How squeamish are you about other people's sweat in the gym?
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Once you've been sweated ON (sparring), sitting on the same seat as someone else is not really a big deal. I wouldn't side-eye anyone for not wiping down after a warm-up, but always try to do so myself.0
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I'm one of those who wipe down the equipment both prior to use and after use. I once saw a girl come out of the restroom stall and walk straight out of the restroom without washing her hands. I had to wonder which machine she was going to use next! Ewww!1
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Ditto, and others who've practiced martial arts have told me they feel the same way. I've been told that ultramarathoners likewise tend to be unsqueamish. After all, you generally won't be in the most hygienic of conditions when you've been running on trails for hours on end.sarahshinks2233 wrote: »Once you've been sweated ON (sparring), sitting on the same seat as someone else is not really a big deal. I wouldn't side-eye anyone for not wiping down after a warm-up, but always try to do so myself.
Obstacle course racers can't afford to be prissy either. It's not just because they have to run or crawl through mud, some of which can be pretty rank. It's also because they have to share the same climbing ropes, clamber over the same walls, carry the same sandbags, and so forth -- and you can be pretty sure that they'll be working up a sweat as they do so.
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I wipe down after.
But I also Swing dance (Lindy Hop). Given the number of partners you dance with during a class and how energetic things get, there’s a point in an evening where you realise you are carrying your sweat, mixed with the guy who lead the dance befores sweat, onto the next persons body. It all just becomes a messy sweat swapping session, no matter how many times you change your shirt.
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When I went to the gym I wiped the seats and handles after I was done if I used a cardio machine, or the benches on the weight machines (the free weights scared me and I don't know what to do safely with my physical limitations) if I sweated on them (not often, I'm not really a heavy lifter yet).
I didn't wipe handles on weight machines, because I usually went to the restroom after cardio (and washed my hands, I'm NOT gross) so my hands were clean and not sweaty and the weights never really made me sweat.
My gym teacher in college scared us all with the "always use a clean towel and wipe the equipment because disease" speech. I'm not really afraid of diseases, if I was i wouldn't go to the gym (the reason I don't now is financial), or I'd wipe before too. But I figure it's courteous to wipe after I've sweated all over it.0 -
I don't care in the least. The incidence of actual disease transferred by sweat droplets is, to put it mildly, minimal. Anything touched with the hands is a different matter. I'd much rather see people wipe down handles than seats, as they really are potential disease vectors. And that has nothing to do with sweat. Handles should be wiped down even if they're not damp.
Same with public toilet seats. Those paper shields are entirely unnecessary. Unless there's actual poo on the seat, it probably harbors less bacteria than you do on your face; and buttcheek-to-buttcheek disease transmission essentially doesn't happen.2 -
THIS. Years of lindy hop have taught me the same thing. There's just no point in trying to avoid it completely.girlinahat wrote: »I wipe down after.
But I also Swing dance (Lindy Hop). Given the number of partners you dance with during a class and how energetic things get, there’s a point in an evening where you realise you are carrying your sweat, mixed with the guy who lead the dance befores sweat, onto the next persons body. It all just becomes a messy sweat swapping session, no matter how many times you change your shirt.
I've found that hardcore athletes often feel the same way. Sweaty football players give each other vigorous hugs at the end of a game. The same holds true for runners as they cross the finish line. Sometimes I think that the more hardcore somebody is when it comes to physical activity, the less likely they are to care about somebody else's sweat.
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I'm not squeamish at all. I've, however , not run into the problem of visible sweat on a piece of equipment I'm about to use. If I did, I would just wipe it down. No big deal.0
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I mainly worry about 'full contact' items like benches, machines with 'backs' to them, recumbant bikes, and the like. Mainly wipe these down before and after use because my hair + back touch them. I also quickly wipe down handles on ellipticals.0
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I'd say that's pretty consistent with what the more pragmatic people here have been saying. Sounds like we'd all agree that visible puddles should be cleaned up. Otherwise, it's fretting over things that have no practical effect and that most people wouldn't be concerned about outside of the gym.
I have NEVER see anyone wipe the equipment down before or after "working in." I'm okay with that. I wouldn't expect people to do that sort of thing -- again, unless they're dripping with sweat.deputy_randolph wrote: »Interestingly...when people work in with me or ask to use something immediately after me, they don't wipe after me. I don't look gross maybe?
I have and will.
But usually if it's someone leaving puddles.
I won't if there are no puddles or "grease" stains from their head.
Another poster mentioned swing dancing, for example. Do swing dancers wipe down their chairs after sitting down, even when things get warm? They wouldn't, except perhaps if they left a visible sweat stain. No reasonable person does that sort of thing outside of the gym.
I have NEVER see anyone wipe the equipment down before or after "working in." I'm okay with that. I wouldn't expect people to do that sort of thing -- again, unless they're dripping with sweat.deputy_randolph wrote: »Interestingly...when people work in with me or ask to use something immediately after me, they don't wipe after me. I don't look gross maybe?
Yeah, I've noticed that. If somebody is waiting for a piece of equipment, I'll usually turn to them and say "would you like me to wipe this off?" and they always say no.
My theory is that heavy lifters don't tend to be concerned unless there is visible moisture. They typically want to move briskly in between sets, so if there's no real need to wipe down, they won't. They also know that lifting heavy doesn't mean you'll be covered in sweat, though some perspiration may be involved.
People who focus on cardio, on the other hand, are more likely to equate exercise with extensive perspiration. So in their minds, exercise --> sweat --> equipment becomes filthy because you touched it. Not always true, but the human mind is good about making associations like that.
Just my suspicion, of course. I do think that there's a marked difference in how the heavy lifters think, though.
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I have NEVER see anyone wipe the equipment down before or after "working in." I'm okay with that. I wouldn't expect people to do that sort of thing -- again, unless they're dripping with sweat.deputy_randolph wrote: »Interestingly...when people work in with me or ask to use something immediately after me, they don't wipe after me. I don't look gross maybe?
Yeah, I've noticed that. If somebody is waiting for a piece of equipment, I'll usually turn to them and say "would you like me to wipe this off?" and they always say no.
I thought you lifted at home?0 -
Oh, and I'm not squeamish, but I generally prefer if people wipe benches after using them - just to be on the safe side. If I get on one that's particularly dirty (whether it's chalk dust, sweat, or whatever) I'll wipe it down beforehand, but not if there's nothing obvious.0
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I sometimes wonder how some gymgoers would feel in a CrossFit class. In many CrossFit-style workouts, you're probably going to wind up sharing sweaty equipment with a bunch of other people. You'll be hopping onto rowers, one person after another, in rapid succession. Or you'll be taking turns on AbMats. Or climbing the same ropes while working up a sweat. Or carrying the same heavy junk that somebody else did moments earlier.0
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Sweat isn't the problem. Potentially harmful bacteria deposited on any surfaces that you may touch is.
Sweat may be "gross" but it isn't necessarily pathogenic. In fact, there are reports that sweat may actually be anti-microbial. See, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1173041/
On the other hand, you'd be surprised where they've found potentially harmful bacteria (including but not limited to E coli and salmonella). Restaurant menus and even soap dispensers are among them. Just Google "germs in public places" for details.
I'm not hugely germophobic but I always carry a small spray bottle filled w/isopropyl alcohol (70% is said to work best) to disinfect anything at the gym b4 I touch it OR to disinfect my hands afterward if I don't.
I also always disinfect the keypad at the ATM and the handles of grocery carts b4 I use them. Fortuntely, most grocery stores provide disinfecting wipes to use for this purpose.
The only other choice would be to put on latex gloves b4 you touch any suspect surfaces but that would be impractical and seem pretty weird at the gym and many other places.
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I typically go to a circuit-style training gym so you're coming into contact with someone else's sweat every time you move to a new station. So it typically doesn't bother me if I go to a regular gym and someone doesn't wipe down their equipment either. I also run Spartans and the like, where you're running through mud and god knows what else.0
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Heck, yeah. I made that point about obstacle course races earlier. Can't afford to be too prissy when you're racing through muck or climbing up ropes that others have sweated into.Pamshebamm181 wrote: »I typically go to a circuit-style training gym so you're coming into contact with someone else's sweat every time you move to a new station. So it typically doesn't bother me if I go to a regular gym and someone doesn't wipe down their equipment either. I also run Spartans and the like, where you're running through mud and god knows what else.
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That is a valid point. Still, merely wiping down won't do much for that sort of thing--not even with the spray bottles that some gyms provide. (Disinfectant solutions need a certain amount of time to work.) And honestly, from what I've read, gyms aren't even particularly filthy in that regard.Sweat isn't the problem. Potentially harmful bacteria deposited on any surfaces that you may touch is.
Sweat may be "gross" but it isn't necessarily pathogenic. In fact, there are reports that sweat may actually be anti-microbial. See, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1173041/
On the other hand, you'd be surprised where they've found potentially harmful bacteria (including but not limited to E coli and salmonella). Restaurant menus and even soap dispensers are among them. Just Google "germs in public places" for details.
You did, of course, mention the bottle of alcohol that you carry around.
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I am not generally sickened by anything-I have worked in GI surgical rooms where body fluids are very disgusting. But, what I am is knowledge of things that can hurt you, where they come from and the best practices of preventing harm to yourself. Even with all the advanced knowledge for germ fighting practiced in hospitals, they test high on the scale of communicable "cooties".
I never and will never, for the sake of my own health and well being, ignore any "sweat". When is the last time your gym ran infectious swab tests on the equipment?...Wanna bet the parts per million on fecal matter is out the roof? Even just touching equipment spreads someone else's fecal onto your hands...then you wipe your face and eeewww!2 -
I want people to wipe off machines after they use them for the same reason that I want somebody to wipe up a spill if they drop their glass in a high traffic area or that I want them to take the heavy weights off of a bar when they're done with it. It has nothing to do with germs...it's more about courtesy and recognizing that the space is being shared with others.1
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Not at all. I wipe my gear down before moving on and clean up messes if I see them, but after a few deployments none of this gets to you.0
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Sweat isn't the problem. Potentially harmful bacteria deposited on any surfaces that you may touch is.
Sweat may be "gross" but it isn't necessarily pathogenic. In fact, there are reports that sweat may actually be anti-microbial. See, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1173041/
TRIMMED
The only other choice would be to put on latex gloves b4 you touch any suspect surfaces but that would be impractical and seem pretty weird at the gym and many other places.
Agree, adding that any open cuts or broken skin should be covered. Mat-burn can be dangerous if it gets infected. But as you point out, that can happen in any public area, not just the gym.1 -
girlinahat wrote: »I wipe down after.
But I also Swing dance (Lindy Hop). Given the number of partners you dance with during a class and how energetic things get, there’s a point in an evening where you realise you are carrying your sweat, mixed with the guy who lead the dance befores sweat, onto the next persons body. It all just becomes a messy sweat swapping session, no matter how many times you change your shirt.
this reminds me - I've said many times after sparring "I didn't sweat this much... but someone did" 0 -
I experienced two extremes this year. My small gym at home is immaculate, has wipes everywhere for people to use, little signs up around the place and I very rarely see someone up and leave any equipment without giving it a swipe. Compare to a place I went to while on vacation at home where nobody wiped anything if they didn't have their own towel, there was one mat on the floor by the free weights that apparently everyone used. I didn't have a towel of my own so I just sucked it up and used the mat when I needed it but damn straight I washed my hands and arms well after.0
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i'm only semi-squeamish about sweat, but i work to a different bar. what gets me is other people's piss on a public toilet seat. that absolutely ENRAGES me.2
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I'm not squeamish to sweat but it's disgusting. I will wipe off before and after use. I feel as though that's courtesy and I believe others should do the same0
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Sweat doesn't bother me nearly as much as snot. Why the heck to sick people need to go to the gym? It grosses me out watching people wipe their nose then touch equipment.1
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canadianlbs wrote: »i'm only semi-squeamish about sweat, but i work to a different bar. what gets me is other people's piss on a public toilet seat. that absolutely ENRAGES me.
Totally! I would love to slap whoever started teaching women that I was more sanitary to “hover”. Grrrrr!2 -
canadianlbs wrote: »i'm only semi-squeamish about sweat, but i work to a different bar. what gets me is other people's piss on a public toilet seat. that absolutely ENRAGES me.
That is the absolute worse! Or when they go on the floor. Like where were you raised??? I have even gone as far as to see fecal matter on the floor. Absolutely no reason for it.2 -
My gym is the most anal retentive place... you have to wipe each thing you touch... if I jump on the treadmill I "should" wipe the side grips off even If just warming up and not even touching them.. in the circuit.. each grip gets wiped off after each use... As I joke I want to hang up signs in the bathroom stating.. " need to wipe door nobs off after each use."... I undertand if you are sitting on a bike or sweating flyiing then you have to wipe.. makes sense..
ANd I am personally super sensitive.. I will start gagging if I see sweat puddles..0 -
I try not to think about it, when sparring you will get the other persons sweat on you... if you start thinking about it you will get distracted... distracted means someone getting a good hit on you in the jaw...
So when it comes to gym equipment, it will always be alot less sweat than I'm used to seeing if any. In the end it is just salty water, it aint going to harm you.3
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