Going to the gym and having an invigorating workout is a popular pastime for many people. For example, in the UK, there are approximately 10.3 million people who are a member of a local gym. It can be a great opportunity to burn off the stresses and strains of the working day and improve strength and muscle tone, which helps people feel better about themselves.
One major downside to a gym membership is finding the time to travel to the local gym or finding the motivation to keep going regularly. Many people start a gym membership with regular sessions and then find after a few months that they are going less and less.
Therefore, a garage gym conversion can be a perfect upgrade for your home if you find yourself skipping out on heading to your actual gym. Having a gym on your literal doorstep can allow fitness sessions to take place with minimum planning or time needed to prepare. With this in mind, this article covers three key stages to creating your ideal garage gym will be explored.
Decide on key equipment
The first key consideration is to decide on the gym equipment that you will put in your garage gym. As a rule, it is far better to choose a few pieces of high-quality fitness equipment such as a treadmill or exercise bike rather than many pieces of cheaper machines. This is because higher-quality equipment is likely to last longer and function more smoothly, effectively leading to more enjoyable workouts.
When you have created a list of “must have” equipment, you can begin to think about where they will be placed in your gym. Remember to allow adequate space between each machine so you can move from exercise to exercise quickly and safely. If you are struggling with ideas or inspiration on the type of gym equipment to put in your garage gym conversion, here are some examples.
Get the lighting right
It is of paramount importance that you have high-quality lighting in your home gym. You will need to exercise safely, therefore it is highly likely that the standard garage lights will need to be upgraded. As a first consideration, you will need task lighting shining down on your pieces of gym equipment so that the risk of tripping is reduced as you move from machine to machine. I
n addition, it is worth considering installing high-quality strip lighting to illuminate the whole gym itself. Make sure to visit your local electrical wholesalers to browse the range of modern lighting solutions on offer and get the perfect setup for your home gym.
Upgrade your flooring
Your garage will likely have a solid concrete floor, which makes for a good starting point in your home gym. However, you may want to consider upgrading the flooring with a layer of rubber on the top. This can make workouts far more comfortable, especially if you plan to do sit-ups and stretching exercises that take place lying down.
Another option is to put ready-made gym mats on the floor in key areas where such activities will take place. EVA foam is another good-quality flooring material that is perfectly suited to a home gym environment. In short, it is wise to assess your needs, the exercises you will do, and decide what flooring material is right for you.