words Al Woods
Creating a gym in your home can be beneficial for many reasons, whether you’re looking to cut membership costs, or as an easier way for you to stay committed to your workouts, home fitness can be a great investment. When designing your very own at-home gym, there are a few things that you need to consider. Below, we’ll look at a few tips to help you get the most out of your new fitness space.
The right space
One of the first, and arguably most important factors to consider when designing your home gym is which room would be best to use. If you have a spare room, a garage or even an office space, you could think about using them as a home gym.
Consider the space you have available: If you have a spare room, great! You can start thinking of ways to adapt this into your new gym, if you have an office space, could you double it up as a gym too? The space doesn’t have to be elaborate, especially if you’re just starting with a few pieces of equipment, but you should think about whether you will have enough space to workout comfortably.
Mirrors
If you’re an avid gym-goer, you’ll know that a lot of them have mirrors everywhere. Mirrors are something that you can add to your space and can be especially useful when it comes to watching your form, so that you can avoid injury. Not only this, but mirrors can also transform a space – they help to bounce natural light around the room and make it look bigger and more open, which is great if your home gym is on the smaller side.
Equipment
One of the best things about a home gym is that you get to choose the equipment that goes in it! You can have as little or as much equipment as you’d like, you can decide what you need depending on the exercises you most enjoy, as well as the areas that you’d like to work on most. For example, if you’re looking to improve your cardio fitness, purchasing a treadmill or spin bike could be the best option, or if you’re looking to improve your strength, you could add weight benches and dumbbells.
Flooring
This is an aspect of your home gym that you may have overlooked, but it is essential depending on the equipment you choose and where your home gym is situated. If you’re focusing on increasing your strength, weights are going to make up a large part of your home gym. If you’ve chosen a room for your gym that is above a neighbour, like in a flat or apartment, or you’re in a garage with a concrete floor, choosing rubber flooring or adding mats can help to protect, reduce noise, and avoid any damage.
Storage
Thinking about storage in your gym is important so that you can make the most of the space you have. If you’re taking the time to create your home gym, you’ll be looking for ways to make it as functional and as professional as possible – one of the main advantages of working out from home is that you don’t have people leaving their equipment out!
If you’re working with a smaller space, look for wall storage like shelves and racks. They can be useful for towels and mats, as well as various weights and other smaller equipment, and wall storage means you won’t be taking up valuable floor space. Be sure to keep your gym organised and make use of dumbbell and weight racks to keep your equipment tidy and in the best condition.
