How to Build Your Own Gym at Home

Having your own gym at home would be a dream if you're a health and fitness enthusiast. You can pop in whenever you need a good workout without worrying about the commute or jostling with other people to use certain equipment. You can also cut distractions and focus on getting the work in. On top of that, you can blast your own music.

In addition, a quick search on the internet shows that the average gym membership in the UK is around GBP£40 a month. Meanwhile, you can set up a functional home gym for roughly GBP£900 for a budget build. That's less than two years' worth of the average gym membership.  

Suppose you’re looking to build a home gym. This article shares a quick guide on setting up a home gym on a budget, considerations you need to make, and other valuable tips you can consider.

1. Determine Your Fitness Goals 

Thinking about your fitness goals can help set the tone for the kind of home gym you need. It will dictate the required space and equipment you'll need. To determine your fitness goals, answer the following questions:  

• What types of exercises/workouts can you commit to regularly doing?  
• Do you want to lose weight, build muscle, or both?  
• How much are you willing to spend on a home gym?  

The first two questions are the most important ones. For example, if you want to get leaner and tone your body, you can start with High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which, for the most part, only requires a yoga mat. If you also want to incorporate some weight training, you might want to start with dumbbells to see how well you can commit to it.   

2. Designate A Space 

Depending on your fitness goals, your garage, a spare room, or backyard could suffice for your workout area. There will be pros and cons to each. To start, while your backyard can give you more space and allow you to breathe fresh air as you work out, you may need to get covers or move equipment each time you use it to protect them from sun and rain. 

On the other hand, while a spare room or garage has temperature control for all-weather use, it will take up space in your home. You may also need to invest in gym flooring, such as EVA foam, cork tile, and rubber flooring, to prevent weights from damaging your home flooring and save your joints from the stress of working out on hard floors. You may also encounter issues with indoor matting smell. You can read more here to know you can deal with such.

Essentially, determining which space in your home to use for your gym will dictate the equipment you can use. But whichever area you decide on, ensure you have unlimited access to it. After all, that's the primary purpose of having a workout space at home.    

3. Get The Basics First 

If you decide you're ready to integrate fitness into your lifestyle, below is the essential equipment you'll need, regardless of your fitness goals.  

• Yoga or gym mats: You'll need this for bodyweight exercises, stretching, and (of course) the occasional yoga for maintenance.  
• Resistance bands: While this tool started as a way for nursing home residents to build strength, professional athletes have since leveraged its benefits.  
• Dumbbells: Unless you're a seasoned weightlifter, starting with dumbbells is best since you can gradually build your strength and your home gym. Dumbbell bars with locks are practical choices, as you can add plates as you increase your capacity.  
• Bench: You can work on your entire upper body with dumbbells and a flat-and-incline bench. And when you progress to barbells, a solid bench will still serve you well.  
• Jump rope: It's amazing what 10 minutes on a jump rope can do for your cardio, combatting cardiovascular disease. The fact that it doesn't take up any space in your home gym is a welcome bonus.  

In addition, you can also have a foam roller in your home gym. Foam rolling helps with myofascial release, helping you cope with the inevitable soreness that greets every fitness newbie.   

Other Things to Consider 

Below are a few other things you need to ponder regarding your home gym.  

• Heating/Ventilation: You can only work out as well as you can breathe. As such, ensure your workout area has good ventilation and heating so you can get the work in whenever you want.   

• Don't Buy Cheap: Whichever route you choose – whether a yoga mat and a few dumbbells or a fully-equipped gym with a squat rack – don't settle for equipment you'll need to replace after a few months. Quality equipment will not only feel better to use but also safer. In addition, should you need to dispose of the equipment in the future, you can get a good return for them on the second-hand market.    

Final Words 

Whether you’re just embarking on your fitness journey or have been working out for a while now, building your home gym can be a fantastic idea to explore. While it may require a significant investment upfront, you can gain benefits like convenience and the freedom to work out whenever. You can take inspiration from this post to help you set up your home gym.