How to Build a 300 Sq. Ft. Home Gym: 3 Example Floor Plans

300 square feet is plenty of space to build a great home gym. You still have to pick a setup that works well together, where all the pieces of equipment complement each other. Here are some examples of what you can do.

In 300 sq. ft. you can build a home gym in several very different ways that are all complete and comfortable to use. What’s best for you depends on your training style and fitness goals. This amount of space is enough for almost anyone to build a dream gym.

Here are the example setups for a few different goals. There will probably be something that works for you and if there isn’t, you can adapt it to your needs quite easily. For the examples, I’ll be using a fictional space that measures 15′ x 20′. This is 27.8 m2.


300 sq. ft. home gym #1: Weightlifting

A standard weightlifting setup with some cool extras. We’ve looked at smaller spaces before (click) where we’ve done a similar setup. With quite a bit of extra space to play with, it’s possible to get some extra equipment and comfort.

Floor plans

300 sq. ft. weightlifting home gym floor plan
300 sq. ft. weightlifting home gym 3d floor plan

Variation 2

300 sq. ft. weightlifting home gym floor plan #2
300 sq. ft. weightlifting home gym 3d floor plan #2

What’s in this gym?

Here’s what’s in the floor plans above.

  • Large power cage
  • Bench
  • Barbell
  • Weight plates
  • Plate tree
  • Weightlifting platform
  • Indoor rower
  • Cable crossover
  • Dumbbells

If you want to know which exact equipment I recommend for home gyms, click here to find it.

That’s a very similar setup you can find in my smaller recommended gyms. That’s because it’s just a great combination of equipment that perfectly complements each other. You can lift weights with barbells and dumbbells. The cable machine is awesome for similar exercises as free weights but with a different power curve. And the cable machine can be used for different exercises as well.

An indoor rower is a great cardio machine although you could also fit most other cardio machines in this setup if you prefer a treadmill, bike or elliptical trainer.

And finally there is just a bit more free space in this setup compared to similar setups in smaller spaces. This makes it a bit more comfortable and less claustrophobic.

Variation 2

The second variation of this gym is very similar but has a different type of cable crossover. This type is much wider. You free up a bit more depth in the middle of the room but it takes up more width.

The rower is pushed in the corner quite far. You might have to move it to a spot with a bit more elbow room around it to properly use the rower.

A cable station like this is a little more flexible to use, especially with multiple people which is why this is the type you often see in commercial gyms. In a 300 sq. ft. home gym the first variation is a bit more practical. It’s just an example of what is possible.


If you need some more help building a fully functional, compact and affordable home gym, check out my gym building manual. You get more than 50 extra floor plans for free on top of the floor plans in the manual.


300 sq. ft. home gym #2: Multi-gym +

Instead of free weights and a cable machine, it’s also possible to a get a multi-gym. A multi-gym is a machine that aims to combine as many gym machines into one piece of equipment as possible. They are usually loaded with a weight stack. You put the selector pin in the weight you want and that’s what you lift. Just like most machines you’re used to in a commercial gym.

Multi-gyms are relatively compact if you compare them to all the separate machines. That’s why we have a lot of space left over for other equipment. Let’s look at what we’ve got.

Floor plans

home gym floor plan 300 sq. ft. multi-gym and machines
300 sq. ft. weightlifting home gym 3d floor plan

What’s in this gym?

Here’s what’s in the floor plans above.

  • Multi-gym
  • Leg press
  • Bench press bench
  • Dumbbells
  • Bench
  • Ski trainer
  • Reverse hyper

If you want to know which exact equipment I recommend for home gyms, click here to find it.

Instead of a cable crossover and power cage, we have a multi-gym. If you don’t want to use a barbell, this is a decent option. You get many exercise options in a relatively compact machine. And since a multi-gym is basically a cable machine with extra options, it also replaces that.

A cable crossover has a bit more exercise flexibility but not really enough to justify having both it and a multi-gym.

So that leaves us with a good amount of space that we can use for other equipment. In this case a separate bench press bench. It’s there because it’s such an incredibly exercise and most multi-gyms don’t have a really good alternative for a real bench press. They can surely build your chest but it’s just not the same.

We still have dumbbells because they are just so multifunctional. Combined with a bench, you can train pretty much every body part you can imagine. Dumbbells usually don’t scare people like barbells do and they’re a great addition to a multi-gym. Even if you train the same body parts, the load is a bit different so combining the two types of exercise will yield better results than either does by itself.

The reverse hyper is an interesting machine. It might look pretty scary but it’s actually very good for your lower back. It’s one of the few exercises that train your lower back while also tractioning your back. Most lower back exercises compress your lower back while this does the opposite. That makes this a really good exercise for anyone with lower back issues.


300 sq. ft. home gym #3: Machines

With 300 square feet, we’re getting close to an amount of space where you can get separate machines for most muscle groups. Here’s a setup that has separate machines.

Is this a road you should go down in a home gym? Probably not. Free weights have my preference but if you don’t want to use free weights, a cable machine or multi-gym combined with some other pieces of equipment can provide the same or more exercise options in a smaller and cheaper package.

If you really want separate machines, you can see here what’s possible.

Floor plans

300 sq. ft. weightlifting home gym floor plan with machines
300 sq. ft. weightlifting home gym 3d floor plan with machines

What’s in this gym?

Here’s what’s in the floor plans above.

  • Leg press (Legs)
  • Ski trainer (Cardio)
  • Bench press bench (Chest, triceps)
  • Small dumbbell rack (Shoulder, other)
  • Bench
  • Peck deck/reverse fly (Chest/upper back)
  • Preacher curl bench (Biceps)
  • Hyperextension bench (Lower back)
  • Lat pulldown/low pull tower (Back)

If you want to know which exact equipment I recommend for home gyms, click here to find it.

Here is a selection of machines that fit into this space and complement each other pretty well.

There is still a small rack of dumbbells because there are a few things missing for a full body workout. With this setup it’s already really full and it’ll be quite cozy if you want to use it with more than one person at the same time.

I’ve listed the body part the machine is used for. You can see that most muscle groups are there. Shoulders are one body part where there is not machine for. Shoulders can be trained with the dumbbells.

You could replace the peck deck/reverse fly with a shoulder machine however, then you would have to replace that machine with a dumbbell exercise so it’s not any more complete. There is a reason why I’ve recommended free weights and cable stations for all the smaller home gyms. They are just so multifunctional and combine so many exercise options into a few pieces of equipment.

With this amount of space you’re just getting into a size where you could go for separate machines but it’s still tight.


More floor plans

Do you have a smaller space? Check out the example floor plans for one of the other sizes below.

If you need some more help building a fully functional, compact and affordable home gym, check out my gym building manual. You get more than 50 extra floor plans for free on top of the floor plans in the manual.


Can you build a good 300 Sq. Ft. home gym?

If you’ve got this amount of space and you get a decent setup, it will be hard to not build something at least usable. There’s enough space to even make some less than perfect equipment choices.

With less space available, you have to be really picky with which equipment you choose to get a complete setup. Picking something that takes up a lot of space might mean you can’t fit another piece of equipment you would need to get a full body workout.

Since we’ve got more space there is a bit more space to play with. If you get a basic weightlifting setup, there is still quite a bit of space left over for different things.

If going for separate machines, you’ll still have to be a bit picky and put some thought into what you want to do and what your goals are. Separate machines often only work out one muscle group. So if you want to get a full body workout, you’ll have to make a careful selection.

So for most people 300 sq. ft. will be more than enough to build a good and complete home gym. You can’t just buy all the equipment you want and expect it to work but with a little bit of planning this is plenty of space for an amazing home gym.

Matt

Hey, I'm Matt. Welcome to HomeGymResource.com. After working out in many different gyms for almost 20 years and helping people build their own home gyms, i've learned a few things i'd like to share with you.

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