According to a new study by Fitrated, the 3 most popular equipment types at your local gym could be covered in more than 1 million bacteria per square inch.
The company swabbed 27 pieces of equipment at 3 gyms, focusing on free weights, treadmills and exercise bikes.
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Take a look at the disturbing findings:
“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 various types of infections).
“The exercise bikes and free weight samples also turned up Bacillus – a potential cause of various conditions, including ear, eye, and respiratory infections.”
Fitrated also found that the average free weight was covered in 362 times more bacteria than your average toilet seat… Hand sanitizer anyone?
