Having a home gym plays an important role in maintaining your health and fitness. And if you are someone who works for hours sitting in one position in front of the computer screen, working out regularly is especially beneficial for your health and keeps your body from crumbling due to a sedentary life. But all this can turn into a nightmare if you need to move houses. Packing up a home gym, should you decide to take it with you, and moving it across to a new residence to set up again is a huge task, not to mention dangerous if you try to do it all by yourself. So read on to find out the best ways to pack and move your home gym without injuries, stress, or great inconvenience.
• You save on buying new equipment
• You won’t lose out on your workout regime right after your move
• You do not have to go looking for gym memberships in the new neighborhood
• You get to choose the workout time
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• Packing your gym takes up a lot of time
• Transporting your gym will be very expensive
• Your gym equipment may get damaged along the way
• You may not have enough space to store your equipment in the new home
Before you get into the major task of packing and moving, you need to get some preliminary items checked off your to-do list.
1. Make a decision: When deciding which home fitness equipment pieces you will move with you to the new place, you have to be as objective as possible. Being too attached to your equipment and sentimental about your gym during a move can cloud your judgment and stop you from being practical.
2. Rent a furniture dolly: If you’re moving any gym equipment that weighs more than about 100 pounds, you will need to rent a furniture dolly. Don’t even try to consider moving it by hand. Then you will also need extra helping hands. Ideally, you want a team of at least four people working on this task, including yourself. Using a furniture dolly keeps your equipment stable and secure and your arms and legs intact. Any local company will let you rent their dollies if you don’t plan on using the moving company itself to handle the packing and moving of your home gym.
3. Get help: You will need a lot of staffing to complete this task smoothly and safely. For the small bits of equipment, having another friend help you should be all right. But for the bigger gym equipment, you need at least three more pairs of the hands-on deck. Make sure you have your able-bodied friends, relatives, colleagues, or neighbors. If you don’t have anyone, consider hiring some laborers from the moving company to help you pack and move the heavy gym equipment.
4. Take pictures: Often, moving trucks may drive over bumpy roads or be driven badly by errant drivers, causing serious damage to the cargo. This way, you can make sure the equipment was as you saw it last. And if it isn’t, you can hold the moving company responsible for the damage and have them fund the repairs or replacement of equipment. Another good reason to take pictures is to get a clear idea of what your equipment looks like fully assembled (in case it needs to be disassembled for packing and will be reassembled later)
5. Clean your equipment: Before packing, ensure that you have thoroughly cleaned and sanitized your gym equipment. Whenever you use your equipment for a workout, you shed dead skin, sweat, and transfer bacteria and germs onto the equipment, leaving it to rot and damage equipment in the long run. A good home remedy for sanitizing your equipment is mixing water with white vinegar (half of each in a spray bottle).
See Also: How To Get Organized For A Move
Treadmills are one of the most common home gym machines you are likely to use regularly. Here are steps to follow when packing and moving your treadmill:
• Set the incline of your treadmill to zero if it already hasn’t been done.
• Remove and keep the safety key of the treadmill safely, ideally packed together with the treadmill.
• Switch off the treadmill from the main power button and remove the main plug from the power source.
• Secure the power cord with tape by wrapping it efficiently around the side of the treadmill or placing it in its section or compartment if there is one.
• Refer to the manual for instructions on folding or dismantling your treadmill if you need to pack and move it. Based on the make and model, some treadmills have been designed to be folded down or folded up.
• Once it has been folded or dismantled, lock it down by using any locking mechanism, like a locking pin or tightening knob.
• Use padded furniture blankets, foam, or bubble wrap (or ideally all three) to securely wrap your treadmill all over to stay protected and safe from any banging, scratching, or damage while being transported in the moving truck. Keep the wrapping materials in place with the help of packing tape or packing ropes and straps.
• If the equipment is too heavy to lift manually, then use the furniture dolly to transport it across the house to the back of the moving truck while you and your helpers push the dolly evenly from all sides.
• Place the dolly next to the treadmill. With the help of your friends, lift the treadmill slightly off the ground and carefully place it onto the dolly. Remember to use the correct lifting techniques to avoid injury and equipment damage.
• Once on the dolly, secure the treadmill using ropes and straps so that it does not fall off or shift while being transported to the truck.
• With the help of a loading ramp, carefully load the treadmill onto the truck and secure it in its place using ropes or straps.
Another popular gym machine, you will find that the stationary bike is a very common element in a home gym. Here are steps to follow when packing and moving your stationary bike:
• Switch off the stationary bike from the main power button and remove the main plug from the power source.
• Secure the power cord with tape by wrapping it efficiently around the side of the bike or placing it in its section or compartment if there is one.
• Next, you should remove the handlebar and pedals (if they are detachable) and pack them separately. The user manual is likely to have instructions on how to do this and keep your bike safe from any damage.
• If the bike has smaller elements like an LCD screen, use bubble wrap and tape to secure them separately
• Wrap every inch of the bike with blankets, bubble wrap, foam, or protective plastic and secure it in place with packing tape.
• With the help of friends, lift and carry the bike to the truck. If it is too heavy, use the furniture dolly for the same, and secure the bike with ropes and straps
• Once the bike has been loaded, secure it in place on the side of the truck with ropes and straps to protect it from damage while the truck is on the move.
Ellipticals are built in an awkward shape, so they can be tricky to pack. Here are steps to follow when packing and moving your elliptical:
• Switch off the elliptical from the main power button and remove the main plug from the power source.
• Secure the power cord with tape by wrapping it efficiently around the side of the elliptical or placing it in its section or compartment if there is one.
• Refer to the manual for instructions on dismantling your elliptical if you need to pack and move it.
• Once it has been dismantled, lock it down in place by using any locking mechanism, like a locking pin or tightening knob.
• Use padded furniture blankets, foam, or bubble wrap (or ideally all three) to securely wrap your elliptical all over to stay protected and safe from any banging, scratching, or damage while being transported in the moving truck. Keep the wrapping materials in place with the help of packing tape or packing ropes and straps.
• Place the dolly next to the elliptical. With the help of your friends, lift the elliptical slightly off the ground and carefully place it onto the dolly. Remember to use the correct lifting techniques.
• Once on the dolly, secure it using ropes and straps so that it does not fall off or shift while being transported to the truck.
• With the help of a loading ramp, carefully load the elliptical onto the truck and secure it in its place using ropes or straps.
Weightlifting equipment is very easy to store in your home and makes for great workout tools. But they can also be dangerous if handled improperly or lifted without sufficient preparation or strength. Here are steps to follow when packing and moving your weightlifting equipment:
• Use bubble wrap or newspaper to wrap your weights individually
• Fill each box (how many ever boxes you assign to this part of your home gym) with blankets, towels, or foam to secure the weights in place and avoid movement
• Keep a maximum of 4 small hand weights in each box to avoid making them too heavy to move around
• For heavier weights, make sure you have strong plastic bins to store them, not cardboard boxes.
• When wrapping the dumbbells and barbells, use several thick furniture blankets to wrap them and keep them in place with packing tape.
Conclusion
If you are struggling to get enough friends to help or feel worried you might not handle all your equipment as well as you would like, remember that you can always get professional packers and movers specializing in gym equipment. This is definitely worth the money and will save a lot of stress (and possible injury, too!).
FAQs
Is it worth making a gym at home?
Making a home gym does have its advantages: More convenient than gyms outside, workout as per your schedule, no one else uses your equipment, no excuses for not making it to a workout and no distractions
Is it hard to move a home gym?
Use bubble wrap, old clothing, foam, blankets, or anything that provides protective cushioning to your equipment. Using packing tape, wrap your equipment with these materials such that every inch is covered and protected. If there are pointy edges in the pathway to the loading dock, you can cover those parts of your house to avoid any damage on possible collision.
How do I move my elliptical to a new house?
Here are the steps to follow when moving your elliptical to a new location:
Place the furniture dolly on the elliptical, then stand on one side while your helper stands on the other side. Lift the elliptical (remember to carry the weight with your legs) simultaneously and carefully move to place it on the furniture dolly. Once it is on the dolly, secure it in place with packing ropes. After that, you and your helper push slowly toward the loading dock.
See Also: Packing Outdoor Items for a Move
How do you move a treadmill?
To effectively and safely move a treadmill is to check the manual for specific instructions in handling the treadmill, disconnect the treadmill from the plug points, and remove the safety key. Use the wheels, roll the treadmill out of the room. Depending on the manual, fold or disassemble the treadmill and remove obstacles from the pathway if needed. Keep a furniture dolly on standby in case you need to use it and make sure at least three other people are helping you.
How do you pack and move dumbbells?
The best way to pack and move dumbbells is to use bubble wrap or newspaper to wrap your weights individually and fill each box (how many ever boxes you assign to this part of your home gym) with blankets, towels, or foam to secure the weights in place and avoid movement. Keep a maximum of 4 small hand weights in each box to avoid making them too heavy to move around.
Alex Sherr is the founder of My Long Distance Movers, a blog that provides moving information and resources for people who are relocating. He has more than two decades of experience in the moving and relocation industry, and he is passionate about helping people relocate smoothly and efficiently. When he's not writing or blogging, Alex enjoys spending time with his wife and two young children.
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