Mounting the mirror in your home or garage gym on the right wall and in the right spot is key to getting the best and most comfortable workout. Glare, unnecessary movement, and obstructed views can all be an option if the gym mirror is in the wrong spot.
The best place to mount a mirror in your home gym is on the wall directly in front of your primary workout area. This allows you to have a clear view of your form and technique. Position the mirror at a height that allows you to see your entire body from feet to hands stretched out above your head.
Let’s go over a few different guidelines that help you figure out the best location for your mirror and also which specific locations are best in most home gyms.
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The Best Mirror Location In Most Home Gyms
Under the next heading, you can find all the guidelines on how to pick a great spot for the gym mirror. But in most cases, the three situations described here will cover everything you need to know;
It’s worth changing the location of some equipment if that means the mirror can be in a better spot regarding glare, natural light, etc. Only if possible of course. Getting the mirror in front of your workout is more important than getting the perfect lighting.
Not sure how to mount gym mirrors the right way? Click the link to find an article that explains how to do it right.
Guidelines For Mirror Placement In a Workout Room
When deciding where to put the mirror in any kind of personal gym, there are a few guidelines you can follow to find the best spot. This way you can figure out the best spot for your situation.
Further down below you can also find a few specific recommendations for certain types of home gyms.
Primary Workout Area
Choose a wall that is directly in front of your primary workout area. This will allow you to have a clear and unobstructed view of your movements and form during exercises. It should be a wall that is within your line of sight while performing various exercises and movements.
What’s your primary workout area? Very simple, it’s the exact location in the room where you’ll be spending the most time doing exercises. Where do you stand after grabbing the weights? Where do you do your stretches? That’s your primary workout area.
In most home gyms the space is limited so your primary workout area will be pretty much the same for all exercises.
Of course, in some cases, there are different locations in the gym where you do different types of exercises. The best solution is to use multiple mirrors if possible. If that’s not in the budget, see if you can move the more ‘mobile’ exercises to the less ‘mobile ones.
For example, it’s easy to walk over to the power rack with a set of dumbbells but it’s a lot less easy to walk to the dumbbell rack with a heavy barbell on your back. I would even call that dangerous.
Got the right spot but aren’t sure how to pick the right mirror for your gym? Here’s a gym mirror buying guide that shows you 6 key things to look for.
Height and Visibility
Mount the mirror at a height that allows you to see your entire body from your feet to your hands when stretched out above your head. This will ensure that you can check your form and technique for both upper and lower body exercises. Adjust the height accordingly to accommodate your height and the exercises you primarily engage in.
In most cases, this means mounting a 5’ or 6’ tall mirror 1.5’ to 2’ from the floor. Read more about this at the bottom of this post or click the link for an in-depth explanation.
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Unobstructed View
Make sure there are no obstructions in front of the mirror that could hinder your visibility. This includes avoiding placing equipment, benches, or other objects that may block your view. Keep the area in front of the mirror clear to maximize its effectiveness.
Is it horrible if a metal tube of some equipment like a power rack is blocking your view? No, as long as you can keep track of most of your body. However, you don’t want whole body parts obscured in the mirror. That would be counter to the purpose of a mirror.
Gym mirrors are supposed to inform you about what you’re doing, nothing else.
Secure Mounting
Ensure that the mirror can be securely mounted. In most cases, this will be a wall. Large mirrors can get quite heavy and it’s important the wall and mounting hardware can support them.
Use appropriate mounting hardware that can support the weight of the mirror and prevent any accidents or damage. Also, make sure the wall can support the weight of the mirror. In most cases, this won’t be a problem but with for example drywall it’s worth checking.
Glare
If there are windows or light sources that may cause glare on the mirror, it’s best to avoid placing the mirror directly opposite them. Glare can make it difficult to see your reflection clearly and may affect your ability to monitor your form.
Light sources that are shining down from the ceiling are not a problem unless it’s as bright as the sun. Light sources that are lower than the ceiling can cause an irritating glare.
Windows and Natural Light
Avoiding glare is important since it can really screw up your workout focus. At the same time, it’s ideal to have the workout mirror on a wall that gets some natural light. The natural light that falls on the mirror will reflect back to you, making your front brighter and easier to see.
Of course, if you always work out when it’s dark, thinking about natural light is pointless.
Aesthetics
If you have the luxury of orientating your home gym equipment however you like, also think about where the mirror would make the gym look the best.
Properly placed mirrors can make a room look bigger and brighter and who doesn’t want that? Especially if you combine it with proper downlight, your gym can look way better, tidier, bigger, and pulled together.
For optimal results aesthetics wise mirroring a whole wall is the best but can get pricey if you use high-quality gym mirrors for everything.
Gym Mirror Mounting Height
I’ve already mentioned in passing that you shouldn’t mount your mirrors from the floor up. In most situations, it’s better to leave a 1.5′-2’ gap at the bottom. There are three reasons for that;
- The top of a gym mirror should be 7’ above the floor. This way you can be sure that you can see everything that’s going on when you’re lifting above your head. You don’t have to be afraid that you won’t see your feet. If you’re about 5’ away from the mirror, you’ll be able to see them just fine. Since I recommended a mirror height of 5′-6’ above, you’ll need one or two feet at the bottom to make it 7’ high.
- Sometimes weights roll. If they roll into a mirror, they can break it. Since mirrors are expensive and broken glass is a PITA to clean up and replace, you really want to avoid that.
- In most code-compliant houses, power outlets are installed at 24” height. So having the two feet of clearance at the bottom prevents running into problems with those.
One exception is if you do a big part of your workout on the floor. For people that need mirrors for Yoga, Pilatus, stretching, etc. it’s better to leave no gap at the bottom. In those cases, you’re obviously much lower but you’re often also closer to the mirror. This means it’s possible that you won’t be able to see
