First of all, if you don’t have the extra space don’t worry! There are plenty of ways to add compact equipment to your arsenal so that you can pack it out easily to use and pack it up neatly when you’re done. Also, treadmills are kind of a stylish addition to a modern home anyway, right? No? Ok, well I like them anyway 🙂

First, decide how much space you have. I measured, and the area we dedicated as a gym is about an 8′ x 12′ room. It has a straight path through, no door, so it was a nice airy space. We had a little bit of a dilemma with how to set up the equipment, since there was technically somewhat limited wall space. We ended up putting the gym/weight set near the window with a little room on the side, and the treadmill against the little inset that separates the room from its twin room. The inset on the other side is where the yoga mat aligns, and I put up posters of 30 day challenges or whatever I am feeling.

The kids love running through the gym, and playing on whatever equipment isn’t being used by us. For use, getting them comfortable around workout equipment means letting them play on it while supervised.

We initially planned to find a high end local gym with all the frills, daycare center, the best workout equipment, sauna, pool, the works… after all, Atlanta is a city with great affordable amenities. We then found that the closest option that met our needs was about 25 minutes away NOT including Atlanta traffic… and that the extra 50+ minutes required to fully get there and back every day would absolutely take away from our ability to be successful and productive at home. Ultimately, the inconvenience of building our day around when we can leave the house with both kids ready without fighting traffic would cause us to not use our beloved luxury gym membership as often as we should, or at all! With plenty of room in our house for home workout equipment and the drive to be in the best shape we can, making a home gym was the right call for us. When doing the quick simple math, the money we spent on adding even the most expensive items to our home gym would save us money compared to losing productive time with our business in order to arrange commuting daily to a membership gym in ONLY 3 MONTHS! It was an obvious choice, so we then moved on to determining what workout equipment we would put in the gym & where it would go.

Committing an entire room of our home to be a gym was not something we had initially planned to do, as the room in this floor plan was *supposed to be* the formal living room, with its twin room being the formal dining room. Considering we already have a large family room and office, as well as a decent sized eating nook right opposite the kitchen, it seemed like making those rooms be what they were supposed to be would actually make them a waste of space for us. The other option was to put the workout equipment in the corner of the Master Bedroom, which is a typical Georgia style ridiculously oversized setup. That was quickly ruled out, along with the garage (hello humidity!) so we were left with an obvious choice.

Depending on what kind of space you are willing to commit to as your home gym will determine the type of equipment you can put in it. Some of the most common pieces to start your home gym are ones that you can pickup almost anywhere. Some of these are clearly pieces that anyone can find room for. We’ve organized the list below in order of smallest (most essential) items to largest items, so if you are making a list, start at the top and add to your arsenal down each section until your perfect home gym is complete!

Our gym currently feels perfect but I am always looking to add more! Next up is a full set of dumbbells and racks for everything!

So, do you have a home gym? What home gym equipment do you find essential for your space? Share your tips below and thanks for reading!

Until next time friends,