The COVID-19 pandemic has spread worldwide since its emergence in early December halfway across the globe and has affected nearly every nation in its wake. Currently more than a billion people worldwide have been put into lockdown with Canada included. Ever since the closure of non-essential businesses in mid-March as well as public facilities such as community centres, pools and libraries, this has inevitably led people to be stuck at home with many having more free time on their hands than ever before. Then the question becomes: “Now what?” Well, nearly all of us have physical aspirations of rock-hard abs, bulging biceps or strong glutes but with gyms nationwide closed down, you might get discouraged. Not to worry, you can perform all the workouts you do at your local gym in your very own home gym. If you’re new to the game, even better! Then in case you felt shy or embarrassed starting out at the gym, you won’t be. It will just be you and your power of will.
So how do you go about planning your own workout at home, what should you do, where should everything go? We all know that organization is key since when a workspace is organized, the worker has less distractions and becomes more focused and productive. Your home gym is your office space but first, you are going to need to purchase your desk and computer. While physical store locations have shut down, online fitness stores are still selling and providing delivery services as usual while complying with all provincial health regulations to make sure to keep you safe.
Different Solutions for Different Types
Messiness builds frustration. Especially if you are an avid gym-goer and you have several weight classes and types to exercise all of your separate muscle groups, you want to know where everything is and be able to easily reach it. Imagine just having a pile of weights on the floor in the corner of your basement and having to shift through the pile each time to get what you need. This is where storage solutions come in.
For your weights and other fitness equipment, each one should be organized by type of equipment as well as which muscle group it works on. For instance, dumbbells. Dumbbells are primarily used for exercising your arm muscles such as the biceps, triceps and forearms. Dumbbells can have a huge weight range from 1kg to 70kg. Dumbbell racks have been created specifically for these weights. They are the ones that you’ve probably seen in the gym. Usually a 3-tier horizontal rack made out of steel with lengths ranging from 40 inches to 80 inches. There is also a vertical rack with grooves on both sides stretching upwards, they are generally more affordable and are more portable than their horizontal counterparts but don’t have the same capacity. It is recommended that you put lighter weights on top and heavier weights on the bottom, for obvious reasons. The price range usually goes from around $70 to $250 on the higher range for more professional gear.
Next come the kettlebells. These are the metal balls with a single hooked handle attached to them. With kettlebells, it is suggested to start off with a weight between 8-12 kg for the average individual, adjust the weight depending on your condition. For athletic individuals, you might consider starting off with 12-20kg weights. Kettlebells can offer a wide range of exercises such as the Russian kettlebell swing, the two-arm kettlebell row and as well as the goblet squat. In general, kettlebells exercise your glutes, back and sometimes shoulders and legs. They are very versatile, same as dumbbells and they have their own unique storage solution as well. Kettlebell racks are usually 2-tier horizontal racks with each rack having a sort of metal plate for them to sit on. These generally range from $100 to $200.
Storing Weight Plates
Weight plates are probably the ones that need storage the most considering their cumbersome size and space they take up. Weight plates are generally used for arms and chest workouts when it comes to lifting barbells. Weight plates may also be useful for doing situps and working out your abs. The huge variety of weight plates can make it difficult to find the right one for you. This is why these weights have the widest assortment of choices when it comes to storing your gym equipment. There is the classic option of the weight plate rack which functions similar to the dumbbell rack but also bars coming out of it on the sides to carry weight plates. While an affordable two-in-one, it has a very limited capacity. Some of the unique options available for weight plates are the horizontal bumper plate rack has a striking resemblance to a bike rack and is able to hold weight plates of up to 45lbs. It’s also equipped with wheels and a grab handle. Its design allows the plates to be easily rolled off and on to save you the hassle of fidgeting with your plates when you’re already exhausted. These handy devices can start off from $100. Finally, we arrive at the most affordable option, the portable vertical weight plate rack. It consists of a metal base attached to wheels with a long rod reaching upwards onto which you pile up your weight plates. These can be sold at $75 and are extremely space-efficient but there are a few problems. For one, if you have a bunch of different weight plates, you might have to go through all the plates to get to the one you want at the bottom. That inflexibility is what holds back this solution. Of course, if you don’t plan on having too many weights, this may be the option to go for. In short, weight plates have many storage solutions and it's up to you to choose what’s best depending on whether you are a beginner, intermediate or pro.
What about my Other Accessories?
There are of course storage solutions available for your other fitness equipment. For instance, medicine balls, which are very useful for squats and sit-ups, have a specially designed rack and/or tree for them with the rack consisting of a base with bars coming out of it one side to support the medicine balls and with the tree being able to support double the capacity. Body bars are another example of a fitness accessory with a storage rack solution in which the bars are held up vertically, ready for you to pick them up.
Conclusion
Fitness stores are your avenue into bringing the gym into your home. Once you’ve gotten all the fitness equipment for your home gym, you need to change the atmosphere to make it more conducive to making a happier, more productive you. That requires organization. Fitness storage solutions are the best way to clean up your office to help you get to work. Everything from weight plates to dumbbells, kettlebells and medicine balls have their place. Organizing everything by type and weight can help you get more out of your workout at home than if it were all left haphazardly in a pile in the corner of the room. So try some out today, we promise it’ll help you reach your goals. Stay safe Canada.
