As we are all spending more and more time at home, there has never been a more apt time to invest some money into creating your very own outdoor gym. Outdoor gyms are certainly an investment but you won’t regret it – you will be able to have an easy and accessible space to work out and stay fit and will find yourself more motivated to move your body because you don’t have to walk all the way to your local gym.
Outdoor gyms are a great idea as you can breathe in the fresh air of your garden rather than the sweaty and air-conditioned air of the gym! It’s also an invaluable asset to be able to work out in your own space – no more feeling self-conscious whilst lifting weights!
Invest in the Right Equipment
It’s important that you invest in the right equipment for your outdoor gym. Before you buy your equipment, ask yourself some essential questions. Do you like to lift weights or do you prefer body weight exercises? Are you comfortable with an outdoor gym with just weight-based machines or do you want to incorporate a cardio machine into the mix?
Think about your regular gym routine and how you like to exercise when you have all the equipment you could possibly need around you. Think about the machines you spend the most time with and the ones you notice the biggest benefits from – these should be the machines you decide to invest in.
Gym equipment often has a high price tag, so you want to make sure you’ve thought through your decision before you splurge. Many people might be comfortable with an outdoor gym with just the essential basics – some weights, some resistance bands and perhaps a dumbbell or two. Other people might want to invest in some fancier resistance-based training machines or perhaps a treadmill or other cardio based machine.
Think About Your Surfaces
It’s essential that you think about the flooring for your outdoor gym. You want the floor to look appealing in your garden. For example, if you want to have an outdoor dinner party and clear your gym equipment away, you don’t want to be left with ugly flooring that is an eyesore. A great idea would be to go for composite decking.
Composite decking is attractive, good quality and long lasting. Ecoscape UK provides great composite decking boards – these boards have an anti-stain technology and durable design meaning that they not only look great but are durable through any weather condition, making them perfect for any outdoor gym. Visit Ecoscape’s website for more information about composite decking.
Invest in a Good Quality Mirror
Anyone who knows about the gym knows the importance of mirrors in strength-based training. When you are lifting heavy weights, it’s essential that you maintain the correct form otherwise you risk pulling a muscle. If you are repeatedly lifting weights with incorrect form, you could end up doing lasting damage to your joints which simply isn’t worth it!
Having a mirror in a gym means that you can watch yourself as you lift heavy weight, checking that you are maintaining the correct posture and are doing everything in a safe manner. In most gardens you will have a brick wall or fence – consider installing a mirror onto a surface like this so that you can keep an eye on your form whilst you are working out.
Protect Your Equipment
It’s essential to protect your equipment in an outdoor gym, both from thieves and from the elements. There are a number of ways that you can do this. Small gym items like weights and dumbbells can be locked away in a shed overnight. You can also buy treadmills with wheels that you can easily wheel back into your home if you’re worried about them being taken in the night.
As for the weather, rust and UV light are your two enemies and you want to do your best to protect your equipment from these two things. You can do this easily by purchasing some rain proof covers for your gym equipment and making sure they are covered up when you are not using them. As well as purchasing a cover, make sure that you maintain your machines – this means having a check for rust every few months and cleaning and removing any rust that you find before it starts to spread.
An outdoor gym is certainly a big investment but you will no doubt find that it pays off in the end. Gym memberships are notoriously expensive and if you are into keeping your fitness up, over time you will find yourself saving money that you otherwise would have spent on a gym membership. If you’re looking for some ideas for how to get started with setting up your own outdoor gym, then take some tips from this article and start transforming your outdoor space! Thanks to ecoscapeuk.co.uk for consulting.
