Six Tips for Creating the Perfect Home Gym

URL: https://unsplash.com/photos/vjkM-0m34KU

As more people work remotely, creating a personal home gym has become a popular weekend project. Home gyms can be highly motivating—it’s much easier to get yourself to walk down the stairs for a workout than to drive to a gym. Plus, you’ll feel freer to try new things in a home gym, given the privacy and ways you can customize your space for what you enjoy.

Whether you’re moving into a new space or remaking an area of your home, there are a few elements to focus on to craft the perfect place to stay active and get healthy at home.

1. Find the right space
Where you decide to have your home gym depends on your living situation. Space in an apartment or condo is more limited than in a multi-level home, but you can find a space for your workouts regardless of where you live.

If you’re in a smaller space, you’ll likely need to partition off another room for your gym. Plan for an area that you don’t use often or one that’s a bit out of the way from your home’s entrance. Your home gym is a “me” place, so you want something more secluded. You can partition an area with bookshelves, curtains, or other measures to provide privacy.

If you live in a house, you’ll also want to look for a more secluded area of your home to set up your gym. Most people choose a garage or basement as a good spot as these are away from the main activity area and relatively quiet. Noise level is something to consider—gyms get loud, and you don’t want to bother housemates or neighbors. One final consideration is to pick a space with good ventilation such as a room with windows or outlets to plug in fans. During your workouts, you’ll want some airflow to keep your oxygen levels and endurance up.

2. Decide on your equipment
Think about what types of workouts you enjoy and find equipment that allows you to do those activities in your home gym. Some of the most common include a treadmill, elliptical, rowing machine, or weight bench. The size of your home gym will determine what types of equipment you can get for now. It’s best to start with one large piece of equipment and add on smaller, multi-use accessories from there. Some common work-out accessories include:

• Yoga mat
• Foam roller
• Kettlebells
• Resistance bands
• Pull up bar
• Punching bag
• Medicine ball

3. Pick out the tech you want
Besides workout machinery, tech items will be some of your home gym’s most significant pieces. Again, what tech you can have depends on your space. Pay attention to how much space your workout equipment takes up, and then determine your tech size based on how much room you have left.

Many people want a TV as part of their home gym to follow workout classes or entertain themselves while putting miles on the elliptical. Others might prefer a robust speaker system to blast the right music to get them pumped up. Regardless of what you want, ensure you have the power connections and access to cable or internet as needed. If you have limited electrical outlets in your space, you may want to invest in power strips and extension cords to ensure everything can get connected.

URL: https://unsplash.com/photos/fS3tGOkp0xY

4. Get the right flooring
Think about what workouts you’ll be doing and what would work best for your needs. Perhaps you need a padded area for yoga or artificial sport and facility turf to practice specific sporting elements. No matter what, you want something durable, easy to clean, and with some give. Working out is hard on your body, and you want your flooring to be able to cushion the impact to help your joints. Each gym’s needs are different. Think about the surface you need before moving everything into your space.

5. Invest in storage
You’ll want to have certain items close by in your home gym, such as water bottles, headbands, small weights and bands, and athletic compression garments. Plan out how you’ll store these items to keep your space open and usable. Consider things like a dumbbell tree, storage bench, wire shelving, and bins or baskets to keep all your equipment organized and out of the way.

6. Commit to using your space
Don’t let the time and energy you put into your home gym go to waste! Make a reasonable commitment to spend a certain number of minutes or hours a week in your gym. Perhaps you pick days and times to use your gym and add it to your calendar. Your home gym is a space created for you! Make good use of it for your physical, mental, and emotional health.