wellness
By Dana Dickey
•
Published Sep 20, 2021
Additional reporting by
Dagmara Cintron
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We’re increasingly wellness-oriented, while fully acknowledging that we’re not always be able to (or let’s be real, feel like) leaving home to work out. That’s why we’ve compiled home gym ideas for all styles and square footages, from the corner of your bedroom to the garage. Or even right in the middle of your living room. Storage is key, so we’re highlighting what you can use to keep your tools tidy and organized. Because a successful fitness plan starts with a place you look forward to spending time in—even if it’s within the same walls you do everything else in.
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10 Home Gym Ideas That Make the Most of Your Space
With love of photography/Getty Images
1.the Home Office Gym
Lucky enough to have a dedicated home office? Then install a bike next to the window and clear a space for some stretching beside it. Done and done—you’ve created a home gym.
Studio Bergtraun AIA/Houzz
2.the Guest House Gym
Attached Dwelling Units (ADUs) can be repurposed as roomy home gyms that can also serve as sleeping quarters.
Afton Almaraz/Getty Images
3.the Hallway Gym
The top shelf of your coat closet makes a great place to put stretching equipment, and the closed door can hold a resistance band or two. (Just be sure not to store heavy weights in a place where they could fall on someone’s head while they are looking for a jacket.)
Raquel Arocena Torres/Getty Images
4, The Patio Gym
Your deck, patio or terrace space is a perfect place to have your trainer put you through your paces; even if you’re not pleased with your reps, all that fresh air is going to help you sleep.
Fly View Productions/Getty Images
5.the Garage Gym
With plenty of space to move around in, and a giant door to let in a good breeze, a garage dedicated to working out is every fitness enthusiast’s dream. Just make sure you create a nook with space to stow mats, weights, a balance ball and your other essentials. (Psst: We’ve got a few ideas for setting that up in the storage section below.)
London Basem*nt/Houzz
6.the Basem*nt Gym
Modern lines, wood (or luxury vinyl plank) flooring and indirect lighting can be added to a smallish basem*nt to create a surprisingly airy-seeming fitness spot.
Ergin Yalcin/Getty Images
7.the Guest Room Gym
Your exercise bike doesn’t belong in your bedroom, but who knows, maybe out of town visitors will want to pull it away from the wall for a quick sweat sesh?
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8.the Living Room Yoga Gym
All you need is a mat (pet optional), and you’re all set to nail upward-facing dog pose.
Tempo
9.the Kitchen Gym
With today’s home workout innovations including great-looking high-tech exercise options like Tempo, you can just install a cabinet in the corner of your kitchen and knock off a quick workout just as easily as you find yourself staring into the fridge in the middle of your WFH day.
Backyard Buildings/Houzz
10.the Garden Shed Gym
A humble garden shed can be transformed with a clean white coat of paint and solid flooring. Think of this as your She Shed, but with a lot more meditation and perspiration and a little less pinot grigio.
The 7 Best Storage Products for Your Home Gym
Just like any other area of your home, you’ll want—and need—to keep everything organized in some kind of handy and attractive system. Think not only major pieces of equipment like treadmills and bikes, but also smaller-yet-essential tools, including dumbbells, kettlebells, jump ropes, bands, mats, towels and biometrics monitors. Start by thinking of which of these you use the most often, then how best they’d be stored. We culled our list based on the sturdiest, most practical and well-priced storage products that don’t take up a lot of space.
Amazon
1.cap Barbell Olympic 2-inch Plate Rack
This pyramid-shaped weight stand holds a whole set of weight plates while taking up a small footprint. It’s just over 2 feet by 3 feet at the base and accommodates heavier weights at the bottom and smaller ones at the top, so it’s less likely to topple over. The black powder coating keeps the stand looking sleek and nick-free, and the rubber base prevents it from sliding across or scratching floors.
Amazon
2.wallniture Guru Yoga Mat Holder Wall Mount With 3 Hooks
A sturdy wire hanger that accommodates not only rolled yoga mats but also roam rollers and straps. The simple design and versatility will look good with any exercise décor and saves mats and even rolled yoga blankets from getting trampled on the floor. At 31 inches high and just over 7 inches deep, it hardly takes up any space but does a lot of work.
Amazon
3.xmark All-in-one Dumbbell Rack, Plate Weight Storage And Dual Vertical Bar Holder, Patented Design
This two-tier shelving unit holds everything you need, weight-wise, from dumbbells on the top to weight plate storage on the bottom and vertical bars on each side. At 78 pounds, it’s sturdy enough to stand up to all the weight you’ll be housing within it (up to 275 pounds), and rubber feet protect your floors. A slight tilt of the shelves is designed to eliminate pinched fingers when you’re picking up or placing weights back down.
Amazon
4.yaheetech 2-inch Barbell Plate And Dumbbell Racks Tree Olympic Plate Rack
This slim, storage-tree style weight rack is perfect for tight spaces and nestles long vertical bars right next to end-on-end stacks of Olympic plates. The .06-inch metal construction is heavyweight enough to support up to 882 pounds. And best of all, the rack is easy to assemble and take apart, in case you’re moving your whole operation to the other side of the house.
Amazon
5.kinghouse Garage Sports Equipment Storage Organizer With Baskets And Hooks
Want one place where you can just toss all the little accessories that come with a good workout…the weight-lifting gloves, that weight belt, the knee brace you’re always looking for, stuff like that? This 36- by 16.5-inch mesh storage bin holds it all sleekly; the see-through sides don’t let anything hide when you’re looking for it.
Amazon
6.steelbody Horizontal Plate And Olympic Bar Rack Organizer With Steel Frame And Transport Wheels
A horizontal design and built-in wheels make this weight set stand out from the pack. It holds up to 300 pounds of plates, and ithas two slots to hold vertical bars on one end, which makes this ideal to wheel into the corner of your gym setup. A rubber grip handle and rubber feet ensure that this unit is easy to maneuver when you pick it up and also stays put once you’ve set it in place. At 40 inches long and just under a foot wide, this moveable stand gets high marks for its ability to adapt to just about wherever you need to stow it.
Amazon
7. keficxin Dumbbell Rack Stand Only for Home Gym Weight Rack
If you lift lighter on some days or share a home gym with someone, this sleek rack is super versatile in that you can place all your big weights and your little ones on it, too. Pack this bad boy with barbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, yoga blocks, etc. It's made of high-quality thick steel so don't be afraid to load it up.
$40 AT AMAZON
8. elevens Dumbbell Rack Multifunctional Weight Stand
We love this one because not only can you store your regular weights, curl bars, and dumbbells on here, but you can also store weight plates. The exterior is polished which is effective against scratches and abrasion. Another plus: the distance between the rails can be adjusted to the sizes of your equipment. Get organized and get that body-ody-ody-ody.
Amazon
9. body-solid Gsr10 Stability Ball Rack
Is it modern art or is it a piece of gym storage? This stand holds three stability balls for you to create the eight-pack abdominal muscles you’ve always wanted. You can also take the top third of the tower off to turn it into a two-ball holder, if you prefer. At only 31 pounds, this is a lot of high-design storage in a comparatively lightweight package.
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Dana Dickey
Senior Editor
Dana Dickey is a PureWow Senior Editor, and during more than a decade in digital media, she has scoped out and tested top products and services across the lifestyle space...
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Dagmara Cintron
Freelance Writer
Avid coffee drinker, writer and dabbler in UX, Dagmara Cintron is an NYC native living in Los Angeles. She covers fashion, local LA stories, home decor and more for PureWow. She...
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