Having a small home gym is ideal for staying fit! And if you think it's difficult or incredibly expensive, well, the answer is "no" to both doubts: all it takes is a few targeted purchases, a little practicality, and a pinch of good taste.
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To create a small home gym, you have two options:
- Do you have an entire room dedicated to your home gym? Great, we'll see what we need to furnish it.
- Don't have a dedicated room but would like to carve out a little corner in a quiet area of the house? It can be done!
You don't necessarily need a lot of space to design a small home gym: all it takes is a little creativity!
From the equipment to buy to the materials and colors to choose, let's discover together how to create a home gym that's not only practical, but also beautiful to look at.
How to furnish your small home gym (or a room) with style
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If you're reading this, we bet you have a room in your home that you rarely use: you could use a storage room, an attic, a small bedroom... Let's be clear: spaces like these seem convenient, but sooner or later we end up filling them with boxes and junk. So, better to use them to create a home gym!
Do you know the beauty of having an entire room to transform into a small home gym? You can take care of every detail, without worrying about "matching" it with the rest of the furniture, and choose the most suitable colors and materials, perhaps inspired by the type of physical activity you plan to do.
A few examples? Here they are!
- A cardio workout makes us think of an industrial-style gym room, with rough concrete walls, exposed pipes, and unique accessories (like vintage leather boxing gloves hanging on a wall).
- Conversely, for softer disciplines like yoga and Pilates, we imagine a zen and boho chic environment, with lots of wood, bright, neutral colors, hanging plants, fairy lights, and oil burners.
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It may seem trivial, but the truth is that the more you like the look of your home gym, the more you'll enjoy working out.
Regardless of the style, there are some essential elements for furnishing a home gym:
1) Good natural light (although you can illuminate a dark room with candles to create a yoga nook at home).
2) One or more windows to ventilate the room (essential for physical activity).
3) Green plants: they purify the environment and help the mind unwind.
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How do you furnish a room to use as a small home gym? Well, to exercise at home, you definitely need a few tricks and some must-have furnishings. Let's take a look at them together!
- Let's start with the flooring: if you have the opportunity to choose a specific one, linoleum is ideal, as it's soft yet easy to clean. Alternatively, a large interlocking rubber mat will be a great compromise for furnishing a home gym!
- A mirror to keep a close eye on your movements during workouts is really important in a room like this!
- Finally, always keep a roll of paper towels handy to sanitize surfaces after use: you can also hang the roll holder on the wall, just like many gyms do.
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In addition to the furnishing elements for creating a home gym by furnishing an entire room, here are some accessories to make it truly comfortable!
- A small refrigerator is a great convenience: it allows you to always have water and fresh fruit available.
- A TV or computer to distract you during more boring and repetitive exercises, like the treadmill.
- Bluetooth speakers to connect to your smartphone so you never miss a beat while you work out!
And don't underestimate the inspiration factor: motivational texts (but also photos of the results you'd like to achieve) will help you stay focused on your goal!
How to build a home gym if you don't have a dedicated room?
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Okay, we've seen how to create a home gym using an entire room. But what do you do when you don't have all that space available? Do you give up? Not at all! Designing a home gym is possible even in small apartments.
To begin, choose the right location. Where possible, the same rules as in the previous paragraph apply: good natural light is a source of vitamin D, and good ventilation is always important, so the more windows, the better.
The ideal would be to find a secluded corner of the house: at some point, you might not have time to tidy up immediately after your workout. In these cases, it's better to leave the study in a mess than the living room!
A storage unit (even better if it's on wheels) could be your ally for storing your pocket-sized home gym: small equipment like weights, dumbbells, or kettlebells, a mat, and a towel, and voilà, you're done. Here too, your laptop or some small speakers will help you always have your music at hand.
What equipment should you choose for a small home gym?
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Now let's get to the more technical questions: what equipment should you buy for your home gym? Obviously, it all depends on the activities you want to do.
Even with a specially chosen floor, you'll definitely need one or more mats for your home gym. No, they're not just for meditation: any exercise you do, stretching is important!
What else do we need to create a home gym and work out comfortably? Here are some tips for your purchases:
- Essential equipment is small weights and kettlebells, perfect for circuit training.
- If you love Pilates, you'll need plastic rings.
Do you prefer to do exercises to strengthen your muscles? In this case, dumbbells and ankle weights are the best solution for intense workouts and weightlifting.
Do you enjoy aerobics and love to dance to music? You definitely can't do without a stepper!
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If you have an entire room to dedicate to your home gym, you could also attach objects to the ceiling (like a punching bag) or to the wall, floor, and door (like a pull-up bar). And of course, if the space is particularly large and you can invest in one or more machines, a treadmill, an exercise bike, or a rowing machine will make your gym room even more complete.
Now you have no more excuses: with these tips for furnishing a small home gym, keeping fit will be a breeze!
