Home Gym Design & Equipment

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Incorporating a Home Gym

We have included the home gym on our remodeling site. This is because it comes within our overall philosophy of remodeling as a lifestyle enhancement, not just a face-lift for our homes. We feel that a home gym is something that should at least be considered during the initial planning of a remodel project.

• Related post: Zen Zone

If you are into fitness, incorporating a home gym in your remodeling plans makes perfect sense. And, if you are not into fitness, but think you should be, then the occasion of a remodel might be the ideal opportunity to jump in.

But in case you hadn’t thought much about including a home gym in your project, here are some reasons to do it.

Why a Home Gym?

The benefits of Including a home gym range from pretty much immediate improvements in your physical health and well-being to saving money over time. If you are serious about your fitness, you stand to recoup your investment in many more ways than just money. Let’s take a look.

Convenience and Consistency

With the immediate accessibility of a home gym, you can easily fit a workout into your schedule without having to travel to a neighborhood gym or having to consider its operating hours. This at-home flexibility allows you to create a convenient workout schedule that you can more easily and consistently adhere to.

Time Efficiency

Your home gym eliminates the need to travel to your neighborhood gym, wait for equipment to become available, or keep to their hours. You can put the time saved to better use in your life.

Family Fitness

Your attention to your own fitness can rub off on your entire family. Your home gym is convenient and accessible to the whole household, from kids to grandma. You will be able to create a long-term culture of fitness in your family that can do nothing but benefit them all. 

Just be sure there is proper supervision of the gym when necessary and that the space is secured such that young children can’t get into trouble in it.

Personalization

With a home gym, you can create a space that is specifically designed for the fitness needs and goals of you and your family. It will make workouts more enjoyable for everyone and therefore help with everyone’s motivation to keep on their individual schedules.

And with a home gym, you have much more flexibility and control over your environment and audio-visual experience than you do in a neighborhood gym.

Privacy

Exercising in a public setting, like a neighborhood gym, can be uncomfortable and intimidating for many. But with a home gym, this does not happen. Nor do you have the distractions of having to exercise in a public place. Nor do you have to deal with interactions with strangers.

Better Hygiene

With a home gym, you are in control of its cleanliness. Whereas, with a neighborhood gym, you can’t be totally confident that the equipment is properly cleaned. In fact, these places can be a breeding ground for bacteria and germs.

Money and Value

Your investment in a home gym can save you money in the long run. It eliminates recurring gym membership fees, the cost of travel to the neighborhood gym, and the time cost of getting there. 

Incorporating a home gym in your property can translate into increased property value and marketability.

No Excuses

With a gym at home you have a constant, no excuses reminder that you should stay with your fitness program. Your local neighborhood gym is out of sight and out of mind. While your home gym is in your face and you can’t ignore it!

Three Main Factors to Consider

So, assuming you decide to include a home gym in your remodel project, here is how you set about it.

Including a home gym, like everything else in a remodel project, is a compromise. And there are three main factors in play:

1. The type of exercise equipment you want for your fitness goals.
2. The space available for it.
3. The budget. This is what you plan to spend both on the equipment and on the home gym space you will be putting it in.

And we suggest you assess the project in that order: first, the equipment, second the space, and third the budget. As you go through the options, you will find that any proposed plan becomes self-adjusting.

For example, you may decide that the treadmill you would have liked for cardio is either too expensive or will not fit in the allotted space. So, given that, you opt for a vertical climber or folding treadmill, like this one.

Fitness Goals and Equipment

Determine Your Fitness Goals

Identify your objectives, such as strength building, cardiovascular fitness, functional fitness, increasing flexibility, or (especially in an aging-in-place scenario) improving balance. Of course, some combination of all of these is ideal.

Consider your workout preferences and the kinds of activities you enjoy and are therefore most likely to stick with. Develop exercise routines that will support this.

Consider your current fitness level and make allowances for progression as your abilities improve. 

Equipment

Strength Training

For strength training, consider a Bowflex set-up or functional trainer. Look at adjustable versions and the types you can rack. Consider the space you need to accommodate them and use them.

Consider a Swedish wall ladder to include the kids. Get resistance bands. Look at free weights like adjustable dumbbells and kettlebells (but always think “safety first.”).

Cardio

For cardio, consider stationary bikes, stair steppers, elliptical machines, rowing machines, treadmills, folding treadmills, and vertical climbers.

Flexibility

For flexibility and floor exercises, look at floor mats. Think calisthenics. Check out exercise balls.

And don’t forget that it’s best to cross-train on different equipment. So consider equipment combinations. Also, multi-functional equipment saves space.

Finally, make a list of all the equipment you want and then look for space to accommodate it.

Available Space

Find a space in your home that has enough space, accessibility, and privacy for your workouts. And make sure the ceiling height is adequate. The space might be a second bedroom, in the garage, or perhaps outside in a gazebo.

The space should have plenty of natural light, if possible. And consider ventilation and 

proximity to other living spaces. Because some exercise equipment is noisy. 

The space you have available will partly dictate the type and amount of exercise equipment you can put in it. And desirable equipment includes shelves, hooks, and storage bins for things like jump ropes, resistance bands, and exercise mats. 

And don’t forget cleaning materials like disinfectant wipes to use on the equipment. Put a trash bin on your list too.

Make sure that there is enough space not only for using the equipment but also clearances to move around easily among the equipment and exercise stations.

Optimize equipment placement: Place larger pieces of equipment, like treadmills or weight benches against walls or in corners

If available space is tight, go back and reconsider your choices of equipment. A great deal of the equipment we have mentioned requires very little space.

Modifications to the Space

Noise and Soundproofing

If the gym is near bedrooms or shared living areas, consider adding soundproofing, such as acoustic panels. Some exercise equipment is noisy.

Flooring

Home gym flooring should be durable and able to support heavy equipment. And it should be easy to clean. Add rubber mats or interlocking tile with textured surfaces for cushioning and shock absorption, and to prevent slipping during exercise.

This kind of flooring will also absorb sound and reduce noise transfer elsewhere in the home.

• Related post: Flooring Material

Lighting

Take advantage of windows and skylights to bring in natural light. It’s a mood booster and makes for a more inviting atmosphere to work out in.

Add overhead ambient lighting to provide general illumination within the space. Use LED bulbs that will allow you to choose warm or cool color temperatures, depending on the mood and atmosphere you want to create.

Add focused task lighting at weight lifting and cardio stations.

Use accent lighting for such things as inspirational artwork or mirrors.

Put all lighting on dimmers, so that you can adjust lighting intensity to suit your mood or type of exercise activity.

• Related post: Interior Lighting

Airflow

Make sure there is adequate ventilation. Fresh air through open windows is best. 

Otherwise, be sure to make HVAC adjustments to suit the use of the space. Consider adding a ceiling fan, floor fans, a dehumidifier, or an air purifier.

Audio-Visual Entertainment

Some forms of audio-visual entertainment can enhance the workout experience. They can motivate you and also help pass the time it is necessary to put into your workout routine.  Plus you may want to follow along with an exercise program on YouTube, for example.

Here are some options to consider:

Television

Watching movies or TV shows you like can make your workouts more enjoyable. You can also watch exercise tutorials and classes. And, if you are walking on a treadmill, you can be transported via TV to a trek in the Himalayas or a walking tour of the West Country in England. 

So mount a TV on the wall of your home gym at the appropriate angle and in easy view of your stationary exercise equipment.

You can get the same experience on a tablet or iPad that you can place on a stand next to your equipment. And you can move it around the room as necessary.

Of course, some equipment comes with a built-in tablet holder.

Sound System

High-quality audio can certainly enhance your workout experience. Consider wall or ceiling-mounted speakers. Or, of course, you could use headphones.

Connectivity

Make sure you have a strong Wi-Fi signal or wired internet connection in your home gym. You want to be sure you can access all the exercise-related content that is available on streaming platforms like YouTube. Use Bluetooth-enabled devices as necessary.

Conclusion

Including a home gym in your remodeling project can actually be life-changing for you and your entire family. 

With a well-designed and equipped home gym, you and your family can enjoy the convenience, flexibility, and privacy of exercising to your own personalized programs and on your own schedule. This can foster not only immediate fitness but also a long-term commitment to it. And, as the icing on the cake, you can save money doing it!