How to Make a Home Gym (Complete Guide 2023)
Building a home gym is a great way for you to achieve your fitness goal in 2023 while saving on the expensive cost of gym membership. From planning out the space to buying the right gear and picking up decoration, it’s quite a challenging task. But don’t worry. Following this guide, you’ll be making your dream home gym within steps. And you don’t have to break the bank!
Step 1 – Plan the workout area
To get started building a home gym, you should first plan a dedicated workout area. It could be the unused garage or basedment, a spare corner in your bedroom, living room, or anywhere in the house. You don’t necessarily have to convert a whole room into a home gym. But if you get a lot of bulky equipment like treadmill or rower, or if you prioritize HIIT workout, the more spacious the space, the better.
Then you need to measure the space accurately, including the width, length and height. So you’ll know what type of equipment would best fit.
Step 2 – Choose home exercise equipment
The next step is to add your favorite fitness equipment and accessories to the space. Depending on your fitness goals and budget, you could choose strength training machines to build your muscle or cardio equipment that helps you burn calories while improving heart and lung health. Or you can combine both to enjoy a varied training style.
1. Treadmill
Treadmill is a perfect choice for people who love running and walking. Although it takes up a large space, there are plenty of size options, and many treadmills are foldable.
One of the best overall treadmills with a smooth ride, sturdy build and comprehensive functions. Featuring a 3.5 CHP motor, it powers a max speed of 12 mph and an incline range of -3% to 15%, which offer a better simulation of running outdoors. And the spacious belt is comfortable for users of any height and weight to run, jog, or walk.
Read more: 5 Best Treadmills for Home (2023 Reviewed)
2. Exercise bike
Riding an exercise bike is a fantastic exercise with many physicial and mental health benefits [*]. It helps burn your calories and strengthen your heart and muscles without putting much stress on the knee joints.
It provides a realistic, natural-feeling indoor cycling experience via the special Lean mode. You can tilt from side to side just like riding a real bike! The Velocore also supports 100 silent magnetic resistance levels and includes nice accessories such as a pair of dumbbells and a Bluetooth heart rate monitoring armband.
3. Resistance band
Resistance band is an inexpensive and great accessory for a variety of full-body exercises, strengthening your muscle groups in arms, legs, chests and more.
Fit Simplify Resistance Loop Exercise Bands
The best-selling resistance band on Amazon with an average 4.5 rating. A full set contains five 12’’ by 2’’ multicolor resistance bands of different levels, well-packed in a convenient carrying bag. They are made from 100% natural latex, feeling pleasantly stretchy, and will remain durable after intensive use.
4. Adjustable dumbbells
Dumbbells are always considered a home gym essential. Rather than a traditional whole rack, we recommend adjustable dumbbells for versatility and easy storage. With a wide range of weight loads for different body parts, it takes up less space. And it actually costs less in the long term if you progress fast and require heavier weights.
Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells
With 15 pairs of free weights (5 - 51 lbs) sitting in a plastic holding dock, this model is a solid and cost-efficient solution for weight lifting. It’s super straightforward to use. You don’t need to remove or add plates, but change the weight by turning the dial at the end of the dumbbells. The gripping is also comfortable and secure.
5. Yoga mat
A soft and quality yoga mat is a must-have for Yoga, pilates, stretching, and a lot of equipment-less exercises. Providing the right amount of gripping, it will protect your joints against the hard floor and keep you stable for the right poses.
Made out of 100% PCV, Gaiam yoga mats are lightweight, supportive and durable to stand the test of time. Moreover, it features unique non-slip textured surfaces to keep you in position and provide extra cushioning for comfort. Its robust selection of sizes, thicknesses and prices could perfectly satisfy any fitness routine and level.
6. Foam roller
A foam roller can not only help you prepare the body before workouts but also recover your muscles afterward, releasing tension and alleviating aches.
Amazon Basics High-Density Round Foam Roller
Made from expanded polypropylene (EPP), this foam roller maintains appropriate firmness for deep therapy on muscle soreness. The flat surface applies gentle massaging pressure which should suit beginners.
Step 3 – Complete your home gym
Equipment is crucial to a home gym but it’s not everything. To make the space a real place that you’ll enjoy spending time with, there are a few more things to do.
Install gym flooring
Flooring is important for a complete home gym, as it can not only protect your knees and other joints but also help avoid damage (and sweat drips) to your floor. Moreover, it will reduce the noise when you place heavy equipment like dumbbells or weights.
Interlocking tiles made of rubber or EVA foam is considered the best home gym flooring. Specially designed for workout space, they are heavy-duty, easy to clean, and can be installed and removed individually to suit any room. Alternatively, you could buy horse stall mats in local stores. At a cheaper price, it’s capable of withstanding any strenuous exercise and provides excellent gripping as well as shock protection. Horse stall mats, however, are notorious for strong and horrible rubber smells, so you’d better let it air out before using them.
Set up entertainment options
If you love listening to music while working out, it’s a good idea to put a soundbar, a pair of speakers or a radio in the home gym. It’s also a good idea to install a TV to the wall, so you can better follow the video classes or stream your favorite shows to get distracted from the long tedious cardio workouts.
Add inspiring decoration
Many people find it difficult to stick to an exercise routine at home. But by adding some personalized elements, you can make the home gym more inviting and enjoyable. For example, you can decorate the room with a photo of your favorite team, scenic pictures, or whatever will get you motivated and inspired.
A full-length mirror is also useful. It allows you to monitor your form and ensure you’re practicing correctly, and makes the space look more spacious.
Pay attention to the lighting
Lighting will affect the space atmosphere as well as your physical performance. Natural light from large windows is always the best to boost your energy levels. For windowless spaces or if you usually exercise after dark, the full-spectrum LEDs will do the trick. It imitates natural daylight and uses less electricity.
The lighting should also change depending on your workout type. Softer and dimmed lighting feels relaxed and fits better with exercises like yoga or Pilates, while high-intensity cardio will require sufficient and bright lighting.
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