Things to Consider When Creating a Home Gym at Your Property

 

 

If one of your prime New Year’s resolutions for 2023 is to get fit and healthy, you may be keen to set yourself up with a home gym over the coming months. 

Having equipment and space available right at your place can be a great way to avoid procrastinating on working out due to having to drive to facilities. Plus, you can get in five, ten, or 20 minutes of workout time throughout the day if you want. 

This situation is perfect for those who want to build up their fitness, get bored of longer workouts, or want to help wake themselves up when working from home. Here are some tips to help you create an ideal active space for yourself in the coming weeks. 

Select a Suitable Location
One of the essential elements of creating a home gym is choosing the location for it. Take your time considering this, though. Remember that you’ll likely want to play music while you work out, and you may make noise when exercising, so it’s best not to disturb your family members or housemates during these times. As such, look for a space a little set apart from the rest of the home or at least down one end of it. For many people, an ideal location for a home gym is a basement, garage, or granny flat or guest house. 

Set a Budget for the Project
You also need to know how much money you want to allocate to complete this project. Determine a final figure you feel okay to spend and then work back from there to come up with amounts for different parts of the gym creation. For example, you may want to add special exercise flooring to the room, install some soundproofing, buy exercise equipment, put in a sink, and more. 

There may be demolition or other building work involved in getting the space finished, too (including fixtures and fittings), and you may have costs related to the delivery of new items or disposal of old ones, warranties and insurance covers, and more. 

Determine How You’ll Likely Use this Exercise Zone
Before buying lots of materials and equipment, stop and consider how you plan to use the exercise zone you develop in your home. For instance, do you want to do some boxing in there and thus need one or two boxing bags and space to jump rope? Or do you want to lift weights, run on a treadmill, use other cardio machines, or complete a circuit-type workout? 

You may want to use the room for stretching, Pilates, yoga, and the like, or even meditating. Some people want to dance in their home gyms, too. Once you know how you want to use the space, you’ll find it much easier to decide how to set it up and what fittings, fixtures, equipment, and other supplies you’ll need. 

Don’t Buy Everything at Once
While it’s exciting thinking about having your own gym at home, and you’re probably keen to go out and buy everything you might need straight away, it’s better for your wallet if you pace yourself. Rather than outlaying thousands of dollars on equipment and other items, start small and build up over time. You want to know that you’ll actually use fitness machines or other goods and won’t be turning an unused home gym back into a room for some other purpose later. 

Going with this “slowly, slowly” approach will let you spread out your spending, too, which is helpful if you’re on a budget. Plus, it gives you more time to research and source all the best gear for your needs. 

Ensure the Space is Comfortable
Since we tend to get hotter than usual while exercising, even in winter, it’s crucial to ensure your home gym is comfortable to use year-round. As such, consider adding cooling options and heating, if needed. You might like to install a small ceiling fan in the space and ensure there are opening windows in the room. If you live in a very hot or humid place, you may also want to outlay funds on an air conditioning unit for your gym. 

There are various other practicalities to take care of when designing your gym. For instance, put in enough storage to house all the smaller items that accumulate in a fitness zone, such as skipping ropes, exercise bands, water bottles, light hand weights, yoga straps, etc. Ensure there are enough power points, the right kind of lighting, and other electrical factors (perhaps a TV or computer set up to follow along with exercise videos, for instance) in the room you set up as your gym. 

Finally, remember there’s no point in having a gym space at home if you don’t use it! Set some big goals for yourself and schedule exercise appointments throughout the week to get and stay motivated. You might like to invite a friend or family to work out with you, too. Follow all these tips, and you will feel your fittest and healthiest self very soon.