We’ve all dreamed of our own home gym heaven. A roomy space, slickly laid out with clean, brand new home gym equipment which not only negates the need for a gym membership, but gives us a space to push ourselves, improve our performance and clear our heads.
The reality is often not so simple. Few home gymmers have exactly the same space, exactly the same budget or exactly the same goals. Some people train at home for sports performance, some train simply to escape their day for an hour or two. Some require home gyms which can be used by the family, some want to create their own private ‘fitness cave’, complete with all the accessories of a small commercial gym!
The past two years have seen an increasing trend in fitness enthusiasts and athletes training at home. Many gymmers have cancelled their gym memberships and purchased their own equipment for home use, favouring the freedom, comfort and safety of their own private home gym. The increasing number of employees working from home means many have the opportunity to train in their home gym during an extended lunch break or immediately after work. The proven mental health benefits of maintaining physical fitness during the pandemic have created an entirely new wave of home gym enthusiasts.
At Absolute Performance, we’ve kitted out training spaces for every type of home gym user, from humble garage gyms and spare-room equipment to full blown boutique private fitness studios. One thing remains the same: the user’s needs come first. But when we discuss a home gym installation with our clients, there are always a handful of questions which pop up before we can get started with advising on the best equipment or gym flooring:
WHAT SIZE IS YOUR HOME GYM?
An obvious starting point is the dimensions of the home gym space you have. There’s no point in planning an all-out strength and conditioning gym installation with a full power rack, cardio machines and functional warm-down area if you only have a 4mx3m utility room to work with. Not only can we help you get an idea of the footprint of each piece of gym equipment, but the space it requires to fit around the rest of your gym. Some items of gym kit are mobile, others are not. A Tornado Airbike or Concept2 Rower are not small pieces of gym equipment, but have wheels which means they can be moved and stored in corners or against walls in your home gym to maximise space usage for varied home workouts.
To get an idea of the footprint of each piece of equipment and how it fits into your home gym or garage gym, we use thorough planning and even 3D modelling to map out your training space and gym equipment. Some items of equipment require more room for usage, and we can help you plan the space to allow easy, effective and safe usage of your home gym.
One of the problems our clients often have is with ceiling height. Rigs and racks are deceptively tall. Commercial gyms usually have high, open-rafter ceilings which can easily accommodate these large metal frames, but they threaten to scrape the ceiling of the average home or garage gym. They’re usually complete with (or can be fitted with) pull-up bars, which means they often stand up to 2.5m from the floor to allow for the drop of a hanging human body. Even if your ceiling can fit a weight rack or functional rig, if you intend to perform pull-ups on it you’re going to need an extra 300-400mm clearance above to avoid bashing your head.
A popular space-saving solution to the conventional weight rack is the folding wall mounted rack. Mounted to an appropriate weight-bearing wall, this rack’s sturdy, double ‘winged’ construction simply folds back to the wall with the slip of a few clips after training. This makes it an ideal practical choice for a garage gym, where a vehicle, bicycles or other household clutter may at times take priority over your training space.
Another popular space-saving product which we’re proud to stock are Powerblock Dumbbells. Few home gym enthusiasts want to give up the space or funds to accommodate an entire rack of dumbbells. Powerblock Pro Series Dumbbells can replace an entire rack of up to 28 pairs of dumbbells in one compact unit. Simply slip the clip into your required weight level and you’re ready to lift. These dumbbells often also work out more economic than their full rack counterparts, thus saving money and space in your home gym.
DO YOU WANT GYM FLOORING?
Most people see the installation of rubber flooring for home gym to be an unnecessary expense. Not only does it not have to be expensive, but in the long run it can be a solid economic choice. Rubber flooring will not only protect your home from the sound and accidental damage of dropping weights, but will protect the gym equipment itself from unnecessary damage.
Another obvious benefit of flooring is the aesthetic effect it has. There’s nothing quite like walking into your own private gym to that ‘new gym smell’ of rubber flooring and seeing a perfect black (or colour of your choice) tiled floor populated by your favourite gym equipment.
At Absolute Performance, we stock an extensive range of different sizes, grades and thicknesses of rubber gym flooring to suit all budgets, and we’re happy to visit your space to advise on the best flooring to suit your home gym needs.
WHAT ARE YOUR HOME GYM GOALS?
No two home gymmers are ever the same, so it’s important to select the right equipment for the right purposes. The less seasoned home gym enthusiast may only be looking for a set of dumbbells and a Concept2 Rower, while a competitive crossfitter could be looking at a lengthy list of kettlebells, powerbags, slam balls, plyo boxes, barbells and weight plates on top of that. Large amounts of equipment like this in a small space like the standard 5x3m UK garage means storage solutions are essential in keeping your home gym equipment safe, organised and secure whilst saving space.
Happily, we stock every form of strength and conditioning equipment. Moreover, if we don’t stock it, we’ll get hold of it for you and deal with installation, too. Absolute Performance have been installing gyms and training facilities for every type of athlete or fitness enthusiast imaginable for over 15 years, so you can rest assured we’ll find the right home gym equipment for your needs at a price that suits. Which brings us to our last point …
WHAT’S YOUR BUDGET?
More often than not, gym equipment choices are guided by budget, but it’s also important to spend money in the right places to ensure many years of use from your equipment and avoid ‘false economic purchases’. We’ve spoken already about the benefits of installing rubber flooring in your home gym, but choosing durable equipment (and looking after it) is always the best way of ensuring you make a sound purchase choice.
We often find ourselves asking clients: “How much do you pay per year for your gym membership?”. It’s a fair question, as yearly rates for some clubs are in the hundreds. A well planned, supplied and installed home gym should last for many years, usually negating the expense of a gym membership and adding greater quality of life & training balance in the process.
Happily, we’re able to offer baseline home gym setups from just £2,500 with installation included, with all of the below thrown in:
– X1 Folding Wall Rack
– X1 Olympic Military Bench
– X1 7ft steel Olympic bar
– X1 Pair 25kg Black Bumper Plates
– X1 Pair 20kg Black Bumper Plates
– X1 Pair 15kg Black Bumper Plates
– X1 Pair 10kg Black Bumper Plates
– X1 Pair 5kg Black Bumper Plates
– X20 1mx1mx30mm Solid Rubber Tiles
– X1 Pair Olympic Spring Barbell Collars
… all for just £2,500 (including installation!)
Whatever your home gym needs, whether it’s a full installation or simply a few dumbbells, our friendly and expert sales team will happily discuss your options. Your perfect home gym is only a phone call away.
