Work It Out: Create a Home Gym for Your Needs

The best way to enjoy home-based yoga, pilates, barre, dance fitness, cardio kickboxing, or a little bit of each is to recreate a boutique fitness studio in your space. Here are some considerations:

• Space: While this setup requires relatively little in terms of equipment, you’ll want to ensure you give yourself enough room to move, especially if dance or kickboxing will be your main source of cardio. An unfinished basement is an excellent option for your home studio, but you could also set aside part of your garage. If yoga or pilates will be the main focus of your workouts, another option is a guest room or even an outdoor shed.

• Flooring: As you plan your home studio flooring, you’ll want to think about shock absorption for cardio and plyometrics, as well as comfort for movement done on the floor. An additional, but important, consideration is texture. If you’re moving a lot, you’ll want flooring with enough grip to keep you from slipping. Foam is an excellent, inexpensive option to ensure you’re safe and comfortable in your home studio. Depending on the size of your space, consider either a large single mat or smaller, interlocking mats that can be added together to cover all of your floor.

• Equipment: Since most of your workouts will utilize your own body for resistance, you don’t need to invest in a lot of equipment to make this setup work for you. A good quality yoga mat will come in handy, and depending on your plans, you might want to invest in a set of light and medium dumbbells for toning. An important aspect of the studio experience is, of course, the teacher, coach, or trainer. Unless your plan is to hire a personal trainer, you’ll need to invest in an app or streaming program to keep you motivated and guide you through your routine. To create a more immersive experience, stream your workout program to a TV and soundbar mounted in your space, and consider adding colored lights, a fan, and perhaps a mini fridge to keep water and other hydrating snacks close by. For more in-depth tips on setting up a yoga space, check out this article.

If your idea of a good burn involves throwing a tractor tire, scrambling up a rockface, or getting some punches in on the heavy bag, a no-frills garage gym will be right up your alley. Here are some things to think about:

• Space: A single car garage, or section of a multicar one, will offer all the space you need to get sweating, and the convenience of opening the door for airflow or to grab a quick sprint through the neighborhood is ideal. Other options include an unfinished basement, or, if you live in a mild climate, a covered patio.

• Flooring: If possible, a combination of rubber mats and turf will offer you the most versatility for your workouts in this space. Turf absorbs shock well, and is a good option for many crossfit-style workouts, like box jumps and sled pushes. To round out your space and protect against dropped barbells or other weights, try a roll of rubber flooring.

• Equipment: Your equipment investment will vary depending on your go-to workout, but a well-rounded space will have a selection of equipment to choose from. Installing a climbing wall only requires a sturdy wall and the addition of climbing holds. You can easily install a punching bag for boxing workouts by finding a stud in your ceiling as well. To truly turn your garage into a “box,” however, you’ll want to invest in some crossfit essentials, which range from kettlebells and rope to wooden boxes and power racks.

People only feel two ways about treadmills and other cardio machines — they either love or hate them. If you fall into the former camp, a home cardio theater is just what you need. Here are some planning tips:

• Space: Many cardio machines like treadmills, rowers, bikes, and ellipticals are made with economy of space in mind. So, unless you plan to purchase multiple machines for variety, you can get away with a smaller workout space than you’d need for a home studio or garage gym. Stretching is incredibly important for overall health, however, so you’ll want to leave some additional space for pre- and post-workout limbering up. A basement, garage, guestroom, or even a loö space can suit your needs.

• Flooring: Especially if you’re setting up your cardio theater in a carpeted room, you’ll want to protect the floor underneath the machine(s). Rubber flooring will offer maximum protection and durability, and while it can be more expensive than foam, you won’t need a lot of it. Look for a mat that covers slightly more than the area where you’ll set up your treadmill, stair climber, rowing machine or stationary bike.

• Equipment: Your largest investment will certainly be the machine you choose for your workouts. Cardio equipment has come a long way since the first treadmill was patented in 1913. Many machines offer multiple functions, interactive training programs, social media integration, and more. Once you’ve chosen the right machine, you can round out your space with a TV and sound system mounted in your line of sight (although many of today’s cardio machine offerings do come with built-in screens, you can’t always access your own streaming content), a yoga mat for stretching and a small storage space for any additional weights or handheld equipment.

If your workout motto is “keep it simple,” or you just really enjoy liöing heavy things, a weight room setup will be all you need in a home gym space. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Space:A garage is likely your best option for setting up a functional weight room at home. While you don’t need a very large space, you’ll want to be sure you have plenty of room all around you, as well as above your head for overhead presses. A basement is another great option, as long as the ceiling height works for your workout.

• Flooring: Because you’re more likely to drop down a heavy weight than to gently release it to the ground, rubber or foam flooring will help protect your home, your weights, and your ears. A quarter-inch-thick roll or mat should suffice for weightliöing, and you can install it under weight racks or throughout your space for maximum protection.

• Equipment: Depending on your budget and your training program, your equipment could be as simple as some dumbbells and a weight bench to an all-in-one machine that utilizes cables and plates to provide a burn comparable to that of a full gym. All-in-one machines are excellent if you’re tight on space, as are adjustable dumbbell sets, or even a suspension trainer mounted from the ceiling. If your weight room footprint is less of a concern, you can also opt for a set of barbells, a weight bench, and squat rack to hit all the major muscle groups during your session. Don’t forget about musical motivation — a good bluetooth speaker and a solid playlist can help keep you pumped to pump some iron.