I Turned My Garage into a Gym!

I was getting to a point in my life where my personal health and fitness became a top priority. Like many people, I was a little too self conscious about going to the gym. I was learning to become comfortable in my body, and I wasn’t sure I could handle the idea of sharing my workout space with so many strangers. That’s why I decided to build a garage gym, and I’m very glad I did.

Setting the Stage

I was moving out of my apartment and I found a great agent on OpenAgent who helped me find a nice place with a two car garage. I knew that was going to be the one. I needed extra space for a home gym, especially since so much of the equipment can be bulky. I wanted the extra space so I could have the room to move around, and expand my gym if I decided I wanted heavier equipment.

Determining the Logistics

Garages have their own purpose. People need their garages for storage, and a place to park their car. If I turned my garage into a gym, I would need the place to put all that other stuff. I bought a simple carport kit built it on my driveway to shield my car from the weather. I organized all of the things I needed to store, and decided what to donate and what to keep. The rest of it went into plastic storage totes that I was able to store in my attic, freeing up my garage for use as a home gym.

Learning My Fitness Style

The kind of equipment you need in a home gym is specific to the kind of workouts you’re interested in doing. I decided I was most interested in a combination of yoga and pilates. You might prefer a workout program like CrossFit. For me, that was a little too much to start with. Once I familiarized myself with the kind of equipment I’d need to do these workouts, it was easy to create a rough floorplan for my gym.

Setting My Goals

I knew right away that I wasn’t looking to build large muscles. I just wanted to slim down and fit into a smaller dress size. I wouldn’t need heavy weights and weight racks to achieve my goals, so I crossed the heavy weight equipment off of my list. I understood what I needed to purchase to help me reach my desired level of fitness.

Finding Versatile Equipment

Finding versatile is more than just great for saving space – it also helps you save money. Rather than buying separate machines for everything, I was able to find a few machines that I could use for a large range of workouts. This made it simple and inexpensive to furnish my gym, and it was much easier to quicker to set everything up.

 

Now that I have a home gym, I find myself workout out a lot more. It’s easy to get in a 20 minute cardio round before I take my morning shower and head off to work. I love the convenience of my home gym, and I can even invite my friends over to work out with me.