager To Work It Out After Pandemic

BEVERLY, MA – Kathy Glabicky's motto for the high-intensity Tread Tabata workout she created is: "You can do anything for 20 seconds."

Over the past year, the Beverly fitness boutique owner has modified that motto to: "If you survived 2020, you can do anything for 20 seconds."

Glabicky, who runs the Enon Street location and has Tread Tabata licensee locations in Marblehead and Bend, Oregon, is feeling a well-deserved sense of empowerment this week. After a year of coronavirus-related restrictions that were punishing on the fitness and gym industries, she is now looking forward to a future free of the capacity limits, mask deterrents and the general uneasiness of the pandemic with all state virus-related regulations set to end on May 29.

"You were constantly on edge with what was going to come next," Glabicky told Patch on Wednesday. "I could never get comfortable. I was OK, OK, OK. And then (Gov. Charlie) Baker would change something."

Only when Baker held a news conference Monday to announced he was changing the Aug. 1 date for all remaining restrictions to lift up more than two months, Glabicky was able to fully exhale for the first time in more than a year.

"I belong to a lot of fitness groups and Facebook groups and there were these rumors it was going to move up," she said. "We were all like: 'We don't want to get our hopes up. Is it true?' That is was has been great."

Glabicky said she is looking forward to bringing back many of the members who have been away since March 2020 because either they were worried about coming to a gym because of the virus or — which has been the case more recently — they didn't want to work out while wearing a mask.

Starting next week, they won't have to any longer.

"I want it to get back to what it was," she said. "Our workouts have an amazing energy and vibe in our classes. A lot of people got by with a home option. And maybe for 14 months you had something that worked for you at home. But I think people are craving to be around other people and seeing each other.

"We're all so happy. I feel so happy. I think they're really ready to come back."

Due to spacing requirements for the treadmills, Glabicky's location shrunk from a capacity of 20 down to eight during the restrictions. She made up the difference with outdoor classes as long as those were allowed and a virtual class that ran at 5:30 a.m. on Fridays where those who committed to coming the night before — and showed up on the screen bright and early on the next morning — could win a prize this week.

"We went through a lot of merchandise but it was worth it," she said. "We wanted the people with memberships to feel they were still connected. I am so happy we did it. It was like we were all in this together and we powered through."

She said she plans to maintain some of the pandemic-related changes — such as the enhanced cleaning, outdoor classes and some virtual options — but is looking forward to most people shedding the masks and experiencing the full emotional impact of the workout together.

Glabicky said members who are not vaccinated will be "encouraged" to wear masks and that anyone feeling sick will be told to stay home.

She added that now that things are getting back to the way they were she is hoping to get back to the business plan she had before the pandemic, which includes more licensed locations around the North Shore and beyond.

Former Tread Tabata trainer Kelly Lorenz opened one location in Marblehead, and Glabicky is inviting personal trainers, aerobics instructors or anyone else in the industry thinking of trying something new to come to one of her classes for free, check it out and consider spreading the name and the workout on their own.

"I am really excited to get back to what this grand plan was," she said. "It's such a great class and there is such a great community around it.

"I want to spread awareness of this program I believe in so strongly."

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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