These small garage gym ideas will help you create your practical gym to reap all the health benefits.
Implementing garage gym ideas involves more than just buying and installing gym equipment. Because knowing you want your garage gym where you can exercise at your convenience is just the beginning…what you need is a plan of action. Creating an efficient garage gym involves getting the right equipment to meet your goals, making the space you’ll need, acquiring proper floor protection, and providing appropriate lighting.
These 17 small garage gym ideas serve as inspiration in helping you implement your small gym ideas, including the design and practical nature of your gym. So, if you have a garage and some small home gym ideas that you’ve been waiting to act on, these small garage gym ideas will help you get there.
What is a Garage Gym?
A garage gym is a space in your garage that you have designed and designated as your workout space. You have all the freedom in the world in the look and feel of your garage gym. Your creativity and imagination only limit you.
What are the Benefits of Garage Gyms?
Garage gyms allow you to work out and track your growth in a convenient location. You can work out anytime with a garage gym without waiting in line for a machine.
4 Ways a Garage Gym Can Add Value
- Provide you with a personalized gym: Having a personalized gym means you have a place to work out with the equipment you need to meet your goals and track your results in one convenient place.
- Gives you 24/7 access to your gym: You can get there quickly regardless of weather conditions.
- Create your dream exercise environment: The opportunity to create your dream garage gym means you can use your imagination to bring to life a gym that matches your goals and lifestyle.
- Work out solo or with friends: Whether you like to work out alone or with friends, you can work out solo or invite a few friends.
What would it mean to have your own small garage gym – and all the health benefits of it?
Most likely, it means a lot to you. But creating a garage gym where you can enjoy all the health benefits of it takes planning.
1. Clear Space For Your Garage Gym
Most likely, your garage serves as storage for decoration, unused furniture,
sports equipment, and other miscellaneous stuff.
Clear out everything. Donate what you can donate; sell what you can.
If you’re serious about having a garage gym that can help you transform your life, you must sacrifice and eliminate the things taking up space. You must declutter the area if these items do not add value to your health goals.
2. Create a Multipurpose Layout
A garage gym is a perfect spot for creating a multi-purpose workout environment. Here you’ll have a suitable space to arrange all your equipment with enough spacing between them – so you can maneuver without bumping into machines or your working-out partner.
Before you install, consider your goals. Are you interested in strength training? What about cardio?
Also, consider the primary equipment you want to use – lose weight, power rack, or both. This will help you determine how much space to reserve for each section.
And whether your goal is cardio or strength training, a garage gym gives you ample space for a multi-purpose layout.
For example, you can designate a specific area for high-intensity training, an area for cardio, and a place for yoga. For example, this allows you to do heavy lifting with free weights in one area while others work out on the rowing machine or do squats on the power rack.
3. Protect Your Gym Flooring with Quality Mat
Garage floors are usually concrete, which is sturdy. But when you’re doing heavy work out, and that weight drops to the floor, it will cause damage over time.
You’ll need a safe way to protect your floor and absorb the shock. You can use rubber tiles for this. But if you want the best mat, get the horse stall mat – for enhanced floor protection, noise insulation, and shock absorption.
4. Keep Your Garage Gym Neat
In an ideal world, your garage gym would only have gym-related things. Likely, you’ll have to keep some essential items in your garage – like garden tools.
The neater your garage, the more you’ll be able to maximize the space.
Essential things that must stay in the garage should be kept neatly in bins and occupy an area by themselves. Try using a system like FastTrack, an inexpensive way of organizing a space.
This system has many hooks and baskets, making it an efficient way of managing tools and equipment.
5. Organize Gym Equipment to Maximize Space
Your garage gym should be well-organized, so you will enjoy going there. Your floor is the first place you’ll think of when you need a place to store equipment.
Ensure to store equipment to maximize the space and create a safe environment.
You can place a simple barbell holder on the floor in any corner.
You’ll want a kettlebell storage rack storing your kettlebells and dumbbells simultaneously.
Use a vertical plate tree. It’s an optimal way of storing your bumper plates and weights if your rack has no space to store them.
Your storage solution for small gym equipment should allow you to neatly store your kettlebells, resistance bands and free weights off the floor.
6. Paint Your Small Garage Gym With Light Colors
Liven up the gym by painting the walls with quality light-colored paint. Before you paint, first, clean all accumulated dust and dirt off the wall.
A good paint job can create a certain mood. What mood do you want to create?
Choose colors that are light and pleasant, colors that create a nice feeling. The more you enjoy your small garage gym, the more you want to go there.
7. Use Your Garage Gym Walls
Your floor is one of many places to store equipment. Your wall is also an ideal place to organize equipment like bars. Purchase horizontal, wall-mounted barbell storage – such as a gun rack – to store multiple bars.
Take advantage of a Multi-Use Wall Hanger for barbells, other weights, jump ropes, and chains. You can also fix a pegboard on the wall for light equipment.
Do you have runaway medicine balls? With a Ball Wall Storage shelf, you can keep your medicine ball on the wall without them rolling away. Hang equipment like jump ropes, elastic bands, and weight belts on your Ball wall shelf.
A folding squat rack can be attached to the wall. When you’re ready to work out, you extend it to its working out position; after your workout, you fold it back to its mounted position against the wall.
8. Have Options for Lighting
Most garages are dark due to limited lighting, especially when the door is closed. Lifting weights in a dark garage is not safe or practical. A poorly lit workout space isn’t suitable for anyone.
There are options for lighting a dark garage gym: Purchase an LED Triple Panel socket light, which you can easily screw into your light socket. They are bright and efficient.
They are a perfect solution to a dark garage gym.
9. Create a Consistent Workout
When you build your small garage gym, you eliminate roadblocks that discourage you from working out consistently.
These roadblocks might result from bad weather, your spouse using the car, you needing more time to go to the gym, or your car running low on gas.
Your small garage gym eliminates all those reasons that keep you from working out consistently.
You are much more likely to develop a habit of exercising when you have a garage gym because you eliminate frustrating roadblocks.
10. Simplify Equipment
You can simplify your garage gym by buying equipment focusing on your specific goals and eliminating machines you won’t use routinely. If your focus is more on cardio, get the best exercise bike.
But if you’re not interested in cardio, skip the treadmill and exercise bike.
You can still have a fantastic garage without multiple machines. If getting the best single machines to do separate exercises is optional, consider an all-in-one workout machine.
These exercise machines are advanced enough to give you a complete full-body workout. An all-in-one exercise machine can save you money and space in your garage gym. And researching separate exercise equipment takes time – time you could invest in other pursuits.
11. Save Time on Traveling to the Gym
Commuting to the gym robs you of time you could spend with family or being productive. Why not invest this time in yourself?
If you drive 15 minutes to the gym, then change into your gym clothes, that’s about 25 to 30 minutes.
You could walk into your small garage gym and start working out immediately, saving you traveling time.
12. Establish a Safety Strategy
As a small garage gym owner, you’re responsible for the safety of your partner, your kids, and yourself.
Professional gyms take steps to ensure the safety of their patrons. You should take similar steps to protect yourself and your loved ones.
Here are some precautions that can help:
- Keep the floor dry. If you spill liquid, dry it up right away.
- Get some spotter’s arms and install them on appropriate equipment.
- Regularly check the machines, especially treadmills, and get a professional to repair them.
- Cover the concrete with mats for a more effective workout and a safer surface.
Implement these safety ideas for a more pleasant and safe workout environment.
13. Outfit Your Garage Gym With the Essential Equipment
Planning and creating a small garage gym requires time and effort. You’ve decided to transform your life. You might have also joined a weight loss program for a healthier lifestyle.
However, to benefit from your small garage gym, you should outfit it with essential equipment for weight training and cardio, stretching mats, yoga, and abdominal exercises.
14. Use Your Inspiration as Motivator
Most people listen to music while working out. Often, people listen to music while running on the treadmill, rowing, riding the stationary bike or lifting weights. Many studies have shown that listening to music can help your performance.
Do whatever you can to raise your spirit and motivate yourself to keep working towards your fitness goals.
Different things motivate different people, the important thing is to understand what works for you and implement accordingly to get inspired.
A country’s flag can provide inspiration for people. If this is something which resonates with you, then go ahead and hang a flag on the wall!
Perhaps you love music, if so consideration can be given to installing a sound system. Alternatively consider installing an Amazon Echo in the gym.
You could even hang posters of people who inspire you – singers, actors, leaders, and influencers.
15. Take Advantage of Natural Light
A garage can be a stuffy place. Create a small garage gym with an open space to give you a cool and airy feeling in the summertime.
You can have this by installing a sliding or bi-fold door to open it partly to let in cool air and natural light during the summertime.
Utilizing natural daylight reduces the need to turn on the light. And you have a natural means of cooling off. In addition, you can always switch on your fan if you need a more intense cool-down post-workout.
16. Consider Insulating Your Garage Gym
Depending on the weather conditions where you live, insulating your small garage gym might benefit you.
There’re different types of garage insulation, so the type of insulation that’s right for you will depend on weather conditions, climate, and the construction of your garage.
Before you start the insulation process, consider how much of your small garage gym you want to insulate. Will it be just the door, the wall, the ceiling, or both?
Since you and your partner will spend considerable time working out in your garage gym, you can make it comfortable.
17. Keep Your Garage Gym Clean and inviting
Over time, your small garage will accumulate dust and dirt, especially if you keep the door open for an extended period. You will need a simple way of keeping it clean.
An easy solution is to use a leaf blower, which you might already own. You can find a decent one on Amazon or Home Depot if you don’t have one.
Keeping your small garage clean and inviting doesn’t require that much work. Use your leaf blower about once per month for five to ten minutes to clean your garage, and it will be a more inviting place to work out.
Making Your Garage Gym Look Nice
Your small garage should feel like a place you and your partner enjoy working out. Making it look pleasant is desirable. That’s where lighting and decoration come in.
Another way to make your gym look pleasing is to hang posters and photos of your spouse and kids.
In addition to using horse stall mats, you can also use colorful rubber tiles around a particular floor area.