Let’s face it, if you only worked out when you truly felt like it, you’d weigh 300-pounds and your home gym’s exercise equipment would be covered with half an inch of dust. People who get the best results and enjoy a healthier lifestyle for it are those who push themselves to work out despite an occasional lack of enthusiasm.
Of course, even when you haul your butt into your home gym, it is still all too easy to get distracted. Especially if your workout space is disorganized and potentially unsafe.
If you find yourself dusting the dumbbells and untangling the power cords to your treadmill, rather than breaking the sweat you need to be putting in, you might want to try a few of these home gym storage ideas for size.
Everything In Its Place
If you love a good full-body workout, or you are working out on a split, then chances are good that you have spare equipment that doesn’t get used every single day. Giving everything its own dedicated space when it isn’t being used for your workout that day will not only free up critical floor space, but it will also promote safety when you are pumping iron or putting in a good cardio session.
Adjustable Shelves & Dividers
A lot of home gyms have storage cabinets along one or more walls. Though a lot of modern-day cabinets and cupboards weren’t designed to hold the odd shapes of modern-day workout equipment. Using shelf dividers and adjustable shelves, lets you optimize your storage space.
For once the round yoga ball can fit in a square cupboard without being deflated or losing tons of cubic square inches. Your workout/wipe-down towels can sit on one shelf, properly separated and scent-free from your headband and facemask.
More Than One Rack To Hold Them All
If you love to pump iron, then you know what a tripping hazard dumbbells and weight plates can be. The last thing you want is to waste a ton of time and energy moving a heap of plates when lifting drop sets, or catching a toe under a dumbbell when switching from Cuban rotations to standing flies.
Thankfully, modern exercise equipment manufacturers are keen on this problem and they offer a wide range of weight organization options. This might include adjustable dumbbells that let you switch weights at a moment’s notice while saving precious square feet, or a full-on long steel rack loaded with weights of every range.
While you are at it, consider adding a plate tree. The investment you plant in a heavy-duty steel tree to hold all your weight plates in a dedicated space will likely sprout as greater weight room safety, as well as a faster switch out when going up or down from one exercise to the next.
Up & Away With Your Ventilation
Proper ventilation is also an important component of any home gym. Fans and other ventilation sources not only help keep you cool during a hot and heavy workout, but they also go a long way in preventing classic musty gym odors from permeating beyond your home gym’s doorway. Not to mention helping to prevent the very real concerns about mold buildup that are common in a lot of wet and sweaty workout areas.
Though the last thing you want to do is ruin a great workout by tripping over fan cords. Setting hanging brackets up high in the corners of the room or installing window ventilation will help keep your home gym properly ventilated while keeping cables and devices out of your way.
A Dedicated Home Gym Hamper
Work out towels, wipe down rags, headbands, and sweaty workout clothes can pile up with some serious stink in a shockingly short amount of time. Keeping a dedicated laundry hamper or a hanging net bag in the laundry room helps keep that unpleasant sweaty odor away from the rest of your clean, fresh-smelling laundry.
A Water Cooler Or Beverage Station
Let’s face it, when you are putting in a hot and heavy workout, you need to stay hydrated. By placing a water cooler in the room, with quick disposable cups lets you get a quick drink of water without having to tromp all over the house or worry about the condensation of a water bottle.
At the same time, a lot of people rely on a post-workout shake to help replenish electrolytes or to help optimize their gains. Creating a dedicated cupboard, or making a clean corner on a counter will let you keep everything you need at your fingertips, without having to worry about it getting in your way.
Wall Hangers For Lightweight Items
Hanging hooks and pegboard systems have evolved from the days when they just held hand tools in your dad’s garage. They can now be used to hold a vast array of lightweight items. This includes things like:
- Wipe down towels
- Headbands
- Sweatbands
- Rebreather masks
- Workout journals
- Water bottles
- Mesh laundry bags
- An Entertainment Center
- A lot of people with a home gym will also use their workout time as a way to keep up with the day’s events. Heavy-duty wall mounts make it easy to secure a flatscreen TV. This lets you watch your favorite shows or keep up with the news while pumping iron or putting in a heavy cardio session.
You can even use this same concept to mount speakers in the room. This lets you listen to your favorite music for a little boost of inspiration. All while keeping any cords or connections out of the way of your workout equipment.
Personalized Cubbies
Professional gyms always offer up locker space to let everyone keep their personal items. This idea holds through with a home gym. Especially if you are sharing that workout space with someone else. Giving each person their own personal cubby lets everyone keep their own things organized. It also spares you a lot of the classic home gym arguments about accidentally using another person’s workout towel or intermingling each other’s sweaty clothes.