Building a Home Gym
I recently sat down with Andrew Seymour, General Manager at SEARA Sports Systems in Pattaya and talked about home gyms.
Now there are certainly a lot of gyms in Pattaya, in just about every price range and a lot of condo and housing developments have gyms available for the residents. But for various reasons some people prefer to work out in their own homes.
So, my question to Andrew was, what do you tell people who come into your office who want to build a home gym?
I was expecting an answer somewhere along the lines of, you should have a treadmill or bike and some type of multi-station weight machine and some dumb bells. But what Andrew told me the first thing they ask someone interested in a home gym is “what are your goals?”.
It makes perfect sense though. A person who wants to build strength does not necessarily need the same equipment as someone who wants to get into cycling or wants to shed a few pounds, although strength training will help with both. The goal at SEARA Sports Systems is to sell you what you need to achieve your goals and not equipment that will sit around unused in your home.
Other details they will discuss is the amount of space you have available and obviously your budget.
Not everyone will have the space or budget to build a home gym like the one pictured below. But the team SEARA will help you put together something to match your budget and available space.
If you are building a gym in your home Andrew recommends at least 25 square meters as a good starting point.
Before buying equipment, consider the space for your home gym is air conditioning and adequate ventilation. While everybody sweats during a workout (well, mostly everybody) you don’t want to be so uncomfortable you never want to go into the room again after your first workout.
He also recommends the proper flooring. Carpet may look good and seem alright but it can hold a lot of bacteria and odor after a few workouts. Antibacterial rubber flooring is the best and is available in various thickness with the thickest used around the area for free weights and dumb bells so you don’t crack the tile when you drop the weights.
Once you have determined your fitness goals and selected a space it is time to discuss the equipment. This is where the experience at SEARA really helps. They can suggest the equipment that is right for your goals.
In addition to commercial grade equipment, SEARA sells and maintains a full range of equipment to cover every area of home exercise. Each piece of equipment is designed by the world’s leading fitness brands especially for home use.
Their products include cardiovascular equipment: treadmills, bikes, rowing machines, elliptical cross trainers and multi-gyms as well as free weights, dumb bells, kettlebells, fitballs, and more. This is truly one stop shopping for your home gym.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a lot of space. Equipment such as a variable resistance stationary bicycle can assist you in meeting cardiovascular exercise goals in a small space. Stationary bicycles can be purchased with only one wheel, making them even more suitable for small spaces. Variable resistance allows for increased resistance and demand on your cardiovascular system as you become more fit.
Folding treadmills are another option for small spaces. While they they do not provide the excellent user experience the professional models do but they are still useful and let you burn calories while you watch TV. When you’re finished, just fold it up and push it out of the way.
Resistance bands are also great for small spaces. They cheaper than dumb bells, more portable and give excellent isometric movement. Plus, they're easy to pack, which may inspire you to stick to your routine when you travel.
So, if you are thinking of building a home gym or buying some exercise equipment for your condo do yourself a favor and contact Andrew at andrew@searasports.com and arrange an appointment for a consultation. You can also stop by their showroom on Sukhumvit and Chaiyaphruek Road or visit their site to find a showroom near you.
