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Men and women don’t stand on equal footing at the gym, but that’s not because men have a pound-for-pound strength advantage when lifting. According to a new study, it’s because the more muscular sex has fewer bacteria on their hands, meaning women are more likely to infect the gym’s equipment and locker room with MRSA and other bacteria.
After studying the palms of 51 college students, University of Colorado scientists identified over 4,700 different species of bacteria, with the average hand harboring 150 species. The researchers found that women’s hands were covered with significantly more crawlers than their counterparts since female skin produces more acids.
Other potential causes: differences in sweat and oil gland production, the frequency of moisturizer or cosmetics applications, skin thickness and hormone production.
Tips to beat the bugs:
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Start sanitizing. Most gyms keep antiseptic on hand to disinfect equipment. Use it, especially when following a woman. You can also apply an alcohol-based sanitizer like Purell to your hands between machines.
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Go gloveless. A recent Japanese study found that bacteria bind strongly to polyester.
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Towel off. Don’t lie directly on communal fitness mats, which can soak up and harbor sweat and germs.
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Tape up. Grab a roll of athletic tape and wrap over any cuts or scratches on your hands.
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3
comments
so far
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| Vitamin Jae |
November 19, 2008 |
Great article.
There are so many germs inside the gym. I use the communal fitness mats for my movement prep and prehab exercises. I need to bring my own mat or place a towel on it.
I like the idea of taping up scratches in your hands.
Also, I make sure at the end of my workout to wash my hands for about 25-30s before I leave. The #1 way to prevent the transmission of bacteria is wash wash wash your hands.
Cheers
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| John the Asphalter |
November 23, 2008 |
If I haven't put a towel on the mats before and caught nothing, why should I start now?
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| John the Asphalter |
November 23, 2008 |
MRSA only affects 94,000 people "serious infections" (CDC) a year. I might go with the towel thing or just do what I've been doing like washing my hands after pit stops, before eating, after weight lifting, etc. But maybe a bit more thoroughly and not skip it once in a while. Thanks for posting this on CP.com.
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