Commercial Gym Floor Plans: How To Set Up Your Gym
An enjoyable and effective gym space features a strategic floor plan. How you divide your gym, where you place your equipment, and what type of spaces you offer influence myriad aspects of your gym and member experiences. Developing the right gym floor plan maximizes space for equipment, ensures safety, facilitates traffic flow, and enhances members’ workouts.
Commercial gyms come in many forms, offering diverse workout options for people to explore. Some gyms focus on specific exercise forms such as HIIT, Zumba, or rehabilitation. Other gyms are more broad, catering to all kinds of workout opportunities. Commercial gyms can also vary depending on their intended clientele, from military to seniors. Different floor plans work better for certain gyms than others. Designing the best layout and solution for your gym involves many considerations, depending on your desired clientele and business goals. Set up your gym for success and explore different commercial gym floor plans.
Traditional Layout
The most common gym floor plan is the traditional layout where cardio machines are near the front of the gym, offering members using the machines a view of the outside. The free weights area is usually located at the back to accommodate heavy lifting and noise, while group exercise rooms are typically situated in separate, enclosed spaces for privacy.
Traditional layouts cover the basics such as cardio, strength training, weight loss, and stretching, serving an array of gymgoers and fitness levels. This floor plan also includes locker rooms, restrooms, and often a lounge or reception area.
Circuit Training Layout
Circuit training is a highly efficient and versatile methodology combining strength and aerobic exercises. Circuit training layouts promote a high-intensity, fast-paced workout with minimal downtime, keeping participants moving continuously and their heart rates elevated. The floor plan provides a streamlined flow between exercises, ensuring quick and easy transitions between workouts.
In this layout, the business arranges the equipment in a circle or semi-circle, forming a “circuit” that participants move around. Each station in the circuit represents a different exercise, and participants progress from one station to the next, performing each exercise for a set amount of time or repetitions. It’s crucial to ensure there’s enough space between the stations for safety and free movement. A dedicated space for warm-ups and cool-downs is also essential to a circuit training floor plan.
Open Space Floor Plan
An open space layout suits gyms focusing on functional training, CrossFit, or yoga and smaller gyms. It involves a large open space for members to freely move and perform different exercises, with equipment stored on the sides. Open-space floor plans feature only one main workout space that’s functionally flexible.
Partitioned Layout
A partitioned layout is perfect for gyms that offer diverse training programs, maximizing partitions or dividers to create separate areas for different workout zones. The primary advantage of a partitioned gym layout is that it provides more privacy, benefitting those who prefer to work out in less crowded spaces or require focus.
Partitioned gym layouts also enhance organization, cleanliness, and gym navigation. Businesses can store workout equipment within the designated zones, which reduces clutter, and members can easily find what they are looking for, making their fitness journey more seamless and enjoyable.
Zone Segmentations
You can organize your gym’s partitioned zones in various ways, from different workout types to equipment selection. You can have one room for each type of fitness equipment you offer, making it easier for members to find specific machines, engage in buddy workouts, and host group classes. Placing your commercial stair climbers in one room allows your members to get their steps in with other users and provides a well-equipped space for stair-climbing workout classes. TRUE’s Palisade Climber features a modern and compact design that allows you to save the floor room and fit multiple climbers in one space.
Aside from divvying up your gym by equipment, some common zone segmentations include the following examples.
Cardio Zone
A designated cardio zone features cardio machines such as treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes. This zone optimizes cardio workouts, offering exercises and equipment that enhance stamina, pump blood, and stimulate circulation.
Strength Training Zone
The strength training zone includes equipment such as weight machines, free weights, and benches. TRUE’s XFT-900 Functional Trainer is a great addition to strength training zones, offering multiple strength training activities in a single, multifaceted, compact fitness equipment.
Group Exercise Zone
Group exercise zones accommodate group classes. These zones are typically spacious and separate from other sections to minimize distractions, providing a more immersive workout experience.
Specialty Amenities and Non-Workout Zones
Various specialty gym amenities—swimming pools, yoga rooms, and aerial fitness areas—make for great additional gym zones. With the partitioned layout, you can easily expand and incorporate unconventional gym workouts into your fitness center without interrupting other workouts.
Don’t forget about non-workout zones such as locker rooms, restrooms, and lounge areas. These spaces are essential for comfort and convenience and contribute to a comprehensive and satisfying gym experience. If your ideal members are parents, consider offering a child-care zone or kid gym.
Boutique Layout
Boutique gyms revolve around a specific type of workout, such as Pilates or barre, creating an immersive, specialized environment for its members. The layout is often simple yet effective, generally requiring a single, large room furnished with the specific equipment needed for the offered workout.
Boutique gym layouts offer many benefits. They create a focused atmosphere by eliminating unnecessary equipment and build a strong community by focusing on a common interest that binds members together. This camaraderie can significantly boost motivation and adherence to workout routines.
Indoor-Outdoor Floor Plans
An indoor-outdoor gym layout caters to indoor and outdoor workout opportunities. The key advantage of this layout is its versatility, catering to those who prefer the conventional indoor gym environment and those who enjoy working out in the open air. The indoor space typically houses treadmills, elliptical trainers, and weight machines, providing a comprehensive selection for strength training and cardio workouts.
The outdoor segment presents a refreshing alternative to the indoor workout environment. This space may include functional training equipment, obstacle course features, and areas for bodyweight exercises. The outdoor setting offers aesthetic and functional advantages, providing a natural and airy ambiance that can enhance the workout experience.
Knowing how to maximize your gym’s setup and picking the right commercial gym floor plan offers many benefits to your business and members. A gym’s layout influences your business and training experiences, from workout flow to client satisfaction. Remember, the best gym floor plan for your needs depends on your clientele, the space available, and the training programs you offer.
