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As more of us will continue to work from home and with limited access to fitness facilities and commercial gyms for the foreseeable future, why not consider converting your garage into a home gym or workout space? It could save you both time and money in the long run and getting started couldn’t be easier. Check out some of Nesta’s top tips for making sure your garage is in great shape for your new workout-from-home regime!
Maximise your floor space with clever storage solutions
When turning a garage into a workout area, storage hacks are key to maximizing the limited space available. Keep the floor space uncluttered and use both the walls and ceilings to store equipment like resistance bands, foam rollers, dumbbells, or yoga mats. Invest in some floor to ceiling shelving or some moveable brackets on fixed runners, so that you can maximise every last inch of space. Overhead racks, suspended from the ceiling, offer another area to stow things away. For everything else, clear or see-through storage boxes are perfect for storing smaller items. Labelling each box or drawer will make it even easier to find what you need. What’s more, you can purchase a selection of inexpensive boxes in various sizes that are stackable, which will save you even more space.
Consider using a storage facility for larger, rarely used items
If you would rather use your garage to create space for a home gym, there may be items that are too big to store elsewhere that are rarely used, but that you may need to keep hold of in the longer term. For such items, a storage facility like Nesta could be the perfect solution. We offer secure storage with 24-hour CCTV, individually alarmed rooms, onsite staff and personal access codes. With flexible rental terms and a variety of storage room sizes, Nesta offers solutions to suit all your needs in locations all over Dublin. Check out our room size guide here!
Put down durable, inexpensive flooring
Concrete floors in garages are not the best for working out, as the hard surface won’t absorb the shock of a high-intensity workout. This can lead to injury or soreness and strain in the joints over time. If you have a concrete floor in your garage it would be worth resurfacing the concrete with a gentler, shock-absorbing type of flooring that will cushion the impact on your muscles and joints. Good options include carpet, rubber, or epoxy- a resin coating that is water-resistant, dust-proof and has a long life-span.
Assemble some basic equipment to get you started
A home gym doesn’t have to be state-of-the-art or fancy, it just needs to contain enough equipment to get a good overall workout in. Rather than purchasing large, expensive machines like a treadmill or a rower, just assemble some basic gear to help you get started and save for larger pieces of equipment over time. Some good options to invest in right away might be:
- Free weights and ankle/wrist weights – these are readily available and can be sourced cheaply in supermarkets and online
- Medicine ball – a great piece of equipment that suits a wide variety of workouts
- Resistance bands – a decent set of bands can be purchased for less than a tenner
- Doorway pull-up bar – this is a cheap piece of equipment that can be doubled up and used with resistance bands for an easy TRX-style workout
- Punchbag or speedball – a more expensive item, but well worth the investment in terms of making sure you’re getting a full-body workout!
These are just a few simple tips for helping you get the maximum usage out of your garage space and to use it for something you really want. At Nesta, we’re committed to providing solutions to our customers so that they can make space in life for the things that are important. Check out some of our other blogs to learn more about creating space in your home.
