Most of us dream of the day we can get our own home gym. If you’re anything like us, then you’ve probably got a Pinterest board dedicated to home gym inspiration. Usually, people think the biggest setbacks to owning a home gym are space and costs, however, we’ve spoken to five people about how they managed to create their own gym with limited space and budget. As well as weights, we are also able to supply a range of gym flooring for garage fit outs.

Home Gym Inspiration #1 - The Graffiti Cave

First up, we spoke to Dawn to discuss her home gym set up. This is a gym you can’t miss, kitted out with innovative storage designs and a whole load of graffiti, her gym is a space like no other.

How long has it taken to build your home gym to where it is now?

I started putting the gym together in 2021 when access to public gyms was not allowed. It's been a steady work in progress over probably 18 months.

The graffiti brings loads of life and creativity to your gym space. Where did that idea come from?

We’ve had graffiti before in the kids’ bedrooms and I love the style and the colour it brings. It’s also an amazing way to add personalisation to any space. I commissioned a local artist to come and do it. He was amazing, we spoke about what sort of style I want. He sent me some mock ups of ideas, so I knew what to expect and then he set to work, and the magic happened.

There are a number of things on the wall, some are my favourite workouts that I’ve written. The two big ones are my main mantras; ’strong not skinny’ and ‘But Did You Die?’, which is the name of our Obstacle Race team.

Your gym storage system looks good! Did that make a big difference to your workouts?

Absolutely! It’s really easy when you start building a home gym to have equipment sitting on the floor, but you very rapidly then start losing floor space. The Gym Storage System allows me to keep everything in one place, off the floors which means I can get more in! It also acts like a room divider, so it stops my kit spilling into the other side of the garage. Yes, a home gym is a real investment, but it needs careful thought and planning. Building the gym up over time meant I got exactly the kit I wanted and would use but it also meant that I didn’t compromise on the quality of what I bought.

Home Gym Inspiration #2 - A Minimalist's Dream

Completely opposite in design to home gym 1 but just as impressive. Simon has created a minimalist gym with split levels to suit the shape of the room and create accessible workouts.

How does the split levels in your gym work? Do they cause any issues in your training?

The split-level works great and programming workouts to accommodate have not been a problem. The rower and Assault bike have been brought down on occasion for the lower level and for outside when the sun is shining.

Your gym is visually very clean. Is it intentional to keep it minimal and clean, or is it just for the photos?

The gym is always kept clean and tidy without fail and it gets a deep clean weekly, no “put your weights away” posters needed.

Are the phrases 'earn it' and 'no excuses' a mantra to get into the zone when training? Or do they help you push out that last rep?

Everyone’s got an excuse but acknowledging that it is just an excuse is important, and there is no real excuse not to train, that’s our reminder. Sometimes you question why you are not better than you are. The only real reason is that you’ve not worked hard enough, you’ve not been as disciplined as whomever you’re comparing yourself against, you’ve got to earn everything, earn it is another reminder of ours.

Home Gym Inspiration #3 - A Work in Progress

Jon managed to build a home gym in just 6 weeks. However, buying gym equipment can be addictive. He shows us that it’s best to start with the basics and build up over time, buying equipment as and when you can and to keep making small improvements.

How long has it taken to build your home gym to where it is now?

I started the build back in May 2022 and approximately took 6 weeks to complete with the help of family and friends. Over the following 6 months after the build, I started to purchase more equipment to fill the space. I purchased the cable machine at the end of December which completed the home gym perfectly.

We really like your recessed plate storage. The plates are a perfect fit in the recesses either side of your rack. Where this built on purposes, or are you making the most of the features of the room?

The recessed sections in the wall were built specifically for plate storage. I took the opportunity to customise the space when I was building the walls. I was very happy how they came out too.

A home gym is never finished. Do you have any plans for what's next?

After using the home gym over the past 7-8 Months I have a couple things that I would like to do with the space now I’ve had a good idea of the function of the space. First, I think I would like to purchase a Half Rack and then bolt the rack to the floor to allow more room in the Gym.

Second, I would like to create an artificial foliage and cedar panel wall to really make the space pop. I think a Grass/plant foliage wall would look incredible with cedar panelling and really set the space. This would be on the brick wall. I will be continuing to purchase more dumbbells to have a full set.

Home Gym Inspiration #4 - Small and Mighty

The size of your home gym doesn’t matter, it’s all about being savvy with your space. David has managed to fill his gym with enough equipment for training in a relatively small space.

How long have you been building your home gym?

I started last September 2022 when the nights were drawing in and felt I wanted to gym after work at home to save travelling. I painted the walls, installed mirrors, laid down the gym flooring and bought everything from Mirafit due to their cost of the kit and dimensions I had to work with.

Garage gyms can be cold and gloomy places but the lighting brings your space to life. Why did you add it?

I added moody lighting to help for those dark evenings in the winter, it can get cold and sometimes hard to gain motivation so adding the lighting gave the garage a nice uplift and let’s not forget a heater to match the colour kit of Mirafit.

You have lots of kit in a small space - how important is your gym storage?

I believe in no kit on the floor meaning I have to utilise space where I can. The dimensions are 3 x 6 metres so having the Barbells against walls, using the bumper plate pegs on the power rack means I complete my exercises in a routine.

Home Gym Inspiration #5 - Monochrome

Here at Mirafit, you can probably tell, but we love the colour orange. However, there’s something about monochrome designs that make a gym look sophisticated. Harry has done just that and created a clean-cut gym that looks great but is also extremely practical.

You have a clean, simple setup with no colour. When setting up the space, did you intend to create a minimal black and white gym?

Absolutely. We wanted to get the most bang for our buck and getting a neutral black and white gym felt like a sensible option to make the gym last. The vibrant colours do add a nice look, but the all-black set up just had that “cleaner” feel to it.

What is your dog's name? Is she a good training partner?

Luna! Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no. We do a lot of training with her in the garage, like having her wait for her ball or treats while we do a set. But when she gets tired, she does ‘forget’ she’s not supposed to jump on us.

A home gym is never finished. Do you have any plans for what's next?

Yes! Upgrading the half-rack to an M4 Power Rack is on the list. Having a proper cable set up, more pull-up options, and jammer arms would all be helpful additions. A third dumbbell rack with dumbbells up to 50kg would be perfect too.

What’s the take home message? Home gyms come in all shapes and sizes, it’s about creating a space with what you’ve got that suits your needs. Take some inspiration from these five examples to create your own dream home gym, and don’t forget to tag #mirafithomegym in your home gym photos.

Feeling pumped up? Want to begin your own fitness journey? Learn about functional training and what to do when the newbie gains end.

Written by guest author Eryn Barber.

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Tags: Misc > Gym Planning