Do you get sick at the gym? Do you think health problems could be gym related?

I'm fairly new to gym climbing. I've casually visited indoor climbing gyms since they began existing in the early '90s, but only since 2002 have I been an actual gym member with somewhat regular attendance. And to be clear, I LOVE my gym (shout out to TRC Salvage Yard!) and it's been a great training and social game-changer for me.

But... I'm just starting to notice that I seem to battle sinus and upper respiratory problems WAY more than ever before. I was always the guy who would get a cold once a year and that's about it. But for the past couple years especially, it seems like I've got some kind of crud or nasal/sinus crud every other month. When I went back and read my text messages to my regular partners, I counted like 10 times in the past 2 years that I had to cancel gym days or trips to the crag because I wasn't feeling spot on, and honestly this has never been me before. The only new variable that I can really point to is that I spend maybe 6 hrs or so per week in the climbing gym.

Anyone else?

Gyms are petri dishes of organisms that love to grow inside warm human bodies. Kinda like hot springs and public pools. And all that chalk in the air doesn't help.

The primary advantage gyms have over hot springs is that there are generally fewer unattractive, naked hairy guys tripping balls at the gym. Generally.

Nope. The most often I got sick was teaching elementary school.

Half the time I don't even bring a water bottle to the gym. I just grab an empty container out of the recycle bin to use for the day and I still don't catch anything there. 

Use a neti pot, saline sinus rinse, if you find yourself often having sinus problems. Works wonders. 

I think you've got the white lung, Pop.

Did this start after 2020, or has this been going on longer?

If so, did you contract COVID before being vaccinated?

If both of these are true, it is entirely possible you are immunocompromised. Research published in peer reviewed medical journals has found this to be the case for many individuals. I know this is the case for myself.

I work at a kids climbing gym so I get to stay pretty up to date on the hot new colds the kids are getting these days. Keeps the immune system strong having people sneeze in your face while you're tying them in it's awesome.

Sounds like it's possible your gym is chalkier/ dustier than most. Id recommend supplementing your diet with vitamin c like emergen-c packets plus real veggies blended in smoothie form. Also recommend making sure your getting outside enough on sunny days for that vitamin d. Also sometimes a good jog can help to clear all that garbage out of your sinuses as you blow snot rockets along the trail. Also make sure your getting enough rest. Just some thoughts, hope you can stay healthy and keep crushing!

Miasma and bad humors, most definitely. 

Every time the gym ups my membership fee I grumble, but then remember how many ailments going to the gym regularly has probably prevented, if only for the idea that continually keeping muscle mass on is a positive indicator of general longevity. 

Daniel Patrick Smith wrote:

I think you've got the white lung, Pop.

Did this start after 2020, or has this been going on longer?

If so, did you contract COVID before being vaccinated?

Definitely started after 2020. I had COVID once in 2022, after I had been vaccinated twice. It just feels like since I've spending more time at the gym, my time between sinus/chest/lung crud is getting shorter. And I didn't realize until a partner kind of joked that I get sick a lot...

Long Ranger wrote:

Every time the gym ups my membership fee I grumble, but then remember how many ailments going to the gym regularly has probably prevented, if only for the idea that continually keeping muscle mass on is a positive indicator of general longevity. 

I WISH I could keep some muscle mass! I started noticing at 55 that even lifting free weights and dumbells on the reg, my chest looks more and more like my preteen years. Don't even want to talk about my bird legs... I'm not pushing grades, but I guess I'm climbing the same as 20 yrs ago with less muscle. Better footwork maybe, and learning the value of rests on the route.

My gym climbing is pretty seasonal, and I'm not seeing a correlation to illness. But I'm one of those people who calls the gyms in advance to find out where the kiddie teams are Not. I do this mostly to protect my mental health, but it's probably also saved me from a few bugs.

In line with comments above, most of the times I've gotten sick as an adult, it was a day or two after hanging with a parent or a teacher (or sitting near the obligatory sick kid on a plane).

Google AI:

Bacteria swabs of climbing gym holds reveal diverse microbial communities, including common skin, mouth, soil, and fecal-associated bacteria like E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus, forming a "fecal veneer," but liquid chalk (high alcohol) and handwashing help control spread, as these microbes are similar to those in other busy environments, with potential risks managed by hygiene.

Donald Thompson wrote:

Google AI:

Based on the number of people I've seen who think its okay to walk around the bathroom barefoot at climbing gyms I'm not surprised. 

Larry Morgan wrote:

Based on the number of people I've seen who think its okay to walk around the bathroom barefoot at climbing gyms I'm not surprised. 

…or walk straight out of the bathroom without washing their hands after taking a dump…

Larry Morgan wrote:

Based on the number of people I've seen who think its okay to walk around the bathroom barefoot at climbing gyms I'm not surprised. 

The dude who came out of the bathroom wearing his climbing shoes worries me the most.

Teton Tom wrote:

Definitely started after 2020. I had COVID once in 2022, after I had been vaccinated twice. It just feels like since I've spending more time at the gym, my time between sinus/chest/lung crud is getting shorter. And I didn't realize until a partner kind of joked that I get sick a lot...

The other thing that has happened since 2020 is that you are biologically a different person, and older.  I don't want to be a doomsayer but if you haven't had a regular physical with full bloodwork, it's worth doing. There are plenty of real things, serious things, that suppress an immune system and make you more prone to infections. 

The other thing that you could do is an experiment - start to wear an N-95 mask every time you go to the gym. I wore one everywhere for about 3 years and you just get used to it pretty quickly. Masks decrease the likelihood and possibly the severity of infection.  If you can't touch your mouth/nose with hands that are all over filthy gym-holds and surfaces (fomites), that's better.  If you decrease the viral titer of whatever is in the air in droplets and aerosols, that's better..

Most of the people at the climbing gym make me want to barf.

Sometimes i get real sick and send a hard boulder problem.

I do.

 If you can go in the mornings. Air is a lot better and less likely to get a cold or flu from people.