Space is King – How To Organize Your Home Gym
In 2021 I asked the question “What is one problem in the home gym you haven’t found a solution for?”. By a WIDE margin, the number one response was related to space and organization. It makes sense, we are trying to cram a commercial gym experience into a few hundred square feet of space. The more space you have, the more toys you can have. You can make room for stretching, mobility, sound systems, kids stuff, and more. But, until someone invents a way to turn 100 feet into 500 feet, we are left with better organization. Enter…. storage!
Storage allows you to take a space, and go up, out, across, leverage the walls, the ceilings, and more. You can add to your space and keep the bulk of the room open for work while the outer limits do the heavy lifting of controlling all of your toys. Adam from Garage Gym Lab has said that the thing that transformed his gym was organization. Highlights of the last two big changes in my gym were storage based.
There are a TON of potential options for storage. From DIY solutions, to pristine dumbbell racks like Prime Fitness, to overhead storage solutions, sheds, etc. I’m not going to try and solve all of the storage solution options, just point out a few that should be on your list.
Mass Storage – Organization For All The Nick Nacks
The first place to look for most people is going to be some form of “mass storage”. This is uprights, cross members, and shelving of some kind. Basic solutions are something like what you would get at your local hardware store. These work pretty well for storing anything from mats, to small machines, to medicine balls, landmines, and other accessories. This is what I have in my gym.
A step up in the world would come from someone like Fringe Sport.
Their mass storage unit is on wheels and can store and support a number of items including plates, wall balls, battle ropes, bars, and just about any accessory you could think of.
An upgrade from there would be the storage rack option from Surplus Strength. You can see it in action in The Kurtlockers video below. The big bonus here is that this is going to be made from the same steel size, shape, and hole patterns as your rack. This means that all of your accessories can go here instead of crowding your rack. It is insanely overbuilt so it’ll hold a ton of weight, dumbbells, crash cushions, mats, and various doohickies you acquire over the years.
Regardless of where you land, mass storage can help you organize a tremendous amount of items and get them off the floor and in a much more user friendly, aesthetically appealing, and safe place.
Wall Control
If you haven’t seen Wall Control yet, they make metal pegboards. A simple idea that is absolutely a breath of fresh air in the gym for organization. I used the traditional wooden pegboards for years and they always dropped, sagged, and otherwise didn’t support my needs. Wall Control has been on my wall for several years now, with one board holding over 100lbs steadily with no issues. Infinitely customizable, expandable, and suited to hold the heaviest of gym accessories.
If you are looking for details on Wall Control, check this out.
If you make an order through Wall Control, using this link helps support the GGC:
Other Options
There are a metric ton of options out there. Ghost Strong makes a pretty freaking awesome assortment of plate, dumbbell, and other storage. Executive Fit makes some really cool barbell storage options, both vertical and gun rack wall style. You can check out a huge assortment of DIY options by means of Kaizen Gym and others over on Garage Gym Experiment as well.
No matter what you do, organizing your space is going to, effectively, give you more space. So the investment of time, planning, and funds, is well worth it if you are planning to add any amount of “extras” to your gym.
Have a favorite storage option? Let me know below!
