7 Guidelines for Building a Home Gym in your Apartment

The Yogi Muse is a guest contributor to ApartmentGuide.com.

 By Jeremy Steckler

April 24, 2024*

(The original article is linked here, with excerpts highlighted for the Yogi Muse blog)

 We all know that exercise is important to living a healthy life, but finding the time and money to go to the gym can be a huge burden. With an uptick in remote jobs, many workers are interested in building a home gym so they can get a quick workout during lunch or between calls. For those in a home, whether it be renting in downtown Seattle or owning in the suburbs of Edmonds, it’s possible to devote an entire room to being a gym. 

However, folks in apartments don’t have that luxury. With few places to store equipment, building a home gym in an apartment proves to be a challenge.

ApartmentGuide reached out to experts in the fitness industry to address this issue and provide you with seven tips on how to build a functional home gym.

 1. Focus on versatile equipment

2. Try some kettlebells on for size

3. Incorporate bodyweight workouts

4. Remember to do your cardio

5. Give TRX and resistance bands a shot

6. Build a full-body yoga practice

Yoga is one of the most effective full-body workouts that combines strength, cardio, and flexibility. What makes this form of exercise even better is that it only requires a mat and some optional equipment. Michelle Marchildon is the Yogi Muse with years of experience teaching yoga and mobility, so she’s the ideal guide for giving you an overview to get you started on your yoga journey. 

“First, invest in a mat. This serves to identify your time spent focused on fitness, and your space. When you roll it out, you signify it is wellness time and you can’t be distracted or disturbed

Next, purchase weights. Resistance training is critical to maintaining muscle mass and overall health. One set of medium weights will get you started. You can hold both in one hand when you want to progress.

Lastly, an enduring benefit of the pandemic is content available on the internet. Find a program you enjoy and make it a habit to stream routines.

If you have the space to set up a mat, weights and a monitor in a permanent location then it will serve as a daily reminder that health and wellness is important, and that you are worth your time.”

Kevin Parenteau, Founder and CEO of Asana at Home Online Yoga Inc, also has some great in-depth advice when it comes to setting up a home yoga studio. There are two practical considerations when identifying the location of your home yoga studio space.

1. Floor area: When considering floor area, add an extra 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) to the front and back of the mat to have adequate space for movement.

2. Floor surface. Flat and hard surfaces are far easier to balance and move on, while carpet will be softer. For a hard floor, use a thicker mat (5mm or more), and a thinner mat (2mm or less) for a soft floor.

Yoga gear: A minimalist mindset toward gear is key when space is at a premium.

Essential gear:

2 x Yoga blocks

1 x Yoga strap (longer is better)

The nice-to-have gear:

1 x yoga bolster

1 x meditation cushion

Storage: Storage for all your yoga gear is critical to keeping the home less cluttered and the gear easier to find. Having yoga storage close to the practice area will also make access and cleanup easier. 

Decor: Some yogis like to give their practice space a “yogic vibe” If space permits, consider adding candles, singing bowls, practice diagrams, pictures, statues, or whatever your heart desires. 

7. Recover in style

Whether you’re living in a studio apartment in San Diego or renting in Dallas, building a home gym can be a rewarding experience. Proper exercise is an important part of living a full and healthy life, but it’s also important to optimize your space for living. Don’t let your entire apartment turn into a gym; let it transform and then revert to being a place to rest and recover.

*Reprinted with permission from ApartmentGuide.com

Michelle Marchildon is the Yogi Muse. She is an award-winning reporter and the author of four books on yoga and wellness. You can find her on her mat in Denver, Colorado.