If you are anything like me, you dislike training at a commercial gym. Gritty training environments are hard to come by, and you just want to get into a training environment that is simple and helps you get the job done. For me, getting my home gym set up was both part personal, and part business. However, getting it set up was again, both frightening and exhilarating at the same time. I am going to break down the steps I took to get my home gym set up. Hopefully, they will get you moving in the right direction as you walk into your training environment.Finding your space, Choosing your floor, deciding what tools you need, physically buying your equipment, and then finally putting all of it together. These are the steps you are going to take on your way to finally having a training space you can call your own.
Finding Your Home Gym Space
I first want to take the time to congratulate you; you are making the plunge into getting your training environment started. It can be both exciting and frightening at the same time. I know I was there. It is a significant commitment, and you’re probably going to upset somebody around the house!Now getting right into it you are going to need to find where your home gym is going to live. Many people choose the garage or the basement, both excellent choices. However, your home gym can be anywhere you want it to be.
My First Home Gym
My very first home gym started in my apartment. I was living in a three bedroom apartment on the first floor, I had a dining room that no one ever used, and I convinced those living in the house that I needed my training area, and it is going to be right in that same dining room. I tell this story because where you home gym lives is not that important as you make the final decision. Here are a few recommendations I can make that will help you on your way. Make sure that the area is at least 10′ by 10′ this will give you enough space for some of the more significant pieces of equipment and allow for a little bit of moving area as well. If you have a spot more significant than this then this, then more power to you!Access to a window or sunlight is a bonus. This will allow you to get some fresh air in the room when you are getting the work done as well as some much needed Vitamin D from time to time.Access to WiFi and or electricity is not a necessity but if you want to have some music or the use of some of the excellent fitness applications you are going to need to use the WiFi, and a sound system will require some electricity. Other than that, once you have found your space you can get right into deciding what floor will be in your area.
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Choosing Your Flooring
Now that you have your area picked out it is time to start outfitting it. You are going to want to start with the flooring of your gym. When I was deciding on a floor, I needed to ensure that it was sound absorbing and did not make load thuds whenever weight was dropped on it. I had neighbors, so I needed to keep them in mind when making my choice. There some different options out there to choose from. And they will depend on a few things. One being your budget. Soundproof rubber flooring is expensive, but if you feel you need it, then you are going to need to consider getting it.However, if you do not need to worry about your neighbors, then you will probably be thinking of the typical 3/4 inch rubber mats you get from any fitness retailer. They are great and get the job done as well. I will remind you though that these do give off a smell and should not be put in unventilated areas.The other option for flooring would be putting in a platform. If you are an Olympic lifter or a powerlifter, then this may be an option for you even though the rubber mats do offer a stable footing. Olympic platforms can be homemade and I will get into that in an article in the future.Once you have made your choice on flooring, we can now get into what to put in the gym itself.
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Deciding The Tools You’ll Need
You have your space, and you have your floor. Now it is time to decide what you need to put in your gym. See people are going to say you need a bar, a rack, dumbbells, a bike, and some weight plates.
Get those and you are on your way to fitness. I would say yes, but as I have matured as a coach and an athlete my self, I am not naive enough to say there aren’t other ways you can train.
This Is Personal
<p “=”” class=”class=”This is a very personal experience, and when you are dealing with such a small area, you are going to want to nail down what you put in it before it just becomes a storage unit.brbrI am speaking from experience. With my first home gym, I started out with the basics. I got a nice rack, the best bar I could find, and a whole lot of weight plates. I was right to go as far as I was concerned. /pp “=”” class=”class=”>The only issue was kettlebells became a love of mine, so I bought a bunch of them. It rounded out the gym nicely, so it did not matter much. Then I wanted to get a trap bar so that I could vary my training and my athlete’s training. Then thinking along those same lines, I wanted a squat safety bar, so I got one of those as well.
KHO Health was acquired by was acquire by 9INE POINT in the summer of 2019 and is now referred to as 9INE POINT Health.
