Tips For Designing A Home Gym
In Your New Home

Being able to build a new home means you get to decide what you want in your new home design. If you enjoy being active year-round and want dedicated space in your home for a good workout, a home gym can be the perfect thing to include in your new home planning. Here are some hints to keep in mind when designing your fitness space.

1. Think About The Location Of Your Home Gym

One of the tips for designing a home gym is to carefully consider the location and where you want to put it in relation to other rooms in your new home design. Where you want to put a home gym, and how much space you will need, will depend on the number of other rooms you want in your home design and the total square footage you must work with.

It is very convenient to have this dedicated space inside your home. In some cases, a room on the ground level or upper level makes more sense, while it may make more sense to put a home gym in the basement if the home has one.

2. Consider The Size & Layout

Another factor of designing a home gym is figuring out how big it should be and the layout. How you want to use the gym, and the equipment you may need, will greatly influence how much space you need to allocate in your home design.

If you want a treadmill, exercise bike, weightlifting equipment, and some floor space for free movement, you’ll need to plan for a larger room that can accommodate those things. Depending on the rest of the home design and things you want to include in the gym room itself, you may need to consider other layouts or at least know what layouts will and won’t work for your needs. This information will also help identify the best flooring, ceiling height, and more.

3. Plan For Proper Lighting & Ventilation

Any workout space must have the right amount of space, the right lighting, and enough ventilation. You want to be able to see what you’re doing and don’t want the room to become overbearingly humid or hot in the middle of your workout.

Making sure you have a source of natural light, plenty of the right lighting options, and good ventilation in the room can help ensure it’s a comfortable place you want to spend time and workout in. Planning all of this out beforehand ensures your builder has a good idea of where to place windows, lighting fixtures, fans, electrical and media outlets, etc.

4. Determine Audio & Visual Needs

One of the overlooked tips for designing a home gym is determining audio and visual needs. You may include a mirror to brighten up the space and monitor your form, but what about things you need to listen to or watch during your workouts?

Built-in speakers can be a great option for people who want to immerse themselves in a great playlist or who regularly follow verbal cues or instructions for their workouts. On the other hand, portable wireless speakers can be a good decor option for something less permanent.

When following workout videos, do you prefer them on your phone, or would you want a bigger screen? A TV in your home gym can be useful for larger visuals, if you follow along with instructional workout videos, or just to catch up on your favorite shows while working out.

5. What Are Your Other Home Gym Essentials?

Your home gym should be designed and geared to suit your needs. Although there are some common home gym must-haves, there will be other essentials you will want to have available. Outside of your decorating and the standard equipment, here is a small list of some other things to get you started:

• Weight rack
• Exercise/yoga mat
• Stability/medicine balls
• Dumbbells
• Kettlebells
• Punching bag
• And don’t forget… Water bottles, towels, and cleaning supplies

While thinking through the items you want to have in your workout space, you will also need to consider where it will go in the room and how you will store it. Aside from built-in storage closets, as an example, you may want to include space for free standing storage cabinets, equipment racks, etc.

Home gyms are one of many current and popular housing trends. If you’re thinking of including one in your new home, these are just a few tips to inspire you.