Coronavirus: General Prevention and Gym Specifics
By Korey Walz – NSCA Certified Personal Trainer, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
With the spread of coronavirus there are a number of things you can do to prevent the spread of coronavirus and to make sure you are staying healthy, clean, and safe.
- Hand Washing– The CDC recommends people wash their hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and should be done often especially after coughing, sneezing, or being in a public place. If soap is not available for you to use hand sanitizer can be used but make sure it contains at least 60% alcohol.
- Coughing/Sneezing – If you are coughing or sneezing make sure you are either doing so into your elbow or into a tissue to make sure no one else is affected by your coughing or sneezing.
- Distance – To prevent the spread of coronavirus you should be keeping distance from other people and avoiding close contact at a range of 6 feet is recommended to ensure you won’t catch anything from the people near you.
- Stay Home – If you are already sick stay home. The best thing you can do for yourself and other people if you feel sick is to stay home and not get others sick. Also don’t go out unless you absolutely need to. Social events and gatherings should be put on the backburner at this time until things normalize. If you are younger you are less likely to become severely ill by coronavirus but that does not mean caution should be thrown to the wind as you may pass the virus even if you are asymptomatic.
- Cleaning – Clean and disinfect surfaces daily. This will make sure the areas you surround yourself in are suitable and will not cause germs to spread or infection.
- Exercise – Exercise is one of the greatest immune system boosters out there, so now is not the time to give up exercising! Do what you can with what you have whether that’s by using dumbbells or bodyweight at home and you will be going great lengths to ensure your immune system and your body stays healthy and strong.
Reminders and Ideas for Gym Goers in the Future
Gym Cleaning – When going back to public gym areas it will be essential to make sure you are wiping equipment down before and after you are done using all equipment to ensure you stay clean and safe and the people around you stay clean and safe as well!
A lot of times as personal trainers we get to observe people wiping down (or not) equipment in the gym. We notice that people tend to be great about wiping down cardio equipment, machine weight handles/seats and mats AFTER use. However, there is a lot more high touch equipment in the gym that we can all be better about wiping down BEFORE and after use to ensure adequate cleanliness for you and for others from now on! It will be necessary to clean:
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- Dumbbells
- Barbells
- Plates
- Barbell Collars (they hold the plate on the bar)
- Detachable Cable Handles
- Pins (on machine and cable weight stacks)
- Medicine Balls
- Resistance Band Handles
- Drinking Fountain Push Buttons
- Stability Balls
- TRX Handles
Let’s all help keep our gyms safe for everyone!
Information comes from the CDC: