Converting Your Garage Into a Home Gym

Looking to start a new fitness routine, but can’t always find time to hit the gym? You might already have all the space you need to transform yourself—in your garage!

A garage can be a great space for working out, whether you convert the whole space to a home gym, add a few designated exercise stations, or simply clear floor space for occasional workouts. Here are some tips and considerations.

Going All-In

How do you use your garage right now? Is gaining more living space (in the form of a fitness lover’s dream) more important to you than “indoor” parking? If leaving your car in the driveway works fine for you, then plan out a full workout space that spans the footprint of your garage. You’ll want a well-rounded selection of equipment and open floor space for the critical training types of cardio, strength/endurance, and flexibility.

• Cardio:there’s much more to cardio training than just running or logging miles on a treadmill. Incorporate fun cardio activities like heavy bag boxing work, rowing, jumping rope, or even urban dance (it’s yourgarage… we won’t judge!). Cardio isn’t only a great workout on its own, but an essential warmup before you start pushing those muscles to the max.
• Strength/endurance:a selection of free weights, barbells, and plate weights will give you lots of strength options. But leave some floor space for bodyweight exercises too, including good ol’ pushups and burpees. Kettlebells, medicine balls, and even resistance bands will round out the equipment and give you incredible variety to target all those muscle groups.
• Flexibility:don’t forget about stretching out those muscles so you’re not curled up in pain the next day. Stretched, pliable muscles will get even better with the next workout. Stock your garage with workout mats, a foam roller, and even lengths of soft rope to help you work our the kinks and knots.

A Workout Station

If you can’t dedicate the entire garage to fitness, you can still accomplish training for all the major muscle groups (including your heart!). You’ll just have to use some space-saving tricks. Mount training equipment on the wall (either for use or storage after use). Add shelf storage for smaller items and equipment (like weights, bands, medicine balls, exercise mats, etc.). And clear the vehicles out of the garage just while you need the extra floorspace.

Special Event Workouts

Sometimes you just have to clear the floor… and get down on it! That may sound like a dance party, but maybe it’s also a fitness dance party! Your garage may be some of the largest open floor space in your home, so if you need a little extra fitness motivation, call up some friends and motivate each other with a garage workout!

Calling in Reinforcements

Getting—and staying—fit goes better with a support system. So whether you’re temporarily clearing garage space to gather friends for an occasional workout, or trying to make it a regular routine in a fully outfitted space, invite friends and loved ones to join you and help you achieve your goals. Oh… and just because it’s a homegym, that doesn’t mean you can’t get tips from the pros. Consider hiring a personal trainer—at least for a few sessions—to show you how to use all that equipment safely and effectively. And maintain that training relationship for periodic refreshers and updated training routines so you continue to make progress.

Your garage can be an amazing additional living space in your home that helps you create a better version of yourself. Have you ever considered transforming the garage into an awesome home gym?