Should you wash yourself after a workout right in the gym?

Should you wash yourself after a workout right in the gym? The exercise machines are simply teeming with bacteria.

Some people wince in disgust at the thought of putting clean clothes on their sweat-slicked bodies. Others prefer to drive home and then rinse off in their bathtub.

However, not a single official guide says whether it is necessary to take a shower immediately after physical activity, and what will happen if you do not do so.

We’ll try to figure out whether it’s dangerous to put off washing after a workout. And whether showering at the gym can provide any benefits beyond just making you feel nice and clean.

Is it true that you can catch a disease in the gym if you don’t wash yourself?

The gym is filled with people with different hygiene habits, touching the machines and equipment, and dripping sweat onto benches and mats. All of this creates a favorable environment for the spread of bacteria, and they are abundant on many surfaces.

In one study, researchers sampled areas of an American fitness center and identified 25 species of bacteria. Many of the microbes they found were normal parts of the human microbiome, such as gut- dwelling Firmicutes, Proteobacter, and Actinobacteria. But pathogenic bacteria were also present, including Salmonella , Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, and Staphylococcus aureus. They were mostly found on the handles of cardio machines, dumbbell handles, and toilet handles.

Since bacteria survive on surfaces for a long time, a person can easily pick up germs by lying on a public mat, working out on a gym machine, or lifting weights .

At the same time, it is difficult to estimate how great the risk of actually getting sick from these microbes settling on you is. Moreover, taking a shower is unlikely to protect you from bacteria, since regular water does not help wash them away.

It’s also not true that sweating or drying sweat greatly increases the risk of skin infections. For example, in one study, scientists found that the dangerous Staphylococcus aureus bacteria doesn’t do well with heavy sweating because it changes the salt concentration and pH of the skin dramatically.

What’s more, in one study, scientists found that eccrine sweat glands—those found over a large area of the body—constantly produce the antimicrobial peptide dermicidein. It’s carried through sweat to the skin’s surface and can kill E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Candida fungi.

The study’s author said they don’t yet know how dermicide works, but they think it plays a key role in the skin’s immune response. Of course, sweat shouldn’t be declared a healing substance, but there’s definitely nothing harmful or dangerous about it.

Most of the time, you come into contact with the equipment and machines with your hands, so washing your hands well with soap will be enough to reduce your risks. Also, if you are worried about bacteria, you can put a clean towel on the bench, choose sportswear that covers the body, and wash it after each visit to the gym.

Can you get pimples if you don’t shower?

The American Academy of Dermatology website advises that you should immediately wash away acne-causing bacteria after exercising.

At the same time, acne is not caused by poor hygiene or dirt. Most of the biological reactions that cause the disease occur under the skin, not on its surface, so cleansing does not affect the severity of acne. Nor does it depend on the amount of bacteria on the skin or in the sebaceous ducts.

So your skin is less likely to be damaged if you shower an hour or two later rather than immediately after your workout.

Can going to the shower at the gym be harmful?

In a public shower, you can catch a fungus that causes athlete’s foot, a dermatophyte infection sometimes called “athlete’s foot.” Symptoms include itchy erosions between the toes, peeling skin, and blisters on the inside of the foot.

This disease is transmitted by contact, that is, by touching an infected surface. Therefore, in fitness centers – in locker rooms, saunas and showers – you cannot step on the floor with bare feet. However, you can easily protect yourself from infection by wearing flip-flops.

You can also find information on the Internet that you shouldn’t take a shower immediately after intense exercise – you should first wait 20-30 minutes, and then go wash yourself. The authors state that you should first let your body cool down after exercise, but it’s completely unclear why this is necessary. Perhaps to avoid sweating again after leaving the shower.

When it comes to athletic performance, it’s really not a good idea to cool your muscles right after a workout. Several studies have shown that cold slows down the processes needed for muscle growth, so if you’re fighting for every inch of your biceps, it’s best not to linger under the cold water.

At the same time, taking a warm shower or even a quick rinse with cold water is unlikely to cool the muscles much and slow down progress. So feel free to take a shower right after leaving the gym. Just don’t forget to put on flip-flops.

What’s the bottom line?

Whether you shower immediately after your workout or when you get home is not particularly important. Neither regime will increase the risk of infection, will not harm your skin, and will not affect your athletic performance.

So continue to do what you feel comfortable with.