Floor Space and Ceiling Clearance - before going out to
buy or build any equipment when designing your home gym, know the
dimensions of the room. This doesn't simply mean the floor area; also
consider how high the ceiling is, to make sure that you don't buy anything
that won't fit. Also consider the shape of the room, if it is square,
rectangular, built long and narrow, etc. as you can pick equipment that
will let you maximize the space you've got to work with.
Purpose of the
Exercise - you should know what you're
trying to achieve with your exercise when you design your home gym. For
example, are you going to be doing mostly cardiovascular workouts that
will require mats and/or treadmills? Or maybe you're just out to lose
weight. Or if you're serious about building muscle mass, consider free
weights and home gym machines. Knowing what you're really after will let
you concentrate on what equipment to buy first; you can expand into other
types of exercise later.
Muscle Groups you want to Hit - similar to knowing what
type of exercise you're after, you should also take into account which
muscle groups you need to build up first when you consider your home gym
design. Generally, the divisions are arms, shoulders, chest, back,
waist,
and legs. If you want to go holistic and work out all groups, then you'll
probably need to pick up a jungle gym. If, on the other hand, you have a
few "trouble" spots that you want to work on extensively first like losing
a beer gut, you can narrow down your choices when buying stuff.
Support Gear - Don't forget that the gym should have
some additional things aside from exercise machines. A poorly designed
home gym is one with nothing but exercise equipment. A good, safe one has
an adequate water supply for when you get thirsty (or a cooler with
Gatorade), windows for ventilation, mirrors on the walls so you can
observe yourself through the motions to ensure you're doing your exercise
right, a locker for holding clothes and stuff, and a first aid cabinet for
emergencies. Oh, and a good sound system in case you're the kind who likes
to listen to tunes to get the adrenalin going.
Other Specific Purposes - aside from free weights,
treadmills, and the usual work out equipment, if you're into other sports
you may want to add their touches if possible when designing your home
gym. Boxers and martial artists will usually add a punching bag or even,
if there's room, a large mat area for sparring. Fencers will have ring
loops hanging from strings to practice thrust targeting. Stuff like this
will allow you to use your work out room to it's maximum potential.
Aesthetics or Functionality - lastly, when designing
your home gym don't go overboard and try to make it look "cutting edge".
There are some people who get into designing a home gym so much that they
forget the room's original purpose, which is to allow them to exercise.
There's no point to having a home gym stuffed to the armpits with the
latest, flashiest exercise equipment, wall to wall mirrors, a floor mat
that looks cool, and a paint job in "power" colors, if you don't have a
body that does the room justice. I'd rather look good and have a lousy
looking home gym than the opposite.
