GYMS and leisure centres were finally able to reopen last weekend after more than four months with their doors closed – and owners are "absolutely thrilled" to be back in business.

Earlier this month gyms were given the green light to start preparing to reopen on July 25. Guidance was published by the government to help gyms prepare to reopen and to ensure that their clients and staff are as safe as possible.

New Body Fitness has clubs in Weymouth and Bridport, and owner Nick Bell said: "It is fantastic to be back open and we had such a good opening weekend. During lockdown we implemented an online training platform with live classes so our members stayed motivated and they were raring to get back and everyone was in a great mood.

"We have limited our sessions to 40 people in the gym, everyone has to clean their equipment before and after using it and we have closed the changing rooms so we are doing lots to keep everyone safe.

"We are a community-based club so it has been great to catch up with people we haven't seen for a long time."

First Class Fitness in Weymouth has created the '10 Commandments' for clients so that they could prepare themselves for returning.

Owner Marcus Biles said: "We have made it a bit tongue in cheek so it is fun for clients and it also puts them at ease because they know what to expect when they come back. So far clients have responded fantastically to the new measures. Our staff will clean any equipment that clients are going to use and they have to clean it afterwards. It seems to be the most efficient way to do it as we want our clients to get the most out of a session.

"Some people have been so excited that they've arrived early and had to wait outside to limit numbers in the gym."

Mark Kinder, owner of Mission Fitness, is pleased to have reopened the gym but has concerns for the future of businesses that are too oppressed with regulations and guidelines.

He said: "Im definitely pleased to get back open, my only reservation is having too many restrictions which prohibit us from offering a great service. We have limited our numbers to 10 people per hour in the gym which is very conservative but we want people to feel safe. It will be a couple more months down the line until we know how well we are doing. Time will tell."