Tips for Heading Back to the Gym: How to Safely Resume Your Workout Now That COVID-19 Restrictions are Being Lifted

by Melinda Burris Willms

      As everyone begins to warily venture out and begin to try to reengage in their old routines, albeit differently, as we all struggle to adapt to the new normal that is faces covered with protective masks, areas in public taped or curtained off to enforce the mandatory six feet of space between patrons, and a public that is apprehensive about catching or spreading the novel coronavirus or COVID-19, yet for the most part, pleased to get out and socialize with others again, an obvious question arises: How can our new emphasis on maintaining a hygienic environment be applied to gyms?

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Anyone who has every worked out in a group setting, be it in a gym or Pilates or yoga studio (especially hot yoga), knows that even with the courtesy wipe downs most fellow athletes observe, these places where simply walking in seeing someone dripping sweat on a press bench or elliptical machine tells you what you really already knew: every surface you touch has been sweated and probably sneezed and coughed on by numerous people before you and will be again by the countless number of people who follow you.

So, how do we rejoin our gym and workout communities to exercise for our health while simultaneously protecting our health in these germ rich environments?

Will the Adoption of More Stringent Hygiene Standards Make Gyms Safer?

A recent study concluded earlier this year, featured in an article published in Sports Health, investigated this very question. Researchers applied a method known as a cohort study, which relies on repeated observations of similar variables (in this case, groups of people) who share a common trait or activity and notes their actions over a set timeframe. This type of scientific study demands that subjects be observed in the same surroundings to ensure the analysis is a true comparison of like experiences. The researchers for this study chose athletic training rooms in two high schools and training rooms from two colleges as the settings for the study, which was conducted during the 2017-2018 school year.¹

The study followed a basic three-step protocol:

1. Disinfectant products were introduced into the training rooms
2. Trainers and student-athletes received educational training about the new hygiene standards to be followed throughout the study
3. A variety of surfaces in the training rooms were checked for the presence of bacterial and viral contagions at four specific intervals over the course of study. The material taken from the swaps was tested to quantify the existence of bacterial aerobic plate count (APC) and bacterial activity as well as the presence of flu virus and common drug-resistant infections.¹

The research findings revealed that by the end of the study, the bacterial APC was cut by an amazing 94.7% as the study protocol for the proper use of antiseptic materials was instituted. At the onset of the investigation, 24% of the surfaces tested came back positive for drug resistant infections. At the conclusion of the study, this amount was cut to 0%. Finally, a comparison of flu virus identified on surfaces in the training rooms showed a 100% reduction of these germs as no influenza contagions were found on the tested surfaces at the conclusion of the study, compared to flu germs having been identified on 25% of the swapped surfaces prior to the implementation of the disinfectant use protocol. What is even more impressive is the fact that no participant reported coming down with any viral or bacterial infection that could be traced to the training rooms over the entire course of the study.¹

The findings from this scientific investigation are reassuring for self-proclaimed “gym rats” as it clearly demonstrates that by instituting and enforcing strict hygienic standards through the constant use of simple disinfectants, gyms could be rendered virtually germ free.

Based on these findings and recommendations by world health authorities including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), it is clear that standard disinfectant use is key to returning to the gym and other group workout facilities safely.

Additional Tips to Keep Your Workout Safe

Below is a list of other tips and strategies you can employ to make sure your workout is a healthy one:

1. Realize your risk: While disinfection is key, as the Director of the Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention at Duke University Medical Center, Deverick Anderson, notes gym equipment is often constructed in ways that make it challenging to clean every surface where another individual is likely to have touched the workout tool. That said, Dr. Anderson emphasizes that despite efforts at disinfection, working out with public equipment is always going to carry some risk that is unavoidable.²
2. Utilize proper disinfectants correctly and do so frequently: Expect your training facility to provide the necessary tools for members to adequately disinfect themselves and the equipment they are using. These items include easy access to disinfecting sanitizer and/or a sink where patrons can wash their hands with soap as soon as they enter the facility. Spray bottles of disinfectants that conform to the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for cleaning materials that have been approved as being effective in killing the germs that cause COVID-19 should be made abundantly available and easily accessible for all gym-goers.²
3. Be warned: most wet wipes that were commonly found in most gyms prior to the pandemic do not contain the strong disinfectant compounds the EPA has established as necessary to protect against the spread of COVID-19.² If your gym is not providing spray bottles of disinfectant, demand they do so prior to working out there.
4. Bring your own water bottle: Since it has been established that COVID-19 is spread through respiratory droplets disseminated through coughing and sneezing, experts advise coming to the gym or studio with your personal water bottle so you can stay hydrated while avoiding the possibility of contamination through drinking from public water fountains.²
5. Bring your own towels and bring extras: Experts recommend bringing multiple towels with you when you go to work out, designating one for wiping the sweat from your face and hands and at least one other to cover commonly used surfaces, such as weight benches, seats, and yoga mats to offer yourself an extra barrier between yourself and equipment that may still have germ residue.
6. Adhere to social distancing protocols. We have all heard about the importance of this basic measure that is so vital to avoid spreading COVID-19. As facilities reopen, they should limit the number of patrons allowed inside one at a time. In addition, gym equipment should be spaced out and tape should be placed on the floor to guide users in maintaining a minimum of six feet distance from one another.2

Conclusion

As these simple tips illustrate, by making a commitment to proper hygiene and disinfection and by brining your own equipment (towels, water bottles, etc.) with you for your training sessions, you can easily return to your workout while minimizing your risk of exposure to COVID-19 and other common infections.

References

1.LaBelle, M.W. (2020). Infection Risk Reduction Program on Pathogens in High School and Collegiate Athletic Training Rooms.

2. Reynolds, G. (13 May 2020). Is It Safe to Go Back to the Gym?

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