After careful consideration you have come to the conclusion that you want to ditch the gym and create your own workout space in the comfort of your own home. Before setting up your own home gym, there are some factors that you should be aware of, including choosing the correct space, equipment and making sure that your new home gym doesn’t break your budget. I want to provide you with a list of tips that covers every piece of the puzzle in setting up your own home gym.
- Find the Right Space
The amount of space that you will need for your home gym will be different depending on the type of workouts that you do, and, normally, most people do not have an infinite amount of space for everything that they may want in a gym, so it is important to be economical with your space and make sure that you are optimizing every bit of square footage that you have at your disposal. It is also important to note that finding the right space in terms of lighting and atmosphere is critical. If you set up your new home gym in a dark and humid area of your house for example, then you are not going to have any motivation to workout in your new home gym.
- Budget
Let’s face it, gym equipment can be extremely expensive and you do not want to go broke trying to set up your brand new home gym with all of your former gym’s commercial machines. You are going to want to be very selective in the types of machines that you choose to buy for your gym and make sure that you are getting the greatest amount of utility out of the machines that you do choose to buy. It is also important to note that you do not have to buy everything all at once as this can be quite unreasonable and daunting to many. It may be a good idea to set some money aside as you go and gradually keep building up pieces to your gym over time. Remember that your home gym will actually act as a money saver as you are no not paying the expenses of a gym membership as well as the cost of your transportation to get there.
- Personalize Your Space
Now that you are not going out to your local gym to workout, it is important that your home gym is space that you feel comfortable and want to be in. Since the space that you have set aside for your home gym is, by virtue of the name, YOUR gym, you can personalize it however you want and make it a place that motivates you to work out and a place that you can enjoy working out in. Just putting up posters of some of your favorite motivational quotes can go a long way in making your space more inviting.
- Your Workout Style
Knowing your own personal workout style is incredibly important when first setting up a home gym as your workout style should be the deciding factor in trying to decide which machines to actually purchase. If your workout goals are more centered around cardiovascular endurance, then maybe you are going to want to add a treadmill or an elliptical to your space, but if strength is your goal, then you are going to be more apt to fill your space with dumbbells, barbells and benches. It all comes down to purchasing the equipment that is going to help you reach your own personal fitness goals.
- Buy Quality Products
This should go without saying, but when purchasing items for your own home gym, it is imperative that you are only buying high-quality items. The items that you buy for your home gym are yours and you are going to want to use them for a very long time. Even if a product is a little bit more expensive but of a higher quality, then it will most likely save you money in the long run by purchasing it. Cheap equipment made from cheap materials can be easily worn down and even broken from constant usage and, after all the effort that you went through to set up your home gym, you are not going to want to have to be replacing equipment every couple of years.
- Create a Workout Plan
After you have now spent a considerable amount of financial resources in order to fully equip your new home gym, you want to make sure that you actually use it and are getting the most out of your new investment. By creating a workout plan that helps you reach your own personal goals, it will not only motivate you to workout, but it will also hold you accountable. Finding time in your day to workout can be difficult at times with everything that life throws your way, but making the time to workout should be a priority. It will be impossible for you to accomplish anything in your life if you do not take care of your health, and your home gym should be a tool you wield to make your health a priority.
