Setting up a gym at home: It’s so easy to design your own gym!
In order to stay fit in the long run and to strengthen our cardiovascular system, we have to exercise regularly – we all know that by now. Going to the gym or jogging three times a week is enough and there are gyms and fitness centers in abundance. However, it always takes a long time to get in the studio, get dressed and start training. And let’s be honest – between the job, the children and the rest of the household chores, we often simply don’t have time for it or we are too tired. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have also been evicted from the gyms and home workouts are becoming increasingly popular. So there is no better time to think about having your own gym at home. Most people think that you need a lot of space for this and that you have to spend thousands of euros on the equipment – but that is far from it! In this article we will explain how you can set up a gym at home, inexpensively and in a space-saving way!
The advantages of a home gym are obvious – there are no long journeys to the gym and, unlike jogging, you don’t have to rely on the weather. However, every person is different, has their own approaches and training goals and therefore it is very important that you adapt the fitness room equipment to your wishes and preferences. In addition, a home gym makes it much easier to overcome our inner “weaker self” and to motivate us to exercise. Whether you’re looking to lose weight or gain muscle, when you’re setting up a home gym, you should think of both cardio and weight training equipment.
Set up a gym at home – How much space is available to you?
A small fitness room at home – that is probably the dream of many sports enthusiasts. The planning and design of your own gym looks different for everyone and differs depending on training needs, available space, budget, family, etc. The most important step is to decide where you can set up your private gym. If you have an extra room that is just empty then this is really great! Your terrace, garage or basement are also perfect for this. Since we quickly consume oxygen when exercising, the fitness room at home should be well ventilated and have enough light. Do you live in a small apartment and have to work with limited space? This is also not a reason to despair – then you could, for example, set up a small fitness corner in the living room or bedroom! In this case, choose exercises that don’t require special equipment such as bars or dumbbells, or incorporate some great self-weight workouts into your training routine. To maximize the area, we recommend hanging as many devices on the wall as possible. Another possibility to make the small fitness room at home as optimal as possible would be to invest in space-saving training equipment such as a TRX system.
Home Gym Ideas: What Equipment Do You Need?
Without a doubt, setting up a gym at home can get quite expensive. Be aware, however, that you are not designing a proper gym – you don’t need all of the equipment and accessories that are found in the gym. You really just need a few key basic elements to get started. For example, instead of investing in an expensive and large treadmill, you could do some jumping rope exercises for a good and effective cardio workout. Multifunctional multi-gyms are usually very space-saving and many different exercises can be performed on them – so the perfect training experience in your own home fitness room is guaranteed! If you want to make a home gym small and practical, prioritize and only buy what you will actually use. For example, how about killing two birds with one stone and opting for a super effective rowing machine workout? Whether you’re looking to lose weight or gain muscle, the following gym equipment will keep you on the right track:
- A yoga mat for Pilates, stretching or yoga
- Resistance bands are perfect for a full body workout
- Dumbbells and different weight plates
- Weight bench
- Squat rack with a pull-up bar
For your own home gym, you need above all equipment that can do a lot and take up as little space as possible. A squat rack system with a pull-up bar is the heart of almost every sports room at home. It’s the place where you can do chin-ups, abdominal exercises, squats, and many other great exercises. The systems are extremely stable, last a very long time and, depending on the model and price, contain various accessories that provide more variety during training at home.
Setting up a sports room: The right flooring is very important
The right flooring is the first thing to think about when setting up your gym at home. Even if you don’t put particularly heavy weights on it, laminate, tile, or parquet could be fragile and damaged. In order to avoid injuries, it should also be slightly springy and non-slip. There are special rubber plates on the market for this or, as an alternative, you can simply get several floor protection mats or yoga mats. Floor protection mats are especially beneficial for people who live in city apartments. They muffle the noises caused by lowering the weights and ensure that you don’t get into trouble with the neighbors.
Set up the gym at home: Search for offers and second-hand items
How much money you spend on equipment for the fitness room depends on the one hand on the available budget and on the other hand on your personal goals and wishes. While some people are in good hands with a set of elastic fitness straps, others prefer to invest in a weight bench for bench presses. It may seem impossible to set up a home gym on a budget, but it’s not. Not even close. Sure, some fitness equipment can cost several thousand euros depending on the brand and model, but that’s a waste of money for a home gym. There are now many websites where you can get great used equipment at unbeatable prices.
Set up the fitness studio privately: A mirror is also part of the fitness room equipment
There’s a reason gyms have mirrors everywhere! Anyone who is involved in exercise knows the importance of a mirror when training with weights. Although it is not a substitute for a professional fitness trainer, a large mirror helps us to see whether our movements are correct and we are doing the exercises correctly. We all know that the wrong technique can in some cases lead to serious injuries. However, by observing ourselves in the mirror, we can change and correct our shape at any time.
Or how about a small fitness corner in the living room?
Do you live in a small apartment and do not have any free space available where you can plan and design your own fitness room? We have the solution for you too – you could set up a gym at home in the smallest corner of any room! Take a look around first – maybe with a repositioning of the furniture you could free up some space that is big enough for a small sports room at home. Multifunctional organization systems are particularly space-saving and practical: shelves serve as storage space for dumbbells and sports shoes, you can mount a pull-up bar on the door and larger utensils such as yoga mats disappear inconspicuously in a beautiful basket.
Set up and decorate the training room at home
At the end of the day, having your own gym at home should be exactly what you want it to be. So when you go out looking for homegym ideas, make sure the place is welcoming, warm, and comfortable. So it’s not enough to just set up some fitness equipment – it’s your house and you can decorate and design the room however you want! For example, a nice view to enjoy while exercising would be an absolute bonus! So that you don’t get bored, install a music system or a television. For the gym facility, it would also be helpful to choose a wall color that motivates you to exercise – whether after a work day or early Sunday morning. The color red encourages movement and activity, while a cool blue encourages us to train longer. Green and orange have a calming and balancing effect and are therefore perfect for anyone who wants to set up a yoga or gymnastics room.