In the United States, the average gym membership costs between $40 and $50 a month. Over the course of a year, one person could rack up between $400 and $600 in gym membership costs. Of course, there is a way to kiss these membership costs goodbye: you can create a home gym. While building your own gym in your home might be costly in the short-term, in the long-run, it will pay for itself many times over.
Interested in building an at home gym? These are 7 tips to utilize.
1. Set a Budget and Stick to It
The very first thing you’ll want to do when building a home gym is to put together a budget. Fitness equipment is can be very expensive, and you want to ensure that you’re being realistic about what you can buy. You don’t want to put yourself in debt unnecessarily.
The best practice is to set a reasonable monetary maximum and do everything in your power to stay below it. The maximum you set will depend upon how much money you’ve saved. For some, this figure could be $500; for others, it could be up to $5,000.
It’s important to remember that you don’t need to buy everything at once. You can start out with a few pieces of equipment and add more as you accumulate more savings. While this method can be slow-going, it will eventually result in a fully stocked gym.
2. Buy Equipment Used
If you have a great deal of disposable income, there’s no reason not to buy your exercise equipment new. However, if your disposable income is on the low side, used equipment is the most cost-effective option.
Used gym equipment can be found in a number of places, from online listing sites such as Craigslist, to garage sales, to used sporting goods stores, and many more. In many cases, you’ll be able to find used exercise equipment at half the price that you would find for new equipment.
The types of equipment that you can usually find used run the gamut from weight benches, to the best recumbent bikes, to dumbbells, to weight plates. While they’re not quite as easy to find, if you look hard enough, used weight racks are also available.
Used equipment might not look as good as brand new equipment, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that its level of quality is any lower. Exercise equipment is built to last, meaning that most used equipment you find will still have years of functionality left to provide.
3. Consider Lesser-Known Brands
While it would be nice to have all of the best brand name fitness equipment in your at home gym, in terms of budget, this is not always the wisest solution. In the vast majority of cases, well-known brands are going to cost substantially more than lesser-known brands.
For example, while a new Rogue power rack might cost $500 to purchase, a new off-brand power rack might only cost $200 to purchase. There are plenty of off-brand power racks available, many of which provide excellent quality, and many of which can be found on online retail sites such as Amazon.
If you’re buying on a budget, you must prioritize cost before prestige. Besides, all of your gym equipment is going to be shrouded in the privacy of your home. No one is going to be checking for brand names on fitness equipment that they can’t even see.
4. Use a Dedicated Room
Another key to building a home gym is to use a room that is solely dedicated to the gym. This will prevent you from tripping over kids, pets, and the various possessions which exist within the confines of your house. It will also help you to focus on your workouts without distraction.
You’re going to want to use a room with a great deal of space. You don’t want to feel as though you can’t move while trying to exercise.
Your best bet is to use a basement or a garage. These spaces are not only roomy and separated from the rest of your house, they possess strong, sturdy floors as well.
5. Create an Inviting Atmosphere
Once you’ve selected the room for your home gym, you’re going to want to give it some atmosphere. If you leave it as is, it’s likely going to be a very gloomy and uninspiring place. This obviously isn’t conducive to a good workout.
To create atmosphere, you should fill the room with items that bring you joy and inspire you. Posters and various other relics can bring a lot of identity to a home gym, giving it a friendly and inviting environment.
If might also be a good idea to add a TV or speakers. Having a little entertainment around can keep you motivated during workouts.
6. Install Appropriate Flooring
Another key aspect of building your home gym is choosing its flooring. Different flooring materials provide different levels of functionality, making some of them more appropriate than others.
First, it’s key that you don’t locate your gym on an elevated floor. Due to the weight of the equipment that you’ll be using, you want to use a floor that is solid and sturdy. As was noted, basements and garages are ideal.
As far as flooring materials go, carpet, cement, and rubber can all suffice. However, textured rubber flooring will provide the greatest traction and absorption, ensuring your safety, and the safety of your equipment.
7. Invest in a Mirror
Mirrors are important to gyms for a number of reasons. Not only do they help you to keep track of your lifting form, they allow you to visually gauge your workout progress. Having a mirror in your home gym will motivate you to keep lifting.
You don’t need anything fancy. A few mirrors stacked up side by side will get the job done.
Put Your Home Gym to Use
Now that your home gym is ready, you can start training. Of course, there will be no personal trainer with you, but that’s not a big deal. You can take a few private lessons and ask the coach to make an individual training program for you. It’s easy to find a lot of video classes on the Internet to create your own training sessions. Training apps like LFconnect, Kinomap, Fitbit, RunSocial, Cardio Legend, SoFit, Jawbone, and Runtastic can also become your assistants. By the way, most coaches say that training at home is not inferior to the gym. The key to success is not a gold fitness club membership card, but perseverance, regular training, and self-confidence. You can professionally and effectively train at home, especially if you favor fitness equipment and exercise machines.
By following the above-reviewed tips, you will establish a home gym that’s both comfortable and functional. Maybe you’ve already set up your gym? Perhaps you’re looking to put it to good use?
If so, Physical Culture Study can help. Our site has a bevy of information on the weightlifting process, including nutritional tips, strength training tips, and much, much more.
Take a look at some of our training articles now!
