If you thought the dirtiest place at your gym was the locker room floor think again.

A recent study by FitRated has uncovered that gym equipment, especially free weights, harbors hundreds of times more bacteria than many common public surfaces including toilet seats!

🦠 What the Study Found

Researchers tested various gym machines, including treadmills, exercise bikes, and free weights, and found over one million germs per square inch on average. That’s a serious breeding ground for bacteria.

• Free weights had 362 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.
• Treadmills had 74 times more bacteria than a public bathroom faucet.

Among the identified germs were:

• Gram-positive cocci (which can cause skin infections)
• Antibiotic-resistant gram-negative rods

🤝 “It’s Like Long Handshakes With Sweaty Strangers”

Chelsea Freeburn of the FitRated team put it perfectly:

“Using gym equipment is like having long handshakes with multiple sweaty people. Without proper disinfection, bacteria grows fast.”

Although many gyms provide disinfectant wipes, the study found that users often skip cleaning before and after workouts a key factor in the buildup of germs.

🧼 How to Protect Yourself at the Gym

Don’t let the germ count scare you away from staying fit. Instead, take simple hygiene precautions:

✅ Before & After Your Workout:

• Wipe down machines with disinfectant
• Wash your hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap
• Avoid touching your face during your session
• Bring your own disinfectant wipes if needed

“If your gym doesn’t provide cleaning supplies, bring your own and speak up,” says Freeburn. “Good hygiene protects everyone.”

💡 Final Thoughts

While gyms are great for your physical health, they could be risky for your germ exposure if hygiene is ignored. So next time you lift a dumbbell or hop on a treadmill, wipe it down for your sake and others’.

Staying healthy doesn’t just mean working out it means staying clean too.