News gyms would not reopen as part of Daniel Andrews' "third step" in easing COVID-19 restrictions was "crushing" for Anytime Fitness owner Jai Forster.
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The roadmap released on September 6 indicated indoor fitness facilities would be open in step three, but "heavily restricted".
Mr Forster said "the goalposts changed" after that and Tuesday's announcement was gyms could no resume indoor operations.
"We had it earmarked and it looked like we'd be open after 14 days with no cases in Victoria," he said.
"It's frustrating. They've specifically pointed out the fitness industry as high-risk.
"Staff clean every hour, and you get a personalised sanitation kit when you come in - if you touch it, you wipe it.
"What's different is a petrol station, with hundreds of people touching the bowser.
"The hardest thing for me is, being on the border, the North Albury gym is 11 kilometres away and it's open, but the Wodonga gym is closed."
Mr Forster has adapted to online classes for Wodonga clients and hopes gyms can re-open before November.
"We're not in as bad a situation as fellow franchisees in Melbourne who are in complete lockdown," he said.
"Thankfully, our landlord at Wodonga has been fantastic.
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"I hope the backlash the government are receiving through Fitness Australia as a response to the announcement will put a bit more pressure on them.
"I urge people to get outside and get moving as often as possible; we need to keep everyone healthy and moving."
Fitness Australia chief executive Barrie Elvish said in a statement "gyms are not high risk".
"We again call on Premier Andrews or Professor Sutton to provide us with evidence we have been asking for since March to support this view," he said.
"Recent Fitness Australia research found there was more than 7.31 million check-ins across 546 gyms in the first eight weeks after they reopened in NSW on 13 June.
"During that same period, there had been zero cases of reported community transmission in a gym."