How To Organize An amazing Home Gym on A Budget

It’s 5:30 am and I’m freezing. I know I need to work out today or I’ll regret it…but I reeeeealllllyyyyy don’t want to. I took the time to lay my clothes out last night, and they’re staring at me from the kitchen counter. “Get going!” they shout.

This is a little trick I learned a few years back to help cue me to get my butt moving in the morning. I still have to play a million little games with myself to get this job done most days. I look out the window again and I have to make a decision:

Do I go outside to scrape the snow and ice off of my car? Or do I go to the basement and just use my home gym?

Why You Should Organize A Home Gym

I think for a lot of us, working out is something we know we need to do to feel our best, but it may not necessarily be the NUMBER ONE THING we want to do with our time. When we aren’t driven to workout simply for the love of sweat… sometimes it takes a little creative strategizing to make fitness fun and motivating enough to keep us going.

Some things come easily to me, but keeping a handle on my fitness and nutrition quite frankly do not.

I vividly remember sitting on top of a tall stack of hay bales (former farm girl) and contemplating whether I should jump off and try to break my leg to avoid the mile run in sixth grade PE.

Dramatic, but true.

I’ve always been more of an “exercise your mind” type person.

Then… I had babies. And I want to be around for them. I know I need to work out to feel good and be healthy and set a good example for them.

Also, I need to button my jeans.

So I try to exercise.

Sometimes, I’m on fire: Orange Theory Fitness 4x a week! Half Marathon training! Other times, I struggle. I somehow manage to justify spending my dedicated workout hour scrolling through my social media feed.

Out of necessity, I have a lot of tools in my arsenal for keeping me going when I’m really not feeling it.

One of the best things I’ve ever done for myself is create a back-up plan (which was to organize a home gym).

If I sleep in late, or the kids are sick, or my car windshield is frozen and I can’t deal, I can go to the basement. It’s not much, but it has everything I need to get the job done.

I tend to find excuses…and having a home gym eliminates a lot of them.

Redefining Home Gym

When I used to think “home gym” I pictured a full setup with a weight rack, lots of home gym equipment, and a large space dedicated solely to working out.

I was lucky enough to have that in our last house, and it was awesome!

Then we downsized. And we didn’t have room in our new home for me to organize a gym. At least I didn’t think we did.

Still…I knew that finding a nook that could at least serve as a space to store the treadmill would be worth the effort.

After considering a few different areas of our floor plan, I found a spare corner in the basement that I thought might work.

I started with just a treadmill. But then, in typical fashion, the project spiraled.

I’m always on the hunt for ways to repurpose items, so I gathered up the odds and ends that hadn’t yet found a home in our new house and got to work. I’m talking cast-offs from the upstairs bathroom remodel, lonely planters in the garage, and a random etagere that wouldn’t fit elsewhere.

Today I’m going to share the 5 steps I used to organize a diy home gym in the corner of our basement.

With a little creativity, it doesn’t have to be an expensive project. Perhaps it will spark some ideas if it’s something you’ve been considering too!

An Easy 5 Step Process To Help You Organize A Home Gym

Step 1 | Determine Your Home Gym Needs

What home gym equipment do you already have that you will need to store and organize?

Which gym equipment do you hope to purchase in the future?

Planning is the most important step. If you mostly like to do yoga at home, you will need much less space than someone who has a lot of cardio equipment to house.

Make a list of all the things you will need to incorporate into your home gym space. I’ve included a free checklist of some of my favorite gym equipment to get you started!

Mark off what you think you would like to have (even if you don’t have everything yet).

It’s a lot easier to plan for the maximum amount of space you might need now than to set up your gym and have to move it later.

Start small and build your way up. If budget is a concern, start scouring Craigslist and FaceBook Marketplace for “treadmill” or “gym equipment”. You’d be surprised at how often people give away or steeply discount exercise equipment because they don’t want to deal with the hassle of moving it. You can find great deals if you are willing to find some friends to help you go pick it up!

I recently received a set of 3 sandbag duffle bags to review from a brand called Elite Sports, and if you are looking for HEAVY weights, an option like this is a great way to get something heavy for home use at a much lower price point. The thing I like about these is that they are still just as functional for at home weight lifting- but because the sand is removable, you’re not paying for shipping.

Step 2 | Scout Your Perfect Gym Location

When you’re ready to organize a home gym, walk through your home and look carefully at the spaces you have to work with.

Where can you find a pocket of room for the items you listed in Step 1?

Home Gym Location Tips:

• Choose a place that’s out of the way if possible
  • This doesn’t mean you need a separate room, it just means that you don’t want your gym equipment blocking the flow of traffic
• Pick a suitable environment for your preferred form of exercise
  • Do a lot of jumping during your 5am workouts? Don’t choose a room directly above anyone who will be sleeping. Ask me how I know…
  • Hoping for a place to develop your Zen yoga practice? Steer clear of distraction zones.
  • Want to do pull ups and wall ball exercises? Choose a room with the high overhead clearance.

Home Gym Locations to Consider

• Guest Room– Lots of potential storage possibilities in closet and/or under the bed.
• Basement– Finished and unfinished both work great. Just put down an old rug, carpet remnant, or interlocking mats if needed.
• Living Room– Is there spare space in your tv console for a mat, weights, etc.? The living room is great if you like to stream workout videos- the TV is already there!
• The Garage– Depending on how well insulated your garage is, this can be a great place to set up a home gym.
• Home Office– If you have a home office, it is probably already a place that is set up the way you like it. Why not add a station for your exercise equipment too?
• Master Bedroom– If you aren’t trying to workout while someone is sleeping, this can be a great option. It’s already an “out of the way space” and there is often space under a bed or in a closet that can store and conceal small home workout equipment items.

Step 3 | Put It Together

Once you have a plan in place, get to work!

1. Bring all of the equipment you have/want to use and place them in the area.
2. Clean the area; sweep + mop the floors and wipe down the equipment. Might as well have a fresh start!
3. Lay down a rug, carpet or mats to define the space. This isn’t necessary, but it feels nice. You can always add one in later.
4. Decide where the best place will be to store each item.
   • If it’s a dedicated “gym” space, it can be great to use an inexpensive bookcase or shelving unit to display and organize your weights, bottled water, exercise plans, mats, and small pieces of equipment.
   • Industrial wire shelving makes great gym storage!
5. Check you garage/storage room for old hooks, baskets, shelves, and containers that you can repurpose. In my gym, for example, I mounted old deck planters to the studs (gardening isn’t my strong suit). Surprisingly, they make perfect vertical storage units for my yoga mats and foam rollers!

Add A Mirror

Consider mounting a mirror or two to up the gym factor. Again, I reused one from a bathroom we remodeled upstairs. Check your local Habitat ReStore or salvage yard for inexpensive used mirrors, or mount multiple inexpensive door mirrors like in the example below.

Photo Source | In My Own Style

Use Hooks To Make Use of Wall Space

Hooks can be great for hanging resistance bands, jump ropes, and other lightweight items. They keep them visible, organized, and tangle free and are essential when you want to organize a home gym!

I used these heavy duty S-Hooks from Walmart (I’m using them everywhere lately, TBH. More on that in another post).

Ikea also has a lot of inexpensive wall mounted hooks that I really love using.

Include A Place For Inspiration

Finally, make a place for inspiration.

I opted to hang an orphaned black felt bulletin board, which turned out to be the perfect space for me to post workouts and motivating photos/quotes.

In my last gym, I painted the wall with chalkboard paint and used the space to record my progress. If you have mirrors, you can also write directly on the surface with dry erase markers!

Another great option would be to mount your vision board prominently in this area. Is there a place where we need motivation more?

Above all, make this a space you love. A place that “sparks joy” and makes you feel a little lift when you’re in it.

Make it fun, make it pretty, make it perfect for YOU!

Step 4 |Use It

This sounds like common sense, but it bears repeating. What’s the point in going to all this effort if the space is just going to collect dust?

The point of creating a home gym is to USE IT. Whether it’s every day or as a backup… make sure you have a plan in place to make it happen.

As is true of any gym “I’ll just do whatever I feel like” isn’t going to do you well. You need to have a solid plan for home gym days.

Home Gym Exercise Plans

You Tube

There are gazillions of free workouts available on YouTube. Do a little research about what is trending in the discipline you enjoy. I like Yoga With Adriene for yoga practices, and have followed many a ToneIt up video on days at home.

For more inspiration, this article from Women’s Health magazine has a list of some of the Best YouTube Workouts to try.

Join a Subscription Service

One of the easiest ways to get started in home fitness is a paid subscription workout service. You can stream workouts to do in the comfort of your own home. If you have a SmartTv, it’s easy to stream them straight from your handheld device to a big screen.

Most are completely on demand, like BeachBody OnDemand.

I’ve heard great things about Alexia Clark’s program, which has great workouts and a fun vibe.

I really like The Class for it’s focus on mindfulness, breathwork and variety of offerings.

Print a Plan

The beauty of a printed plan is that you can reuse it over and over. Repetition makes it easy and knowing what to expect helps you keep going!

I got in the best shape of my life following Kayla Itsines’ Bikini Body Guide (which she has since converted to an app).

Printable plans are great because you can keep a PDF ebook as a document on your phone, and always have it with you for easy reference whether you’re at home or at the gym.

A current alternative would be The Body Boss Tone Guide which I have and enjoy.

Another variation of this idea is to print a training plan if you have an upcoming race or other fitness event. Mark your workouts as you go and keep yourself accountable!

Step 5 | Mix It Up

Your needs will change. What you think will work well… might not. If you’re not using the space and loving it, it could be put to better use.

When you find that you aren’t using your gym (it WILL happen), ask yourself what changes you need to implement to make it a space you want to use.

As you go, continue adding new gym equipment, inspiration, and methods to mix things up and keep it interesting.

When all else fails, a fresh playlist can do wonders for your home workouts! I try to make a new workout playlist a few times a year.

Here is one of my running mixes; I have quite a few others on my Spotify account if you want to follow me! I created my account when I was going through a huge ToneItUp phase, so I’m TIUSuzette!

Whew! That was long, but I wanted to make sure I covered everything.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with. If you organize a home gym, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@suzettegebhardt_creative). I want to see what you’ve accomplished!

I’m so proud of you for taking the time to make this investment in yourself.

You’re worth it!

xoxo,