One of the challenges of designing small home gyms is determining which equipment will work in the space. Luckily, there are a few design tips that you can implement so that you build a functional training space, without gym equipment overwhelming your living room.
A common theme within the tips to maximize your small home gym space is to plan beforehand, so you know what you’re getting yourself into:
- Plan, plan and plan some more
- Choose smaller equipment
- Utilize vertical space and storage
- Pick equipment that stores easily and small
- Use flooring to clearly delineate where the gym starts and ends
- Buy multi-functional equipment
- Try smart home gym equipment instead
- Incorporate minimalistic training styles
- Skip the cardio machines
- Be happy with less
Now, let’s expand on these recommendations so that you can take actionable steps to implement them into your home gym design.
Plan, Plan and Plan Some More
The adage of failing to plan is planning to fail holds true when designing home gyms, but especially when it’s a small gym space. Developing a well thought out plan for your home gym is so important when building a small home gym. You simple do not have room for excess equipment, wasted floor space or a botched floor plan.
We highly recommend you move through our 5-step home gym design process when you start to plan your small space home gym. This will take you from initial concept and developing a gym/training style through to budgeting and equipment purchases.
Additionally, utilizing design software like Rogue’s Zeus Builder and developing your equipment lists will be invaluable for your space.
The planning process will be what sets your gym apart from other gyms that are haphazardly thrown together.
Read More: How much to budget when starting a home gym
Choose Smaller Equipment
As you plan, you’ll soon find that your equipment choices may be limited by your small space. This is especially true if you’re building your gym in a living space. Luckily, equipment manufacturers have designed equipment specifically for home gyms that are constrained.
PRX Performance has essentially built a company around small foot-print home gyms that are stored on a wall. Alternatively, you could also search through our database of squat rack sizes to find one that fits your space.
Other companies provide small space options that are smaller versions of full-sized alternatives. For instance, Rogue produces a C70s ‘Shorty’ Bar that is a shorter length than a typical barbell but can still be racked in a squat rack.
You can also opt for all-in-one equipment like adjustable dumbbells, which take up a fraction of the space of a dumbbell set.
The options really are endless when it comes to small space equipment alternatives, and the market for these options is growing each year.
Utilize Vertical Space For Storage
One of my favourite things is seeing how people utilize their vertical space for storage in small home gyms.
If you can get equipment off of the floor then the space opens up and seems so much bigger than it actually is. This is especially important when finding a home for miscellaneous equipment like bands, skipping ropes, chalk and cleaning supplies. The last thing you want is them dumped in the corner.
We use a vertical barbell storage rack for all our barbells, and we store our Rogue Fold Up Bench on a wall to save floor space. All our gym shoes, chalk and some cleaning supplies are stored in an Ikea Trones shoe cabinet too.
We don’t personally have one, but we’re a fan of weight trees on casters so that bumper plates are easy to move around and take up a small surface area. I also love the idea of using ProSlat Garage slatwall storage for things like medicine balls, barbells, resistance bands and skipping ropes (and everyday ‘garage things’).
Facebook groups, Reddit, and Pinterest are a treasure trove for finding great vertical storage solutions. You can be creative here – Ikea and garage companies have some great options if you think outside of the box a bit.
Pick Equipment That Stores Easily And Small
Generally, we want to pack as much equipment into our home gym. Though this creates a lot of options, it can also lead to clutter. Choosing equipment that is easy to pack away and takes up minimal space when stored is a great space saving tip.
Although it may be counterintuitive, a rowing machine is likely a better option for a small gym space compared to a spin bike. A rowing machine can be flipped up so it only takes up a couple of square feet of floor space when not in use. Alternatively, a spin bike is the same size whether it’s being used or not. Folding treadmills, like the NordicTrack T Series treadmills, are also a space saving option – both when in use, because folding treadmills are usually smaller, and when stored.
Similarly, wall-mounted, foldable squat racks can be a game changer for opening up more space when they’re not in use.
The real focus here is to find ways to open floor space for things like bodyweight circuits, Olympic lifting and gymnastics skills, while maintaining the ability to perform squats, pull ups and aerobic training.
Use Flooring To Clearly Delineate Your Gym Space
A big mistake that people make is to have equipment sit in the corner of a room, without their home gym ‘owning’ the area.
Gym-specific flooring is a clear way to separate the gym from the rest of your house. The change in flooring will stop miscellaneous items from migrating into the gym space and vice versa.
On top of dividing the gym from the non-gym area, specific flooring makes the gym space feel bigger. Having clear boundaries provides visual feedback that helps organize the space, your workouts and provides a physical boundary from the rest of your life – even if your gym is the corner of your living room.
Buy Multi-Functional Equipment
Unfortunately, you will have to sacrifice some equipment in your small home gym for the sake of space. Single exercise equipment like a knee extension or a T bar row station might not make sense for a small home gym.
Instead, multi-functional and multi-use equipment will be your go to. This means doubling down on the basics of a good squat rack, barbell, weight plates and a bench for strength training gyms. You can hit each body part and every type of strength training with this combination of equipment (or similar).
Flywheel trainers are also great options because of their versatility and tiny footprint.
You want to prioritize bang for your buck equipment that you can use in all types of training. This will put you in the best position to maximize your small home gym, especially if you are just starting, and then you can build from there – with both big and small equipment purchases.
Try Smart Home Gym Equipment
Smart home gym equipment is starting to blow up and it seems like a new company is popping up on my Instagram feed each week. (I think we can thank Peloton for the boom).
Smart home gym systems like Tonal, Vitruvian, NordicTrack’s Vault and Lululemon’s Mirror are different types of smart home gym systems that provide follow-along fitness training videos, workout programs and, in some cases, in-system resistance (Tonal and Vitruvian).
These ‘all-in-one’ gyms are geared toward small spaces and busy individuals that want a simple set up that is easy to press a button and go.
Though we don’t have a Tonal or Lululemon Miorror in our gym (…yet), their popularity (and small footprint) speaks for themselves.
Incorporate Minimalist Training Styles
We like the training style that we like, but sometimes less can be more – especially when working out at home. Some training styles are well suited for small home gyms because they don’t require a lot of equipment, a huge budget or take up a big footprint.
Calisthenics and kettlebell focused training styles are two types of training that could be perfect for a small home gym. Calisthenic training programs require a solid pull up bar, a set of rings and maybe a set of paralettes. Meanwhile, kettlebell programs need a variety of kettlebell loads and resistance bands to provide additional resistance.
On the other hand, yoga and movement or band-based training can easily be done in a 4’x6’, or smaller, area. The equipment needed for these training styles can also pack away easily, or be left out to contribute to a certain aesthetic for the room, like below.
Skip Out on Cardio Machines
This tip might be considered sacrilegious to some, but hear me out.
Treadmills, rowers, and stationary bikes take up a lot of space. You can save yourself a ton of room in your home gym by opting to not buy these cardio machines and choosing other cardio options.
Running or biking outside is a great alternative, even if it gets cold outside in the winter (layers are your friend). Maybe try shadow boxing alongside a YouTube video too? A skipping rope is a great cardio option too. Bottom line, there are an unlimited number of ways to get your heart rate up without dedicated cardio equipment in your small home gym.
As we’ve highlighted already, you must make certain sacrifices when creating a small home gym… skipping out on cardio machines is one sacrifice that is worth it because there are so many other ways to get that training in.
Be Happy With Less
As a small home gym owner, you’ll have to be happy with less. This is something to be celebrated, though.
“Less” also means less maintenance, less chances of equipment breaking and a smaller budget. It is also freeing to know that the bare necessities are all you need. You soon realize that you don’t need to spend hours scouring equipment manufacturer websites for the next best piece. Instead, you have what you have and you make the most of your training by focusing on the basic building blocks, rather than the fanciest new toy.
Luckily, there is no correlation between gym size and training outcome. We’ve seen people make huge gains with the most basic equipment set up tucked into a corner of their living room.
Wrapping Up
At the end of the day, a small space will mean less equipment and a more intentional layout. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t train effectively and see changes in your fitness, strength, and body composition.
Some of our favourite home gyms are small spaces that are exceptionally well designed, with no stone unturned to make the most out of the small footprint. We love training in them, and we love seeing them so please share your small home gyms with us on Facebook and Instagram.
You will just have to be okay with not having every piece of equipment possible. But that is more than okay.
3 thoughts on “10 Design Tips to Maximize Your Small Home Gym”
Comments are closed.