The folks over at FitRated.com, a company that does fitness equipment reviews, have a message: Gyms need to clean up their act.
The company gathered samples from 27 different pieces of equipment at three different gyms to get an idea of how many germs a gym-goer may encounter when they touch a treadmill, exercise bike, or free weight. The survey of equipment measured bacteria bycolony-forming units (CFU) – the number of viable bacteria cells. The results showed that treadmills, exercise bikes and weights were hosting more than 1 million CFUs per square inch apiece. According to FitRated, all three types of equipment yielded "gram-positive cocci (a common cause of skin infections and other illnesses); gram-negative rods (which can prompt many types of infections and sometimes resist antibiotics), and gram-positive rods (which can – but don’t often – cause ailments
The graphics below speak volumes about the importance of keeping gym equipment and surfaces clean. In the meantime, have a look at what happens when you slack on your cleaning regimen.
From AB: Properly Cleaning and Disinfecting Fitness Equipment
