Turn your unused garage into a beautiful bonus home gym space
Any type of garage, whether it’s a single, double, or triple, is a huge perk for homeowners, but it's often a squandered opportunity. And we understand why-unfinished garages feel dark and dingy, so at best, you might just use it for your car, as storage, or for your washer and dryer.
However, upgrading your garage opens up an entire world of possibility, not only providing you more square footage in your house but also upping your home's value. While there are many ways to transform your garage space, turning it into your own personal home gym is an investment that’ll certainly pay off.
Not only will you be able to get rid of your monthly gym membership, but you’ll be able to work out whenever the mood strikes. Garages are a great place for strength, functional, and bodyweight training due to their expansive space and durable floors. You can personalize your garage home gym to create a motivating environment with music, lighting, and whatever design elements you can think of. For some inspiration, check out the 10 garage home gym ideas below.
Since your garage contains the largest door in your home, it’s most likely a cause of huge heating loss. To make your garage warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer (and lower your electric and gas bills!), add some insulation.
By adding in some insulation between the studs where air leaks through, it’ll help to make your garage home gym usable year-round. Additionally, insulation will help reduce noise, so you can blast your motivational workout music as loud as you’d like.
If you’re comfortable with construction projects, then you can easily install the insulation yourself. You can buy a foam board insulation kit from home improvement stores like Lowe's or Home Depot. Just don’t forget to wear protective gear like gloves, a mask, and long sleeves if you're using particular materials like fiberglass insulation. If you’re not, reach out to a local garage remodeling contractor.
Even if your garage is insulated, depending on where you live, your garage home gym could become extra hot in the summer and chillier in the winter. To help, get a heating and cooling system for your personal garage gym.
When selecting a heating and cooling system, consider your budget and space size. For a smaller garage gym, a portable option may work best. If you’ve got a larger space, then invest in a temperature control system for convenience.
Standing fan
Ceiling fan
Air conditioner
Ductless, mini-split AC (can also be used to heat a space)
Portable space heater
Infrared heater
Torpedo heater
Your concrete garage floor may seem like an ideal flooring option for your garage home gym, but it can be harsh on both your gym equipment and your body. There are endless types-and price ranges-of flooring options you can install over concrete.
If you’re looking for an option that’s easy to use, absorbs impact, and isn’t super expensive, then use rubber. You can get a custom-made rubber mat to install over your entire garage floor, use a few rubber tiles that you can easily move around, or lay individual mats under each workout station.
A lack of proper lighting can prevent you from making the most of your garage home gym. While installing new lights may seem like a daunting task, it can be quite easy if you plan carefully. To start, measure your space, think about how much light you want, and create a layout plan.
When you go shopping for lights, keep in mind the style, size, brightness, power source, and installation method. Most often, LEDs are ideal for garages since they last for a long time. Just remember to look for options with high lumens (brightness) and kelvin (color temperature).
Before you add equipment into your space, think about design elements you can incorporate so you can set the a mood that'll actually inspire you to, well, use it.
A great and inexpensive way to add a bit of inspiration to your garage home gym is to decorate your walls. You can paint your garage walls a bright, energizing color, hang a motivational quote decal, or create a wall mural.
Just don’t forget to paint before you add in your storage and equipment since it’s much easier to paint when your garage is empty than when it’s full.
If you’re just starting to work out every day, then invest in a few essential pieces of gym equipment. While it might be tempting, you don’t need to purchase a ton of equipment on your first day or even your first six months.
You can add to your gym equipment collection with time as you learn how much you need and how you use them. Once you get into a consistent workout routine and accumulate more equipment, plan your garage home gym layout accordingly.
If you only have 36 square feet available in your garage, plan to do workouts that require little to no equipment like yoga, jumping rope, bodyweight, and HIIT workouts. If you prefer cardio, then invest in just a few machines that you love and plan to use 10 to 30 square feet for each piece of equipment.
Treadmill
Stair climber
Elliptical
Stationary bike
Rowing machine
Weight bench
Single-station gym
Multi-station gym
Smart fitness machine
Before you invest in any gym equipment, put a solid organization plan together. When putting together your plan, think about the amount of space you have in your garage, the equipment you already have and what you plan to get so you can maximize your square footage.
Use panels to make the most of your garage’s vertical storage space for baskets and utility bins to organize smaller pieces of gym equipment. Add in deep shelves to provide storage for other pieces of equipment and hooks to hang items like bikes and hockey bags. For easy access, store items that you use often at eye level or below.
Commercial-grade racks can store heavy items like weights and, if there’s room, incorporate cabinets to hold items like resistance bands, and additional supplies like protein powder and supplements.
No home gym setup is complete without a mirror. Why? Mirrors are essential to accomplishing a successful workout. When you’re able to see your reflection while working out, you’ll be able to see and correct any mistakes in advance, so you won’t get hurt.
Additionally, a mirror will help brighten up your garage home gym and make the space look more open. If you want to turn your garage gym into a clean, contemporary environment, a mirror-or several-is an inexpensive finishing touch. You can spend $10 or $20 and come away with some nice mirrors for your gym.
One of the best parts about having your own home gym is the customizable add-ins. For your garage home gym, decide if you want to have a TV, music, or both (neither is okay too). If you want a TV, plan to install it early in your design plans since you’ll need to figure out the wiring.
If you want to add speakers, you can use a simple wireless speaker for a smaller space. If you want something more advanced, especially for a larger space, consider placing speakers around the gym for a surround sound effect.
If you’re limited on space, there are a few potential ideas for small garages that will help you fit the necessary equipment. First, consider installing ceiling storage or wall racks to keep the equipment off the floor and organized. You can also take advantage of multi-station home gym systems or smart fitness machines that allow you to work out in a variety of ways without having to switch to a different machine.
