When opening a gym many new owners are so quick to get their gym up and running that the look and feel is often sacrificed for a hurried grand opening date. Proper design and layout are very important when designing a gym to flow properly.
For example, when outfitting separate workout areas for men and women in your gym, keep in mind that women are usually most unwilling to walk through a men’s free-weight area just to get to the women’s training area. This in turn may cause some of your guests to feel uncomfortable when they come to your gym, and it is just one case in point to remember when designing the layout of your new fitness center.
When designing your gym for the first time, there are many things to take into consideration. Some of these things may even involve taking a census from your prospective clients to see what they think because after all, they are the ones paying to work out there.
The look and feel of your fitness center is probably the most important feature you have to offer. Having great equipment is one thing, but if it is all crammed together just to say you have a lot of equipment, you may be helping one goal while hindering others. From the color of the walls to the equipment you choose, it so important to create an inviting environment when you are trying to sell today’s avid gym enthusiast. Keep in mind, many clients will pay more, for less, given the right gym environment.
When space is not a luxury, you will want to look for equipment that is user-friendly but able to have a double function, such as a Bicep-Tricep. That way you still get the proper amount of exercises but use only half the space to do it. Utilizing this kind of equipment also helps with keeping proper spacing around each machine. Most people feel uncomfortable while working out too close to another person; more often when it is a person of the opposite sex. Spacing out your equipment must be done properly or you can also eat up too much floor space.
Another simple way to keep the flow of your gym running smoothly is to keep machines geared to exercising the same body groups all together in the same row or immediate area. This helps your clients from having to walk all over the gym for a different machine when all they may want to do is work on their legs at the time. Another thing that may be helpful is to position your taller machines against the side walls and towards the back of the gym. Doing this makes the gym look larger and allows prospective clients the ability to see the entire gym when first coming in.
Select equipment manufacturers have designed circuit equipment that is sleek and low profile. Utilizing this kind of equipment can also help with keeping a clear view of your gym, from front to back, and will help your clients to find that specific machine they are looking for without an obstructed view.
When laying out cardio equipment, consider that most users want to have some sort of view while using this type of equipment. TVs, CDs, or a scenic view, looking out to the ocean or mountains, are all great things to offer your guests when using cardio equipment…Just keep a few things in mind. First, most gym enthusiasts gravitate to the cardio area, so you will want to make this area the most accessible and easiest to get in and out of without a lot of obstruction. Second, when facing cardio equipment outwards looking through windows, think about the sun direction and how hot it might get, especially during the peak hours. You may need to get the windows properly tinted to keep your guests feeling comfortable while working out in the sun. Tinting your windows can also help to keep the glare off of TV and cardio equipment monitors, and at the same time it helps keep down your cost of air conditioning. There are many manufacturers now offering TV/DVD players built into their displays, allowing gym owners the ability to place their cardio equipment facing the window, so the user will have the choice of what to watch. Your equipment purchase is very important, and choosing the right manufacturer plus the right features – including some of the features I have mentioned – should help you to layout your equipment more easily and professionally.
Lyon K. Alizna is the Commerical Sales Director for Tuff Stuff Fitness Equipment, Inc. He can be contacted at 877.249.4317, or by email at lalizna@tuffstuff.net, or visit www.tuffstuff.net.
