Fitness Staff on Duty: Pay Extra Attention to Members Using These 5 Machines

Fitness equipment can be wonderfully beneficial when used properly, or it can exact severe injury when employed incorrectly. To help prevent this, your fitness staff should patrol your gym floor regularly, keeping an eye on members and warning them when they see potentially dangerous activities. Yes, your club should also have business insurance for fitness facilities, but why risk litigation? Train your fitness staff on duty to pay extra attention to members using these five machines:

Treadmills

If you’ve ever seen the animated TV series “The Jetsons,” you know what can happen if a person falls on a treadmill and it keeps running. Granted, the cartoon offers a comedic depiction, but the possibility of serious injury is very real. Your staff should monitor users to ensure they have the treadmill set at a pace and an inclination they can comfortably handle.

Rowing Machines

In addition to carefully monitoring the amount of resistance applied, monitor users' form to ensure their posture enables them to work without straining their backs. Further, members walking past the machine need to be on guard to avoid being struck by outstretched oars. If a rowing machine is not fastened to the floor properly it can migrate and become situated too close to other equipment, putting the users of both devices at risk.

Leg Extension Machine

It is very important for users to adjust the machine to their dimensions so they can get the best usage from it and avoid damaging their bodies. An improperly adjusted leg extension machine will put undue stress on tendons and knees, which can lead to swelling and small muscle tears. Fitness staff should observe and enact adjustments where needed to keep members safe and injury free.

Leg Press Machine

The risk of a hernia is great if members load too much weight and use poor form to lift it. When people struggle on the leg press machine their bodies call their backs in to help. In addition to negating the desired benefit of using the machine, it sets them up for spinal injuries. Staff should always be wary when they see patrons load an abundance of 45-pound plates.

Weight Lifting Benches

People frequently overestimate their capability on the bench, or they push beyond their rep count thresholds to get stuck with a fully loaded barbell slowly creeping down toward their throats. Patrons should work with a spotter on the bench, so if the weight becomes too much to handle, someone is standing by to pull it off. Train staff to stay close by when they see someone working on a bench in case they need assistance.

The whole point of going to the gym is to improve fitness. However, some people think they can rush the process by employing heavier weight than their bodies are ready to handle. Then, when they injure themselves, they try to sue the club. It’s important to make sure the fitness staff on duty pays extra attention to members using these five machines, and to have business insurance for fitness facilities in place.

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