More and more often, a dedicated workout space is becoming a must in our homes and apartments. A home gym is convenient because you don’t have to travel to the other side of the city to work out. The gym at home is always at your service, you can work out in it at any time convenient for you, moreover, you will not be confused by curious glances.
Home gym benefits
It’s really great to have a gym at home and here are 7 reasons for this:
– You can choose the equipment that is right for you;
– Comfortable environment;
– All family members working out, i.e. health for the whole family;
– Hygiene;
– Only your individual equipment;
– Personal settings;
– You can train without being embarrassed by prying eyes.
A gym at home allows you to work out when it is convenient for you, and not waste time on the road.
Instructions for creating a gym at home
How to create a full-fledged gym at home? The task is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. Whether it is a sports minimum or a multifunctional hall, it depends on your ambitions, motivation and, of course, the space available.
It will not be difficult for the owner of the cottage to allocate one of the rooms for fitness purposes. Sound insulation, thermal insulation, vapor absorption and good ventilation are the main requirements for a sports room. It is better to choose a room with windows because a natural source of light positively affects mood and motivation. In addition, it is important to pay attention to the condition of the room – you need to feel as comfortable in it as possible. The recommended area of the future gym in a private house is 85-110 square feet. Of course, the more the better.
It is much more difficult to organize a gym in an apartment. If it is large, you can allocate an entire room, great. However, most often you have to be content with only a part of the living space. And even in this case, you can organize a good fitness area, only you need to take into account some nuances, described below.
Protect the floor
When you consider floor covering, the best option is a rubber base on which carpet or special sports flooring is laid. It will provide shock absorption and sound insulation. However, often there is already laminate or parquet on the floor. In this case, it is advisable to use a non-slip base for each apparatus, it is better if it is a special protective mat. This way the floor will be preserved and the stability of the equipment will be ensured. For aerobics or yoga, you can use a roll-up mat that is easy to store. You should not use sports mats if there are no martial arts classes planned. The cover should be flexible, but not too soft.
Mirror, mirror on the wall
In order to hone your exercise technique and see results, you must install a full-length mirror in your home gym. In a separate room, you can make a whole wall mirrored. It will not only visually increase the volume of the space, but also make it possible to see yourself from different angles. In small rooms, you can use a trick – install a wardrobe with a mirrored door in a sports room. The website Homey Design Store has a vast collection of such wardrobes. Firstly, you will be able to see your reflection, and, secondly, you can store all sports equipment and even exercise equipment folded in it, for which not only shelves but also a niche must be available in the closet. This is the ideal solution for an apartment: with a closet, the gym can be expanded and collapsed at any time. In your free time from training, the space of the room can be used for other purposes.
Multimedia center
Music that sets the rhythm of your workout is a must-have in your home gym. For a house, it is better to choose professional acoustic systems. Ideally, invite a specialist who will install them and create the correct audio picture in the room, for example, the “sound around” effect. The pleasure of high-quality sound during training simply cannot be overstated. This is not an option for an apartment but you can use your phone and headphones. Or buy a modern training apparatus with a built-in audio system – just plug in your headphones, download music and train in comfort. And, of course, it is highly desirable to install a TV panel in your home gym. It will not only make your workouts more interesting (you can, for example, work out on a treadmill and watch your favorite TV series), but also add variety to them, as it’s always interesting to repeat videos from famous coaches, such as dancing with Varun Dhawan and train under the guidance of the best fitness instructors in the world.
Ventilation and light
The air in the room that serves as a sports hall should always be fresh and clean. If possible, you should install ventilation systems, air conditioning, ionizer. A good solution is ventilation built into the lighting fixtures. By the way, most modern training equipment has built-in fans (including multi-speed ones). Therefore, they are comfortable to practice even in a small apartment. The main thing is to provide ventilation before and after training. As for the light, there is only one rule: the more, the better. It is desirable to be able to switch light modes – from muted and diffused (for example, for yoga or cooling off) to bright and contrast (for basic training).
Sport equipment
The minimum of a home sports hall, which will always come in handy and will not require significant costs, are dumbbells, barbells, weights, a jump rope, fitball, hoop, resistance bands and blocks. These seemingly simple accessories are used in most fitness programs for both men and women. The jump rope warms up the muscles, strength exercises are unthinkable without dumbbells and weights, the hula hoop is very useful for modeling the waist, and the fitball will allow you to work on the press and stretching. And yet, before purchasing equipment, you should analyze your training program in order to understand what is needed first and what is second. By going through this guide, you will be able to replenish the gym gradually.
A wall bar with a horizontal bar will be excellent for fitness classes. It is suitable both for a small apartment and for a house. And a little nuance: for fitness in an apartment, it is better to choose dumbbells in a vinyl cover – less noise when accidentally hitting the floor. An exercise machine is a long-term investment in health and beauty, it must be flawless, reliable, of high quality and safe. When making a purchase, also pay attention to whether the vendor delivers the exercise equipment home and ensures that it is installed correctly.
