We all head to the gym knowing they’re gross, but without any hard knowledge on specifically how gross they are. The free weights usually have a slimy grip on them, and any machine that’s worth using always needs a thorough wiping-down with the cleaning napkins the gym provides. But even with a good scrubbing, we all know that in our quest to be thick, solid and tight – gyms are gross. Really gross.
Now, there’s finally some hard science on the matter.
FitRated gathered bacteria samples from a plethora of gym equipment at three different gyms, then tested them all to determine the disconcerting measurement of “colony forming units.” Get ready to take a shower.
Yes, the equipment we use to live a longer, healthy life is utterly covered in disgusting germs, and over 70% of the germs are potentially harmful to humans. As someone who scraped their knee on a mat once, cleaned the hell out of it and still developed a horrible staph infection (the worst time in my life), I can confidently say that no one wants this stuff on them.
Think about how over 1 million bacteria cells per square inch are covering that elliptical machine, then try to think of some sort of excuse to not wash your hands at an alarming degree all day every day.
If you want to continue to be grossed out, you can visit FitRated to see another horrifying infographic. Meanwhile, we can hope gyms start stepping up their anti-bacteria measures.
(via Esquire)
