Even despite hearing repeated reassurances that your local gym is now largely COVID-proof with a range of social distancing and cleaning measures in place, you could still feel reticent about sharing workout space with people you don’t know. So, should you still stick to working out at home?
If you do, you could find that putting together your own dedicated gym space there helps you to make even more of your fitness efforts. Here’s how you can start assembling the essential pieces…
Be careful how you design that gym
Naturally, before you can start physically building that gym, you need to know what it will look like – and, if you have extensive experience of going to gyms, you probably have a good idea of how your own should look. You might, for example, be eager to make sure the room is well-lit.
Shape suggests that you could also add a mirror. No, it shouldn’t be there just so you can admire your hard-earned biceps – you also want to check that you’re getting your movements right.
Strategically invest in the right equipment
Again, experience you have already built up at gyms could help you here, as your own favored workout routines could guide your choices of workout equipment.
As Real Homes points out, you are advised to weekly undertake 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise – and that would be a good incentive for you to source, say, a treadmill, exercise bike, turbo trainer or cross trainer. Still, some cardio workouts, like star jumps, don’t require equipment.
If you like to include strength training in your gym repertoire, you should look into getting suitable equipment for that, too. If you are a little short of space or money, then free weights like barbells, kettlebells and dumbbells can suffice – but what if you don’t have to restrain yourself this much?
In that case, you could look into getting what is known as a multi-gym – the various pulleys, bars and levers of which would help you to tax all of your main muscle groups. If a multi-gym would seem too adventurous, though, you could consider an abs machine.
Choose flooring that meets the right criteria
Primarily here, you need flooring you won’t slip on as you exercise, while that flooring also needs to be resilient against the wear of weights and equipment.
Fortunately, it’s not hard to source – for example – specialist, shock-absorbent gym flooring or non-slip rubber flooring. You should forgo carpet, which would be tricky to keep clean, as well as porcelain, stone or ceramic tiles, as these would crack if they took the impact of falling weights.
If your home gym will be based in the loft, you should hold off installing that flooring until the loft has been boarded in a way that prevents you needing to squash or remove any of its insulation. This would be possible with a service like the award-winning loft boarding service from Instaloft. Consequently, you can look forward to continuing to work out in a sufficiently warm space.
