How to Start Your Home Gym

Gym memberships are often way more expensive than they’re worth. The rise of home gyms and online workouts featuring top trainers has intrigued many fitness lovers to ditch the gym and work out from home. Working out from home is a much more convenient way to get your exercise in, but it takes a lot of thought and consideration.

How to Start Your Home Gym

Ensuring that you have the right equipment and environment in your space are two critical things that will influence the quality of your workouts and your motivation to exercise. Here is everything you need to know about starting your home gym and making it work for you.

Establish your Workout Space

You want to think things through when deciding on your workout space. Even if you think that you can fit your equipment into a small corner, don’t forget that you’ll be sweating up a storm which will make that small room very hot, very quickly. Make sure that you can at least roll out a fitness mat completely without it hitting a wall.

Ideally, a room with a window or a room with enough space for a fan would be the smartest option. If you plan on having any heavy-duty equipment, you’ll want to consider where exactly you’ll put it. For enough room to stretch out your arms and legs, you might consider putting your weight bench in the center of the room if your space is small.

If you’re someone who lives in an apartment, you might consider home gym equipment that is easily stored and put away when not in use. You’ll want to make your workout space as roomy and practical as possible.

Get the Right Gear

If you’re not fortunate enough to have laminate flooring, you might have to endure working out over carpet or concrete. Difficult flooring will require that you buy the right shoes to allow for as much movement as possible. Consider these shoes for men if you’re working out in a challenging space. Rather than purchasing an expensive exercise bike or state-of-the-art treadmill, you might consider a good old jump rope to get your cardio in.

Not only will using a jump rope act as a beneficial way to work out, but it will also take up far less space than heavy-duty equipment. The same idea applies to strength training. If you’re into parkour, you might consider DIY options such as storing an old tire in a closet that can be used and then put away after working out. You don’t need to have a large shelf of weights to complete your strength training. A hefty tire or something else that’s bulky is perfect for the job.

Make your Environment Pleasant

Your workout space should be visually appealing to you. When you’re using sheer willpower to get your workout done, you’re going to want to be able to look around and see something that is uplifting. Consider painting the walls of your exercise room a bright color. Maybe hang a few motivational quotes on the wall.

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You might also want to install a mirror so that you can watch yourself as you exercise. Seeing yourself cruise through your workout will be motivating and will encourage you to continue.

Keep your Space Separate

Don’t put anything that doesn’t belong in your workout room, in your workout room. Treating your space with purpose will add to your motivation and prevent crowding. You’ll want to feel like your workout space is made just for you. So, if you find that it doubles as your kids’ playroom, you’ll want to change that ASAP.

Creating your home gym takes some thought and consideration into the workout styles you’ll be practicing and the amount of space that’s available to you. Remember to take your area seriously. To make your home gym a space for true fitness domination, optimize the size of your space and bring in aesthetic appeal.