The Top 8 Most Germ-Infested Places In the Gym

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The Top 8 Most Germ-Infested Places In the Gym

Last Updated on January 16, 2018

The Top 8 Most Germ-Infested Places In the Gym

Many love the gym and check in there often. This is due to the desire to improve their body fitness and health. Since a gym gets many visitors, some of the gym equipment and places harbor many harmful bacteria. Some spots outdo even the toilet seat in the number of bacteria they contain. To supplement your efforts at the gym in keeping fit, you can try some steroids such as MR Testosterone 500  to achieve the desired result.

So, what are the grossest places in a gym? Read on for a comprehensive discussion on the issue.

The water bottle

You may reason that bringing your own water to the gym will protect you from the germs that may be found at the water fountain in the gym. However, the water bottle ends up getting some germs when handled with hands that have touched other germ-infested areas. To prevent this, use a bottle that’s reusable and whose top is a twisted off to drink from it. Avoid those bottles that come with straws and sprouts that are pulled up. Furthermore, clean and rinse your bottle daily to ensure there is no bacteria growth.

The free-weights

It is shocking that the common free-weights may have at least 350 more bacteria than a toilet seat. The simple reason is they are some of the most used items in the facility. Their hard surface is also a rich breeding ground for bacteria, unlike the cloth-covered surfaces. To avoid being infected, always sterilize the weights before use. Also, avoid touching your face until you wash your hands.

The cardio equipment

The treadmill is a home to not less than 70 bacteria types. The equipment could get a wipe every now and then, but some parts such as the screen could get overlooked. The best way to protect yourself is by always cleaning the equipment well after use, and avoid wiping your face with your hands as you work out or after exercising if you have not yet washed them yet.

The weight-adjusting levers

The lever used to adjust the weight stack is possibly forgotten while the majority of well-mannered gym users clean the handles of the weight machine and the seat. The small handle can transfer bacteria to the hands. As a precautionary measure, always use a disinfecting wipe or spray to disinfect the lever before adjusting the weight stack.

The gym bag

The gym bags get misused by being filled with sweaty clothes and dirty shoes, and then placed on the floor and other dirty surfaces indiscriminately. The bag can acquire harmful disease-causing microorganisms each time it’s placed on an infected surface. To protect yourself, use plastic bags or bags made of other materials like vinyl that are less likely to have bacteria attached to them.  Also, separate your dirty clothes from the rest by compartments or by use of plastic bags.

The towels

The seemingly freshly laundered towels at the facility may not be as germ-free as you may think. The dirty and clean towels are very often transported using the same holding containers. To avoid an infection, bring your own towel and mark one side that will permanently be in contact with surfaces. Also, have a separate towel for wiping the sweat from your face.

The shower

The gym lockers harbor some of the most harmful microbes that cause diseases despite their clean look. The hot and humid atmosphere in there is perfect for microbes to reproduce. Gym members bring in microbes through their dirty shoes, at times bringing fecal matter. Also, sitting in those lockers while undressed could pass on a variety of bacteria and fungi to you. As a precaution measure, put on flip-flops at all times to the locker, use liquid soap as opposed to bar soaps and avoid shaving in the showers as a small cut is a great inlet for germs to your body.

The exercise mat

You rarely give it a thought before spreading the mat to stretch on it or do some other workouts on it, but it’s among the most used but least disinfected items in the gym. This can promote habitation and multiplication by harmful microbes such as the flu virus and skin-infection bacteria. An excellent protective measure is to bring your own mat to the gym at all times, and disinfecting it using sterilizing sprays or wipes. Also, have a towel in between the mat and your body to avoid direct contact that can cause infection.

These places or items are some of the grossest in the gym, but these are not the only ones. Always take precautionary measures while at the gym.