Building a home gym is a dream for many fitness enthusiasts, but for those living in apartments, condos, or homes with limited spare rooms, it often feels like a puzzle. You want a full-body workout, but you don't want your living room to look like a storage locker.
Many guides suggest treadmills or single-station machines that eat up valuable square footage. In this guide, we focus on "high-density" equipment—gear that allows you to perform 50+ exercises within a compact footprint.
Whether you are looking to utilize a small corner of your bedroom or maximize a single-car garage, here is how to build a powerful home gym without sacrificing your floor plan.
Small Home Gym – Large Space
So let’s assume your room is about 200 square feet. What kind of small home gym equipment are you going to need so that you can make the most of your space?
First things first; let’s keep a couple of principles in mind. One, we want to minimize dead space. In other words, you want to avoid buying small home gym equipment that takes up space but is not used often enough to justify its place in your home gym. I’m talking something like a treadmill. It’s big, has a large footprint and doesn’t have much in the way of alternate uses. Plus, many of us can run outside most of the year.
Speaking of which, consider how a single piece of small home gym equipment could be used in a variety of ways. For example, an adjustable bench. You can use this single item for a wide range of exercises. Not only that, but it also has a small footprint, and it can be neatly packed away when not in use.
Based on my experience, you should look at an all-in-one system which combines multiple areas of functionality along with a small footprint. Something like the M1 2.0 Smith Machine.
This power rack/Smith Machine combination piece provides an enormous array of exercise possibilities in one single piece of equipment. Assuming you have the ceiling clearance (a minimum ceiling height of 85.3 inches), this piece of small home gym equipment takes up floor space equal to approximately 23 sq ft – under 12% of our example home gym space.
A rack like this is perfect for exercises like the high and low crossover, chest press, mid row, lat pushdown, and overhead triceps extension. Although triceps tendon injuries are rare (Sollender, Rayan, Barden, 1998) I find it really helps to improve my upper arm aesthetic by training my triceps with cable exercises.
Of course, you can get a lot more functionality out of your rack if you have a barbell (specifically one that is not attached to the Smith Machine) and weight plates. Adding these to your home gym setup will exponentially increase the number of exercise options you have available to you.
Finally, with 200 square feet of space, you may have the option of adding more niche, specialty items to your home gym. Hip thrust machineshave become incredibly popular pieces of gym equipment in recent years and can help you train your glutes at home like no other machine or exercise is capable of.
Small Home Gym – Small Space
So we’ve got the large room scenario covered. But what if you find yourself trying to make a space in the 100 square-foot range work out?
We already mentioned the importance of selecting multiple-use small home gym equipment items which also minimize the floorspace required. Obviously, for a 100 sq ft room we have to be especially careful in the items we select.
Again – fear not – we have you covered. The PSR05 Smith Machine requires a ceiling height of 82 inches and its footprint clocks in at just under 14 square feet. You can make this the cornerstone of your small home gym using only 14% of your floor space based on our 100 square foot room example.
Because the PSR05 has a lot of room for weight plate storage, it helps you to save a few additional ever-so-valuable feet of space, as well. Also, its multi-functional nature allows you to perform a variety of lat pulldown exercises. Compound exercises are the most efficient exercises for small home gym lifting.
Even if you have a small area for lifting and only a single power rack or Smith Machine to lift with, investing in a set of inexpensive accessory items can greatly expand your exercise options. Attachment bundles comprised of rope attachments, straight bar attachments, double D, and V handles leave no excuse for you not to get a complete workout in your small home gym.
Lots of Space or Little Space…No Excuses!
No matter the space constraints of your home you can train effectively with the right small home gym equipment. Whether you’re dealing with a space of up to 200 square feet, or a small room of only around 100 square feet, we’ve shown you what you can accomplish with footprints of 12% to 14% of floor space, respectively.
And we’re not talking yoga mats and kettlebells (which certainly aren’t bad additions to your home gym!). We mean heavy duty steel, cable systems, Smith Machines, landmine attachments, pull-up bars, adjustable benches…you name it!
Your home gym goals are attainable and achievable and I hope we’ve inspired you to think big, even when you’re working with a small space!
Conclusion
You don't need a warehouse to build a serious body. By prioritizing versatile basics like adjustable dumbbells and upgrading to a space-efficient powerhouse like the RitFit M1 or PSR05, you can build a gym that fits your life.
Ready to measure your space? Check out the full specs and dimensions of the RitFit M1 here to see if it fits your home gym vision.
Disclaimer: Always consult with a physician before starting any new exercise program. Ensure your floor can support the weight of heavy equipment.
Reference:
Sollender J., Rayan G., Barden G., (1998). Triceps tendon rupture in weight lifters. Journal of
Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 7 (2): 151-153.
