When you can’t get a workout at your gym, then you’ve got to take matters into your own hands.
COVID-19 has made it difficult to stay in shape, even for the most diligent workout warrior. If you’re someone that wanted to use 2020 as the jumping-off point for your new healthy lifestyle, the pandemic probably threw a big wrench into your plans.
Since we don’t really know what the future has in store, the best move for maintaining a healthy lifestyle is creating a home workout space. The seasoned gym rats will have already figured out what they need and what to do, so this article is geared for the beginners.
When you don’t have that level of experience, it can be daunting to try and figure out what you need to create a home gym. That’s what we’re here to do today. In this post, we’re going to give you 7 valuable tips so that your home workout space is just as good as the actual gym.
1. Getting Inspired
It’s really hard to start working out and actually stick with it. Consider this when you start creating your home gym because if you can’t get inspired by your space, it’s going to be difficult to build the good habits that’ll turn your fitness around. Room choice is really important. Obviously, some of us are more limited in what we can turn into a gym than others, but generally, you want to stay away from dank, dark spaces that make you feel drab and depressed. You can take some inspiration from the actual gym here.
Gyms are usually decorated with vibrant colors and extremely well lit. This is to keep people feeling energized. Choose a room with some natural light and don’t be afraid to enhance it with whatever gets your blood pumping (art, color, photos, etc.).
2. Make Sure There’s Enough Space
When choosing your room, you want to make sure that you’ve got a good amount of space to move around. Feeling constricted is going to get old, fast, so you may even want to clear out a spare bedroom or rearrange a larger living area. A lot of people that want to make home gyms end up having issues with clutter (read on here). They get excited and buy loads of equipment, then it sits there unused a few months later. To avoid that, it’s much better to start small and purchase items as you need them. Next, we’ll look at some of the basic items you should look at buying before you start working out.
3. Start With Basics
One of the biggest mistakes people make with home gyms is buying a treadmill, elliptical machine, or workout bike. Those things take up tons of space and you can do all of those things just as effectively outside. If you want to get your cardio in, go for a run or a bike ride, and only buy the most essential items for your home gym. We’re talking about things like:
- a yoga mat
- a kettlebell
- resistance bands
- a stability ball
- and jump rope
With those few things, you can work out almost all of your muscle groups.
It’s also important to figure out a workout plan that makes sense for what you want to achieve. You’ll quickly realize what you should be investing more money into when you start doing your plan.
4. Supportive Flooring
If you don’t have supportive flooring in your workout space, then you’re going to end up with sore knees. Doing daily exercises that require jumping or stretching without a soft, anti-slip floor is asking for trouble. You can do serious damage if you slip and your joints don’t respond well to hard flooring. All that you really need to get are those interlocking rubber mats and some floor runners to make sure they don’t move around. Your knees will thank you for it.
5. Using Mirrors
Putting a few mirrors in your home gym might make you feel like Narcissus himself, but they actually serve a really important purpose. Looking at yourself in the mirror while you workout can help you perfect your form, which can prevent injury and generally make life a lot easier. As a beginner, there’s no way that you’re going to have great form right away. You need to work at these things over time and mirrors can help you do that.
6. Get Some Storage Containers
To avoid serious clutter in your home, especially if you have to use the space for something else, it’s a good idea to get some storage containers. You don’t want to leave workout gear around the house for your kids or roommates to trip over. As long as you’ve followed tip #3, you shouldn’t have too much equipment, and it should all fit in one or two containers.
7. Entertainment Options
Having entertainment involved is something you may love or hate. Some people need to have music playing or something on the TV to get them through the workout, while others find it way too distracting.
If you’re choosing the music, then get yourself a really good pair of Bluetooth headphones or a speaker for your workout area to keep the energy flowing.
If you need a TV, then you might want to think about setting up your home gym in a room that already has one. Get whatever you need to stay motivated. This is easily the most important part of your home gym because if you can’t stay motivated, then your enthusiasm will wane and all of the other time, money, and effort will be wasted.
Everyone’s ideal home workout space is a little bit different, but these 7 tips should help you get set up. Trying to get fit during a pandemic isn’t ideal, but in some ways, there’s no better use of your newfound spare time.
