Let’s be honest; the cost of a gym membership is often much greater than its actual value.
And with the rise of online workouts from your favourite studios and trainers, it’s easier and more affordable than ever to build endurance and strength from the convenience of your home.
If you are adamant about cancelling your monthly fitness plan and committing to an entirely at-home fitness routine, you must set up a home gym that helps you achieve your objectives.
The following is a step-by-step guide to creating a home gym for any space and budget.
Step 1: Find the Ideal location
Before you can begin swinging kettlebells and performing burpees, you must select a location for your home gym. The space should be large enough to accommodate a yoga mat, which is all you need to stretch and perform core exercises.
From there, the precise space for your home gym will depend on the available space and the desired workouts. A HIIT workout may require additional space and a solid (but not too hard) surface to jump on, whereas a yoga or Pilates workout requires slightly more space than a yoga mat. A weightlifting routine with all the bells and whistles will likely require its own room.
If your apartment is larger than a walk-in closet, designate an unused portion of your living room or bedroom for your workouts. If your local climate and living situation permits it, an outdoor space like a spacious back porch or patio can work. And if you have a begging-to-be-used spare bedroom, empty office, or empty garage, you’ve hit the home gym jackpot.
Step 2: Stock Your Home Gym with Equipment
You don’t need a tonne of equipment or cumbersome machines to make your home gym an effective place to work out. Some of the best home exercise equipment is actually quite compact and affordable.
Cardio
Save the money you would have spent on a bulky treadmill for a vacation fund and purchase a jump rope for cardio (Buy It, $16 on Amazon) instead.
Strength
And there is no need for enormous cable machines to perform a strength workout. Invest in a single kettlebell, a pair of adjustable dumbbells, an entire set of dumbbells, and/or a set of resistance bands, which provide the same muscle toning without storage issues. While stability balls and BOSUs can be extremely useful for core strengthening and balance improvement, they can be difficult to store. Home gyms benefit most from balance discs, which take up the same amount of space as a plate and provide the same benefits. (And never undervalue the power of bodyweight exercises.)
Recovery
Whether you’re on #TeamStrength or #TeamCardio, recovery equipment is an absolute must for your home gym. Ellen Barrett, fitness expert and star of the DVD Ellen Barrett Live: Grace & Gusto, adores foam rollers due to their versatility; you can use them for ‘kneading’ out muscles, strengthening your core, and as a yoga prop. In fact, research indicates that regularly rolling out your muscles with a foam roller can aid in reducing muscle fatigue and soreness, accelerating recovery, and enhancing overall muscular performance. Consider including targeted recovery tools such as Theragun which functions as vibration therapy, and a hot and cold foot roller to alleviate sore and aching feet.
Remember that you do not have to purchase all of your home gym equipment at once. Start with a few essential pieces and then gradually add more. You can save even more money by putting some items on your wish list for upcoming holidays or your birthday, by shopping at used sports stores or garage sales, by searching Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for pre-owned items, or by exchanging equipment with friends.
Step 3: Create a Storage Strategy
Storage is essential if you want to fit a tonne of equipment into a small space. Purchase a storage container that can slide under your bed or couch to hold your yoga mat, resistance bands, sliders, jump rope, and other small, portable pieces for minimalist workout routines. With a hanging organiser, you can transform an empty wall into a storage solution that keeps all your bands tangle-free.
If your dumbbell set does not include a weight rack, you will need a small weight rack. This compact, A-frame rack holds five sets of dumbbells weighing up to 200 lbs., so you don’t have to sacrifice weight to keep your equipment neatly tucked away. To transform your home gym into Dwayne ‘The Rock Johnson’s Iron Paradise, you’ll need something more durable, such as a Mass Storage Corner Shelf.
Step 4: Design your Set up
If you’ve ever been to a crowded gym with no room to watch yourself perform bicep curls, you understand how important the physical layout of a fitness space is. So that you can easily monitor your form, ensure that your home gym is well-lit, either by natural light streaming in through windows or by overhead light bulbs.
Barrett suggests adding a mirror to your workout space for similar reasons. “Mirrors are excellent for meditating on movement because they allow you to be your own instructor.” Mirrors are useful for providing feedback on your form during exercises, but they can also make a space appear larger than it actually is, which may make you feel less cramped in a smaller home gym. Consider investing in The Mirror, which allows you to stream workouts on a device that looks—yep!—exactly like a mirror if you have a larger budget and desire a discreet option.
If you’re completely transforming a spare room into a home gym, you may want to cover the carpet with gym flooring, which provides a bit of cushion for core exercises and plyometrics and prevents the floor from becoming slippery with sweat.
Most importantly, clear your home gym of clutter and potential distractions that could divert your focus from your workout. Return the shoes you kick off when you enter your home to the closet and replace your work laptop on your desk. If you’re a fan of online or streaming workouts, adjust your computer or television to the optimal level for following along.
Step 5: Put it to use
Now comes the simple part: utilising your home gym. Ask your partner to crush a partner WOD with you, or just hit the treadmill and weights for a mind-clearing solo workout.
Like a real gym, you will reap the most benefits if you visit it frequently.
