Design Strategies That Can Help Your Gym Stand Out from the Competition

As a gym owner, you must know that there are many contenders in your area. Your gym should be stellar enough to catch attention and provide the best services in the whole town.

It is a big problem that keeps you on your toes all the time, trying to be the best. So what makes you the best? A Good service, a big gym, and perfect marketing. Yes, that covers all, but let’s take you back to your own gym and give you a detailed tour. 

Your commercial gym is just a building with big machines and staff, lacking a cohesive design. 

Design doesn’t always mean pretty paintings or colors on the wall. It is something more than that. Technically, design refers to a model that gives the idea of putting the elements together. Now, your gym also needs a strategic design and layout to develop its model and services in the best way. Now, let’s talk more about designing a gym.

Gym layout

The gym layout is the plan in which we put ideas to design the space and facilities of our gym. It involves creating the designs of different zones, spacing, equipment placement, and providing safety to customers.

All these things together make a gym complete. Ensure to keep a plan to give your gym a good design so it attracts and satisfies customers.

Commercial gym layout ideas for running a smooth gym

Here are some important things to keep in mind so you can design a strong and attractive gym for your customers:

Floor planning

We need space and concentration for exercise. The latter depends on us, but the first condition should always be available. 

Floor planning allows you to section out areas of your gyms into different categories. Not all members should be present in one room or space. Create separate floors for more space for workouts. When your customers see your spacious gym and the workout is displaced in an individual setting, they will feel relieved. They would praise your efforts right away.

Floor planning also lets you know where and how to place equipment to ease customers.

Floor planning also helps members navigate. When workout spaces are on different floors, members can explore and plan their next workout properly.

Categorized spaces for different training

Quit old practices and be more flexible. How is it possible in a gym? Well, separate your gym into different categories. 

People come to gyms for focus and fitness. They won’t reach their potential if they have to work out in a small or constricted area. Also, different exercises have a different atmosphere in the gym. Nobody would like to do boxing training alongside a weightlifting guy. Just imagine how bad it would be. The boxer can’t focus on his punches due to weight lifting guy’s grunts. It won’t work out like that.

So, it is important to separate rooms for different exercises to keep things clean. Divide your gym into different zones like:

Your gym’s layout should motivate and ease customers. Try creating a strategic layout zone. For example, in a cardio zone, place ellipticals, treadmills, and exercise bikes first. This suggests a cardio exercise plan from light to intense training.

Training areas for disabled people

A good gym takes care of all customers. No one should be left behind. 

From an inclusivity point of view, your gym should be an open and safe space for disabled people, too. Gyms with priority exercise rooms and special equipment are highly praised for their efforts.

Consider working with a gym layout planner if you plan to open a gym. It will give you preferred gym layout design tips and help you create the right layout. This way, you are complete in your service and don’t lose a good design in your gym facility.

Storage room 

Gyms have storage rooms, and you might wonder what design they need. It’s just a room for storage, right? Well, if we look deep into it, we can find some areas to improve. Normally, storage rooms are near lockers, so you need to arrange them well together.

Build a big room that has equipment storage racks in front and lockers in the corners.

The storage racks should be installed in a vertical format. So the equipment can be easily stored without taking up much space. This also ensures that equipment won’t come in anyone’s way or hurt any member.

Regulatory compliance

Designing your gym layout has one significant factor attached to it. It is called regulatory compliance.

Every property has safety guidelines that the owner needs to follow. The rules are mainly safety practices for using the building correctly, as proposed by country laws. Some states or towns have their own regulatory rules on buildings. Make sure to check yours.

Then, you need property and worker’s insurance and facility liability coverage.

So, before you develop your commercial gym layout ideas, you must get approval of the regulatory rules of your property.

Safety compliance

After you have put your gym building inside the regulatory safe zone, next comes the safety compliance. This section involves the safety of everything available inside your gym. These include:

Barrier-free walkways

All gym floors should be spacious enough to provide clear and comfortable walkways.

Proper equipment placement

Equipment should be appropriately placed according to its size and availability. For example, big equipment like barbells should be placed in the weightlifting zone for easy and safe access. Small weights like slam balls should be placed in the storage room. This will take less space and avoid displacements, preventing injuries.

Signage above zones

It is a good practice to assign bold signs above different zones for clear communication. Also, ensure you have proper big sign boards for fire and emergency exits in all gym rooms.

Technical safety

Ensure all your equipment is up to-date, operational, and safe for customers to use. Install CCTV cameras in gym rooms for the safety of the business and customers.

Staff assurance

Ensure your staff has CPR and first aid certifications in case of emergencies. Well-educated and certified staff would instill more trust and safety in customers.

HVAC installation

A good gym layout is incomplete without a proper HVAC system. HVAC stands for (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning). Putting the HVAC design system first with the gym layout for gym temperature maintenance is vital.

The HVAC has high-capacity vents and air ducts to maintain the gyms’ appropriate atmosphere. These ducts should be strategically placed in the gym to keep the temperature and proper ventilation.

Gym flooring

You should never skip this one from the list. The flooring option is very important in gym layouts. It allows proper workout ability for customers.

The best flooring options should be slip-resistant, durable, and strong enough to absorb the impacts of different workouts. For commercial gyms, usually, 3 types of floorings are commonly used:

Maple hardwood flooring

This flooring is mainly used for big indoor gym courts for sporting and gaming for athletes.

Rubber flooring

It is the most common and one of the best types to use in gyms. Rubber flooring is designed with properly displaced floors for hard and soft exercise. It is excellent for weight endurance and ensures safety from injuries.

Vinyl composition tile

VCT is installed for smooth and durable surfaces that allow heavy gym workout training. They are slip-resistant and shock-absorbent, preventing injuries during workouts.

Lighting design

The list of commercial gym layout ideas is not complete without lighting design. Lighting plays a very important role in gym facilities. It creates an ambience and affects customers’ workout abilities.

If your gym has big windows that allow sunlight during workouts, you can use sensory lighting devices. They automatically adjust their availability depending on the intensity of the sunlight.

Ensure your gym has a proper lighting system that allows good visibility for workouts. The lighting should also match the interior of the gym. This way, your gym will have a fancy look for customers.

You can also use different neon lights in specific rooms, such as high-intensity training rooms, to boost participants’ energy levels and performance.

Ensure that you use energy-efficient LED lights and solar systems for lighting management in your gyms.

Soundproofing

Soundproofing is a common forgettable factor in gym layouts. This is because no one pays attention to it. However, you should always consider installing soundproof systems in gyms.

Soundproofing in gyms can be done by installing acoustic panels or ceiling tiles. The best way to use them is to install them strategically in different gym rooms according to the need.

For example, more acoustic insulation should be placed in the room with treadmills. This would reduce the equipment’s echoes and reverberations to other rooms.

Acoustic curtains can also limit noise in the gym.

Poster/wall design

Design and aesthetics are everyone’s favorite. Both work side by side to create an ambiance that attracts and motivates people. Design and colors always bring a strong inspiration among gym goers.

Motivational quotes

We all love quotes and put them as our wallpaper on our phones. So, use your gym walls to post motivational quotes for members. The quotes should be in clear and bold fonts for visibility and readability.

Painted spaces

You can also use specific colors for rooms to enhance members’ moods to inspire them.

Painted Images

If you want to create a stellar and creative gym design, go for painted walls and pictures in specific gym rooms. Putting a painting in the gym’s entrance is also good advice.

Final thoughts

Design goes a long way in developing any material. It gives us a perspective and a future picture of our project. It lays down a solid model that gives us a stronger and more trustworthy approach to turning our ideas into reality.

Gym layout design is the best way to create the desired picture of your future gym. Put your brain and effort into designing good commercial gym layout ideas to get the picture-perfect gym of your choice. A carefully designed gym will always be special for your customers and will benefit your gym business.