Home Gym Planning – Home Gym Resource

You can free up a modest 10’ by 12’ space in your home. Is it possible to build a good home gym in that space and what would that look like? I’ve made some example floor plans of what the possibilities are for a 120 sq. ft./11 m2 home gym. In a 120 sq. ft./11 m2 it’s possible to build a complete home gym with either free weights or a cable machine. In some cases it’s also possible to fit a full sized dumbbell rack or a cardio machine and still have enough space to use all the equipment. What does that look like and what should you look out for if you want to do this yourself? Keep reading to find out below. 120 sq. ft. home gym #1: Weightlifting The first setup we look at is the standard weightlifting setup. All the free weights and supporting equipment you might need. At the same time, that’s the only thing you can do here; get a full body muscle/strength building workout. Got a slightly bigger space? Check out the 150 sq. ft. home gym floor plans here. Floor plans What’s in this gym? Even though this space isn’t too large, we can still fit a great setup in there. While not the biggest versions of all the pieces of equipment, with some careful selection of equipment you can build a very complete home gym in a 10’ x 12’ space. Let’s look at what’s in this example. Power cageBarbellWeight platesPlate treeBenchDumbbell rack Find all the recommended equipment here. If we just want to fit a weightlifting setup in this space but nothing else, you can fit some good stuff. A good sized power cage, full size barbell and big dumbbell rack. Those things do take up quite a bit of space but if your focus is weightlifting, it’s worth it to get the slightly larger/better versions so you don’t have to feel limited. While these are not the largest versions of those pieces of equipment you can find, they are suitable for heavy lifting and serious muscle building. There is enough space to use the equipment there is but not much more. If you want some more free floor space for exercises, (in this example there is enough space for all the lifts in a normal weightlifting routine) getting a smaller dumbbell rack is a good option. Adjustable dumbbells would free up enough space for a cardio machine like an exercise bike. Like these floor plans? I've created a ton of floor plans for compact home gyms and a complete manual how to build your home gym the right way. Check it out here. 120 sq. ft. home gym #2: Cable Machine Not everyone wants to only lift weights in their home gym. Here is a bit more rounded set of equipment you can fit into the same space. We’ve replaced most of the free weights with a cable machine. A cable crossover gives plenty of exercise options just like a barbell but does so in a different way. Got a little less space? Check out the 100 sq. ft floor plans here. Floor plans What’s in this gym? Here’s what’s in the floor plans above; Cable CrossoverTreadmillBenchDumbbell rack Find all the recommended equipment here. You’ll notice the barbell and supporting equipment is gone. Instead there is a cable crossover machine. A cable crossover is an awesome thing to have in your home gym. It provides a ton of exercise options for muscle building without having to use a barbell. Many people are more comfortable using a cable machine than a barbell and there’s nothing wrong with that. With a cable machine you can also build a good amount of muscle with a higher level of safety. A cable crossover machine takes up about the same amount of space as a power cage and barbell although you need slightly less space on the sides to properly use it. However, on the flipside you need a bit more space in front of the machine. There is still a bench and a rack of dumbbells although smaller than in the previous setup. Dumbbells are a good supplement to a cable machine and the bench is good for use with both the cable crossover and dumbbells. It’s possible to just squeeze a treadmill in there as well to get your cardio workout in. A treadmill is quite large and they come in many different sizes so make sure to do your own measurements before you buy one. Of course many other cardio machines can fit in this space as well. Exercise bikes and compact elliptical trainers will fit. Rowers are very long so it’s going to be difficult unless you get rid of the dumbbell rack. If you get a pair of adjustable dumbbells instead, it frees up enough space to fit a rower without giving up a lot of functionality in the rest of the setup. Got a much bigger space? Check out these floor plans; 200 sq. ft. home gym250 sq. ft. home gym 120 sq. ft. home gym #3: General fitness You still want the barbell setup but also a cardio machine? Here’s what you can do. Floor plans What’s in this gym? This is what’s in the gym floor plans above; Power cageBenchBarbellWeight platesPlate treeAdjustable dumbbellsKettlebellsExercise bike Find all the recommended equipment here. This is a good setup for people that want a little bit of everything. You got free weights in the form of a barbell + supporting equipment and a pair of adjustable dumbbells. But there’s also space for a small cardio machine like an exercise bike. There’s also a set of kettlebells for extra workout variety. The power cage in this setup is a smaller version than in the first example to free up some extra space. It's compact but still solid and big enough for all exercises. In this setup there are adjustable dumbbells instead of a rack of fixed ones. Adjustable dumbbells replace 16 pairs of fixed dumbbells in the space of one large pair. In our limited amount of space, that’s a big saving and you save space you can use for other equipment. Should you build a 120 sq. ft. home gym? You might wonder if 120 sq. ft./ +-11 m2 is enough to build a good home gym. If you look at the floor plans above, you can see that there are quite a few possibilities. You’re not restricted to one type of setup and even though this isn’t a lot of space, you can tailor it to your needs. Of course not everything is possible and you’ll have to make some choices. A full setup of different machines like you see in a commercial gym isn’t going to be feasible. For most home gyms, even bigger ones, that’s not the right choice though. Separate machines that target one single muscle are very expensive for what you can do with them. To get all the machines necessary for a full body workout, you would need a lot of different machines. That gets really expensive. In a commercial gym all the different machines are not a problem because there are many people that want to work out at the same time. In a home gym, you’re by yourself or maybe there is one other person there. So you don’t need all the empty seats. It’s just a waste of money and space. Of course if you really like one certain machine and you have the money and space, go for it. But in a 120 sq. ft. home gym, that machine means you have to free up space by removing another piece of equipment that’s more multifunctional. So, yes, you should build a home gym in this amount of space, just be aware of the possibilities and limitations. Want more floor plans and a complete manual that tells you how to create a good home gym in a compact space? Click here to find it!