The desire to maintain a healthy lifestyle and go in for sports can only be welcomed, but, unfortunately, for economic reasons, due to banal shyness or simply because of the eternal lack of time to regularly attend classes at the fitness center, the desire to maintain a sports form often remains unfulfilled. But you can equip the gym at home! Home furnishing work is not limited to buying simulators and sports equipment, in fact, serious work remains to be done on preparing the premises. Among others, the installation of ventilation and lighting systems, wall decoration and laying of flooring with materials of relevant characteristics. This article is for those who decided to equip home gym.
Content
- What is a safe gym?
- Recommendations for the arrangement of lighting and ventilation
- Proper wall decoration
- Flooring selection
What is a safe gym?
For effective exercise, you need a well-ventilated, bright room, ideally spacious (at least 8 m2). It is best to allocate a separate room for a home gym, in extreme cases, it is possible to equip a sports zone, separated from the living space. Zoning can be done using lighting, a different color and texture of the floor covering, or using a sliding (and possibly stationary) partition.
Recommendations for the arrangement of lighting and ventilation
Separately, it should be noted the need to equip forced ventilation, because during exercise, from the load, the heart rate and respiratory rate increase. The body needs more oxygen. Sport is also a kind of hard physical work. The lack of lighting psychologically has a relaxing effect, it is easier to tune into serious physical exertion in good lighting, in addition, the gym at home must meet all safety requirements, among others – ensuring the proper level of illumination when working with sports equipment.
When choosing lighting devices, pay attention to LED and fluorescent light sources, because they emit little heat, which is important
Proper wall decoration
Plastic in the walls and ceiling of the gym should not be used. Plastic coatings are inexpensive, easy to clean, quick to install, and damaged elements can be easily replaced. But with all its practicality, plastic lining and ceiling tiles for the gym are not categorically suitable. The point is vapor tightness of materials: the formation of condensation on the surface of plastic panels can stimulate the growth of molds, which is extremely undesirable. Color whitewashing, cork paneling, or even sticking paper wallpapers are the best options for finishing gym walls to maintain an optimal microclimate..
Flooring selection
When choosing a flooring option, compare the requirements with the characteristics of it. The floor in the gym will be subject to severe stress, possibly falling heavy objects. So, you should choose a wear-resistant shockproof and, of course, non-slip coating. Soundproofing properties are also important, especially when it comes to building a gym in a high-rise building. The most democratic option may be laying a high-quality parquet board with the highest strength indicators.
Floating installation on a soundproofing substrate will provide the necessary level of sound insulation. If it is necessary to “transform” the gym into, for example, a guest or children’s replacement of the floor covering is not needed. You can also use a dense carpet, but choosing a model, study its characteristics (it is best suited for industrial premises). If the status of the “gym” is planned to be assigned to the premises for a long time, then a special polyurethane coating for gyms with rubber granulate mat can be used as a floor covering.
We design a home gym
When choosing a design option for a gym, remember, first of all, about the functional purpose of the room. The choice of color scheme for the floor, walls, ceiling is not important – choose combinations that are comfortable for the eye, not particularly sophisticated in details.
The terracotta color of the walls in combination with the marsh flooring looks harmonious and natural, and the rich colors in the decoration make the spacious gym room more comfortable
According to psychologists, bright saturated shades can provoke fatigue, irritability. A light shade visually expands the space, a shade darker is able to make a spacious room cozy. You can choose a neutral shade of color for the design of the walls (for example, light gray or beige), and some accessories (for example, a wall electronic clock) to choose a contrasting saturated bright scarlet or orange color. A wall panel on a sports theme or a bright poster will undoubtedly add a positive touch to the sleek design of a home gym. In the design of the windows of the sports room, the laconic simplicity of blinds or roller blinds is more appropriate than a luxury curtain set.
Attention to functionality and comfort
The issue of rational use of free space when placing sports equipment is especially relevant in the case of equipping a sports corner in a city small-sized apartment. It is easier to equip the gym in a country house (especially if there is a spacious veranda – you can not find a better place). But in the first and in the second case, one cannot do without a rack for sports equipment. You will also need a hanger for clothes and towels, a mat for performing exercises on the floor.
A wall mirror (preferably in full growth) is an indispensable attribute of any gym. It will allow you to control posture, the correct implementation of exercises. Be sure to consider the direction of lighting when choosing a place for the mirror. The wall opposite the window is the most unsuccessful placement option, because in the mirror you can only see a dark silhouette against the background of the lighted window. The home gym should be clearly displayed in a properly lit mirror – a photo of this placement can be seen below.
Proper placement of the mirror in the gym will allow you to consider your exercises from all sides and avoid mistakes when performing them
The choice of equipment for classes depends on the level of your physical fitness and financial capabilities. It is also possible to equip a home gym with your own hands, choosing less expensive replacement for expensive gym equipment (this topic will be discussed later in one of the articles). In any case, when equipping a gym, it is important to free up the simulator zone as much as possible, avoiding being placed close to the wall (the minimum permissible distance is 30 cm from the wall).
Making a home gym with your own hands is not easy, but once a well-equipped room will be a functional and comfortable place to maintain health and excellent physical shape for many years.
