How to integrate gym equipment into a home gym design

Gym equipment and home gyms

Creating a home gym has numerous advantages, not least the ease and convenience of having your own training facility, no matter how small, ready for use whenever time allows, even if only for 20 minutes. It may be a 20-minute workout you would otherwise not have done. So that’s a big WIN in our book.

Beyond that, creating a dedicated space for your training regime at home opens up opportunities to curate the experience, reflecting your own personal tastes in training style, decor and equipment. 

We offer a complete home gym design service and equipment packages, whether it be a 15sqm room or a 200sqm garden, each tailored to specific training style and preferences so we’ve learnt some lessons along the way.

See here for our guide to designing a luxury home gym.

Home gym equipment & sustainability

When designing with sustainability in mind for example, we consider not just the type of training a home gym is intended for, and therefore the type of equipment required, but also what that equipment is made from, where it is made and whether it has a natural aesthetic. 

We also integrate eco-friendly flooring and/or mats using cork, eco-rubber and in some instances even authentic Japanese tatami made from rice straw.

Cardio machine options for a home gym design

There are now various options when it comes to design-led cardio machines, from sustainable wood rowers to manually powered treadmills. 

The latter in particular have become an increasingly common site in commercial gyms of late, with Woodway’s Curve competing with the Nohrd Sprintbok and Technogym Skillmill for the top spot

These can be a drain on budget however, especially a treadmill that typically costs between Eur 10,000 - Eur 15,000 for a new model, while spin bikes and rowers are priced around Eur 3000. 

You should find a Woodway Curve for a little less though, so check that one out. Or just buy a rain jacket for running!

Selecting dumbbells for a home gym

Depending on your budget, a number of design-led options are on offer when it comes to choosing a set of dumbbells as well.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a standard set of ‘hex’ dumbbells, ranging from 2kg for lighter mobility drills and shadow boxing for example, right the way up to 30kg + depending on your strength and size. 

There are low cost options of around Eur 500 - Eur 1000 for full sets. Such weights are a staple of every home gym and will likely be a foundation stone in your workouts. For some people, there is no need to look any further.

For those with an eye for design and space in their home gym budget to upgrade, a more refined aesthetic can come into play, with sustainable walnut wood finishes, high-grade stainless steel metal and artisanal craftsmanship. 

Here we typically recommend choosing specific weights rather than simply buying the whole rack, partly to save space in your home gym but also for budget efficiencies. By way of indication, Hock Design’s LOFT dumbbells retail for Eur 500 >  Eur 1000 a pair.

Functional fitness equipment for a home gym

For functional fitness and the primary lifts, we might suggest a small rig 10kg short and 20kg long Olympic bars, a full set of high-spec weight plates, a hex bar and some suitably hard-wearing, sound-absorbing gym flooring panels underfoot so as not to disturb the neighbors!

Throw in some tough medicine balls from Onnit, a Swiss ball, gymnastic rings or a TRX, two sizes of sandbag, and two pairs of kettlebells at your preferred weights for single and double arm drills should set you up nicely.

Functional fitness equipment can also be some of the most cost efficient budget wise, allowing for endless training options and movements at a fairly low cost.

Martial arts equipment for a home gym

For martial artists, we would include a vintage leather Bulgarian bag in two different weights for a variety of functional movements, swings and lifts. 

A 4ft or 5ft vintage leather boxing bag personalized with your name embossed on one side can be a nice touch as well as matching pair of pad gloves and a medicine ball for core work. 

A pair of Hock designer push-up bars for those all important chest strength movements so popular in Oriental martial arts schools and a high-spec leather / walnut wood skipping rope complete the set. 

Mobility equipment in a home gym

Finally, no serious gym set-up would be complete today without a generous allowance for active recovery, mobility training, self-myofascial release and basic stretching, yoga, pilates and other ground-based flexibility practices.

We favour an extra thick eco-rubber yoga mat, a variety of foam rollers and mobility balls In different hardnesses, if possible a pair of wall bars and a set of resistance bands.

Be sure to check out our home gym design course here or contact us for consultancy services on a 1-on-1 basis.