Every new year, we witness the same change in pace across gyms: new members, higher class capacity and an increased usage of gym accessories and equipment.

With this higher footfall comes more wear and tear on some of your accessories. These softer, more consumable items are always the first products to show signs of use.

Not only can scruffy accessories reflect negatively on your gym aesthetics, they can also have an effect on user experience. With this in mind, here are our top 5 gym accessories to refresh this New Year to keep your members enjoying their gym experience.

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Gym Mats

Mats are a go-to gym accessory that are used by members throughout their session. From warm-ups, to yoga, to ab workouts, mats in your gym have a high turn around.

To check whether your mats need replacing, ensure all edges & surfaces are smooth and show no signs of wear, rips or tears. Beyond visible signs, gym mats should be replaced yearly even if there are no signs of damage due to their high usage.

Even if your mats are cleaned regularly they can still harbour dirt and germs, and if that is not convincing enough, your members will truly appreciate a fresh place to perform their cool-downs.

Gym Balls

Gym balls, or stability balls, can show signs of age and use through being under inflated for prolonged periods. They can also easily get marked by members trainers during workouts.

We recommend you to perform regular checks that the balls are fully inflated to avoid shortening the life of your gym balls. Top ups of air can easily minimise this risk.

On top of this, you should look for signs of the balls thinning and replace these if needed. Bear in mind that some insurers require gym balls to be changed every 12 months. If this is the case, make sure to set a reminder to order these in advance so that your members aren’t disappointed!

Olympic Bars

Often heavily used, loaded and abused!

Over time, repeated barbell drops can wear the needling or bearing in the collar ends. This becomes apparent when the bar end rotates, resulting in noise or very stiff or loose rotation.

Barbells are an expensive purchase, so replacing these regularly is not advised. However, aim to maintain your barbells regularly avoid irreversible damage. Check for rusting and ensure the bar end spins freely when unloaded. You can read our article on how to maintain your barbells properly here.

Studio Equipment

Full capacity January classes saw heavy usage of studio staples. Steps, bar sets, clips and collars, bands and studio dumbbells and kettlebells.

Due to regular use, daily signs of wear can be missed until it’s too late and you are left without equipment in your studio classes. You can avoid this by checking equipment for damage frequently and replacing the equipment that cannot be fixed quickly.

Soft Functional Equipment

Soft functional equipment includes sandbags, medicine balls and plyo boxes. Due to the nature of exercises that these pieces of kit allow, they receive daily use. This over time, has effects on the structures and seams of the products.

These consumables need regular checking to ensure stitching, structures and seams are all intact and not damaged or compromised. If this is the case, the equipment cannot be used. Once you notice a product that is beyond repair, it will be unsafe for your members. Consider replacing these pieces of equipment to keep these products available on the gym floor.

To check stock and availability of any of the products mentioned above, get in touch with our sales team today!