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Now that the gyms are closed you may think that there is no time and place for you to workout. However, have you considered your backyard? If not, you should think about building your own backyard gym. You may use it only for the duration of the quarantine, but you can keep using it even when this all is over. It’s useful, it’s practical and you can save up some money on expensive gym memberships. However, you will need some smaller investments in order to build your backyard gym, but it will all pay off.
You probably have plenty of room in your backyard to set up the gym, but you don’t have to sprawl it out and take up the entire backyard. You should still leave some space for lounging, cookouts, and gatherings. Laying out the gym in the open is a good idea, it provides you with plenty of space, warm sun, and breath of fresh air. However, it may be more practical to set it up in your shed, in order to protect it from the elements and you can decorate it so it won’t look dull. But, if you do still want to be out in the open, why not, just set it up near the shed so you can easily store your equipment after use and protect it.
No matter where you decided to set up a shop, you should think about flooring options. The choices are numerous, and you can choose from rubber tiles to foam and cork. It will depend on the surface you already have. If you did decide to turn the backyard shed into a gym, you should think about the flooring based on what you need it to absorb – weight or sweat. Foam, for example, doesn’t go good with heavy equipment, and if you consider carpets, you should know that they don’t well under sweat.
On the other hand, if you decided on a more outdoorsy concept and you want to work out outside in the very backyard, you should think about flooring. You can set up the gym on the patio you should consider paving stones as a non-slip flooring option. Plus, it looks great when not in use and provides a bit of decor for your yard. Another option is a rubber playground surface, such as mats or mulch, which will provide nice cushioning.
There is another flooring option and that is your natural grass lawn. However, there are a few things to consider here. Natural lawn often has clumps, tripping hazards and small holes which could be troublesome for exercising. Also, after rain, mud can also become an issue. That is why you should consider setting up a patch of artificial grass in the gym area and stay protected and safe.
Since most backyard gyms are restricted when it comes to space, you should determine how you want to organize it and create balance with cardio and weights. If your goal is to gain some muscles, you don’t need much equipment to turn it into a fully functional gym. A set of dumbbells, a bar, a rach, and some weights will suffice. You can even research some good medicine balls in order to have a more versatile training. Plus, these could come in handy when it comes to some cardio exercises as well.
On the other hand, if you want to do some cardio, you can easily do it out in the open with space you have a do some jumping jacks, mountain climbers, rope jumping and similar exercises. But, if you’d like to have the gym in the backyard shed, then consider a stationary bike or a treadmill.
If you’ve ever wanted to have a sort of a playground for adults, you should consider building a few permanent gym equipment pieces in your backyard gym. You can easily turn a part of your backyard into an outdoor gym that looks like those ones you see at the park. So, try and set up some beams where you can install a pull-up bar. Also, balance beams or climbing domes can be used as workout equipment by you and other adults, while in the meantime, your kids can use them as a playground.
In order to stay motivated and keep using your backyard gym, you have to take care of it. You don’t want it to turn into an unorganized pile of weights that are just going to be a waste of time and investments. Make a concise plan of where you want to put everything and make sure that everything fits. Your free weights should always be on a rack or lined up against the wall so no one could trip over them or they wouldn’t get damaged. Your cardio machines should always fit nicely, and if you can fold them, do that when you don’t want to use them, and use that space for something else. If you have any smaller pieces of equipment, such as skipping ropes and resistance bands, hook those up on the wall, and store the barbells vertically so you save up space.
Every successful training should have time devoted to stretching later on. So, now that you have storage for everything, you should put those weights back at their place so you can have space for stretching. Your muscles need to relax after a workout and make sure to provide a soft surface for that, like a yoga mat. Also, if you have enough room, you can always keep a yoga mat down, surround it with some decorative rocks and even with some candles that you can use and create a zen-like corner in your backyard gym for doing yoga from time to time in order to relax and recover.
We are all sad that gyms are closed for now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have our own gym right at home. Building a backyard gym is always a good idea since you will have your own private gym and you can equip and set it up however you like it.
