When it comes to home gym setup, you have to consider your fitness goals. As long as you have a good workout space, you can tailor your gym to suit your needs and get a great workout for your entire body.
A home gym space is a priority for many who take their strength training seriously but are unable to make it to a public gym regularly. Whether you stock your home gym with simple free weights, a stability ball, and a yoga mat or you create a space for squat racks, power racks, and more industrial fitness equipment, remember it’s your space.
Here’s how to set up a home gym and get a full-body workout right from home.
How To Create The Perfect Home Gym
Not everybody has the means to create a state-of-the-art gym complete with fancy, top-of-the-line exercise equipment. Nor can everyone hire their own personal trainer to visit every week. But you don’t need all that to get in a great workout. You can still find the best ways to reach the next level of your physical fitness routine.
The first thing you’ll want to consider is exactly what type of exercise you’ll most likely do. Then, you’ll have to think about how much space you actually need to accomplish your goals. Would a spare bedroom be enough space? Or would you prefer to have a more complete gym in a finished basement area or bonus room? A basement is always a good option for home gyms since nobody will be beneath you. Plus, basements can normally help contain the sounds of weight plates dropping or loud music as you’re pumping yourself up.
A sunroom or finished garage is another great option to consider when building a home gym.
One of the best perks of creating your home gym is that you can make it exactly what you want and need. And once you get through the initial expense of setting up your gym, you don’t need a pricey gym membership. In the end, you can save a ton of money working out at home.
There are often ways to manage the total cost of creating your own home gym in a spare bedroom. Really, you just need a place to practice functional training. If you don’t have the means to load up on weight plates or a bench press, you can adjust your routine to include bodyweight exercises. Again, all you need is some space. And if you have room for machinery, you could look into buying some used equipment.
Essential Equipment For A Home Gym
Now that you’ve figured out where in your house to put your home gym, you’ll want to outfit the space with some basics. One great quick fix is a coat rack. You can put a wall-mounted coat rack on the wall for your towels or hold weight belts, resistance bands, etc.
Stall mats are an awesome way to protect the floor of your home gym and also to dampen the sound of weights clanging or loud music. You can find good stall mats at hardware stores. Stall mats are essentially squares of the rubber-type flooring you might see in industrial gyms. They’re fairly affordable, and you only need to cover the primary area in which you’ll work out.
Again, when it comes to essential equipment, you don’t need much. And if you can build your routine around bodyweight exercises, you can get away without spending too much on pricey treadmills or stationary bikes.
Here are some great options for essential equipment to use when starting to set up your home gym:
- Resistance bands
- Coat rack for towels, bands, and clothes
- Door-mounted or wall-mounted pull-up bar
- Stability ball for core exercises and stretching
- A kettlebell for core workouts or weight training
- Stall mats for sound absorbent, protective flooring
- Yoga mat for stretching, yoga, pilates, and floor exercises
- A foam roller for massage and stretching, which can help comfort tight muscles
- A starter set of free weights (dumbbells and barbells) (used equipment cuts total cost)
If you have the ability to spend more, you may want to consider adding a squat rack or power racks. You might also want to add a computer monitor or television to the room so you can follow online or streaming workouts.
Building A Home Gym Workout (Putting It All Together)
So, let’s say you’ve got your floor mats down. You’ve got resistance bands or free weights and room to stretch or practice yoga or pilates. Next, you can create a program by choosing from the following classic bodyweight exercises:
- Push-ups
- Sit-ups
- Crunches
- Squats
- Lunges
- Jumping rope
Again, you can start a basic workout regimen without forking over the hard-earned cash for a fancy treadmill or stationary bike. In time, you’ll learn if your space can accommodate such pieces of equipment or if you even need them.
Home Gym Layout Ideas & Organization Tips
Now, let’s say you’ve saved up and purchased a treadmill, dumbbells, barbells, an exercise bike, or more – you may be wondering how to organize your space.
It’s best if you can see your equipment (and don’t need to store it in a closet or under your bed). If you see your gym regularly, it’s more likely you’ll remember to use it. You can even make this area look inspiring by stocking it with the following:
- Clean towels
- Perhaps a small fridge for cold water
- A wireless speaker or television
You can even paint the walls an invigorating or motivating color. You don’t want the room to feel like the rest of your apartment or house. You want it to make you want to work out. So try not to load the space with other distractions like your model train collection or your craft area.
Designating the space with the sole purpose of working out will encourage you to create a routine in which you go into that space for one reason and one reason only: wellness.
How To Set Up A Home Gym: Things To Remember
Of course, in a dream world, you would fill your home gym with all sorts of high-end machines and fitness doo-dads, but you don’t need all that to take care of your body. Simply remember these things when setting up your home gym:
- Space is most important. If you can ensure safety by having a clear area in which you can stretch and do some bodyweight strength training, you’ve got all you need in order to lose weight, build muscle, and achieve your fitness goals.
- Keep your area clean and try to limit the space to workouts and stretching. If you also use the space as an office, craft room, or kids room, you won’t likely exercise in it as often.
- Spend wisely. Start small and build your own home gym over time. You’ll discover more about the ways in which you like to work out and what you’ll actually need.
Working out at home is convenient and comfortable. You can make the time, and the space, to get your workout in – and when you do, your body will be so grateful.
