Tips For Optimizing A Small Fitness Training Space
Whether you own a small fitness studio or have a room in your home or apartment that you would like to work out of, maximizing your square footage is hugely important. Space can go for a premium price depending on where you live. In some parts of the world, having a living space that is 400 square feet or less is not uncommon, and having a large training facility is simply not feasible for most fitness studio owners due to towering lease rates.
Getting creative with your fitness studio will be necessary to get the most out of a limited area, so in this article I want to cover a few things you can do to get the most out of the space you have.
Don’t Just Think Horizontally
When space is limited it is easy to constantly find yourself looking at the ground. Consider factoring in how high your ceilings go. In many places where space goes for a premium, people have high ceilings. Ceilings can commonly be 8 to 10 feet or even higher. This can be a huge untapped goldmine for you if you know how to take advantage of it.
Isawall is a great option for those with space limitations who still want to get great workouts with lots of exercise options and varieties. Isawall is about 8 feet high, but can also be custom built to fit perfectly into whatever environment you need to workout in. With Isawall, some of the exercises will involve using the lower section of the wall, others the middle, some the top, and really everything in between.
One of the great aspects of using Isawall as your main piece of fitness equipment is that it can simulate nearly every exercise found in much larger equipment, but without taking up any space. If you like doing a chest press, you can do that on Isawall, but without the machine taking up a 5 by 5 foot area of your room. If you like doing pullups and chin-ups, you can do those on Isawall too. Rather than having to buy a large pullup and dip stand that again takes up room. With Isawall when you are done doing your pullups or dips, you simply put the attachments away, leaving your room with no additional square footage taken up.
Consider Alternative Forms Of Resistance
It’s easy to think only of weights when it comes to resistance training. In reality, there are other great ways of getting resistance as well. Bodyweight training and resistance band training are two great ways of getting resistance training in without taking up a great deal of space. Both resistance band training and bodyweight training can both be done on Isawall. These two great means of exercise will allow for hundreds of exercises, and when you are done, you have no equipment taking up space in your room, just a great looking wall that is customized for your environment.
Think Attachments, Not Machines
Machines take up a lot of space, need maintenance, breakdown, and rust. Most of us who have worked out for any considerable amount of time automatically think of machines when we think of working out. With limited space however, attachments and not machines are a much better way to go.
Think about the space a large multi-functional machine will take up in your room. A good one will take up at least a 5 by 5 foot area. Consider now attachments such as bands, suspension trainers, and assisted pullup/pushup devices. These attachments can literally be put inside a small gym bag when you are done and taken with you, or put in a closet or under a bed. They also offer hundreds of exercises that can be done, which is more than pretty much any multi-functional machine can.
Bodyweight training such as suspension training is typically more demanding than any machine will be as the exercises require use of the core, stabilizing muscles, balance, and coordination. Resistance band training requires more control than machines as the exercises are not on a guided track for you to do. Here, as with suspension training, core, balance, and coordination are key to successfully doing these exercises.
When it comes to a small fitness training space, there are great options today that simply were not available even a few years ago. Consider taking a look at Isawall. We have a system that will utilize your unused vertical space, take up no precious floor room, and can offer hundreds of great exercises you and others will love. Take a look at some of our videos to get an idea of how Isawall can be your space conscious solution to great workouts.
Paul Owens is a personal trainer in the Cleveland area. He is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and the National Council on Strength and fitness. He is also a Corrective Exercise Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He can be reached at http://www.clevelandpersonaltraining.com
