A Polish gym has dubbed itself a church in a bid to stay open under new anti-virus restrictions that have seen the fitness industry scramble for creative loopholes. 

"Because fitness classes aren't allowed, starting today we're offering religious gatherings for members of the Church of the Healthy Body," the Atlantic Sports club said on Facebook.

"Hard to believe? In this world everything is possible," the gym in the southern city of Krakow added Saturday. 

The creative rebranding follows the government's decision to shut down most pools and gyms in order to stem a recent surge in coronavirus infections. 

But church services are still allowed to go ahead in the devout Catholic country of 38 million people, as long as the faithful wear masks and abide by the attendance limit.

In Warsaw on Saturday, a couple hundred people braved the rain to attend a fitness industry rally against the restrictions, some holding up signs with slogans such as "physical activity = immunity."