Have you made a promise to yourself to start taking your fitness goals more seriously? When you are someone with a busy schedule, finding time to go to the gym can be a mission. However, a minor home remodeling project can help make your dreams a reality. This is what building a small gym at home can do for you. You can maintain your healthy lifestyle and create new goals in the long run. Keep reading to find out all that you need to know about building a small gym at home.
Why Do You Need a Home Gym?
If you’ve been thinking about building a small gym at home, you’re not alone. As gym membership fees continue to rise amongst other things, thinking of ways to maintain your fitness is important. This can include finding ways to create a gym in the comfort of your home. Besides the obvious reasons why you need a home gym, there are more ways building a small gym at home can benefit you. The following are five top reasons why you should consider building a small gym at home this year.
1. You stick to your routine
Finding ways to stick to your fitness routine should help you in more ways than one. For instance, it helps you to avoid seeing your chiropractor for back pain that won’t go away. The great thing about building a small gym at home is that you don’t have to worry about juggling your schedule to squeeze in a gym session. You’ll be happy to know that you can go to the gym whenever you feel like it. Plus, you don’t have to drive for miles to get there and back.
Sticking to your fitness routine is a very crucial factor if you’re trying to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. In fact, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends that as an adult you should be getting at least 3 hours of physical activity a week. Moreover, you should include exercises that aim to build your muscles. This is where having a home gym comes in handy.
2. You can save time
When you don’t have enough time to get to the gym, you can lose motivation to get it done. If you still have to rush to your family care doctor before you have to make it to the gym, you’ll realize just how little time you have. This should be one of the things that push you towards building a small gym at home. You also won’t have to worry about waiting for equipment. When you have a gym at home, you can make it in time for any appointments that you have scheduled. In addition, you skip the lines without wasting time commuting to get your body in shape.
3. It gives you freedom
When you have a home gym, you can jump on a treadmill or pick up barbells whenever you feel like it. You don’t have to wait for an opportune time to get your body in good shape. Having the freedom to work out is the most important thing when you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You shouldn’t feel like you have to compromise doing other things to make time for the gym. With a home gym, you have the freedom to work out whenever you feel like it.
4. It offers you privacy
You’d be surprised to find that going to the gym can make you feel intimidated and anxious. Most people end up not seeing their fitness program through due to the overwhelming nature of being at the gym. Yet, building a small gym at home should help you to deal with these feelings. The fact is that studies suggest that more than 65% of women avoid going to the gym because of this uneasiness when they are there. But, a home gym offers you the kind of privacy that you need to ensure that you can do anything that you want. It helps you feel at ease when you know that there aren’t any prying eyes while you exercise.
If you have the following fears, then a home gym should be something worth considering:
- Doing your exercises incorrectly.
- Not knowing how to use your equipment.
- Looking awkward while doing your sets.
- Not looking fit or athletic enough when you compare yourself to the rest of the people at the gym.
How to Create a Home Gym
Now that you’ve realized why building a small gym at home is a good idea, you should start thinking of ways that you can use your space to turn it into a user-friendly home gym. It doesn’t matter what goals you’ve set for yourself. The most important thing that you should consider is how to effectively use your space and to fit your equipment. For instance, do you need to get a garage door repair done first to make your space better? There are small and big factors that you should think of. These are the main things that you need to know.
1. Set your fitness goals
When you’re planning on building a small gym at home the first thing that you should think of is what type of exercises you plan on doing. In addition, you should be realistic about how often you plan on doing these exercises. This should help you to determine how much space you need and the type of equipment that you need. There’s no point in flipping your garage into a home gym if all you need is a yoga mat and some dumbbells.
The best way to start with planning for anything that you want is to have goals set out. Once you’ve set out your goals, you’ll know a lot of things that you need. For example, you’ll have a better idea of what type of electrical installation you’ll need to make sure that your equipment runs smoothly.
2. Choose your space
Now that you know what you want to achieve by building a small gym at home, you should move on to the next step. Choosing the space that you need is a very crucial factor to make sure that you sort out everything. You should have options depending on what you want to achieve with your fitness goals. You should consider whether using your bedroom or garage is the best option or not. However, you should understand that the smaller the space, the less equipment you can use.
To get the most out of your space, you should consider the following.
- You should consider the shape and size of your room. This will impact how much equipment you can use. There’s equipment that requires more floor space.
- You should consider your intended use. Is your space being permanently turned into a home gym, or will it change back to what it was being used for? You should think about this very carefully before you bring in a plumber to change any piping system.
- The safety of your space is likely the most important detail that you should keep in mind. You should ensure that you choose a space that can reduce your risk of injury when you’re exercising. Think of things like having fire suppression systems as well for your safety.
3. Think of your equipment
The thing is that you’ll likely find it tempting to buy all your equipment at the same time. However, adding equipment to your home gym is different from a commercial one. Your equipment should be added gradually while you’re trying to figure out your new space. You don’t need to buy everything all at once and then end up not using more than half of your equipment. It’s important for you to start off with your fitness routine so that you can determine the kind of exercising equipment that you’ll need.
When you’re thinking of your equipment, you should consider the kind of person that you are. Buying a treadmill when you hate running is a futile and expensive mistake that you’ll regret. So, the fitness goals that you’ve set for yourself should play a pivotal role in ensuring that you make the best decision when you’re buying your equipment. The general rule of thumb is that you should buy your equipment according to whatever you see yourself doing. The following are the main points that should influence the type of equipment you’ll buy for your gym.
Gym Equipment You Should Invest In
If you’re someone who wants to start with moderate exercises then you should consider getting yourself basic and inexpensive gym equipment. This can be things like the following:
- A yoga or standard exercise mat.
- Anything to elevate you like a bench or box.
- A jumping rope.
- A few resistance bands.
- A stability ball.
Weights
If you’re a beginner, you should consider doing the research before you buy or attempt to lift any weights. The fact is that using weights incorrectly can cause a severe injury to your back. Before you invest on weights, you should think of getting a suspension trainer and some dumbbells. This should help you ease into using them. Moreover, weights can be pricey, so starting with basic ones should help you to financially prepare for the bigger ones.
Cardio
The purpose of building a small gym at home is to ensure that you have variety when it comes to your fitness journey. Adding cardio into the mix should help you to achieve your aim. While running and jumping jacks count as efficient cardio exercises, you should still add equipment to enhance your variety.
- Get a treadmill.
- Find an agility ladder.
- Use an assault bike.
- Include a rower.
- Think of an indoor cycling or spinning bike.
Advanced equipment
There is other equipment that you’ll find in a commercial gym but not in a standard home gym. When you’re building a small gym at home you want to include equipment that will make it easier for you to commit to exercising. So, think of things like a squat rack, punching bag, and battle ropes to make your home gym a bit more interesting to use.
Additional equipment
You’d be surprised to find that a lot of people don’t consider additional things like foam rollers as part of their home gym equipment. However, the following are additional things that you should think of when you’re buying your equipment.
- A fan or HVAC system
- Mirrors
- Towels
- Storage for your portable equipment
Have a Plan and Stick to It
When you’re building a small gym at home you want to create a space that can motivate you to stay on course with your fitness goals. Yet, it can be difficult to do so when you don’t have a plan. The fact of the matter is that working out at home can be a very challenging thing to attempt. It requires you to have an enormous amount of discipline. This is more than the amount that you need to get into your car and drive to your local gym.
When you’re home, you’re responsible for creating and maintaining an adequate exercise program to complete. The space that you create should give you the type of motivation that you need to stick to your goals. So, if you’re cramped up in a small basement while you have dreams of becoming a bodybuilder one day it doesn’t help. The same way that not calling a pest control company to clean out your space before you start using it can make working out a challenge.
In summary, before deciding on building a small gym at home there are a lot of things that you should think of. From small details such as installing new curtains or opting for fiberglass windows. The most significant consideration that you should make is for your space requirements. How your home gym turns out will greatly depend on the amount of space that you have. Things like the floor size and type of space you’re converting matter the most. This is why following this useful guide should make your decision much easier. In addition, it can save you a lot of money.
