Home exercise equipment can make working out much more convenient and help you get into shape faster than a gym membership, but it also requires using a lot of space within your home to store it. However, when moving to a new home, the large size and heavy weight of exercise equipment mean that you may have difficulty packing it into a truck and that your equipment is at risk of becoming damaged or damaging your other belongings while in transit. Thankfully, by properly preparing your equipment, you can ensure that you have a hassle free moving day.
Treadmills
Treadmills come in two main variants: those that can be disassembled, and those that cannot. For those that can break down, you'll want to unscrew the console and supports from the base, and wrap them in some sort of padding (moving blankets and bubble wrap provide the best cushioning, but packing paper is cheaper) before placing them in boxes and moving them onto the truck. The base can be wrapped and moved in much the same way. However, if the treadmill will not break down, you'll want to set the incline to zero, fold the supports down so that the treadmill is flat against the ground, and wrap the entire unit in padding. Then, use a dolly to move the entire unit – avoid lifting it, as the base and supports together tend to be too heavy to safely move without the aid of tools.
Ellipticals
Ellipticals will require a little more elbow grease to properly pack, due to their distinct shape. For models that break apart, you'll want to unscrew the pedals, handles, seat, and any other removable sections from the base. These can go into individual boxes to be moved separately, making the process easier. Be sure to wrap them with moving blankets (twice, if possible, to keep them safe from damage). Then, you'll want to wrap the base with several moving blankets held in place with moving tape as well. Keep in mind that the base is fairly heavy, and so should be moved by at least two people.
Free Weights
Free weights are a little different from other types of exercise equipment since they tend to be smaller but still of a significant amount of weight. If possible, you should remove all the plates from the bars, sorting them all by weight. You should wrap individual pieces in either bubble wrap or packing paper to prevent them from shifting around and chipping, and pack them individually into smaller boxes to keep them manageable to move. Use packing paper to fill up any excess space in those boxes. Finally, be sure to pack your weights on the floor of the truck or in another location that prevents them from falling and potentially damaging your other belongings: they make a great base to stack other, lighter objects on top of. Benches can be simply folded up and carried, though for best protection they should be packed in boxes with padding as well.
Contact a company like Santa Fe Storage & Moving for more information and assistance.
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