This post was last updated on June 17th, 2020 at 09:25 am
If one of your goals is to get fit, then think about working out at home in a shed. It’s a lot cheaper than paying for a gym membership, more practical, and you can do it whenever you find yourself with time to spare.
When you are short of time, there is little incentive to drive across town to a gym, but if you know you can quickly and easily do a mini-workout indoors, at home, whenever you feel motivated, then home fitness does come into its own.
Using a shed as a home gym is a real alternative to traveling to a fitness center, and is a lot easier to achieve than you might think.
It can be equally beneficial for your partner to enjoy his/her preferred form of exercising as well. A shed can be converted into a weight training area as well as a yoga or Pilates studio, for example, and provide just the training facilities you both want.
Home Gym built in large barn type shed
Planning for a Gym-in-a-Shed
Getting everything together to achieve your ideal shed gym will require some planning. You will need to consider the following points:
- Size of shed needed
- Shed base and floor strengthening
- Insulation and ventilation
- Power supply
- Floor protection
- Security
What Size Shed?
The starting point for planning your home gym is to do with size. Size really does matter when it comes to fitting out your shed for gym work because you are going to need more height than generally comes with a lot of shed kits.
To determine the shed size you need, measure the equipment you want to use. Allow sufficient space to position the gym equipment and for moving around and stretching. You don’t want to push a set of weights through the shed roof!
You may have to compromise if you are using an existing shed that is not as big as you want. Or you may consider building your own from shed plans instead of buying a complete shed kit.
If you opt for buying new as opposed to converting an existing building, go for the biggest shed you can afford.
And remember to check your local building codes before you start any work.
Shed Base and Floor Strengthening
You are going to need a strong base to take the load of exercise equipment and weights. You may need to strengthen the shed floor too. It will have been designed for normal shed usage, so you will need to ensure it is strong enough. Floor reinforcement is a straightforward task, but you must take it into account.
Shed Insulation and Ventilation
Your shed walls and roof will need to be insulated to keep the building warm and cool depending on the season and to prevent condensation. To improve the appearance, you can panel over the insulation.
When you workout, you are going to sweat and introduce warm moisture into the air. Unless you ventilate the shed, a mold is likely to develop. You’ll need vents at either end of your shed gym, and it may also make sense to fit an extractor fan as well.
Fitting a Power Supply to Your Shed
You don’t necessarily need to fit an electrical power supply, but wouldn’t it be great to be able to run a fan in the hot weather? Or to add some heat and lighting in the winter months? A spot of music when doing mat-work can help lift your spirits, and watching a DVD can help get through a tiring routine. Your choice, but factor it in when you’re planning everything.
Floor Protection
You don’t need to spend a bunch of money once you’ve got this far, but you will need to protect the floor. Some heavy-duty rubber mats should offer proper protection against dropped weights and be more comfortable when you work out.
Shed Security
Finally, make sure that all your hard work and expensive exercise equipment is kept safe from light fingered intruders. At the very least, ensure the shed door shuts correctly and that the locks on the door are robust enough.
If the shed has windows, close the blinds when you are not indoors to stop prying eyes being able to see what’s inside.
You could fit a security alarm or motion sensors linked to security lighting. Just do what it takes to keep your property safe and secure.
When your shed home gym is in your backyard, you can start your workout straight away. No messing around pulling all your gym kit together; no fighting your way through the traffic to reach a fitness center. No waiting to use some equipment.
Having your gym in your backyard means you can get stuck into a workout straight away whenever the mood takes you.
It’s a convenient, fun, and easy way to work out.
If you’ve got a large enough shed in your backyard, or are intending to buy one or build your own, there is no time like the present - start now.
Good luck.