Many gyms and fitness centers across the country have reopened. This comes after they shut their doors during the first few months of the pandemic. Despite this, people are still wary of venturing out and working out in these enclosed spaces. With this, some people decided to set up their gyms at home to allow them to exercise without having to leave the house.
If you’re thinking about setting up a gym at home, you should go through the following things to allow you to maintain your fitness level while staying home.
Find a Suitable Area
The first thing you need to do is to look for a suitable space in the house where you can set up the gym. When you trying to find a place inside the house, you should consider the space available for you. It should be big enough to fit the equipment you’ll purchase for the gym.
The foundation should also be strong enough to carry the weight of the equipment you want to bring in. You wouldn’t want to find yourself sitting on the ground floor looking up a hole on the ceiling after dropping the barbell on your second-floor level home gym.
Some places you can set up the home gym are a vacant garage, an empty office, or a spare room in the house. You may also want to consider getting a home remodeling contractor to work on your future home gym.
But if the space is limited in your apartment, you can set aside an unused area in the living room for the gym. Just make the necessary adjustments in terms of the equipment you’ll need to keep you fit while ensuring you have enough space to store them.
Design the Setup
Once you have space, it’s time to design the setup of the gym. If you used to visit the gym to work out, you know the importance of having enough space to see yourself performing the different exercise routines. The design of the gym should give you a suitable space to work out while checking if you’re performing the exercise properly.
You should also make sure to have enough light in the space. It may come from sunlight coming through a window or from a bulb on the ceiling. The important thing is the space is well-light to allow you to check your form while you exercise.
A mirror in the home gym offers a lot of benefits and it’s not only to make the gym look bigger. One obvious benefit is it allows you to check your form while you exercise. Checking your form allows you to know whether you’re holding the dumbbell or barbell at the correct angle. A mirror also spreads light inside the room making it brighter.
You can also set up gym flooring in your home gym to provide the cushion your body needs when you perform core workouts. The flooring also keeps the floor from becoming slippery from your sweat that drops into the floor. Additionally, it protects the floor in case you drop a dumbbell or barbell.
It is also important to declutter the home gym area. You should take out anything that will distract you when you’re performing your daily workouts. If you’re planning to follow an online workout or streaming video, make sure the computer is set up to allow you to watch the routine without any issues.
Acquire the Equipment
When the space is ready, it’s time for you to acquire the equipment. A home gym doesn’t need the bulky machines you normally find at a fitness center. You only need simple items that have a similar effect as the bigger equipment.
For instance, a jump rope will give you a similar cardio workout as a treadmill. You can simply increase the intensity or get a weighted jump rope to give you the workout you’re looking for. Strength-training equipment can include a kettlebell, dumbbells, and resistance bands. These items allow you to tone your muscles without having to buy a huge cable machine. For your recovery, you can get foam rollers. Regularly using foam rollers on your muscles enhances muscle performance and speeds up recovery.
Set Up a Storage Area
Another thing to consider when you’re acquiring the equipment is the available storage area in the house. If you have limited space, the equipment you’ll acquire should be small enough to fit in your storage area. A weight rack will be great for your dumbbells and weights. You can also store the jump rope and resistance bands in a storage bin that you can easily slide under the couch. Storing your equipment properly ensures that it will last a long time.
Working out during the pandemic doesn’t always mean going to the gym. You can set up a gym at home to keep yourself fit without leaving the house.
