A home gym is a personal luxury that many of us would love to have, saving on expensive monthly gym memberships and having the freedom to work out around the clock whenever you get a moment. One of the downsides of owning a home gym or having your own home gym equipment is there is no one to maintain it for you and for any equipment, regular maintenance is key to ensuring you get the most effective use out of it.
To ensure your gym equipment is safe to use for years to come, follow our maintenance tips below to keep your equipment and gear in tip top condition.
Correct Storage
Like any piece of kit, sports, gym, toys or otherwise, putting it back after use in a safe location is important for keeping it clean and out of the way, preventing any potential safety risks. Ensure that you have a dedicated area for storing your gym equipment, whether it’s a rack designed for weights, stands for gym balls or versatile gym storage racks. Having a safe place to keep your equipment is peace of mind for you and anyone else sharing your space. By putting your equipment in a specific place, out of the way of general life activities you can also protect the quality of your equipment rather than risk it becoming damaged or broken which can stop or interrupt your work out or even cause harm.
Sufficient Cleaning
There’s no denying that a work-out cause most people to get hot and sweaty and these bodily fluids will transfer to any equipment you use. Even if you are the only person using a piece of equipment, it’s good practice to wipe it down and clean it off after you’ve stopped using it. Not only does this prevent bacteria and viruses from sitting on surfaces for you to re-infect yourself at a later point but this prevents mould growth too. If you’ve got gym equipment with moving parts, such as a rowing machine or exercise bike, make sure to thoroughly clean and maintain all moving parts to prevent these getting clogged with debris and dust build ups.
Use Equipment the Right Way
While it’s tempting to experiment with your gym equipment and try different things out, most gym equipment is designed with certain exercises and movements in mind and if you deviate from these you might damage the equipment or worse, cause harm to yourself. When using a new piece of equipment, thoroughly educate yourself on the best practices, how to safely use the equipment and how the equipment shouldn’t be used. If you use the equipment incorrectly, you will shorten the lifespan of your gear, meaning you have to replace it more often and costing you a lot more in the long run.
Have a Maintenance Schedule
Our lives are busy, whether you are a career driven individual with an active social life or a parent trying to get 5 minutes here and there. If you know that you are going to struggle to regularly maintain your equipment after impromptu use, build equipment maintenance into your monthly chore schedule and put it on the same level as hoovering or changing the beds – you wouldn’t skip these important chores so don’t find an excuse to not properly maintain your equipment.
If in Doubt, Consult a Technician
It’s advantageous to have many skills in your life toolbelt however, sometimes it’s not practical to have a full technical or engineering understanding. If you are in doubt about how to properly maintain or fix your equipment, consult a professional who will be able to provide detailed instructions or sort out your equipment on your behalf safely and with the correct parts.
Regular exercise is important for a healthy, balanced lifestyle and whether your have a gym ball and a skipping rope in your exercise corner or an entire room dedicated to full-size gym equipment, make sure you maintain it regularly to get the most out of your gear.
