adminIf you have a busy schedule, making time to exercise can be a challenge. The Home Gym can be a great tool to use towards your weight loss journey. If you have limited time to access your local gym, traveling is taking away precious time that you need to focus on important matters.
The basement gym can be easily accessed at any time and can be a perfect fit with your family schedule. In order to see the best results in your fitness journey, you need to have a consistent schedule that will enable you to exercise and seamlessly fit with your other obligations. It is a commitment, not only for your time, but for your current and future health. We exercise not only for ourselves, but to stay healthy for those we love.
Perhaps you had a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and gain confidence in your body. Your own gym can be a great tool for you and your family to be together and exercise . The home gym can be a great place to destress and a time saver as well.
To begin, one of the most important questions before starting to build any gym, is “What is your budget?”. This question not only encompasses your finances, but also your “Space” budget. Right now I want to focus on your “Space” budget, but also keep in mind that your finances may be tight, or unlimited.
If you’re serious about getting in shape, one of the biggest considerations you should take while converting your basement into a home gym, is the available space. You may ask yourself, does my home gym space really matter? In some ways, yes, in some ways no.
While an average size basement is usually between 500 to 1500 square feet, sometimes we have much more limited space to dedicate to our gyms. Whether you are working with a full basement, or a small room, there are options to make the space into a functional, usable, enjoyable workout space. The main point to keep in mind is that you need enough room to do both your strength and cardio workouts, even if that means putting away equipment between exercises.
Some larger pieces may be affected by your space constraints. If you desire to have a squat rack in your gym, you need enough space for that equipment to be used while avoiding the squat rack hitting your walls. If you do compound weight lifting movements, like Squad snatches and deadlifts, you also want to make sure that you have enough room to drop a barbell behind or in front of you without damaging something, especially yourself. Your exercises can either determine the space you need, or the space you have can determine the exercises your use to reach your goals.
Since your basement size affects the type of equipment and exercises that will make up your ideal fitness plan, let’s explore some options. While having limited space means you have to be more selective in choosing your essential equipment, it does not prevent you from having a well rounded workout.
When working with a small gym, getting a few dumbbells and a yoga mat may be the only equipment that can fit in your space, but since they cover both cardio and strength, you can still succeed in your fitness goals. Remember that all the equipment you choose to put in your space should be selected to fit into your space, while helping you meet your fitness goals, and make you feel at ease and excited to use your new retreat.
To maximize the tiny space, the very first thing you need to do is to declutter the space you have chosen. This might involve getting rid of extra belongings in your home, or simply organizing what is there. You can choose what to keep based on how often you use it and sentimental value.
Having a garage sale or donating your items to your local Salvation Army can be a great way to phase out things you no longer need. When choosing how to remove items from your home, decide what you need to accomplish during the process. If your goal is to simply have space, a great choice can be donating items that you no longer need. If your goal is to have space and be able to have a little extra to help fund your gym, having a garage sale or listing items for sale can help fund the cost of your new gym.
When you have the clutter cleared out and are ready to start organizing your workout space, investing in vertical storage will prevent your gym equipment from being left on the floor and causing injury. Storage also helps keep the space looking clean and makes you more likely to enjoy time in your new gym. Keeping things organized will lead to less clutter and provide the space to do your workout movements without hindrances.
If you are blessed with space and you have deeper pockets, obviously there are more possibilities. The options to create your dream basement gym are endless and should be tailor made to suit your preference in the style of fitness and your taste.
Having an assortment of equipment in your gym that targets both cardio and strength training is often a great use of space, keeping your workouts more balanced instead of investing all your space to only one discipline. If you have a basement that is 500 square feet or higher, you have so many options. Large rooms can accommodate dumbbells, kettlebell racks, treadmills, barbell plates and isolation machines while still having plenty of room to work around. One thing to always remember is that, no matter the size of your space, you always need clearance around your equipment, for safety and ease of use.
The basement gym can be an ideal choice to meld your fitness goals with your family and work obligations. Simply giving yourself space to achieve your dreams and meet your goals makes them more attainable.
