Four Tips for Setting Up a Home Gym

February 28, 2017

Setting up a home gym is a convenient way to get your fitness on and avoid the high cost of a health club membership. You can outfit an entire room, or just carve out a corner of your living room with equally satisfying results – most personal trainers agree it doesn’t take much money or space to get regular exercise.

The first step is to figure out the space in your home, where you’ll be inclined to work your body.

The Right Space/The Right Stuff

If your home gym is too hot or too cold, too smelly or claustrophobic, you’ll avoid using it. And unless you have an enormous bedroom, most experts say avoid putting workout equipment where you sleep.

Determine how much money you can invest, what you want to achieve and what works in the space you’ve designated as your home gym. If a $1,000 multi-gym system or a $2000 treadmill is out of the question, get some dumbbells and an aerobic step or wooden apple box and step DVDs. Live Strong recommends Kari Anderson’s Go workout; Kim Kardashian’s Butt Blasting Cardio Step; Kathy Smith’s Step Workout and Gilad’s Step Aerobics.

If you’re set on a big piece of fitness equipment for your home gym, consider the square footage you’ll need – and think both vertically and horizontally.

Recommended space guidelines from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) are:

  • Treadmill – 30 square feet
  • Stationary bike – 10 square feet
  • Free weights – 20-50 square feet
  • Single-station gym – 35 square feet
  • Rowing machine – square feet
  • Stair climber – 10-20 square feet
  • Multi-station gym – 50-200 square feet

(By the way, ACE also has a great exercise library with videos to show you how to correctly execute specific weight training exercises.)

If you’re content with simple exercise gear, Shape praises jump ropes for quick cardio to tone your whole body, plus hand weights and a set of resistance bands. Real Simple recommends Sandbells from Fitter First which are easier to stash than a kettle ball or dumbbell, and available in multiple weights for $10 to $100.

If you’re a video exerciser, your living room can double as your fitness area. And with a few pieces of furniture that can double as storage, you can hide your equipment and keep it out of the way.

What’s Your Style?

home gymConsider your preferences. If you love the tranquility of yoga and Pilates, make that the focus of your workout space. If cycling is more your style, bring in a stationary bike or invest in a good-quality treadmill. You don’t need a fully outfitted home gym to get a good workout or make exercising a habit.

Light and Oxygen

Light affects mood and alertness so pay attention to your lighting. Humans like to feel the sun so natural light is a big plus for workout areas. Some fitness experts suggest adding plants to your home gym which add life and oxygen to any room.

Make a Plan

Whatever it takes – from the right equipment, shoes, wardrobe, music, DVDs and time of day – bringing it all together is the recipe for success. Because no matter where you locate your home gym or how you outfit it, if you don’t do the work it’s all for naught.

Gaiam offers five ways to stay motivated to exercise regularly including goal-setting and scheduling a regular workout time and Women’s Health doubles that with 10 ways – from getting up an hour earlier to keeping an exercise journal.

For music lovers who use melodies to stay motivated, ITunes brings you the top workout mixes to get and keep you moving.

Create Your Home Gym at Southshore!

The new homes at Southshore have plenty of room to move and stretch and get fit! Check out the stunning Village Homes models, the spanking-new Delaney model from Richmond American Homes and the new plans by Century Communities in The Hills at Southshore. Lakeside living in the master-planned community features both ranch and two-story models, priced from the $400s to the $700s.