Personal Training in a Pandemic -Equipment (Part 4)

I’m not sure about you, but I’m definitely nervous about the opening of gyms when it comes to handling equipment. It’s one thing to maintain social distance, be that 1 or 2 metres apart as per the Government guidelines, but trying to avoid the risk of catching and spreading the disease through shared equipment is something we have to proactively manage.

As lockdown rules are slowly lifted and relaxed, we may well see some complacency when it comes to hand washing and wiping down surfaces. Any shared equipment will need to wiped down thoroughly and sanitized after each time. I’d recommend people also play it safe and wipe equipment themselves before and after using.

Trust needs to be built up that everybody is in fact doing their bit to stop the spread of the virus. Otherwise, I can’t see people rushing back into gyms. Even though the live atmosphere, social interactions and energy of a gym and class environment cannot be replicated at home, safety is now more of a priority.

For anyone training with a coach at home or outdoors, I’d recommend taking precautions:

• Bring your own antibacterial spray or wipes to sessions, you can’t be too careful! Don’t assume every coach is wiping equipment down, even though they should be!

• Consider wearing gloves with a grip to handle weights.

• If you can, I’d also highly recommend purchasing your own exercise matt. You can purchase these at a reasonable price (unlike most other equipment right now!) on Amazon.

• Invest in some other essentials - skipping ropes, resistance bands (you can do a hell of a lot with these, don’t underestimate how effective these can be!) and a kettlebell if you can get your hands on one. You don’t need much, but I think it’s worth investing in.

• Bring your own towel & water bottles!