Building a gym in your home offers many benefits. For one, you will never have to pay for a gym membership again. Moreover, working out becomes much more motivating since you have a space dedicated to exercise inside your home. And if you live with your family, you can encourage them to get healthy with exercise, too.
But what if you have limited space to work with? Like many aspiring home gym owners, you may have the problem of having little room to fit a home gym into. However, having limited space is not a hindrance to putting up your dream home gym. Here are some tips on how to work around this issue and build the best gym with the space you have:
1. Find the best room or area
There are many places in your home that you can turn into a gym. A spare room is the best option, but when you don’t have a spare room, you can consider your basement, attic, garage, or even your own bedroom.
The basement is the best option since it is often the coolest part of the home. Moreover, you will get little to no distraction while working out since it’s away from the main living areas where people gather. However, you may want to remodel your basement if it is too old or unfinished before turning it into a home gym. This way, you can make the space more suitable for productive workouts and don’t have to worry about the air being too dank or the walls being too dingy, especially if your house is old.
2. Limit your equipment
Do you really need all those dumbbells to get those gains? Or do you have to have those hulking weight lifting equipment? How about that over-the-top set of HIIT equipment? Chances are, you don’t need all those pieces of gym equipment on your online shopping wishlist. And if you have limited space for your home gym, you’re better off keeping the equipment at a minimum.
For example, invest in only the most essential and versatile pieces of gym equipment that can fit in your home gym. This could mean forgoing the treadmill and just taking runs outside or choosing the multifunction weight machine instead of buying different pieces of weight equipment. It depends on your personal fitness goals and the type of equipment you want to work with, but in general, the key to keeping your home gym relatively spacious is to buy only the equipment you truly need.
3. Install mirrors
Aside from letting you watch your form and appreciate the changes in your body, mirrors can make a room feel bigger than it really is. That said, mirrors are a must-have for a small home gym (or any home gym, for that matter) to make the room look more spacious. Aside from that, mirrors also provide a reflective surface to bounce off of, which can make a room look brighter especially with natural light.
4. Remove anything non-gym related
If you’re converting a room into a gym, remove anything that you won’t be using for your workouts, including decorations, appliances, electronics, and any unnecessary clutter. Doing this will help you make more room in your home gym and make space look less cluttered, thus helping you clear your mind and focus on your workouts. Furthermore, having less stuff in your home gym will also reduce the risk of accidents, such as tripping over clutter or banging your hip into a piece of furniture.
5. Incorporate storage space
You’d need to have ample storage space in your home gym for small pieces of equipment, yoga mats, and other things that you’d want to keep out of sight when you’re not using them. Having space to store away your gym stuff is also important if the room doubles as something else, like a working space or meditation area.
If the room has a closet, turn it into a storage space for gym equipment. If not, use stackable containers, shelves, hooks, or cabinets instead. Using furniture that doubles as storage space is also a great idea, but be sure that the pieces of furniture that you choose are neither too bulky nor outlandish.
Creating a home gym is not that easy when you have limited space. However, that shouldn’t stop you from getting the home gym of your dreams. Use these strategies to create a gym despite having a small area to work with. Aside from maximizing the space in your house, you’re also increasing the productive space in your home by using it for a home gym.
