Making space for a gym at home is a convenient way to get healthy and in shape. The best home gym design will make it easier to get you motivated to work out. Let’s dive into the best home gym designs for your house or garage.
Why design a gym at home?
Exercising at home gives you several unique advantages and benefits. You can engage in a full-body workout while enjoying more privacy and comfort that you won’t necessarily get in a commercial gym.
A well-thought-out home gym design can give you similar results to exercising at your community sports facility — weight loss, increased lean muscle mass, and cardiovascular training.
What’s the biggest advantage a home gym gives you? A comfortable atmosphere. The ease of simply heading on down to your basement or into the garage to work out can give you the motivation needed to stay the course and reach your fitness goals.
Added bonus — a home gym makes it easy for the entire family to work out and spend more time together.
- Fun for the whole family
- Convenient and comfortable
- Easier to stay motivated
- Workout at your own pace and schedule
- Save money on membership fees
Designing a home gym allows for reliable training anytime that fits your needs and schedule. Choosing the right flooring, equipment, and space will also make for a safe workout.
Home gym design tips
#1: Design your ideal workout space
Designing a gym at home doesn’t have to be an expensive or an arduous process. If you think you need to renovate your house to fit a gym, think again. A corner in the basement, garage or bedroom will do.
The type of workouts you want to engage in and the clearance requirements for the equipment you’ll use will ultimately determine the space you need.
For example, if you’re going to be using a treadmill, you’ll need 6.5 feet of clearance behind the machine and 1.5 feet of clearance on the sides. If you’ve got a small space to work with, consider installing a wall mount power rack so you can fold the treadmill for maximum space efficiency.
#2: Consider the equipment you’ll use when designing a home gym
Think about your workout goals and the type of equipment you’ll need that will help you achieve them. You’ll want to invest in equipment you’ll use consistently to help keep yourself motivated.
For small spaces, weights and kettlebells are good choices. If you’re concerned about floor damage, kettlebells are ideal since they won’t damage the floor if dropped. These pieces of equipment are also budget-friendly.
If you’ve got a larger space and budget to work with, consider getting a power cage. Additional pieces of equipment, like a bench press, can be used with the power cage. You can engage in barbell squats and deadlifts to build muscle mass.
For cardiovascular workouts, rowing machines and treadmills are a good choice. New rowing machines even come with wifi connectivity and apps that help track your progress!
No matter what equipment you choose to reach your fitness goals, each will have different space and safety clearance requirements.
Budget, space, and personalized fitness regimens will all need to meet somewhere in the middle to give you the ideal home gym.
#3: Equipment connectivity
Home gyms with wifi connectivity are becoming increasingly popular. If you want equipment with wifi capabilities, you have to consider where your gym is located inside the home. You’ll want to put it somewhere with a good internal connection.
Depending on your needs, you might have to install more wireless access points or get a range extender if you want to design a smart gym.
#4: Flooring choice
Weight training is one of the most common home gym workouts. Exercising with free weights doesn’t require much space or startup costs if you’re working out on a budget.
Unfortunately, weights can quickly damage your floors, especially hardwood or cement floors.
Dumbbell racks can weigh several hundred pounds. If you’ve got a standard plywood subfloor with carpet or linoleum on top, you can seriously warp your floor. In a worst-case scenario, the floor could collapse.
When choosing heavy workout equipment, be mindful of where your gym will be. A standard residential floor can’t handle heavy-weight racks. If that’s what you want, you’ll need to move it to the garage.
Okay, but that doesn’t solve the problem of weights hitting the cement floor in a garage and damaging it. Wherever you decide to work out at home — inside or out in the garage, we highly recommend rubber interlocking tiles for home gyms.
Rubber tiles offer topnotch protection for the floor beneath. Also, rubber interlocking tiles will work just fine over carpet.
Several other benefits of rubber flooring for home gyms are:
- Easy to clean
- Water, mold, and stain-resistant
- Offer sound dampening
- Protect the floor beneath from heavy equipment
- Offer shock absorption for utmost comfort
- Easy to install in any space
- Will dampen sound
Rubber gym floors are also fire-resistant and bacteria-resistant. Since the tiles interlock and can also be cut to specific sizes, they’re easy to fit into any space. You can put rubber tiles over carpet, hardwood, or a cement garage floor.
Interlocking rubber gym floors are also an affordable option for people who want to get an intense workout in the comfort of their homes.
Home gym design: Key takeaways
Designing a gym at home doesn’t have to be expensive. Be mindful of the type of equipment you’ll want to use to reach your fitness goals and how much clearance you’ll need for each.
Rubber interlocking tiles are the best choice for designing a gym at home. They’re super easy to clean, install, and are affordable too!
It’s easy to get started ordering your rubber tiles. Contact us today and let us know what you need!