Who doesn’t love a bit of retail therapy? Colchester Fitness Centre recently went on a shopping spree, treating ourselves to upgraded screens for our runners, bright shiny 10 kilo bumper plates, and glowing resistance bands. What a treat!
Our members understand that we’re really particular about keeping the gym clean, and taking care of the kit. After all, by taking extra care, we keep the place looking lovely, and we’ll need to replace equipment less often – it’s a no-brainer.
Did we really need new weight plates?
Yes! Bumper plates are subject to intense usage in any gym, which inevitably brings about wear and tear. Purpose-built storage and rigorous cleaning means that despite being repeatedly dropped, our gear stands the test of time. But anything beyond a little cosmetic damage, and we’ll line up a replacement – WAY before the cracks begin to show!
As well as looking, frankly, rubbish, when stress fractures appear in the plates, it’s step-one toward them completely breaking, and anything that compromises a plate’s integrity is obviously a potential safety risk. So yes, in our opinion, we really did need new weight plates.
What do we need all those rubber bands for?
More than just pleasing to the eye, the different coloured bands denote different thicknesses, which indicates the different strengths of the bands. The bigger the band, the stronger it is, and therefore the more weight it replicates. The variation means people can move up/down in colours as they improve in an exercise.
Resistance bands can be added to a workout in many ways: They can be used to make bodyweight movements easier (you must’ve seen a band lassoed round a bar to aid with strict pull ups?) or more difficult (adding resistance in a push up or an air squat), but they are also great for muscle activation and priming muscles in a warm up to prevent injury.
Good, clean kit for good, clean CrossFit
Safety is of the utmost importance. And old, broken kit implies neglect, and a lack of care – there’s no room for split plates, rusty bars, ripped bands, or broken ergs on the tight ship we run!
So pardon the brag, but we get so many compliments about how clean we keep our gym, it’s hard not to be proud. And long may it continue.