Home Gyms and Sweat Equity

Some people look forward to it and others just want to get it over with.

Health club memberships can get old after experiencing a wait for the elliptical trainers, having to wipe up someone else's perspiration or sharing a locker room. Months of guilty non-use can go by before you realize the regular dues deductions from you checking account could have gone for some other needed expense.

You may also find that you can't keep up with the thrice-weekly trips to the gym, sandwiched between kids' soccer practices, dirty laundry, or bringing that last piece of work home from the office to complete.

For that reason, home gyms are one of the fastest growing options and remodels for home builders and designers. Studies suggest that people who work out at home are more likely to stick to an exercise program than people who visit gyms, since every time they walk past their dumbbells they get a constant reminder to work out. Indeed, there are no holds barred (pardon the pun) with the convenience of a home gym, giving a blank slate time-wise for workouts.

What type of fitness level do you want to achieve? Chances are you’ll have both endurance and cardiovascular fitness goals as well as a plan to for strength training. The minimum may be to have a piece of cardiovascular equipment together with some free weights and a bench, allowing you to perform a variety of exercises.

Workout space may be minimal (barbells hidden in the closet, collapsible treadmill under the bed, etc.) or and entire room or part of the garage can be set up for exercise regimens. For the purposes of this article, we’ll go for the entire room dedicated to your home gym.

Décor is important. Before you move any equipment into your gym, decide on things like the color of the walls, the position of the equipment and the gym floor matting locations. You can even get some graph paper and map out the positions of where you are going to position the various pieces of equipment.

Converting a stall of the garage can give you a generous, concrete-sturdy surface in which to set up your equipment. But again, make sure the ventilation is adequate without having to open your garage door to achieve it.

Floor surfaces should be able to take lots of wear and tear. Some home gym enthusiasts vary the floor surface, space permitting, with a hardwood or vinyl area for aerobic workouts, and a carpeted area for floor exercising. Adding a mirrored wall will give you the added advantage of observing and correcting your form as well as admire your progress.

It's important to consider your goals before investing in equipment. If you enjoy jogging around the neighborhood, you may opt for strength training equipment only in your gym. Make sure the equipment fits into the room with room to spare for leg and arm extensions. There is nothing much more frustrating than literally hitting a wall each time you do an exercise.

If your gym is to be located in an upper floor of your home, measure to make sure you can move the equipment up the stairwells and around corners. You may also want to add more underlying floorboards to support the extra weight of a large apparatus. If you like workout videos with booming stereo accompaniment, adding extra soundproofing to the walls of your home gym may be a good idea, so as not to disturb others in the household or even your next door neighbor whose windows may face yours.

When you're finished, you won't have to grope through a duffle bag for the Gatorade or try to remember your locker combination. You can head straight for your own shower and afterwards pat yourself on the back for including your workout in your daily routine.