Almost all gyms and other fitness centers were closed for months in 2020 due to health concerns about the pandemic. However, that didn’t mean people stopped exercising or training during the long months. Many people stepped up and began training at home, using equipment bought online and meeting with trainers over teleconferencing.
However, gyms are now reopening thanks to vaccination drives. Despite people now being able to go back to gyms, 90 percent of Americans say they would continue working out home. If you’re part of this population, learn how to set up an effective home gym.
Here are tips on how to make a great home gym.
1. Buy Rubber Mats
Gym equipment can be heavy, especially weights and large gym equipment such as cycling machines. Their weight can be very damaging to your floors, especially if they are made of tiles or wood planking. Working out with heavy weights may also lead to you dropping one or two to the floor every now and then. Either instance can crack tiles and floorboards.
Rubber mats are the best way to protect your floors from these types of events. Buy a couple of mats and use them to pad the floors around your home gym set up and you can save a fortune on retiling.
2. Set Up in the Right Place
You need to ensure that your home gym is in the right place. You do not want your home gym to be in a place where you have to share the space. This is because gym equipment can be dangerous to people who aren’t using them or paying attention to them.
For example, you could accidentally bruise someone when lifting dumbbells or they can get caught in exercise equipment. For these reasons, you should set up your home gym in places like a space bedroom, a large corner of the basement or out in the garage. It’s essential to have your own space, and where passers-by cannot enter easily.
3. Stay Organized
Gym equipment pieces need to be kept organized, so they don’t get damaged or cause harm to people who simply cross your home gym.
For example, loose dumbbells can become tripping hazards that could cause serious injury. Training shoes just left around the floor can also be hazards. Buy organizers where you can put your equipment away safely. Weight racks help keep your dumbbells out of the way and shoe racks can help ensure your shoes don’t get in anyone’s way. Other methods for organizing equipment include buying plastic shelves for your gear or small cabinets to store gym clothes.
4. Get Multipurpose Gear
You probably do not have the same square footage available in your home as a proper gym and you won’t be able to acquire all the equipment they can. This means you must choose what type of gym equipment you want for your home. The best way to get around this is to buy multipurpose gym equipment.
For example, there are lots of gear that combine upper body exercise equipment in one machine. Buying these types of gear helps save space and gets you a lot of mileage from a single purchase.
5. Put Sound Equipment
Training and exercises can be boring and you may want to stay motivated by playing music while you work out. However, wearing earphones can cause problems such as their wires tangling with your gear or earpods slipping out while you run on a treadmill.
You can set up a simple sound system by getting digital speakers where you can plug in on your phone. This way you can enjoy workouts with great music and not have to worry about your earphones getting in the way of your exercising.
6. Improve Ventilation
Exercising and working out can be very heated activities and the area of your home where you set up the gym may not have adequate ventilation to make it comfortable.
For example, basements are often not well ventilated because people aren’t supposed to stay down there too long. Your garage may not even have any ventilation at all because only cars and tools are supposed to stay there.
If you don’t want to or can’t afford to install air vents, you can prop open windows and use stand fans to circulate the air properly during your training sessions.
Setting up a home gym doesn’t have to be difficult. Instead of recreating the complete gym experience, focus instead on making your set up more personalized and ensuring you can complete your training goals effectively.
