For fitness enthusiasts, their home gym is among the most important rooms in the house. There is nothing quite as convenient as fitting in a workout from the comfort of your own home. These days, it’s easy to fill your home gym with all kinds of equipment including treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bikes, rowing machines, weight machines, and dumbbells.

While a home gym is certainly a fantastic feature of any home, it can also pose quite a challenge when it comes time to move. With such heavy and bulky equipment, figuring out how to move a home gym takes a great deal of planning and preparation. If you choose to take on the task yourself, consider the following tips for packing and moving your home gym.

●Clean and organize your equipment

●Choose sturdy boxes and containers

●Disassemble your equipment

●Always use a dolly and have someone help you move these items.

Clean and Organize Your Equipment

Workout equipment gets sweaty and dirty so you want to take time to thoroughly clean your equipment before packing it for a move. Wipe down each piece of equipment with an all-purpose cleaner and wash any towels, mats, or blankets. This is also a good time to check for any loose or broken parts in the process. If you have free weights, yoga mats, or other small items, be sure and organize them into piles. Make sure each piece of equipment is in working order and not in need of repair prior to moving.

Choose Sturdy Boxes and Containers

When you are moving weights, dumbbells, and kettlebells, it’s important to make sure you use the right packing supplies and your boxes are strong enough to handle the weight of these objects. For smaller weights, you can use sturdy cardboard boxes, but avoid packing too many weights into a single box. It’s much better to use lots of small boxes rather than trying to stuff all of these weights into one large box. If cardboard boxes aren’t sturdy enough, you might want to purchase plastic bins or crates to handle heavy loads. No matter which box you choose, be sure to wrap your weights in bubble wrap or packing paper to protect them from damage during transport.

Also read: How to Move a Piano

Disassemble Large Equipment

It can be difficult to move large pieces of equipment such as treadmills, ellipticals, row machines, stationary bikes, and weight machines. Oftentimes these objects are simply too heavy to lift without taking them apart. For items that can easily fold such as some treadmills and rowing machines, be sure to secure the item in place once it’s folded using moving straps. Other items such as weight machines, need to be completely disassembled. Check the owner’s manual for step-by-step instructions on how to disassemble and assemble each piece of equipment. Whenever you are disassembling a piece of equipment, be sure to secure all hardware in plastic baggies and tape them to the corresponding piece of equipment. Also, make sure you keep up with the user’s manual so you can easily put the equipment back together at your new destination.

Once your large equipment has been disassembled, you will need to box up smaller pieces in labeled boxes, making sure to wrap the pieces in packing paper for protection. Larger pieces that cannot fit into boxes should be wrapped with moving blankets, bedding, or towels to prevent scratches or damage. This includes weight bars and any other metal pieces that could damage other furniture while in transport.

Also read: Step-by-Step Guide for How to Move a Pool Table

Always Use a Dolly and a Friend

Whenever you are moving heavy equipment, you want to enlist the help of a family member or friend. In addition, you should always use a dolly to prevent injury and to help you maneuver heavy equipment. Whenever you place an item on a dolly, you also want to use moving straps to secure the item to the dolly. This will prevent the item from falling off and getting damaged or causing damage to something else.

Moving a home gym is no easy task and it requires a lot of preparation and planning. However, with the right tools and a few helpful friends, you can take on the task of relocating your home gym. As with any other heavy item, there is always a risk of injury when moving exercise equipment so it is necessary to take the right precautions to ensure you are safe when moving your home gym.