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Guide to Moving Fitness Equipment

Guide to Moving Fitness Equipment

Organizing a relocation never comes easy, especially for fitness enthusiasts. Whether you own a home gym or you are in the fitness business, relocation will give you additional things to worry about. All that heavy equipment and various exercising devices you own require extra effort to pack and relocate properly. Basically, you will need some skill, a bit of knowledge, and proper tools to deal with it. Hopefully, with our guide to moving fitness equipment, you will quickly find the right solution.

How to deal with moving fitness equipment

Today, working out is a typical routine for staying fit and healthy. Many people go beyond visiting the gym and convert a part of their home into a personal exercise place. However, the problems start once you have to move to another location. With a few exceptions, most of the fitness equipment is heavy and bulky. They require patience and strength to deal with when moving. Despite that, some of them are also quite delicate and require special handling. So, packing and moving such equipment requires careful planning, and this is how to approach the problem.

Consider hiring professional movers

Of course, if you have experience with this matter, you can always call a few friends. You can then pack and transport everything much more easily. But, if you don’t know what you are about to face, you should consider other options. Hands down, one of the safest and most straightforward solutions for moving your fitness equipment is with professional assistance. You can still pack everything if that suits you, but you will need reinforcement for the rest of the tasks. Fortunately, you can quickly get dependable help in the process by looking for reputable labor-only movers. They will handle all the loading and unloading, so you won’t have to expose yourself to unnecessary risks.

Several heavy treadmills in a home.

Prepare for packing and moving

No matter what choice you make, it’s useful to know how to prepare for packing and moving. When it comes to gym equipment, here is what supplies are necessary:

  • Dollies are crucial for moving heavy items.
  • Moving blankets are essential for protecting your equipment from bumps and scratches.
  • Protective gear like gloves, shoes, and even a helmet.
  • Different types of tools if you are dealing with disassembly and reassembly on your own.
  • All kinds of boxes and packing materials.
  • Ropes and ratchet straps.
  • Proper packing supplies like crates for your gym mirrors.

Remember, it’s always good to take pictures of your equipment before you disassemble it, especially if you don’t have the manual at hand. Use various angles so that you don’t have to remember how everything was set.

Disassemble your fitness equipment

You should not pack your large fitness items like treadmills and bikes in one piece. Since breakables should be well protected, it’s always better to disassemble them first. And then, pack all the delicate and sturdy parts in separate boxes. Again, you can learn how to do it from your manual or call for experts to help you. Either way, you should not try to do it by yourself. Besides small parts and screws, many large and heavy parts will require you to find extra pairs of hands when handling.

Fitness equipment packing.

Secure moving pieces

Some equipment has moving parts that either can’t be or don’t have to be disassembled. However, you need to secure them before placing them on a truck. If there are moving parts on your treadmill or bike, fix them in place. In general, you can use ropes, straps, or even duct tape if there is not much strain on those parts. The point is to prevent any moving or shifting that might damage the equipment or other items in transportation. Also, sudden detachment of moving parts can often lead to accidents. To prevent it, lock them into position and be careful when picking them up.

Carefully plan the weight distribution

Let’s take dumbbells, for example. They come in all sizes, but even those small can add serious weight if you pack them all in one place. Don’t let the size of the fitness equipment trick you because everything is heavy. Here are a couple of rules to follow:

  • Make sure you use strong boxes
  • Pack heavy items in smaller boxes
  • Don’t risk by placing more than is necessary into one box.
  • Don’t lift over your head.
  • Make sure to tie items together so that they don’t shift inside the box.

Additionally, don’t try to save money on packing materials. Just consider if saving a few bucks on packing materials is worth damaging your expensive equipment and hurting yourself or someone else.

Dumbells, sneakers, and ankle weight.

Handling larger items

Stationary bike

A stationary bike is one of the first things fitness enthusiasts buy for their homes or fitness centers. Fortunately, this popular fitness device is also one of the easiest large items to move. You can detach just a couple of movable parts and wrap the entire bike as one large piece. It will be a bit heavy to lift, but it will be easier to transport it because of its stability of the pedestal.

More than 5 stationary bikes in one room.

Elliptical

An elliptical is a complex device to move because of its odd measures. So, probably the best solution is to disassemble it completely. After that, you can pack legs, pedals, bolts, and other parts separately in sturdy boxes while wrapping the rest with blankets and securing it with tape and rope.

Treadmill

Treadmills are exceptionally heavy but not so hard to pack and move. Since most of them are foldable, you can fold them up, lock them, and wrap them without a problem. Just make sure you have proper manpower to move it. If you don’t have at least two more people assisting you, it’s time to call the experts.

Weightlifting machines

Weightlifting machines can be challenging to move mostly because of their weight and moving parts. But, what most people don’t realize is that they are easily damaged. That’s why you should first completely secure them with ropes, cords, and straps. After that, you can wrap them entirely to prevent damage to both the equipment and walls.

There is a weightlifting machine on this picture.

With proper guidance and help, moving fitness equipment should not be challenging. If you prepare well, find all the supplies and necessary assistance, relocation will go without problems. When the move is over, you and your visitors will be able to enjoy your fitness sessions once again.