How To Move Home Gym Equipment: Safe And Easy

We are not sure why, but a lot of people simply assume that when the time comes to move their home gym equipment, they will do it quickly and easily. The process of packing and disassembling gym equipment is complicated and there are a lot more things to do than just pick it up and carry it out the door. 

Moreover, not planning it properly will only contribute to risking your own health and damaging your equipment. This article wi discuss how to move gym equipment without risking injury or damage. Also, we’ll share some useful tips on how to move specific fitness machines, so let’s start.

Things You Need To Know Before You Try To Move Your Gym Equipment?

When it comes to moving gym equipment, two things are crucial –  doing it slowly and with utmost care. This is very expensive equipment that you don’t want to replace so soon, and in case of damage, some machines can’t be fixed.

Here is the list of things you need to prepare for moving your gym equipment: 

• Furniture sliders – This is one of the simplest and most effective ways to move heavy gym equipment. All you need is a few furniture sliders and something to slide them under the equipment. You can then just push or pull the equipment across the floor.
• Cushions or moving blankets – Whenever you’re moving gym equipment, it’s a good idea to use cushions or towels whenever possible. This will help to protect the equipment and prevent any scratches or dents.
• Dolly – If you have a lot of equipment to move, or if the equipment is particularly heavy, you may want to invest in a dolly. This will make it much easier to move the equipment and will help to prevent any damage.
• Ask for help – Trying to move gym equipment on your own is asking for trouble. Get some help from a friend or family member. This will make it much easier to move the equipment and will significantly reduce the risk of injury or damage.

Take your time! Don’t rush!

When moving home gym you should always keep in mind to take your time and do it slowly, and responsibly! There’s no need to rush and risk your own health.

Sanitize your equipment before moving

Just like all other home equipment and furniture, you will need to sanitize your exercise equipment before packing and moving them. Do this to avoid transferring nasty bacteria and germs to your new home.

• Wipe down yoga mats and accessories – Use paper towels and an all-purpose cleaner for this task. Of course, some specialized cleaners are specifically designed for cleaning yoga mats but you don’t need to spend money on them if you don’t want to. 
• Clean the handrails, sidebars, and other surfaces – The surfaces that are in constant touch must be sanitized and thoroughly cleaned before packing. Machines like treadmills, elliptical machines, weight machines, and stationary bikes, all require cleaning since they can be full of germs.
• Wipe down lifting accessories – Things like dumbbells and other weights should be wiped down with a universal cleaning solution.

How To Move Home Gym Equipment – Disassembling Guide

Some machines can’t be relocated in one piece so you will need to disassemble them and pack them piece by piece. In most cases, equipment like treadmills and ellipticals must be disassembled. Here are some useful tips on how to do that like a pro.

Treadmill

Treadmills are the most commonly owned gym equipment across the world. Before you even think about moving the treadmill, read the user manual to find out crucial information like its weight, how can be disassembled, does it have a visible lock/unlock mechanism, etc.

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In general, treadmills weigh around 200 lbs and 500 lbs, there’s no doubt that you should ask for a helping hand and rent out a furniture dolly to be able to move it. In case you are not sure you and your buddies can do that safely you hire the help of professional movers who have the necessary tools and skills. 

Here’s what you need to do to safely relocate your treadmill.

• The first step is to power down the treadmill and unplugs and disconnect all the wires.
• The next step depends on the model of your machine. Some treadmills have a standing section that folds downwards, while others have a belt section that will have to be folded upwards. In both cases, you will need to pay extra care while transporting it, to avoid damages.
• Follow the lock mechanism carefully to ensure the treadmill is immovable during the relocation.
• Place the treadmill on the furniture dolly. To do it right, set the treadmill right next to the furniture dolly. Now ask for a helping hand. Carefully and using the strength of your legs, make sure both of you lift the treadmill simultaneously and slowly place it on the dolly. Roll it out to the transport vehicle and load it in the truck.

Check your user manual again to make sure you unlock it in the right way and pull back the standing section and lock it in place. Finally, take a minute to do a proper safety check-up before putting it to use. Plug it in, put it on the lowest setting, and test it before you start using it every day.

Elliptical machine

Elliptical machines are bulky and awkwardly shaped making them tricky to move. The simplest method to move them is by disassembling the hardware on the elliptical to make it easy to move them through doorways and hallways.

• Unplug the machine and secure the cords close to the elliptical.
• Disassemble the entire machine. Remove the handlebars, pedals, base, and main console using screwdrivers and a wrench. Collect all the bolts and place them in some box or bag. The point of disassembling is to make it easier to manage and lift. Still, 2 or 3 guys should handle this relocation.
• In case you want to move the elliptical machine without taking it apart, you should hire a moving professional to move them or rent a furniture dolly.

Like with a treadmill, after moving the elliptical to its new spot make sure you test it on the lowest setting.

Stationary bike

Stationary bikes are not only one of the most popular and easiest gym equipment to move. The only risk you take when moving this equipment is damaging your floors if you are not careful enough.

• Unplug it and secure the cords close to the bike or else in a labeled box or bag with your other items.
• Get some furniture blankets to protect your bike from damage.
• Protect your floors with cardboard pieces, towels, or furniture sliders while moving the bike in and out of your house.
• The loading or unloading process will require 1 or 2 guys to load it into the truck and place it firmly.
• Just make sure the stationary bike is actually stationary during the transit.

Weightlifting machines

Moving a weightlifting machine is one of the most challenging tasks of the entire home gym equipment considering its weight and odd shape. To get your weightlifting machine ready for the move, get your user manual out and follow these steps:

• Remove all weights one by one and place them on the ground; wrap the weight bars in towels to keep them from getting scratched and prevent the metal bars from damaging any other goods while moving.
• You may pack the weight bars into carton boxes after securing them in padding (using towels); however, make sure that you use small cartons and keep the boxes light.
• As you disassemble the weightlifting machine according to the procedure mentioned, make sure to secure all the nuts, bolts, and screws in protective bags and tape them to the corresponding equipment or label them clearly if you choose to keep them with your other things.
• Any movable parts of the machine may result in damaging walls or other goods or may even hurt you or your helpers; make sure to secure such moving parts with strong packing tape, ropes, zip ties, or ropes.
• Wrap the oddly shaped equipment in moving blankets or towels to prevent scratches, since they may not fit into cartons properly.

Dumbbells, barbells, and exercise balls

Lifting weights is good for your overall health, but lifting weights when working out and moving out isn’t the same thing. Even though you should take the same safety precautions regarding your health when loading heavy weights. 

Whether you own multiple sets of heavyweight plates or light hand weights, you should make sure to use sturdy moving boxes made of plastic or wood since in most cases cardboard boxes won’t hold the weight. Small carton boxes are a good choice only for packing small dumbbells, and barbells are safe since their weight isn’t so heavy and they can comfortably fit in the box. 

Before packing up the weights, clean them and wrap them in bubble wrap, towels, or any other protective material. This is how you will prevent potential scratches and damages in case the box doesn’t withstand the weight. Avoid packing all the weights into a single box since it will be too heavy to manage.

How To Move Home Gym Equipment Up And Down Stairs?

Moving any large object upstairs or downstairs is a risky job that you should leave out to the professionals. However, if you and your gym boys are sure you can do this task without risking an injury or damaging the equipment keep these things in mind. 

Before you start make sure that the equipment is securely fastened. This will prevent it from shifting during the move and potentially damaging itself or the stairs. Also, make sure you are careful when lifting the equipment. Some parts can still fall off and make a mess. 

Make sure you’re using the proper lifting technique to spare your backs and legs. Naturally, you won’t be able to do that alone so the more helping hands involved the merrier. Once again take your time and do this slowly.

When In Doubt Call iMOVE NYC

Knowing how to move home gym equipment properly is a must! In case you never did this before, and you don’t have any experience with lifting bulky and heavy items you should hire professionals. Not only that you risk damaging your expensive equipment, but most importantly you’ll risk your own health. Injuries that occur when lifting heavy and bulky items incorrectly are very serious. To avoid these inconveniences you should team up with a well-experienced and reliable team of professional movers.

Professional movers from iMOVE NYC moving company are well-experienced and licensed moving experts that will take care of your gym equipment with utmost care. Remember you can’t buy your health but you can invest in it by preventing injuries! Click here to schedule your appointment with us today!