A garage gym is a great place for a workout, whether it’s strength, functional, or bodyweight training. The space is large enough to allow serious workouts and can accommodate most gym equipment without causing any damage to the house. However, creating a garage gym is more than cramming it with your home gym equipment. To create a garage gym that can be a dedicated space for home workouts, you must make design decisions and pick appropriate gym equipment, storage type, right flooring, etc.
This is why we created this tutorial to help you with ideas to create a garage gym easily.
Start with basic requirements
Garages are not the most pretty spaces. They are often dark with no windows as they only serve as storage space for your vehicles. But if you create a garage gym, you have to put on good lighting. You can choose an LED panel light that mimics natural daylight to brighten your garage gym and energize your workout. Also, you should create spaces for ventilation because, during workouts, you will need fresh air. To better support garage gym equipment, additional flooring is required. You can either install rubber flooring or standard 24″ x 24″ square interlocking tiles are ideal for garage gym flooring. These styles are available in varying thicknesses and are easy to install. Furthermore, well-built storage lockers are important for garage gyms to provide organization to your garage gym.
What equipment do you need in a garage gym?
According to experts, when you create a home gym, it is important to be able to include all kinds of workouts. Your garage gym must facilitate four main categories of workouts, this includes:
- Cardio training
- Resistance training
- Free weights training
- Bodyweight/functional training
Ideally, you will need a lot of machinery to cover every workout in the above four categories, but with a garage gym, it is simply impossible or financially feasible.
This is why you need to include gym equipment that can cover most workouts or at least support the above four categories. The choice can be tough, so here are some suggestions for you.
- Cardio equipment: For a total body workout, it is essential to have a piece of cardio equipment in your garage gym. While the final choice comes down to your personal preference and budget, a rowing machine is your best bet. Rowers are commonly known as total body workout machines because they target all the muscles within the body. With a rowing machine, every workout targets 75% of your legs and 25% upper body.
- A resistance training machine: Resistance training is essential to maintain overall body composure and improve muscle tone. While there are several resistance training exercises, Pilates stands out due to its greater flexibility and balance. A Pilates reformer is the next piece of equipment to put in your garage gym for balanced full-body resistance training. It is ideal for low-impact and high-intensity workouts that build strength and muscle tone. It also improves your core and posture by strengthening large muscle groups.
- Resistance bands: While free weights solutions like squat racks are often recommended but for your garage gym, a resistance band can replace free weights. A resistance band is lightweight, portable, and incredibly versatile, which is excellent for all fitness levels, from beginners to a pro. These bands add more resistance to an exercise, engaging more muscles that help build strength. For your garage gym, we recommend the LIT Axis smart resistance band, which offers unmatched freedom and flexibility and supports multiple workouts. It overcomes a major flaw of conventional resistance bands – the inability to accurately track resistance load. It has LIT Axis technology at the core that provides on-screen metrics directly on your smartphone so you can track your reps, resistance load, and time under tension, and detect and correct muscle imbalances.
- Dumbbells and mats: For bodyweight training or free weight training, you will need floor mats to support and provide enough cushioning for your body. Bodyweight exercises are often combined with free weights such as dumbbells for maximum results. Dumbbells and mats are an inexpensive addition to your garage gym. If you have a large garage, then you can buy dumbbells for each weight, else you can buy a hybrid dumbbell rack that comes with multiple weight selections. Additionally, you have to maximize floor space for bodyweight or functional workouts. This is why your garage gym must have adequate vertical storage to keep the floor space free.
Cost of building a garage gym
People usually spend between $ 1000-$ 10,000 on a garage gym. On average, a garage gym will cost you $ 4000. This might seem steep, but if you regularly work out, a garage gym can cut out your gym membership costs drastically. People usually spend over $ 20,000 on gym memberships within ten years. But an investment in a garage gym is a one-time cost that saves you a lot of money over the years.
Conclusion
A garage gym is an excellent addition to working out within the comfort of your home and saving a lot of money. We hope this tutorial provides you with clear guidance on how to create a garage gym.
