No Excuses: Simple Steps for Setting Up Your Own Home Gym  

You know how to deadlift that last slice of pizza into your mouth, and you're great at running laps between the kitchen and recliner during commercial breaks.  Now it's time to get more serious about your health.  While gyms can get expensive and embarrassing, home gyms are cheaper in the long run and more convenient.  Here are some simple steps to get you started.  The time for excuses has passed.  Now it's time to get started.

 

Dedicate a Space

You can't really think about purchasing equipment until you designate a space toward the cause.  For example, if you have a spare bedroom upstairs, you won't be investing in heavy weights that can damage the floor and, at worst, fall through the ceiling.  Alternatively, if you have limited space in your garage, you may have to make a decision as to whether it's more important to invest in a weight bench or a cardio machine.  Once you find a dedicated space, then you can think about equipment.  It's better to have a 'dedicated space' rather than transform a home office into a gym after working and vice versa.  All of the moving may make it less likely that you'll stick to an exercise routine.

 

Decide on Cardio or Weight Training

Professional gyms are large enough to feature free weights, machines, and cardio equipment.  But unless you live in a mansion, you'll need to make some sacrifices when it comes to fitting equipment in limited space.  You'll have to decide on whether your gym will feature cardio equipment with little weight training devices or vice versa.  It doesn't mean that you have to limit your workout to one or the other, but you need to make the most of your space.  In most cases, it's easier to dedicate a home gym to weight equipment; you can jog, cycle, walk, and do other types of cardiovascular activities outside of the home.

 

Consider the End Result Sought

People exercise and go to the gym for an array of reasons.  You have to think about your sought end result.  Do you want to lose fat, gain muscle, build endurance, etc?  Maybe you want all of those things.  Your sought goal should dictate how you form your gym and the equipment you want to buy.  Alternatively, you may want to build muscle mass versus developing long and lean muscles.  One result necessitates heavy weight lifting while the other calls for lighter weights, more repetitions, and stretching exercises such as yoga or pilates poses.

 

Try Craigslist for Equipment

Exercising is one of those things that demands commitment, something not all people have each time they start working out.  Such a yo-yo effect results in a number of people who have new to hardly used equipment they no longer use.  Rather than invest in expensive store-bought equipment, take a look on Craigslist to see if there are any good deals.  You may not find everything you need or want but it's a good place to start.  Plus, a number of people are willing to drastically discount items so they can get them out of their home or so they can recoup some of the money initially invested.

 

Protect Your Home and Floor

Let's be realistic; your home was not built to be a gymnasium, and while it's cheaper and convenient to workout at home, it is not cheap to repair holes in the walls, dents in the floors, etc.  Protect your home and floor with heavy carpet, plywood, rubber mats, and gym flooring.  It's an added investment but a wise choice if you want to maintain your home.  It's the reason that some people opt to make the gym in the garage (if they have a garage), yet that means you probably won't have room for your car, which is likely to be your second most valuable investment.

 

Choose an All-in-One or Get Creative

Most people want to exercise the entire body and target all of the major muscle groups.  A regular gym has a plethora of free weights and machines that work specific muscles.  However, professional gyms can afford the space.  You may want to invest in an all-in-one device that allows you to exercise all of the major muscle groups.  Otherwise, you'll have to get creative regarding individual purchases.  For example, suspension or gravity straps are popular because users do not have to lift heavy weights (you use your own bodyweight to build muscle) and the workout requires a small amount of space(or can be done outside).

 

Jeff Powell has helped build and outfit hundreds of gyms across Canada. Notable clients include the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Canadian Armed Forces and professional UFC fighters. Over the years many gym owners have relied on his knowledge and experience renovating or building gyms from the ground up.