To any fitness enthusiast, a home gym is something of a dream. Many people lead such busy lives that finding the time to actually go to the gym can be quite the challenge. Fitting a forty-five-minute workout routine into a schedule that’s packed with work and chores is difficult, and it makes sense to simply work out where you’re most comfortable and most convenient. And in many cases, we’re most comfortable at home.
Yet many people often find calisthenic exercises to be far too difficult. Some simply can’t find the motivation to exercise in their living room. This is where the home gym comes in.
Why a Home Gym: Convenience and Savings
A cleverly designed home gym allows you to insert workouts into your daily life, without having to go to a gym or preparing your clothing, gear, and equipment just to work out. And with the wide variety of exercise equipment made for home use, this is all the easier. Not to mention the ever-increasing number of fitness instructors with an online or video conferencing option.
Actually building your home gym is no problem too. You can definitely make a simple home gym with very little construction or heavy equipment. It’s still best to ask your rental property manager, especially if the house you’re living in is on a lease. The last thing you want is to set everything up only for it to be taken down later. Here’s a quick guide on how you can set up a hassle-free home gym.
Study Your Home Space. Before you start buying things for your exercise room, analyze your house first. Look for the best location to put your equipment. The best area is one that’s both accessible to go to but doesn’t invite interference. A corner where you can focus and zone in on your workout, but easy enough to go to. If you have a spare room, perfect. Otherwise, you can also use a corner in your house, as the two walls can be used for exercises too.
Choose Your Gym Equipment Wisely. Gym equipment manufacturers understand that there’s a demand for home gyms now. That’s why there is multifunctional gym equipment with as little square footage requirement as possible. Of course, you can go for these types of equipment, should your finances permit it. But you can also opt for something a lot more simple: a pull-up rack, a bench, a couple of weights, and resistance bands. These sets of equipment will do more than enough to hit the necessary muscle groups, and they won’t take as much space too.
Make Sure You Have Room For Recovery. When creating your gym, you might be tempted to cram as much equipment as possible. However, it’s best to remember that the best space configuration is one where you’re free to move. This isn’t just for the actual exercise, but something equally as important: stretching and recovery. Even if it comes after working out, stretching is very much crucial to your fitness development. Make sure you have enough space to sit down and stretch, preferably without having to push away equipment.
Try Making Your Own Equipment. Another idea that can get you started as soon as possible is making your own equipment. You can either go as basic with it, using a bag filled with books as an added weight when doing push-ups, or using a chair to assist you when training. If you’re so inclined, you can create your own bench or pull-up rack.
While this might sound difficult, it’s actually considerably easy once you gain access to the high number of free plans available online. You can customize its size to fit your area best, allowing you to maximize your space as much as possible.
Don’t Forget to Plan For Storage. You don’t want to come into your home gym with it looking dirty and disorganized. When creating your exercise spot, don’t forget to include storage. Storage for your weights and resistance bands, for shoes, and even a rack for your sweaty clothes. It might sound rather basic, but the convenience of having good storage for your equipment is invaluable.
Of course, all this effort will be moot if you don’t use it! Now that you have your own home gym, create a daily schedule that allows you to exercise. Some people find it best to exercise in the morning, some feel it in the afternoon or evening. Whatever time works for you, the important thing is you use your newly-built home gym. Making one might just change your life.
