Moving To New Flat.Will Ground Floor Room Be Okay For Home Gym?

[Kbo1992]

I am moving into a new property in a month's time. I have been looking into buying myself a home gym as i am sick of the lack of quality gyms in the area.

It is a ground floor flat i am moving into, i have checked the ceiling and it is definitely high enough for the power cage i have my eye on. My only concern is this.

I am looking to begin Starting Strength. The Olympic barbell set i am going to buy is a 400kg set. The plan would be to put the cage in the bedroom, along with the weights and bench. My single bed would be parked in the corner of the room.

Do i need to check with the landlord or council before i start planning and buying the goods? Should the floor be okay or might the weight cause problems?

Any tips would be well appreciated. I'm a home gym noob.

 

[magick]

You really should.

Dropped barbells can crack concrete. That's why people with home gyms typically make their own platform or use a lot of hard-ass rubber.

 

[Kbo1992]

So if i got myself a lifting platform, it should be okay. I will double check just to be safe.

I'm not planning on dropping the barbell but you never know if it will come.

Making them looks pretty cost effective.The concern would be it's durability though.

 

[Tosa]

I've used both expensive, high end platforms, and cheap DIY rubber on top of plywood platforms. The DIY comes out ahead both in durability, and my preference when training. And obviously cost as well.

And while you may not intend to drop a barbell, if you train long enough, it will probably happen at some point. I would check with your landlord.

 

[K Ja]

See if you can find a place that sells horse stall mats. A layer of those with plywood underneath and you should be good.

 

[redaxe]

What material is your floor?

I lift in my garage on a concrete slab floor, with a 3/4" (1.9 cm) recycled tire rubber mat and VTX bumper plates.

I recommend bumper plates. They are more expensive but much safer to drop. If you're going to be dropping metal plates, you will probably need thicker rubber, on top of wood, on top of your floor.

If your floor is not sturdy and you're getting metal plates, then you might want to get a power cage and just do low rack pulls instead of deadlifting from the floor.

 

[AlVThom]

Very good information here regarding flooring, I too am hoping to get a power rack, barbell, weights etc at home around December/January. Thanks guys!

 

[LatFlare]

I've laid down a few sheets of 1/2 inch rubber on top of concrete in my garage and haven't had any problems with cracking or anything. Each mat is 3x5 feet and weighs 20kg, so that gives an indication of density. I also put a couple of sheets of cardboard under parts of it to make it more flat as the floor has a slight tilt.

However, I'm not strong enough (yet) to be dropping anything more than 80kg from shoulder or overhead height, and with heavy DL's I'll still control it to some degree on the way down. You can look at my log to see the kind of training I do on it (all lifting is done in my garage gym).

Something to keep in mind is how your neighbours will tolerate any noise you are going to make, especially if you are renting. There's one bitch in my building right above my garage who likes to complain, but she is a renter and I (my family) are owners so my needs > her needs. But if she owned her flat and I was renting she could probably shut me down.