Working out from home can be a great way to stay active, particularly for individuals with a hectic schedule who can’t find the time to stop by their local gym every day. The comfortable environment afforded when working out from home allows you to experiment with different exercises and routines that you may not feel comfortable practicing in a crowded public gym. However, because a home gym allows for more privacy and less scrutiny from the watchful eyes of fellow gym-goers, the risk for injury can become more present. Individuals who work out at home should take some extra precautions, therefore, to ensure that their workout is as safe and effective as it would be if accompanied by a trainer in a local gym. These home gym safety tips will ensure that your fitness routine is as safe and effective as possible.

Be aware of your surroundings

Before you get into the thick of your exercise routine, it’s important to take stock of your surroundings. Though you won’t be surrounded by fellow fitness fanatics as you would be in a local gym, there will likely be a few alternate distractions in your home gym. Before beginning your workout, make sure that the area is clear of obstacles, pets, and small children. While your kids and pets can serve as wonderful cheerleaders for your exercise routine, they can also become a major distraction, which may increase the likelihood of an accident or injury. If your kids are present during your workout, be sure to caution them about the heavy equipment you will be using. Try to set up a chair or small area for them within your gym to ensure that they are always a safe distance from your workout.

Tidy up

It may sound a bit tedious, especially after a particularly grueling workout, but one of the best home gym safety tips is to clean up your space after every workout. Try to follow the same cleanliness guidelines that a local gym would have. Wipe down equipment after every use, and place free weights back onto the rack at the end of your workout. Tidying up your space at the end of each session will reduce the risk of tripping over errant equipment during your next workout and will, thus, decrease the likelihood of injury. Likewise, wiping down equipment after each use will help kill germs and bacteria that may thrive in a warm, humid environment like a home gym. This is particularly important if more than one family member will use your home gym. Wiping down the machinery ensures that your germs do not transfer to any other family members during their next time using the equipment.

Keep the door closed

Many people who work out at home find that a closed-door policy is the best way to ensure an effective workout. Keeping the door to your home gym closed helps decrease the likelihood of distractions during your workout, whether in the form of kids, pets, or spouses. The fewer distractions you experience, the more attention you can devote to your workout, and the less likely you will be to experience an accident or injury. It’s also best to keep the door closed when the gym is not in use. Even if your home gym is clean and organized regularly, there will still be some pieces of equipment that can injure young children or pets if left unattended. Closing and locking the door when your home gym is not in use will reduce any possibility that your kids or pets can enter the area without supervision. 

Never work out alone

Working out with an exercise buddy is a great way to ensure proper form and reduce the risk of injury, both in a local gym or your home gym. When working out in a home gym, it can often be quite easy to find an exercise partner, whether that be a roommate, spouse, or older child. However, if you can’t seem to find any willing participants to join you in your fitness journey, that’s okay, too. That said, there should always be at least one other person in your home while you work out, even if they’re not in the gym itself. This ensures that there will always be someone nearby to offer assistance in the event of an accident or injury.

Set the space up for success

Though there will likely only be one or two people in your home gym at a time, it’s still important to provide adequate space between equipment. Placing equipment too close together can cause it to function incorrectly and may cause you to alter your form in an attempt to navigate the tight space. Be sure to read the user manual for each piece of equipment before placing it in your home gym. Some equipment will require a wider berth than others to function as intended. When placing equipment, it’s always better to have too much space than not enough. The more space you have between equipment, the wider range of mobility you will have to practice your exercises, and the less likely you will be to trip or injure yourself over a different piece of equipment.

Pretend you’re going to the local gym

This may sound a bit silly, given that the main draw of a home gym is that you can work out however you’d like, but adhering to the same guidelines as your local gym is actually a great way to ensure your safety. The safety rules and guidelines of your local gym are there for a reason, after all, so why not apply them to your home gym as well. For starters, you should always wear proper exercise attire when using your home gym. This includes athletic shoes and no loose articles of clothing that could become stuck in the exercise equipment. Additionally, if you will be using a treadmill, you should always wear the safety clip. This clip serves as an emergency stop button if you fall or cannot keep up with the set speed of the machine.

For more information regarding safe practices when working out at home, contact our team at American Home Fitness. Our home gym retailers are located throughout Michigan and provide a wide range of home fitness equipment including treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes.