Your Equipment Needs to be Maintained...

Fitness equipment has to be maintained. It makes sense when you think about it, but I can't tell you how often people are surprised by this. Or how important maintenance really is for fitness equipment.  Trust me, the manufacturers, especially the online or lower end ones, are hoping you don't maintain it, because you'll need another piece a LOT sooner if you don't.  And this also goes for those online or chain dealerships that don't do service.

But ConnectFit does do service.  So, here are some tips for you.

 

For strength equipment, it is not quite as critical as for cardio, but it's still important. Most people don't know that Olympic bars, or at least better ones, can be lubricated to maintain that easy spin. This is also the same for lots of attachment bars.  3-in-1 oil is a go-to, here.  Also, brush your bars every year to get rid of potential rust.

Weight stack equipment needs to have lubricated guide rods, and never use WD-40. Spray Silicone is best. You also want to check the pulleys to make sure they're spinning freely, and check the cables to make sure the plastic she thing isn't cracking. Also these cables will stretch given time and better equipment has tensioners for that. That's actually one of the things that you'll never find on the lower end department store equipment.

 

Benches that adjust incline and decline also can be lubricated to move easier.

 

 

Now cardiovascular equipment is a completely different animal. Because of the repetitive nature of the exercise, there's a lot more wear and tear on a well used piece of cardiovascular equipment.

Upright and recumbent bicycles both have tensioners built into their belt assemblies, and often you can lubricate the seat adjustments as well to make those easier. That's the same for spinning bikes, though you have to see what type of resistance system they have to understand how to take care of them. Some of the older ones have physical resistance pads that we are out. Magnetic systems normally do much better.

 

Older rowing machines have a chain system, those chains need to be lubricated at least once a year, normally twice a year, or they are in much more danger of breakage and they don't move as freely. Strap driven systems are more modern and don't require the same kind of work, but you do have to make sure that whatever type of shock or tensioning cord that may be used is not fraying either. That recoil system, whether it's a shock cord or some kind of internal spring should be looked at every 5 years or so just in case it's loosening up. And if you are using a fluid rower, you need to add chlorine tablets to the water every 6 months at a minimum, or else you're going to have a green algae rower instead of a water rower.

 

Elliptical machines are the second most popular type of exercise though not as dominant as they were 15 years ago. And there's so many different types of them that it's a little harder. All that being said, many of them use rail systems and wheels, and you should check those wheels and the rails are for dirt every 6 months at a minimum. That's for a lot of the wear is on those machines. Some of them have a wheel with a pedal going over it, and again you need to make sure that those wheels are kept clean, and normally just a little soapy water can take care of that. It's normally good to also check the side to side leeway on the arms and legs. The bearings in the joints can get loose after a while, especially with heavy use or robust users.

 

I saved the treadmills for last, because they need the most maintenance, go through the most friction, but are also by far the most popular part of our industry. Friction is the enemy of a treadmill that's the number one thing with maintaining a treadmill. A higher quality treadmill may have a long warranty on the belt and the deck, but it's still going to go through more wear and friction than any other part of the machine. And as the slippery surface on the deck starts to wear and then the inside of the belt starts to wear, the friction increases and the rest of the parts of your machine, including the lower board, have to work a lot harder. And while different tread bills need slightly different types of lubrication, as a rule of thumb, lubricating the deck every 500 miles or every year, whichever comes faster, is always a smart idea. You can also tension the belt and open up the hood and vacuum inside of that.

If you'd like to set up Preventative Maintenance, let us know!