Group fitness lovers, we have some bad news: the equipment in your favorite class makes a toilet seat look like a clean dinner plate.

A study by ellipticalreviews.com looked at how many germs were on equipment in the most popular group fitness classes, including CrossFit, hot yoga, spinning, and barre.

The study measured the CFUs, or colony-forming units, on a barbell from a CrossFit class, a rental mat from a hot yoga class, a resistance knob from a spin class, and a wooden bar from a barre class.

Overall, the results were pretty gross.

The CrossFit barbell was the germiest piece of equipment, coming in with an astounding 153,410 CFUs. (For reference, a toilet seat contains 3,200 CFUs.) The hot yoga mat was the second nastiest piece of equipment, measuring at 25,533 CFUs.



But not every piece of equipment was loaded with germs. Both the resistance knob from the spin class and the wooden bar from the barre class were cleaner than a toilet seat, measuring in at 13.3 and 10 CFUs, respectively. So good news: that spin bike isn’t nearly as nasty as you might think.

The ultimate takeaway? The equipment in your group fitness class is pretty gross. Honestly, gyms in general are pretty gross. And while you shouldn’t always completely fear germs, there are a few easy steps you can take in the gym to limit your chance of catching an illness: 1) get in a habit of wiping down your equipment before use; 2) wipe down your equipment after you’re done using it, and 3) wash your hands thoroughly right after class. Also, take a shower, because you should never subject others to your post-workout stank.



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