Gym's Free Weights Are Full of Germs Dirtier than Public Toilet Seat, Study Finds

According to new study free weights have 362 times more bacteria than a public toilet seat.

Fitrated investigated the level of germs on 27 pieces of exercise equipment and discovered that each piece has more than 1 million germs per square inch. Of those germs, over 70 percent are potentially dangerous to humans. A treadmill had 74 more times bacteria than a public water faucet.

The site notes "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 gave several suggestion to tackle this issue as below

- make sure to properly disinfect machines both before and after you use them.
- never walk around barefoot (especially in the locker rooms),
- don't even think of touching your face while working out and be sure to change out of your gym clothes immediately after a workout.

FitRated.com was created by four people who are passionate about making fitness easier.