The construction of a gym in the basement requires certain costs. But if you constantly go to a fitness club, with the whole family, then all the financial investments for the arrangement of a home sports complex will pay off quickly enough, and the savings will be obvious.
For example, you do not have to pay for a gym membership and go to a certain place. You will also save a lot of time and will be able to play sports at those moments when it is convenient for you.
Also, the gym in your country house will be an excellent solution for those who are not able to visit the fitness club every day because of its distance.
Not every country house has an attic or a separate living room for a gym. The point is about the strength of the floors because gym machines are quite heavy. That is why more and more homeowners are paying attention to the possibility of equipping a gym in their basement or on the ground floor.
Basement Features
Experts note that in gyms, the temperature should not exceed 20 degrees, because at a higher temperature regime it will be problematic to play sports – a person begins to get tired and his sweat glands are more activated.
This suggests that in the basement it is necessary to put an air conditioner or forced ventilation system that can cool the gym on warm summer days. In general, the issue of ventilation is the main one. In rooms where people are engaged in active physical activity, the air should be completely replaced 5-6 times per hour.
Another important component of a comfortable exercise is high-quality lighting. Fitness trainers often point out that in low and dim lighting a person gets tired quickly.
You should pay attention to the color temperature of the lighting, which should maximally correspond to the natural solar spectrum.
Interior Fit-out
If you are just building a house and already know that you are equipping a gym in the basement, be sure to take into account the fact that many gym machines and sports equipment have significant weight, so they will create an additional load on the foundation.
To improve sound insulation in the basement, it is necessary to lay on the floor some modern non-slippery material that could fulfill the function of an elastic substrate. Polyurethane materials that can be easily found on the market are well suited for this.
Coatings of this type can be laid on any rough floors without additional finishing. Do not spend a lot of time decorating the walls in the gym.
To do this, you can use traditional plaster. Of course, if you have the opportunity, you can finish the walls with better materials. Today on the market you can find many options for decorating the walls of this type of room.
If you have some experience in mounting large mirrors, you can do it yourself. If there are no skills, then let the specialists do the job, because the mirrors are fixed especially on the brackets. Adhesive compositions for fastening large mirrors are not recommended.
It is best to use drywall for the material of the ceiling because with its help it will be possible to hide the laid communications, as well as install spotlights that will completely illuminate the room.
Arrangement of the gym and the advice of professionals
There are several key points that you should pay attention to:
- Before you begin the arrangement of the gym in your basement, you must determine in advance what exercises you are going to do. For example, if you are interested in strength training, then the main part of the room will be occupied by weight training equipment. If you prefer cardio workouts, set up a treadmill or exercise bike.
- Responsibly, it is necessary to approach the choice of flooring. Experts recommend a rubber coating because it is easy to wash if necessary, it is not afraid of mechanical stress (a dropped bar, the legs of exercise machines, etc.).Of course, you can use carpeting, however, you need to take into account the fact that the room will periodically smell unpleasant, and bad smells carpets quickly collect and exude after that.
Linoleum, parquet, laminate flooring in the gym is not worth it. If possible, attention should be paid to cork coverings.
- When choosing a color scheme, you need to concentrate on bright and catchy shades. The gym should energize and be the place where you would like to return.Therefore, it is best to finish the walls and floor in the basement with orange, gold, bright green, red colors, which will help to form a tonic effect.
If the basement is equipped as a hall for yoga and other quiet sports, then the use of catchy shades is excluded. In this case, the choice should be stopped in soft colors. To do this, blue, light green shades are suitable, with which you can create a calm atmosphere.
- The gym in the basement should have an individual ventilation system. With its help, it will be possible to quickly ventilate the room after training, as well as maintain optimal humidity and temperature conditions.The supply and exhaust ventilation, in this case, is not enough, because after occupying several people, it will not be able to cope with such an amount of carbon dioxide.
The best solution is to install a split system of medium power, which can easily cope with such a load. Besides, it will become an excellent decorative decoration and give the gym a professional look.
- Motivational things are not the last element of any gym. Experts recommend hanging various slogans, mottoes, and using professional sports attributes that will allow you to use your strength to the fullest. This gives athletes an additional impetus for training.The gym, equipped in the basement, is a great solution for everyone who likes to play sports, but for some reason cannot attend professional sports clubs.
Microclimate for Comfortable Training
When installing a home gym, you will have to make efforts related to the device of thermal insulation, waterproofing, as well as the ventilation system of the room. It is important to prevent the presence of drafts, which can cause colds in a hot person.
Particular attention, as already noted, should be given to the microclimate of the room, since sports should take place under conditions of a certain temperature and humidity so that the body feels as comfortable as possible. Professionals recommend a temperature of just under 20 degrees and moderate humidity.
If desired, the gym can also be equipped with a water dispenser, which is very convenient for all athletes.
About guest author: Melisa Marzett is a former journalist who is working now for findwritingservice.com and traveling throughout the world exploring new places, meeting new people and comparing cultures. She likes being on the cutting edge and writing about everything. She is not afraid of challenges but accepts anything new she comes across gaining experience. She is into psychology reading books, articles, whatever she can find and practices yoga.