5 Ways to Create a Better Gym at Home

With gyms being closed for prolonged periods during the Covid lockdowns, many people have been resorting to working out at home to stay in shape.

Not everyone has a dedicated gym space in their house and there are lots of things that can make working out at home less than ideal, such as:

• Lack of space
• Limited equipment
• Lack of privacy

Here are five ways you can make your home workouts more bearable, starting with the easiest and getting steadily harder. Remember, No Pain No Gain!

1 Change Your Routine

It goes without saying that things will need to change once you commit to working out at home. Unless you have lots of spare space and money, you will not be buying cross trainers, resistance machines and treadmills.

Many exercise routines rely on just the weight of your body itself, with no extra machines, so start embracing simple but effective calisthenics and maybe get your cardio in with a jog around the local park.

If you want privacy and space you may also need to consider getting up earlier than everyone else in your household and working out before they get up.

2 Repurpose a Room in Your House

If you are currently working from home, you may already have repurposed whatever space you had for your office, so have a look to see if you can do the same thing for exercise too.

The benefit of work-outs is that you won’t be doing them for 8 hours per day five days per week, so you could potentially clear some space in your draughty garage and do a work out there, if you have one.

Failing that, you might want to use the spare room with a bed in it and up-end the bed to give you more space (and a work out) or temporarily moving the furniture around in your lounge before each workout.

3 Get an Outbuilding

Outbuildings are much cheaper than extensions and will give you the space and privacy you need to create your custom work-out space if you have enough garden space and money for one.

Not all outbuildings are born equal and a good one will last longer and be more comfortable to spend time in, but it will also cost a lot more.

If you are preparing to spend five figures on an outbuilding, you might want to consider something more permanent which will add more value to your home like an extension or a loft conversion.

4 Get a Loft Conversion

Having a proper loft conversion wouldn’t just make a space which is ‘OK’ to work out in, you could make the gym of your dreams.

Having a separate space on the top floor of your house will give you the privacy you crave while you do your intense workout but also the peace and quiet to meditate or focus when doing Pilates or Yoga.

5 Build an Extension

Extending your house is a sure-fire way to create the space you need for the perfect work out, but it is at the more expensive end of things. Having said that, investing in both your home and your health is money well spent and an extension would give you the ultimate freedom to customise your gym.

Even if you didn’t build an extension specifically as a gym, if might free up room elsewhere in your house for a dedicated space to work out in.

If you want to create your perfect workout space in the shape of a loft or an extension, please give us a ring and we’d be delighted to discuss it with you.