Home gyms in small spaces: How to fit exercise equipment into the tiniest of homes
You don't need massive amounts of space to do a home workout.
I am someone who has always enjoyed exercise. I was sporty in school and I’m not great at sitting still for too long, so I prefer active holidays over lying on the beach (I can never get a tan anyway).
That said — I hate the gym. I exercise because I like getting outdoors, because I want to feel good, and because I enjoy a little casual competition.
I do not like the culture of “pain is gain”, I’m too disorganised to commit to classes at specific times, and I resent hanging around waiting for exercise equipment to become available.
So over the last few years, while I deeply sympathise with gym staff and owners struggling to keep their businesses going, I was also happy to see an increase in online workouts available that I can do from the comfort of my own home at times that suit me.
The only issue was equipment. The last thing I want is a clunky exercise bike taking up space and gathering dust in my house.
You do not need equipment to work out from home — even strength exercises can be done effectively with body weight alone.
That said, sometimes equipment can make exercise easier. Personally, I find if something looks good then it makes me want to use it!
The issue, of course, is that equipment takes up space — and often does not look good.
There is a huge market available to anyone who is up to the task of creating well-designed home workout equipment (I’ll be your first customer), but in the meantime here are the items that I have found work best for me.
I will add a huge caveat here — I am not an exercise guru. I don’t follow a strict regime and what suits me may not suit everyone. The equipment that I like to have is affordable and either makes my workout easier or more fun, is easy to store, or looks good in my home.
The most versatile and useful (in my opinion) piece of exercise equipment in my home is an exercise mat.
I love doing quick yoga workouts whenever I find the time — I use a free app called Down Dog and I love it. Mats are a great substitute for weights benches and are extra useful if you have hard flooring. They are pretty easy to store so you don’t have to splash out on a beautiful one — really anything that you find comfortable will do just fine.
However, aesthetics can play a role in motivation and enjoyment when exercising, and personally, I find I am much more likely to jump on the mat and do a quick session when it’s already laid out.
I bought a terrazzo-print mat by DOIY Design from April and the Bear (aprilandthebear.com) a couple of years ago and it’s so pretty that I usually leave it rolled out.
If you have the money and want to invest in both a great mat and a beautiful piece of art, I highly recommend the stunning Flowstate yoga mats designed by Irish artist Maser (flowstate.ie).
Etsy.ie is another great place to find more mats designed by local artists.
If you’re someone who hates the feeling of a rubber mat under your feet, check out the merino wool mats made in Clare by Kenny Woolen Mills (kennywoollenmills.com).
Resistance bands are fantastic for weight and stability training, and basically, take up no space at all. They are super affordable and highly versatile. They come in a range of colours and strengths, so you can choose your own adventure.
The ones I use most are a set from Bodylastics — they are long bands with hooks on each end, which allows me to attach them to doors or handles for more varied exercises.
I’ve had these for years, and when I want to focus on strength training I follow a Stronglifts 5x5 programme (available for free online) which is created for lifting weights but is easy to adapt to resistance bands.
For more targeted strength training, or for stability training, I use loop resistance bands.
I have a set of Body Sculpture bands that I picked up in Elvery’s for less than €20.
Because bands are so easy to put away, I don’t bother spending money on pretty ones — get whatever fits your budget and easily put them out of sight when you’re done! For combined stability and strength training I follow a programme on an app called Evlo, which I love.
I hate running. My preferred cardio workout is swimming, but I don’t have a private pool in my house (someday…).
When it comes to at-home cardio workouts, you can simply run up the stairs a few times (if you have them) or do some jumping jacks on the spot.
You can also find some great aerobics or dance classes online — I absolutely adore Retroglow’s fun 80s-themed aerobics workouts (retroglowstudios.com).
However, my favourite at-home cardio workout is the simple skipping rope. It’s so easy to put away, and you can have lots of fun trying out new tricks.
You can skip while watching TV or while dinner is in the oven — any time you have a few spare minutes, a skipping rope is a fun and easy way to get your heart pumping.
I have a leather skipping rope which was €10 in Decathlon and is a good option if you have flooring that can be easily damaged.
A key consideration is that your rope length is short enough to not hit your ceiling! If you’re tall or you have low ceilings, check out cordless skipping ropes as an effective alternative.
Balance balls (or exercise balls) are those large blow-up balls that are really excellent for pilates, yoga, and other strength and stability workouts.
For me, they are too big. Sure, they can be deflated and stored away, but that’s too much effort for me. Instead, I use a stack of pillows from my couch and that works just fine for my workouts.
That said, balance balls can be useful as chairs — if you are someone who spends a lot of time sitting at a desk, swapping in a balance ball for periods can help you engage your stabilising muscles and combat slouched posture.
They are available in almost all sports shops and online and there’s not much difference between them — just find the right height and a colour you like.
If you want to buy an all-in-one set of equipment that won’t take up much space but also looks great, my absolute favourite are the kits from Bala (shopbala.com).
These are sets of weights, mats, bands, and ropes with a fun retro design that I absolutely love. They’re not cheap, but I’m so enamoured with the design that I feel they’re worth it.
I hope more companies follow their lead and create beautifully designed, sleek equipment that doesn’t take up space and looks good enough to use!
- Got a question for Jennifer Sheahan? Email home@examiner.ie
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
