Stocking Your Gym with Essential First Aid Supplies and Solutions

A good personal trainer must know how to do many things during the course of their day. In addition to creating new routines, tracking client progress, and sometimes even working as a holistic advisor, they must also ensure that the first aid supplies are stocked. You may not think about the first aid kit at your gym often, but it’s a good idea to become well-versed about what the kit contains and how to use it in times of need. 

This guide will tell you about the essentials in your first aid kit and how to improvise when an emergency occurs and you don’t have what you need. Implement these ideas, and your gym will be a safer place.

Essential Supplies For The First Aid Kit

When stocking your first aid kit, start with the basics. Even in workplaces with a low risk of injury, there are several items every kit should contain, so you should have them as well. Essential items include:

• Safety pins
• Disposable gloves
• Individually wrapped wound dressings
• Triangular bandages
• Plasters of various sizes

Beyond that, consider the injuries that can happen in your gym and prepare your first aid products accordingly. For instance, weightlifters can sometimes experience wrist injuries by improperly lifting or losing control of the weight. So, stock your kit with compression wraps and ice packs to control the swelling. Then advise them to see a doctor. 

You may be training a client who begins to feel pain for various other reasons, and you’ll want to have items in your kit for pain relief, including over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and antihistamines. You can also purchase instant heat and cold packs to help relieve some of the pain. 

Continue to monitor your first aid kit over time. Set a reminder each month to go through and check for expired items and change them out. If you’re unsure about the expiration date, contact the manufacturer. 

When you work out in your home gym, you should also consider the following: choose the proper flooring; choose non-stick options that will help you keep your balance and avoid falls and injuries. You’ll also want a first aid kit for home use. You can buy a stocked kit at the store and then add whatever you need for yourself and your family.

Creating First Aid Equipment In Emergencies

It’s important to realise that your first aid kit may not have every item that you’ll need for every potential medical emergency. Sometimes, you may need to improvise. For instance, if you don’t have instant cold packs, you may need to create ice packs on your own, and you must know how to do so. As a bonus, this saves money.

You can have a few ice packs ready by soaking a cleaning sponge in water, placing it in a resealable bag, and then putting it in the freezer overnight. If you have a break room or kitchen in the gym, you can also fill a plastic bag ¾ full of dish soap, squeeze out the excess air, seal it, and freeze it overnight. You can make ice packs of every size. In addition to relieving burns and pain, ice packs can keep water and fitness drinks cool. If need be, run to the cooler and get one in an emergency. 

There are also various first-aid hacks that you can perform at the gym and during your workouts. If your client is cut during their workout and you don’t have the necessary antiseptic, you can add a few pinches of salt to a cup of warm water and use it to clean out debris to try to avoid an infection. When a cut is so drastic that it requires stitches, you can close it with superglue until emergency help arrives.

Finally, most gyms have clean towels, which can come in handy if your client gets hurt or begins to bleed. Put the towel on or around the wound and apply direct contact. Elevate the injury if you can to stop the bleeding. 

Learn Key First Aid Strategies 

In addition to knowing how to apply pressure to a wound and provide aspirin, you should learn a few first aid strategies to help in the event of a medical emergency. Depending on the type of injury, you should be able to administer first aid until help arrives. For instance, if your client is choking during the workout, you can perform back blows to remove the blockage. Or, if a client believes that they’re having a heart attack, sit them down, make them comfortable, and monitor their breathing and vital signs as you call 999 for help.

Every personal trainer should know several first aid tips as part of their job training, starting with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Learn how to perform chest compressions, open the airway, and give rescue breaths while someone else calls emergency services.

Head injuries and concussions can also occur at the gym. That’s why it’s essential that you’re trained on how to recognize and help someone with a concussion. Signs of a concussion include headache, sensitivity to light, and confusion, among others. If a client mentions ailments like these, end the training session and instruct the client to rest for a few days to let their brain recover.

Conclusion

As a personal trainer, you owe it to your clients to ensure their well-being during their workouts. Knowing the basics of first aid is just as important as their workout plan. Properly stock your first aid kit and know how to react in an emergency, and you'll be ready for anything.