Whether you decide to purchase your own weight lifting equipment or you opt to use equipment through a local gym or other workout studio, one of the most important things that you can do to guarantee your continued success is to maintain the equipment properly. If your equipment falls out of order or you have a difficult time maintaining it, you not only run the risk of having the equipment break, but you also increase the chances that you'll be injured as you work out.

Fortunately, maintaining your weight lifting equipment is a relatively easy task, provided that you stay on top of your duties and that you split up the cleaning into manageable parts. Read on for a brief guide on how to maintain your weight lifting equipment.

Free weights and barbells are a staple for most weight lifting setups, whether in a gym or at a home workout area. These pieces of equipment are relatively easy to maintain. They do not have moving parts, generally, and can be easily cleaned. Purchase a quality metal cleaning solution and a set of rags to use to clean up the weights and the barbells. Make sure to regularly check on the clips for your weights, if you have them, to make sure that they remain secure when you attach the weights to the ends of the barbell. This is crucial so that the weights don't fall off of the sides of the barbell, which can cause damage to your workout area and injury to you.

Maintaining weight lifting machines is a bit more difficult, but it is still something that can be done relatively easily and quickly if you put a small bit of effort into it. In order to maintain your machine, you should first look at the owner's manual of the machine to get a sense of how the individual piece of equipment needs to be maintained.

Most exercise machines will need to have their moving parts taken out and greased regularly. This helps to ensure that the metal and plastic pieces that make up those parts will not become damaged over time, as they rub up against one another. You should also be in the habit of checking on any wires, cables or other smaller pieces to make sure that they are still strong and aren't fraying. A frayed cable or wire is a dangerous part of any machine and should be replaced.

Finally, it's a good idea to also regularly clean off your exercise machines with a metal and plastic cleaning solution. You'll have the best luck if you clean off the machine immediately after using it. This will ensure that the machine doesn't absorb any of your sweat or other oils on your skin, some of which may cause stains or even greater damage to the equipment itself.