Workout Tip: Warm up cold bars in your home gym

Many people with a home gym have them in their garage or in their basements. Garages and basements tend not to be quite as well insulated as the rest of the home. The result of this? Metal dumbbells and barbells that are really cold, which can make your muscles cramp when you are trying to use them. Scott over at Straight to the Bar had this problem a few months ago, and here is the suggestion that I had to solve this problem:

Wet a hand towel and microwave it so that it is hot. Wrap your cold bars with it for a few minutes before you do your lifting. If the bar is at all wet afterwards be sure to dry it off. It is much easier to do that than to warm your hands between sets and is much more effective. It also costs less than keeping your home gym heated, if that is even feasible.

Another good use of the microwaved towel is as a cheap heating pad for sore muscles.