It's time to get in shape. You're designing a brand new home gym, and you've got all the equipment you need, whether it's dumbbells, medicine balls, or rowing machines and other large equipment. The problem is, you’re tired or tripping on loose weights, and you need somewhere to store all your equipment. See if any of these Home Gym Storage Ideas help.
1) A-Frame Dumbbell Rack
How big is your gym? If you're low on space and trying not to waste any, you need storage solutions that won't take up unnecessary floor space. Try getting an A-Frame dumbbell rack like this from Walmart. It's tall with a narrow base so that the bottom won't take up a lot of floor space, but you still have plenty of room to store your weight. Since it's in a tree shape, it's easy to organize by the weights' size with the smallest dumbbells on top and the heaviest ones on the bottom.
2) Jump Ropes and Hula Hoops
Jump roping and hula hooping might seem like kid's games, but they're great for fitness. If you have them in your gym, you've probably found that they're inconvenient and difficult to store since hula hoops roll around and can't stack atop one another very well, and jump ropes tend to get tangled. Consider getting a rack like this one from Amazon; it's designed to hold hula hoops so that they won't roll, and you can hang any number of jump ropes or fitness straps on it.
3) DIY Large Dumbbell Rack
You're probably thinking about storing dumbbells since almost all gyms have at least a few, and they're difficult to store. They don't fit on regular shelves since they can roll off, and they're definitely not fun to trip on or stub your toe on! If you have a lot of dumbbells, you can use this video by Maker Garage 101 to learn how to make a large dumbbell rack for as many dumbbells as you could need. Since you'll be making it yourself, you can change the size to make it fit your collection, too!
4) Plate, Bar, and Dumbbell Rack
If you do a lot of strength training, or if you're trying to lose weight and replace it with muscle, you’ll probably want to pay attention to this idea. For serious strength trainers or people trying to get in shape, dumbbells and bar weights are valuable tools that you'll want to access quickly and comfortably. Think about getting a rack like this that has slots for bars and plates, as well as two dumbbell storage racks.
5) Jump Rope Tree
Jump roping is a fun and therapeutic aerobic exercise that works your muscles and takes little equipment, making it an awesome choice for a home gym, particularly if you're low on space. That said, jump ropes get tangled when you store them in piles, boxes, or elsewhere, so you'll probably want a proper storage place for them so that you'll keep using them. Think about getting a jump rope storage tree like this one from Amazon to keep your jump ropes detangled and easy to use.
6) DIY Pegboard Wall
If you've used a pegboard for storage or seen one used, you know it can be a great multifunction storage device. It's often used in garages for hanging tools or even in offices for hanging office supplies and shelves. You can use it in your home gym, too! Either attach items directly to it or add hooks and shelves in any configuration you like. Classy Clutter even has a guide you can use to set up a useful and convenient gym pegboard.
7) Simple Wall Hanging Organizer
You'll need different storage types depending on what equipment you have and what your gym setup is, but one storage type that's always useful is hooks and hanging racks like this. You can store fitness straps and jump ropes, but you can also use this for towels to wipe off sweat. If you change into workout clothes in your gym instead of a bedroom, you can use the hooks as a convenient place to hang up your clothes.
8) Complete Gym Rack
If you do a wide variety of strength training and bodyweight exercises, you'll need to have several different types of weights to choose from. It's helpful to organize them and keep them separate so that you can quickly grab whatever weight you need for a given exercise. This lets you get started right away without pausing your routine. Think about getting a complete weight rack like this that holds kettlebells, barbells, plates, and bars to keep your routine smooth and fast.
9) DIY Storage Bench
Benches are a big part of gyms and strength training in particular. Even if you don't do a lot of strength training, you'll need some sort of bench to sit or lie on when you need a break. Realizing this, Jamie Costiglio and Kreg/Build Something worked together to create a storage bench that's also a workout bench. You can follow the directions from Jamie Costiglio to learn how to build one of these and have a comfortable workout bench, seat, and storage chest all in one place.
10) Wheeled Cart
If you've used up most of your wall space or if you have limited space in your gym, rolling carts can be amazing. They're easy to move around and store in different places if you don't have a lot of space, so you can shift them from one side of the gym to another, depending on where you're working out at the moment. This rack from Amazon is great for storing yoga mats, but you can also stick a piece of plywood on it and make it into shelves or get a rolling cart that better fits your needs.
11) Decorative Rack
You'll probably need storage for fitness straps if you use them a lot. While they're not as bad as some things, they can get tangled or become a tripping hazard if you're leaving them on the floor or in boxes, so hanging them up is probably the easiest and safest way to store them. This way, you can just grab them and get started right away. Instead of getting a plain gym rack, you can get something a little prettier like this. It's still easier to use, but with a curved design that looks less industrial than most gym stuff.
12) DIY Home Gym in a Box
This idea is a great addition to a gym, or it can be a stand-alone gym if you're only trying to stay in shape with a few pieces of equipment and some bodyweight exercises. You can use this video by HomeMadeModern to make a home gym in a box with a mat, a few dumbbells, and some kettlebells. This is a neat way to create and store a weight station, and it's a bench, too, so that you can sit on it when you need a break from using other parts of the gym.
13) Standard Jump Rope Rack
If you like jumping rope, it's a great cardio exercise to add to your workout. That said, jump ropes are hard to store, so your ropes will probably need a separate rack so that they don't get tangled up. A simple rack like this might be best because you can also hang towels or fitness straps if you don't need all the hooks for jump ropes. Since the pegs are even with each other, you can use it to sort jump ropes by length if you have multiple people using the gym.
14) DIY Functional Corner Organizer
If you have limited space, you can make an organizer that serves as both storage and usable space. A corner organizer is a great way to use up corner space since corners are often wasted. If you want, you can make your own version of the organizer from this instructable by browneaction. The instructable has directions for making a corner organizer with a punching bag, but you can add a pullup bar or anything that makes sense for your workout style.
15) DIY Wooden Pegs
Pegboards are a common way to store things in a garage, but you can use them in your gym. They've got a lot of versatility since you can move pegs around, but they're not incredibly strong. A neat alternative to this is a wooden peg wall like the one Adrienne Herrenbruck describes in this article. The pegs are bigger to create a sturdier board than a standard pegboard, and she gives you instructions for how to build it. You can even use a similar method and some sturdy wood to make a climbing pegboard.
16) Shed
If you're looking for storage for an outdoor gym, there are a number of boxes and outdoor storage containers, but most of them are designed for things that can get a little damp. Generally, your fitness equipment shouldn't get even a little bit wet. You can build a shed around the equipment, but at that point, your best bet is to make a gym shed. One way you can do this is by using this video from Garage Gym Reviews to make a gym in a shed.
17) Medicine Ball Tree
Medicine balls are a great exercise tool, but they're one of many pieces of equipment that are hard to store. They're irregular shaped and can roll or fall off shelves, and they're hard to lift up and out of boxes since they're heavy and soft. A medicine ball tree like this one from Amazon is pretty much the easiest way to store medicine balls so that they won't fall, you can grab them easily, and nobody will trip on them.
18) Not Just a Sports Rack
If you play sports, a rack like this is a great way to store basketballs, tennis rackets, and all kinds of sports equipment. That said, it's not just useful for sports. If you have medicine balls and other balls in your gym, including kettlebells, you can store them here comfortably, and the hooks underneath are great for fitness straps, towels, and jump ropes. Since the shelves are tipped back, you can store odd-shaped stuff on them without worrying that they'll fall.
19) DIY Weight Tree
If you do a lot of weight lifting, you've probably got plenty of plates for your weights. After all, you're going to need heavier plates as you get stronger. While some weight benches have built-in storage, you might find that it's inconvenient to have to shift weights around to get to the different sizes you need and build the perfect weight for yourself. If that's the case, think about using this tutorial to make a cheap weight tree that you can use to organize your weights by size and to store a larger number of plates.
20) Shoe Rack and Deodorizer
Gyms are smelly, and when you go to your local gym, you've probably resigned yourself to that, but you shouldn't have to resign yourself to bad smells in your own home. While you probably wipe down equipment after you use it, one thing that's still going to smell bad is your workout clothes. Think about storing your workout gloves and gym shoes on a rack like this that will dry them out and deodorize them so that you don't have to wear out expensive gym shoes and gloves by washing them constantly.
21) DIY Gym Lockers
You usually see lockers in a commercial gym, but they have a place at home, too. You might have a shower or at least a place to change clothes in your gym so that you're not walking around the house smelling like sweat or tracking mud in after a jog. Think about building some lockers using this video so that you can store some towels to wipe off sweat, or a change of clothes and a towel if you have a shower attached to the home gym.
22) Dual Weight Holder
You'll need large storage racks for the bulk of your gym equipment, but chances are you have a couple of dumbbells that you use most often. For these two favorites, instead of storing them in your main storage container, you can get a small rack like this that will hold the two favorites so that you can just grab them and get started right away. Then, as you start lifting heavier and heavier weights, change them out for your new favorite set. The rack is designed for barbells, so measure your dumbbells to make sure they'll fit on it.
23) DIY Wall Racks
Most gym equipment takes up a lot of floor space, so your storage shouldn't waste what you have left. If you want to, you can actually build most of your gym storage on the wall instead of the floor. Check out this article from Sunderland House to see how they designed convenient and easy to use storage on a wall. The dumbbell racks, in particular, are great because you can quickly grab the dumbbells you use most often. You can customize it easily based on how many of each equipment item you have.
24) Yoga Mat Rack
If you're a yoga guru, you need a place to store your yoga mats. You might have a portable one if you do yoga with friends or in classes, and maybe you have a few different textures depending on whether you're doing yoga or just needing some padding for your pushups. A rack like this one is great because you can store up to three yoga mats, plus some resistance straps on the hooks underneath.
What kind of gym do you have? Tell us how you've stored your gym equipment in the past, and let us know if these ideas helped! Tell us all about it in the comments below!