WORKING OUT AT HOME

Curate a workout space that doesn’t dominate your scheme

Ah, the gym. Once a place of escape, routine, sweat and tears – as that HIIT instructor helped us find those muscles we never knew we had – has, like many things since we had to stay home, moved in with us. Jennifer Morgan explores whether we’ll keep up our membership post lockdown

The gym has come home: living rooms have become dance studios, weights are part of the bedroom furniture and exercise bikes have been liberated from their former role as makeshift clothes horses. But the home gym seems one habit that we are looking to keep up – even make more permanent – as we head back to ‘normal’. A recent survey of 2,000 Brits by Comparethemarket.com found almost 19 per cent would add a gym to their home life if money wasn’t an issue.

But if you’re struggling to get that workout/home balance right, then there are a few things you can try. ‘One of the reasons in-person fitness classes and gyms are so effective is because they give you a space where you are encouraged to turn your phone off and be present,’ says Kinsey Livingston, VP of partnerships at Classpass (classpass.com). ‘Physical spaces help you to take a break from outside things that demand your attention, such as email or social media, and focus on your workout. The same goes for a home gym; by designating a corner of your home for fitness, you create a space that helps you to stay focused and be deliberate in your actions.’

‘It’s important that your living space can still function as that,’ says Steve Virtue, fitness development manager at Total Fitness (totalfitness.co.uk), ‘but if you are limited on space, see what furniture or things you can move temporarily to create your own at-home gym. Having an area of a room that’s exclusively for exercise will help keep you motivated, and the brilliant thing is you can just move things back when you return to the gym.’ You don’t need to buy expensive equipment either, Steve adds, though there’s one must-have: ‘A exercise mat is essential as it protects you from the floor and makes exercising more comfortable.’

There are other ways you can bring the gym in, thanks to the many virtual workout classes that have boomed in the last year. ‘These are a great way to find out what works for you at home before you invest in kit,’ says Kinsey. ‘Classpass allows you to sample Pilates, yoga, boxing strength training and more… then you can invest in a pair of kettlebells, a yoga mat or at-home bike once you determine which you enjoy most at home. Livestream classes are the perfect way of bringing the social energy of in-person classes into your living room. You can even turn on your camera if you feel comfortable, adding accountability. Or try inviting a friend to join you virtually on a class so you can catch up remotely.’

‘The great thing about establishing a yoga space in your own home is that you have complete authority over the set-up,’ says yoga teacher Nikki Timney (monayoga. co.uk). ‘Things like lighting, candles and music are all within your control and can be used to make the space even more relaxing and enjoyable to practice in. I teach and practice yoga in my living room, simply because it’s the biggest room in the house. I store my mat in a tall basket when not in use, and when it’s time for my practice I just roll it out, put on a Spotify playlist and get moving.’ Nikki recommends thinking about the type of floor that the room has – ‘hard floors can be helpful for balancing, but might feel too rough on your knees when in poses like low lunge’ – and how much space you have around your mat: ‘Some poses can be a bit wobbly, so we want to make sure we aren’t at risk of falling into anything!’

‘As our members have shown, a home gym comes in many forms and not necessarily in a dedicated room,’ says Ben Alldis, Peloton cycling and strength instructor (onepeloton.co.uk).

‘The footprint of a Peloton bike is 1.2mx60cm, so it’s more compact than many people think. Some of our classes incorporate arm sections using weights and you need to allow space around the bike so you can raise your arms to the sides. You will also need Wi-fi to access our classes, although you can also use an

Ethernet connection.’

If you’re still not sold on the living room

or bedroom gym, then there are other options, including converting a shed or garage or a dedicated outdoor building. Checkatrade.com revealed searches for ‘garage conversions’ increased by 60 per cent year-onyear between January 2020 and January 2021. Checkatrade estimates that the average home gym costs around £5,000, depending on size of space, amount and quality of equipment, location and any structural work needed.

Mark Reynolds, owner of Wemakegyms. com, says that while you can adapt any space in your home, there may be some restrictions on equipment. ‘Those looking for a fully functioning cardio and strength gym will need space with at least 2.4m ceiling heights. But we can be extremely clever with space and one piece of equipment that works for those with limited room is a “fitness wall”. This can incorporate hooks/bars to attach resistance bands, suspension training apparatus as well as cable pulleys, battle rope pulleys or medicine ball. Another great option is to have a wallmounted folding squat rack for compound power exercises with an Olympic bar and weight plates for squats and other strength exercise patterns.’

Flooring needs to be padded or rubber, to absorb noise and keep equipment stable. ‘A steady flow of fresh air/ air conditioning is a must,’ says Mark, ‘not only to keep you at an optimal temperature while working out, but to ventilate your space, too. A lack of free-flowing air can, over time, cause a musty “gym” smell.’ And don’t forget the tech. ‘Fit a wall-mounted flat screen smart TV (to allow you to tune into online classes and Zoom PT sessions) and either good built-in speakers or standalone Wi-fi speakers with Bluetooth so you can connect with your home network and/or your wireless headphones,’ says Mark.

Stylist and writer Louise O’bryan loves her morning workouts in her garage. ‘In the first lockdown, we cleared out the space. Then we painted the breeze block walls in a masonry paint, used a non-slip garage floor paint and stuck down rubber floor tiles. We put up a TV to watch on-demand sessions, set up a training bike and added a selection of free weights.

‘Before lockdown I had a gym membership and used it a few times a week at lunchtimes,’ adds Louise. ‘Now I’ve given up that membership and use our home gym every morning before homeschooling/ work starts. You’d never have seen me heading to the gym early in the morning, but now our home gym is just downstairs, it’s a breeze and I’m much more motivated. A big bonus is that my daughter also uses it to do kid-friendly workouts.’

So, will you be signing up to your own at-home gym membership? With on-demand classes so popular, the way in which we’re flexing our homes to suit our needs and the convenience, it’s hard to see us ditching at-home exercise completely. As Kinsey says, ‘It’s likely that many people will embrace a hybrid workout routine even once they return to studios. For example, they may stick with home workouts for some HIIT and yoga classes and head back to studios for equipment-heavy workouts – or to get a chance to workout again with friends in person!’