Turn Your Garage into a Gym

If you’re like a lot of people, you want to get into better shape. You might want to lose a few pounds, add some muscle, and get healthier in general. A great way to meet those goals is by turning your garage into a gym.

When you have a gym in your garage, you no longer need to worry about any of those common excuses you might have about going to the gym. It won’t be crowded, you don’t have to find parking, and you can feel comfortable. The gym will be right there when you need it.

Step One: What Size Gym Can You Fit into the Garage?

People often store a lot of their personal items in the garage, which could mean you’re working with limited space.

Install an elliptical trainer in your garage? What a great idea!

Install an elliptical trainer in your garage? What a great idea!

Are you going to keep a lot of those personal items in the garage? Do you have a workbench, or do you need to store the car in the garage? All these things will affect how much space you have for your gym.

One of the best ways to maximize the available space is to consider wall storage. You could opt for a vertical bike rack, for example, or you could use a slatwall to get more wall storage.

Before you get too excited and start buying fitness machines and equipment, consider what you will need and how you will arrange it in the garage. You’ll want to make sure you get it right the first time since many pieces of gym equipment are heavy and difficult to move.

Consider a mirror wall in your garage.

Having a wall mirror can be a good idea. It’s popular for gyms to help people ensure they have the correct form while exercising. It could be a nice addition to your garage, as well.

Step Two: Prep the Garage to Become a Gym

This picture shared by BoxJunkies shows an in-garage gym. the owners decided to had a TV and other commodities.

Check out this picture from BoxJunkies that shows a garage gym. The equipment, TV, and fridge make it a nice place to be.

Once you figure out how you want to set up the garage, you can move forward with any renovations that need to be done. Consider how the different parts of the garage will be used for the gym and in the future. Then, you can determine how much work will be required.

You might need to add a power outlet for any training machines that need to be plugged in or to add a television.

If you do need to add more power outlets, you’ll need to do some electrical work.

Ideally, you’ll have a professional electrician take care of this for you. This way, you can be sure it’s done correctly and safely. After all, you don’t want to have an electrical fire in your garage.

You can handle other, smaller renovation jobs on your own. You can take care of painting, adding some new storage units, adding a mirror, etc. Some, for example, might want to add a drop ceiling to their garage, which can look nice. It’s important to properly insulate if you do this. Otherwise, you could end up with a mouse problem.

If you have a solid finished ceiling rather than beams, you can add some storage to the ceiling. This blog from BLACK+DECKER can show you how to install it properly.

Step Three: Flooring

What type of floor will you have in the garage gym?

An epoxy garage floor. Picture by AllGarageFloors.

Here’s an epoxy garage floor from AllGarageFloors.

Since you already have concrete flooring in the garage, you are certain that it can handle the weight of your exercise equipment. While this is true since the floor can support the weight of a car or truck, it isn’t always the best solution.

Concrete doesn’t handle impacts well in many cases. It could crack, chip, and start to deteriorate over time. Just a few months of dealing with weights and other exercise equipment can take a toll on the garage floor.

Concrete is also cold in the winter, which will make it more difficult to keep the temperatures at a pleasant level. You don’t want to shiver when you’re working out. You have three good options for your flooring.

  1. Epoxy or Polyurea

    You might want to have an epoxy or polyurea coating that’s installed by a professional. These types of floors are waterproof, they are solid, and they can handle impacts well. It will also provide the garage floor with a nice shine. The coatings will help the floor to last longer and continue looking good.

    Having a waterproof floor is a good idea. Garages often have a lot of humidity, which can lead to mold. If you want to make it a place where you can comfortably work out, using waterproof materials is always a good idea. You can also add a dehumidifier, which can provide some added help.

  2. Rubber Training Mat

    Here’s a simple option that can work well. Rubber training mats that have a texture to them will be comfortable to walk on and work out on, and they even help your equipment stick to the ground. You don’t want your free weights rolling everywhere.

    Additionally, the padding from the rubber training mat will help to reduce the risk of falling. They will also help to reduce noise if you drop a dumbbell on the floor by mistake.

    You’ll find that having mats for your exercises will be far more comfortable than trying to do them on concrete.

    Looking for other floor mat ideas? The Best Flooring Options for Your Home Gym from Men’s Health has some great options.

  3. Carpet

    You could also use carpeting or rugs on the garage floor for your gym, although it’s not the best out of the three options. If you are going to use carpet, you want to make sure that you opt for is durable and tightly woven. This will ensure it can hold your gear and weights, and it will provide you with the stability needed for exercising.

    Although a carpet could be used, it does tend to get dirty over time. It will need to be cleaned or replaced. Additionally, rugs aren’t waterproof. Not only will they absorb sweat and spilled water, but any dampness that gets into the carpet allows mold to start growing.

    Carpets do help to keep the garage warmer during the winter. However, a small electric heater could do an even better job, and you don’t have to worry about the other problems carpet has.

Equipment can weigh a ton. You need to have solid flooring if you don't want to break it after only a month.

Exercise equipment is heavy. You need to have solid flooring that won’t break under the weight.

Step Four: Aeration

When you’re working out, you need to have plenty of cool, fresh air. Always consider the air quality in the gym to ensure it’s a pleasant place to work out. This might mean adding air conditioning, a dehumidifier, or a fan, for example.

Dehumidifiers are a great choice. When you exercise, you are increasing the humidity in the gym. You can find many options on the market that could work for your needs including this garage ventilation system from Humidex. It will let you monitor the air quality, help to reduce mold, and it’s durable enough to be in the gym.

If the winters get cold where you live, a portable heater, as mentioned, is a nice addition.

Step Five: Insulation

You need to make sure your garage is insulated properly. It’s better for the temperature in the garage, your energy costs, your health, and the longevity of your exercise equipment.

When you insulate the garage, it will help to keep the temperatures comfortable, and it will reduce the amount of noise coming into or out of the garage. If you work out early in the morning or late at night, having insulation helps make sure you don’t wake everyone in the house.

Take some time to look for holes and cracks along the walls inside and outside of the garage. These can let in cold air and pests. Fill the spaces with polyurethane foam or fiberglass insulation. Mice don’t like chewing on those materials, so it can keep them out.

If the garage walls have insulation, but the door isn't so well insulated, you will still have some trouble.

This garage door is a Vog design, 9' x 7', Black color, with a window layout: Left-side Harmony.

Here is a modern garage door design Vog, 9' x 7', Black, with a window layout: Left-side Harmony, for lots of daylight.

There are many types of insulated garage doors available today. You can opt for those with no insulation, R-12, or R-16 insulation, for example. Insulation is calculated in R-value. Lower values have less insulation, while higher values have more insulation. Walls in the house will range from R-13 to R-21. Roofs will often have R-40 insulation.

If the walls in your garage are insulation, as they should be, you will want an insulated garage door, too. This will help to ensure that the garage temperature can remain stable.

Keep in mind that proper installation is essential for great insulation. Not only will the door be important, but so will all the various components, including weatherstripping and gaskets. Everything needs to be properly installed. You need to have a door that is energy efficient.

Full insulation is a major advantage if you have an attached garage, or if you have a sleeping area on the second story of the garage. After all, you don’t want to lose heat, which could push your energy bills higher.

You can find ways to reduce your electricity and heating bills with your garage door. You need to have quality weatherstripping, for starters. This will be used to fill the spaces between the walls and the door. You can find different types of weatherstripping.

You could also find garage doors that have weatherstripping between the panels. This is called the InterLokTM joint, and you will only find it on Garaga’s doors. This helps to ensure the door is sealed against cold winds.

You will need to consider a few other things about the garage door insulation, as well. This includes bottom weatherstripping, a seal on the floor like a Storm Shield threshold, and window seals.

Floor seals are helpful if the garage entrance is cracked or uneven. It will ensure that rain doesn’t get into the garage. You might also want to consider a rubber threshold, which is helpful during the winter. It will help prevent ice formation under the weatherstripping. Without it, the ice could stick the door to the floor.

Step 6: Windows

Would you like to add some more natural light to the garage? It’s better for working out and it will make the garage a more enjoyable place to be. Instead of putting new windows in the walls, consider, choosing a new garage door that already has windows.

You can find a range of types of windows. The type and number of windows that you choose will depend on the privacy level you want in the garage. You can choose where you want the windows on your door and how many you would like.

What if you already have a garage door that doesn’t have windows? You can still get some natural light into your garage without needing a new door. We can change out some of the panels on the door and add the windows you need. Check out this article about adding windows to an existing door for more info.

A New Garage Door Might Be in Order

At Portes Ram Doors, we can help you get the perfect new garage door. We have a range of styles and colours that could work well for your needs. Check out the models and colors with the Design Centre tool!

After you have an idea of what you want, you can get a free quote by email.

This garage door is a Classic CC design, 9' x 7', Ice White color, with 4 lite Orion windows.

What do you think about this garage door? It’s is a Classic CC design, 9' x 7', in Ice White color, with 4 lite Orion windows.

Are you having trouble deciding? Contact us at 613-749-2138.

We’re ready to help you find what you need.

All you need to do now is get your gym equipment into the garage, so you can start working out.

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