Coming up with an inspiring home gym design can be a difficult and somewhat frustrating task because there are plenty of things to consider: available space, training goals, budget, etc.
Fortunately, the process can also be fun. After all, you get to build your unique training environment that suits your needs and preferences.
To that end, we’ve put together this guide to simplify the process by teaching you what factors to consider before making a purchase, what items you might want to get, and how to get more use out of your space.
Ready? Let’s dive in.
Things To Consider
1. Available Space
The first thing to consider is the available space, so break out the measuring tape. Also, will you only work out indoors (using part of your garage or a spare room), or do you also want to exercise outside when the weather permits? This will help you decide whether to shop for gym floor covers or not.
Big or small, you can make full use of your space, but you have to consider each purchase carefully and pay special attention to the dimensions.
Finally, consider your ceiling height, especially if you want to transform a basement into a home gym. The last thing you want is to make a big purchase, such as a squat rackor a dual cable cross, only to find the ceiling to be too low for it.
2. Workout Goals
Generally speaking, most home gym setups will work for the average workout goals like building strength, muscle, and balance. However, that isn’t always the case. Ask yourself, “What short and long-term goals do I want to achieve? Why do I work out?”
That will help you decide what gym equipment you might need.
3. The Lighting
Good lighting can make your home gym feel more spacious, motivate you to work out harder, and keep you in a good mood. For these and other reasons, it’s important to come up with a solution early on.
Natural light from large windows is best, but other options include:
The Importance of Good Gym Flooring
When it comes to home gym design, few people consider just how crucial proper flooring is and instead focus entirely on the equipment. However, if you think about it, the floor is the workout foundation on which your home gym lies, so it pays to make it a good one.
First, good gym flooring has anti-slip qualities, minimizing the risk of losing your balance, falling, and injury, regardless of the exercise you prefer––lifting, cardio, circuits, etc.
Second, quality flooring can help protect the floor from impact, such as dropping a loaded barbell. It also protectsyour equipment by absorbing the shock and reducing the risk of cracking, chipping, and bending.
Here’s another valuable benefit for home gym owners: noise reduction. Good flooring can dampen the noises you make during training, reducing the risk of disturbing your neighbours or family.
There are many gym floor options to choose from, but rubberfloors is certainly the most appropriate and popular. Rubber flooring options comes as: Mats, interlocking tiles and floor rolls. So depending on your space and workout you may choose what best material suits your needs. Quality rubber floor tiles are built to last, even under heavy use from several people. They resist wear and tear, easy to clean, shock absorbing and reduce noise quite a bit.
Other types of material would be turf flooring, vinyl and foam.
Essential Home Gym Equipment
There is no such thing as an essential fitness kit list, every style and goal has something essential and special. So it is really up to you and your fitness goals ,here is a list of some essential equipment that most home gym owners should consider. Ranging from cardio equipment, strength training and recovery.
a. YBell
The YBell is an incredibly versatile 4-in-1 training tool. You can use it as a kettlebell, dumbbell, double-grip medicine ball, and push-up stand. This allows you to perform various activities to build muscle, burn calories, promote balance, and much more.
b. Cardio Equipment
Cardio equipment, such as a stationary or indoor bike, can be an excellent addition to your gym, allowing you to mix resistance exercise with aerobic conditioning work.
Other options include:
c. Squat Rack
A squat rack is a large frame that can provide even more versatility. Its primary purpose is to keep a barbell elevated for exercises like the squat and overhead press.
These frames can also come with a pull-up and dip bar, giving you more options for effective bodyweight exercise.
If you don’t have much free space, you can go for a half rack or folding rack (one mounted to a wall).
d. A Barbell
A barbell is the perfect companion to your squat rack. This long metal rod holds weight plates on both sides and allows you to perform countless effective exercises to train all the major muscles in your body.
e. Weight Plates
Weight plates provide additional resistance because you can load them onto a barbell. You can also use weight plates independently for certain activities like shrugs, lateral raises, shoulder presses, etc.
f. Dumbbells
Dumbbells are free weights that can be used individually or in pairs for strength training and cardio-based workouts.They are also a great way to add resistance training to your exercise sessions providing never ending workouts across a vast variety of fitness goals and workout styles.
g. Resistance Bands
Resistance Bands are now a popular choice inside and outside the gym to add variety to any workout. They come in various strengths and can be used to develop balance, coordination, strength, and flexibility. They are also perfect to add some tension to common body weight exercises or assist with pull-ups and dips.
h. Recovery & Mobility
Recovery and mobility are often overlooked but essential for optimal fitness progress and longevity.
Implementing recovery & mobility work in your routine is important for maintaining freedom of movement and optimizing muscle recovery, which allows you to train harder and more frequently.
One effective tactic is self-myofascial release––a form of gentle massage that releases tight areas, alleviating pain and supporting your range of motion.
Foam rollers are an inexpensive option, but they also require a lot of effort to use. A better tool for the job is a massage gun, such as Theragun. With it, you can more effectively target tight areas and adjust the pressure to fit your needs and tolerance for discomfort.
4 Quick Tips on Optimizing Your Home Gym
a. It Doesn’t All Have to be New
Contrary to popular belief, not all the equipment needs to be new. There are plenty of good deals on the second-hand market, especially for barbells, weight plates, and squat rack frames.
Such tools are incredibly durable, and purchasing them second-hand doesn’t mean they won’t last for years or even decades.
b. You Can Build it Slowly
There’s no need to get everything at once. Designing a home gym can be expensive, so take your time and build it one item at a time. You’d be surprised how good of a home gym you can put together if you give yourself a year or two.
For instance, start with essentials like good gym flooring and build up from there.
c. Start With the Essentials
It would be cool to have a premium-grade FreemotionSmith machine, an entire dumbbell rack, and a 50” TV mounted to the wall, but ask yourself, “Are these things essential?”
More often than not, a bare minimum setup will provide enough versatility while serving as a good foundation for future improvements.
d. Remember: It’s About You
Don’t fall for what someone else might deem essential or optimal. Ask yourself what you want to do and what type of training you enjoy. Consider what fitness equipment you’ll need for your goals and go from there.
In Summary
Creating your ideal home gym can feel overwhelming because there are many equipment options and small details to take in to account.
Fortunately, the process doesn’t need to be frustrating. Get clear on your fitness goals and the type of training you prefer, then come up with a list of equipment.
From there, prune the list to the top 5 or 10 items you would ideally like to get and consider your available workout space to see what would make the most sense for you.
