Most people you talk to have a busy life. Busy with work or busy with family. For many, going to the gym is a way to escape the feelings of being so busy and to relax and focus on something else. The problem is, going to the gym can take considerable effort, planning and time. That’s not a luxury everyone has.
Enter the home gym.
A way to escape without it taking all day. A retreat within your home that you can attend to whatever the weather may be. Not to mention the national lockdown we’re now emerging from.
Home gyms can take many forms. From something simple on a budget to a work of art.
The benefits are countless. No travelling times. No more waiting to get on pieces of equipment or people invading your personal space. Better hygiene when using the equipment and your own showers.
Here are few things to consider when creating your home gym.
Do you have enough space in your home?
This should be your first thought. There’s really no point planning to build a big gym with lots of equipment if you don’t have the space.
Fortunately, there are a lot of options available to you and home gyms don’t really need to take up too much room. This does take some planning though.
Plan everything first
There are a number of tools available for planning a home gym. CAD programs allow you to enter the dimensions of your room and then the dimensions of any equipment you intend on buying. You can then virtually move objects around and plan on the best way to arrange your gym. Also, you can test whether equipment will fit.
If that sounds a bit too technical for you then a tape measure will also work just fine.
Just remember to leave enough room to move around. As great as a piece of equipment might look on a website, when it actually arrives it may take over your entire room.
Remember the changes each season brings
Perhaps you’ve had a great idea for a home gym in your detached garage. It’s the summer and everything seems bright and sunny. Come the winter months and that the environment can change and your lovely and warm home gym will now be cold. Maybe freezing!
Another consideration is that during the winter months the relative humidity of the environment increases. The air has more moisture in it. This can be a problem for bare metal as things like cast iron weights that haven’t been coated or painted will rust.
On the opposite side, are you going to be roasting in your home gym on a hot sunny day or perhaps during a heat wave. We generally get a few of these each summer time and temperatures can soar for days or weeks. Will you need air conditioning or fans in your home gym?
Do you have a budget in mind?
One thing you will definitely need to consider is the amount you want to spend on your home gym. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. Also, ever heard the expression buy cheap buy twice?
This doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune on equipment but it does mean you need to be practical about the kind of equipment you will have in your home gym.
There are a number of options available to you depending on your budget.
Kitting out your gym on a budget
You don’t need expensive equipment to get a good workout. Body weight exercises can be a great way to burn calories, lose weight, tone and strengthen your entire body. Add in a few props and you’re on to a winner.
To turn a space into a gym you’ll probably want to start with some appropriate flooring. 20mm gym tiles can transform a space and are super easy to maintain. They’re great for softening the ground beneath you, say for lying on your back doing sit-ups, and provide a great cushioning for other equipment. They are likely to form the base of most types of gym on any budget level.
Other great ideas for equipment would be a pair of skipping ropes and a timer. Not convinced? Try some HIIT style workouts with skipping ropes and tell me they’re not great for improving fitness!
Investing in a resistance bands set for your home gym is brilliant for getting the lactate flowing through your muscles and lactate training is great for strengthening and toning.
Got a bit more to spend on your home gym?
If you’ve got a bit more money at your disposal then you’re definitely going to want to consider getting some dumbbells such as this range from DN Fitness Supplies. These are adjustable and allow you to add weight in order to increase the intensity of your workout. They also do a range of kettlebells and benches which are also probably going to be high on your wish list.
Money’s no object?
If you fit into this category then you can really do anything you like. Heck, why not even build a gym on the side of your house? Joking apart, the type of items you want to be looking at might sit well in a commercial gym. You should be considering power racks and high-end benches as these will definitely be worth the expense and will reward you with the type of training you can do.
Other options you should be looking at are weight plates and Olympic barbells. You might even want to add in some cardio equipment here depending on what your tastes are. Do you prefer to jog or cycle? You could be looking at treadmills or stationary bikes.
Other things to consider
Take time before buying equipment
Do you really want to spend a lot of money on a piece of equipment that is just going to end up not getting used? Before you invest in any equipment you should take some time to really think about whether you need it or not.
Motivating yourself
Even with a home gym, you need to create ways to motivate yourself to want to workout. Perhaps you are planning a holiday and you want to be in the best shape you can be ready for the holiday. You could put a photo of your destination on the wall of your gym to remind you what you are training for. You could download a health and fitness app to help you on your journey.
Other great ideas are posters of people you look up to or motivational quotes.
*This is a collaborative post