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Must-Haves for Your Home Gym

by Sandra Ramani
home gym

Photo credit: Photographee.eu / shutterstock.com

Hotels used to consider fitness an afterthought, leaving your workouts to the mercy of small, understocked gyms that—if you were lucky—stayed open until 6 pm. As clients have become more fitness- and wellness-conscious, though, demanding more options and flexibility, hotels have responded by expanding fitness centers, offering yoga and cardio classes, and even creating workout-friendly guest rooms to make exercising on your own time easier.

InterContinental’s EVEN brand, for example, offers in-room training zones, mounted fitness walls and 19 channels of custom workout videos, while Kimpton hotels stock every room with yoga mats and brands like Omni and Westin outfit select rooms with treadmills or stationary bikes and workout gear.

In the process of making working out more traveler-friendly, hotels are also showing us that it’s possible to get fit no matter how small the space. Taking inspiration from these brands, we’ve put together some tips on designing and stocking a home gym—and collected some useful workout tips along the way.

Pick a Spot

“When creating a home gym, finding the right space—and the right amount of space—can be tricky,” says Lara Shortall, creative director, brand deisgn at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Shortall recommends “choosing a room with windows, so that you will be energized by the natural light coming in.” Kelsey Matheson, co-owner and vice president, Anamaya Resort in Costa Rica, stresses picking an area “that won’t get cluttered with stacks of papers and clothes, or become a storage area when you need to clean up in a hurry. It should be a sacred space that’s only purpose is to encourage and support your health and wellness.”

Set an Intention

As with everything, start with the question, “What is my intention?,” reminds Jordan Holland, owner of Xplore Crossfit, a partner of Kimpton’s Alexis Hotel Seattle. “Determine what you want to get out of the space. Exercise is such a broad term: Should the space be restful? Should it be a place to work out stress? Yoga vs. Crossfit? A place to do cardio and zone out? When it comes to the design, the ‘why’ is going to guide the ‘what.’”


 “When it comes to the design, the ‘why’ is going to guide the ‘what.’”

Get Creative

Now that your intention is determined, it’s time to design. If budget allows for a top-to-bottom redo, be sure to pay attention to flooring and walls. “Flooring can be costly, but it is very important,” says Matheson. For yoga, “hardwood is the best, but cork or laminate that looks like wood are also options. Practicing on carpet is not recommended, as it holds on to dirt, usually smells of glue and other chemicals, and is an uneven surface to practice balancing poses.” For more general workouts, the Element Hotel gyms use a textile-like flooring from Bolon, which is made from a phthalate-free vinyl and helps add a pop of color and nature-inspired pattern to the space.

For the walls, Shortall stresses choosing material and finishes that keep health in mind. “We use Benjamin Moore Regal Select, which is a relatively low-cost, no-VOC paint with excellent wall coverage,” she reveals. “To add a little inspiration,” she adds, “include a quote or mantra on the wall.”

Finally, “space needs aside, do not forget the feel you want the area to have,” says Holland. “If you don’t have windows, choose artwork that is bigger and in line with your desired feeling.” Above all, make it a place you want to be in. “If I don’t like going to the space then I am unlikely to want to get a workout in,” says Jenne Neptune, general manager of the Alexis Hotel, which recently redesigned its gym with “elements that not only make you smile, but can also be used in a lot of different ways to get a great workout.”

Stock it Up

Which brings us to equipment—and back to your intentions. If the space is just for cardio, “put a machine in there, and whatever your zone out choice is (music or a TV), and call it good,” says Holland. She suggests considering a rower or bike instead of a treadmill, both for more diverse workouts and to save space. “Concept 2 makes a rowing machine that stores vertically and has a small footprint when not in use,” she says, while the Assault AirBike is one of “the most brutal full-body training tools” around.

Holland also suggests stocking your gym with versatile items that can be stored away in baskets and drawers. Top picks include:

Dumbbells and kettlebells for weight training

Jump ropes for cardio

A step box for step-ups, lunges and box jumps

Rings, TRX or some other suspension training for upper body and core work

A foam roller, exercise mat and a lacrosse ball for self-massage and mobility work.

Above all, add elements of fun, says Neptune, whose gym features things like monkey bars and hula hoops. “Get creative, because if it’s not appealing to you, you probably won’t do it.”

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