How do I set up my Sh350,000 home gym?

Except it shouldn’t be. If this is you, home gyms are your saving grace.

If you have space and a small starting budget, you can put together a gym that works for you. So, what does it take to build a gym in your home and what are the benefits? BDLife Spoke to Ishuchi Lumumba, a long-time fitness enthusiast who works as a teacher, music recording and interior designer in Nairobi.

“The idea of ​​having a gym at my home came from my frustrations after moving from Lavington, Nairobi to Ruka about two and a half years ago. Going to the gym meant I had to go at least four times a week – he The number of times I work per week.

The commute meant he would spend up to two hours in traffic just to get to the gym for a one-hour workout session.

“The time spent on the road meant nothing to me and when I looked around, I couldn’t find a gym that had the equipment for my workout needs,” he says.

He did some quick math and concluded that if he rolled the monthly subscription fees into one lump sum, he would save money in the long run and own his own equipment.

“As an interior designer, planning and designing the space was useless. I installed a floor-to-ceiling mirror – just to transfer the social gym into my personal space. I put a few of my photos on Put on another wall to complete the feel I added some downlights to enhance the aesthetic and provide enough light for my photography (he’s big on it),” he says.

His research before starting this process helped him make an informed purchase.

“When I went shopping, I knew what I could do without it. For example, I don’t have a treadmill. It’s big and takes up a lot of space. I can easily get the same results by building another station. Get with that doesn’t take up so much space,” he says.

When building your home gym, functionality and efficiency are key drivers in the decision-making process. Unlike public gyms, you may not need space, money and some equipment. What works for you depends on what you are trying to achieve with your body.

To improve his gym performance, Lumumba first installed a rack cage. He then bought enough boards for his strength training and hired a metal fabricator to build a rack for his dumbbells.

“Most, if not all, types of equipment that need to be installed in the gym come with manuals. To cut costs, you can read the manual and install it yourself. Familiarize yourself with what you have in case you need to separate or resolve the nuts.”

He also made the floor himself.

“It would have cost me around Rs 10,000 to set up the floor washing mats. It would have been an unnecessary expense as it is something anyone can easily do.

Does it make economic sense in the long run? “Yes, it does. Over time, I’ve spent less on building my own gym than I would have spent on membership fees in the last two and a half years,” he says.

He has spent Rs 350,000 so far. The money, he says, is a fraction of what he would pay for a good gym membership.

“When you think about it, it’s safe for me,” he says.

Having a gym at home encourages laziness, many would argue. This may be one of those things that you are very intuitive to set up but only use once in a while. Lumumba disagrees.

“I have to remind myself not to go to the gym more than my body needs. To my advantage, I can use it whenever I want. Plus, having it here means I don’t have to.” To wake up early in the morning to beat the traffic on the road and at the various gym stations.”

In addition to saving time and money, a private gym enhances your privacy. Some people don’t have the confidence to train in places with strangers or the social battery may be depleted. Public gyms have become a major obstacle in their fitness journey—a contradiction by any definition but a valid reason not to show up for reps or any gym activity. Others request privacy for religious reasons.

“Your own space guarantees you maximum privacy from any people or energies you don’t want to interact with. It also relieves you of the pressure of doing things at the gym because either a trainer or a fellow gym user is It saves you from the guilt of people exercising when you can’t reach a certain level like your fellow gym mates, it reminds you to do things on your own,” he tells BDLife.

What about maintenance? “Treat your home gym like you would any other room. It requires regular cleaning and sometimes special cleaning. Just like a public gym, surface disinfection should be routine. In addition, Having good ventilation in the room ensures that you keep the gym and the rest of the house fresh,” he says.

Does having a private gym mean one goes to a public gym? “I go to my local gym when I want a change of scenery. There’s nothing wrong with going to places you’ve been to once,” he says.