Moving home or going through a major redecoration process can be a very stressful time. And while packing up all your stuff into boxes, things get a bit more complicated when it comes to moving a home gym to another location.
As someone who has gone through this twice, I decided to share my experience and also get some friends and colleagues to provide some insights into how they went about moving home gym equipment.
The good news is that there are a few tricks you can use when moving equipment like this.
Quick Summary
- Home gym equipment like free weights and dumbbells might not seem like the most difficult things to move, but you still need to plan how many to stack in boxes.
- When it comes to rowing machines, elliptical machines, stationary bikes, and even power racks, you need to plan very differently.
- With the help of a few gadgets and a careful plan, you can make this heavy-lifting process a lot easier.
How Do You Move a Gym Set?
parts that you can move more easily.
From small items like medicine balls and jump ropes to heavy exercise equipment like an exercise bike, there are a few things you need to do before you start packing and moving them.
Prepare Large Equipment
Workout gear like ellipticals, treadmills, and weight machines will be very awkward to move. But before you start completely taking them apart, first see if you can partially disassemble them.
For example, with my power rack, I can detach most of the safety bars and weight plates. That leaves a frame that is reasonably easy to move with two people.
Make sure that you label all the parts you take off, and even take a video with your phone of how you took them off. That will make reassembly so much easier.
And don’t forget to put all the small pieces in plastic bags with clear labels on them.
Secure Moving Parts
You’ll find that most fitness equipment will have some moving parts, and you want to secure those.
On a stationary bike, you can use bungee cords to make sure that the pedals and flywheel don’t move while you’re lifting or moving it.
And for a workout machine like a rower, I recommend using bubble wrap and packing tape before starting to move them.
You can also use a yoga mat to wrap up and protect your gear.
Related: How to Remove Weights From Home Gym?
Get Your New Location Prepared
Before you start moving gym equipment and filling up your new location, make sure you get it fully prepared first.
That means either putting yoga mats in place as a base for your machines or installing proper rubber floor mats.
Ideally, you want to bring in everything and place it in its final spot, ready to fully assemble again.
Use a Furniture Dolly for Heavy Stuff
When it comes to moving heavy gym equipment, you want to see if you can get your hands on a heavy-duty furniture dolly.
If you can’t get a furniture dolly, then you could also try using furniture sliders.
These are small wheels that you can put under the feet of heavy exercise machines.
Find Some Volunteers
In order to safely move gym equipment, you’ll want to ask some friends to help out.
The more people you can find, the faster it will go.
And you’ll be surprised what the promise of a few beers might do to convince people.
For other gym equipment like hand weights and yoga accessories, you can try to get those moved without help so that your volunteers are there for the cardio and weightlifting machines.
Consider Getting Professional Help With a Moving Company
If you have a small home gym with yoga blocks and mats and a few hand weights, then you might be fine putting those in a plastic bag and a few cardboard boxes to move them yourself.
But if you have multiple pieces of heavy gym equipment, then it can be a lot easier and less stressful to hire a moving truck with a few people who are used to doing that kind of work.
You’ll be surprised how quickly they can move your essential home gym equipment.
Injuries are also very common when moving heavy furniture and equipment, and they can range from sprains to broken bones, as well as back issues [1].
“The most common injuries when moving include fractures, dislocated joints, muscle strains, and cuts and scrapes.”
- Jessica Ryan, Moving Expert at MyMovingReviews.com
FAQs
How Do You Move a Heavy Elliptical?
You can best move a heavy elliptical machine by using a dolly or sliders to place underneath. Also, consider using moving blankets to protect the machine and use a tie-down strap once it’s loaded on a vehicle.
How Much Does It Cost to Move Exercise Equipment?
It costs between $70 and $200 on average to move your exercise equipment using a moving company [2]. This will depend on the amount of equipment, the distance to travel, and how heavy the machines are.
Take the Careful Approach to Moving Fitness Equipment
Your home gym equipment is likely heavy and awkward to carry or move around.
And those are two characteristics that are most likely to lead to physical damage and injuries.
And when it comes to preparing your new home gym location, make sure that you have all the preparations done before the equipment arrives.
That especially means having the right rubber floor mats in place so that you only need to move your gym machines once.
And as long as you take the carefully planned approach as above, this should be a pretty seamless process.
Regardless, transferring home gym equipment might be burdensome and time-consuming, you might want to opt for only the recommended compact home gym equipment as it is easier to transport compared to traditional gym equipment.
References:
- https://www.mymovingreviews.com/move/common-moving-injuries/
- https://www.airtasker.com/us/services/fitness-equipment-moving/
About The Author
You May Also Like
