How to Convert Your Garage into a Home Gym

 Posted on July 29, 2015 in Uncategorized

After reading our prior posts about clearing out your clutter, you may be wondering how to utilize your new spacious garage. One idea for an alternative garage use is turning your garage into a home gym. A garage provides the perfect setting to get a quick workout in, and can be as big or small as your fitness goals are. By building a gym for your home, you skip the commute time, annoying crowds, and steep costs of working out at your hometown gym. Best of all, converting your garage into a home gym removes any excuse for missing a workout.

Step 1- Establish Your Space

Unlike other garage conversion projects, turning your garage into a gym does not require any major changes to the structural aspects of your garage. There is no need to provide any additional lighting, carpeting or insulation if you are just using the garage for sweating and pumping iron. Determining how much space you will need for your gym is up to you and your fitness goals. Your garage gym could simply consist of a treadmill and a weight rack and only take up a small corner of the garage. You could also decide to start parking your car on the street and turn the entire garage into a CrossFit studio.

Whatever you decide, make sure to leave some space unoccupied by any equipment for stretching and space to move. When you have established how big you want your gym to be, make sure to separate your "garage items" to one side of your garage for safety's safe. There is no reason to have your lawnmower sitting five feet away from where you plan on doing box jumps. Once your area is cleared, be sure to lay down some rubber mats if you plan on doing heavy lifting. It is both unsafe and extremely bad for your garage floor to have massive barbells slamming down on a concrete floor.

Step 2- Determine Your Goals

Before you start buying any equipment, take time to establish some fitness goals. Do you want to build mass? Or shed weight? No one is both a power lifter and a marathon runner. One of the biggest benefits to creating a home gym is being able to cater it to fit your exact fitness needs. There is no need to overspend on equipment you won't use. In fact, there are a lot of simple workouts that can be done with just some open space and some dumbbells. Additionally, making specific goals creates more incentive for you to commit to your workout and actually see progress.

Step 3- Buy Equipment

Once you have decided what you want to accomplish with your garage gym, you can finally start making some equipment purchases. What you want to buy is entirely up to you, but here are some ideas of what you might find in a basic garage gym:

• Power rack with bench: If you are looking to build muscle, a power rack pretty much covers all your bases. While this will most likely be the most expensive purchase for you home gym, a power rack will allow you to squat, bench, and clean without a spotter.
• Yoga mats: Don't neglect your abs. Mats are necessary for most abdominal workouts and stretches.
• Mirrors: No, they are not just for checking yourself out in after doing biceps workouts - mirrors can help you make sure you are working out in proper form.
• Treadmill/stationary bike: Any good gym should have a cardio option. Running or biking are two great options for cardio exercise and by buying a treadmill or bike for you home gym, you can ensure that the weather won't ever stop you from getting your cardio in.
• Punching bag: Even if you do not plan on getting into a fight anytime soon, boxing is a great cardio workout that also engages your core and upper body. If you do not want to shell out for a full hanging bag, a speed bag works too, and can be installed easily in a garage.

The costs for a lot of this equipment can add up quickly, so you may want to consider purchasing used weights for your home gym. Just because other people have lifted them in the past, it does not mean anything is wrong with them.

Step 4- Work Out!

It is easy to set workout goals; the hard part is following up on them. It would be a crime to not utilize your home gym after putting so much effort into creating it, so be sure to get in your gym 3-5 times a week. After using your home gym for a while, you will learn what exercises work best for you, and you can expand your home gym accordingly.

We hope this guide has provided you with enough information to get your home gym up and running this summer. If you plan on remodeling your garage to match your new gym, be sure to check out the Blue Sky Builders, Inc. photo gallery for inspiration. Additionally, you can contact Blue Sky Builders, Inc. at 630-852-8485 for a free estimate.