How to Create a Home Gym – Find Your Perfect Setup

In this article, we are going to show you how to create a home gym that you will want to use.

You may have dreamed of ways of creating a gym at home and your ideal workout space. Better than the gym in town, it'll be within walking distance of your house, and you will not have to wait around for that piece of equipment you want to use.

Sounds fantastic; where do you sign up?

We're here to help you get off the regular treadmill and create your perfect home gym.

What to Include in a Home Gym?

Note: Always consider safety and take precautions when first using your home gym. For instance, you’ll want to lift a barbell carefully and correctly while also considering what weight you should begin with when starting off. Otherwise, you risk injury by taking on too much too soon.

Before we look at ways to create a home gym (e.g. use a spare room, add an extension etc.) it’s important to consider what you may want to include in a home gym.

Naturally, what you should actually include for your gym specifically will depend on your preferences, budget and the amount of space you have.

General Home Gym Equipment

Here is some general home gym equipment you may want to include (with average costs:

• Dumbbells (£25 to £100 per 2 dumbbells)
• Pull-up bar (£50 to £250 per pull-up bar)
• Kettlebells (£10 to £120 per kettlebell)
• Skipping rope (£5 to £25)
• Exercise mat (£5 to £35)
• Resistance bands (£10 to £25)
• Barbell (£30 to £80)
• Weighted hula hoop (£10 to £35)
• Medicine ball (£25 to £50)
• Punching bag and boxing gloves (£35 to £100)

This is not an exhaustive list. There may be other home gym equipment you’d like to include but these are some of the most common general pieces of home gym equipment.

You should also note that the prices above and those listed in the below section are, again, just averages. Premium quality gym equipment can cost a lot more.

Advanced Home Gym Equipment

You may also want to include one or more pieces of advanced home gym equipment, such as the following:

• Exercise bike (£100 to £350)
• Spin bike (£100 to £350)
• Treadmill (£160 to £500)
• Adjustable bench (£45 to £180)
• Rowing machine (£70 to £300)

Again, this is not a full list of every type of advanced home gym equipment. In most cases, one or at most two pieces of advanced home gym equipment will be suitable but if you have the budget and space, you could of course opt for more than two options.

Creating the Perfect Home Gym

Space is an important factor when looking at how to create your perfect home gym. You can set up in a spare room, convert a garage, create an extension or build a shed in your garden. You'll be looking fabulous quicker than you can down a wheatgrass shot.

Create the Perfect Spare Room Gym

If you have the space and a spare room, what are you waiting for? Buy some basic equipment and make a start today. If you intend to convert a room upstairs to create a home gym, it's more suited to bodyweight exercises, light dumbells and cardio machines due to limited space.

Heavier weights, with benches and weight machines, can consume more space and can be loud when dropped potentially damaging flooring.

Once you know how you will use your spare room home gym, one thing you will want to consider is the flooring options. Popular flooring options for home gyms are interlocking exercise mats or a yoga mat.

Spare Room Gyms are Ideal for:

• Small budgets
• Quick and easy setup with simple or no equipment needed

Converting Your Garage into a Gym

Unlike a spare room, you are going to have more space in a garage to build a home gym (Once you have cleared the garage, that is!). With a home gym in your garage, you can easily have heavy machines, a punching bag or free weights without having to worry about falling through the spare room floor!

You will also be able to train at any time due to being no or little noise constraints.

In addition to suitable flooring, you may need to add extra electrical sockets or heating to your garage. Get up to 3 quotes for free.

Garage Gyms are Ideal for:

• Heavy free weights
• Heavyweight machines
• Punch bags
• Cardio machines

Build the Perfect Multi-Gym Log Cabin

Installing a log cabin in your garden is easier and cheaper than you think. With prices starting from £2,500 for a 3x5m log cabin, a log cabin or outbuilding is the VIP treatment you deserve. It's a home gym solution that pays for itself while you work on those abs.

Built from strong pressure-treated floor bearers, with the added security and warmth of double glazing, why wouldn't you build a log cabin in your garden? Be sure to choose one that is suitable for use as a home gym, as your typical garden shed or summer house will not be strong enough.

This option gives you maximum value for minimal cost. Work with local builders on creating this VIP area that is easy on your budget.

Log Cabin Gyms are Ideal for:

• Multipurpose use
• Quick to erect
• Creates new space
• Use as a home office
• Cheaper than you think

Build the Ultimate Extension for Your Home Gym

Building an extension to your home or a brick-built garden room in the back garden will give you the ultimate space you need to create your personal gym. An extension is a very secure option as it becomes part of the structure of your house.

If you are building an extension, your imagination is your only limit. Your new home gym could even have extra rooms, install a sauna or maybe even a hot tub to soak your muscles after a workout.

This one will take a bit more planning to achieve than the other options, but it will be worth the investment, as it will also add value to your home. Post a job and get in touch with a builder to help you with the process.

Gym Extensions are Ideal for:

• Ultimate workout space
• Home spa
• Summer entertainment space
• Home office

Picture Ideas of Home Gyms

Have you built a home gym?

Follow us on Instagram or Pinterest and tag us in your images, and we will repost them!

Hiring Professionals

To create your perfect home gym, you’ll likely need to work with professionals. As discussed, the only exception would be if you were to use a spare room and add a home gym here by yourself.

When it comes to hiring professionals, in each case (e.g. for a designer, for a building company etc.) you should secure three or more quotes. This way you can compare several quotes and consider the pricing and levels of experience of each contractor/service you’re considering. You could also compare their online reviews/ratings (if available).