WITH ALL THE FITNESS equipment made for personal use these days, setting up a home gym can be an effective way to exercise - and you don't need a lot of space or money. But it involves more than jumping on an exercise bike in front of the TV in the living room. This is the room designated for relaxation and it is easier to get motivated and remain focused in an area dedicated to working out. Ideally, set up your gym in a spare room and install a radio or television if desired.
If you are serious about working out at home, make sure the flooring is suitable for training because the wrong type could cause damage to your joints and be easily damaged itself. There is a wide range of rubber floor mats available by brands such as Airex, costing about $350 from Oasis Fitness Engineering Company (tel: 2754 6868;
www.oasis-fitness.com).
Australian company EMP (
www.empind.com.au) also has specialised mats for yoga and Pilates ($250-$275) while Dinoflex rubber flooring, which comes in a variety of thicknesses from six millimetres to 12mm, costs from $400 for a 94cm x 94cm interlocking tile. The latter is recommended for people who prefer to cover their floor entirely, reducing noise for tenants above and below (
www.dinoflex.com; both available from Oasis Fitness).
Correct ventilation is also important. Air movement rather than low temperatures is required; air moving across the surface of the skin removes sweat and heat more effectively than cool air alone, so install a fan. Wall mirrors, hung perpendicular to one other, are useful for monitoring body parts and positions you can't see.
The most effective must-have in any home gym is a stability ball, which brings overall benefits such as reduced lower back pain, increased postural stability, higher 'total body' awareness, better reflexes and a range of improved motor skills. A stability ball is also one of the cheapest pieces of equipment available, from $310 to $440 depending on size for Australian brand AOK MediBall. If machinery is required, the minimum area needed is about four metres square. According to Kevin Rushton of Oasis Fitness, most of the big names in commercial gym equipment now have ranges for home use. Hoist Fitness (
www.hoistfitness.com) sells a large selection of multi-gyms and benches that allow a full body workout. Depending on the number of stacks or weight modules, multi-gym equipment including a chest press, a combination shoulder press, lats pulldown and leg extension or curl costs from $15,000 to $50,000.
Another popular piece of equipment is a vertical rack of dumbbells by American brand Hampton (
www.hamptonfit.com). Available in chrome and rubber, the weights start at $10,000 a rack.