Where do you store your equipment?

[Sung Tse]

I do not have an exercise room.

I had good intentions of exercising in my son's room when he's not at home, but he always has some stuff on the floor and I do not feel like cleaning it up every time I need to exercise!

I'm thinking I should exercise in my livingroom - I can cushion the hardwood with mats. I'm going to break it down to slip under the sofa.

The problem is the weights and the equipment! Where do I store these so they're within reach? I know I will not take out the equipment if they're not within easy access and will forego exercising altogether. But, I don't want them cluttering up my livingroom, either!

Please tell me where you keep all of your equipment and/or give me some ideas! I am trying to keep my house orderly, haha.

[imhere2dance]

I have a large plastic purple basket I got from Target a few years ago. It sits beside my desk in my bedroom. I don't have a lot of equipment and everything fits in there perfectly.

[Diane135]

I have a gym set up in my basement now, but before that I worked out in my bedroom. I too didn't want my equipment cluttering up my living room. I figured guests would see my living room, but not my bedroom.

[Indy]

You need a dedicated space - this makes it way easier to workout than if you had to "make" a space every time.

I once made a space out of a small, small, small laundry room - I got a little tv - put it in there - and had all my weights right within reach. Previously, I used to carry the weights into the gameroom everytime I worked out - and had to wait till the tv was free - so the laundry room was smaller - but way better.

I also used my living room - hardwood floors in an apartment - all my weights and equipment were in the dining room. Yes - they were sitting out - what good is a dining room I tell ya - I needed the room for the equipment. My treadmill was in there too.

So bottom line - all my stuff is always sitting out.

[Kesal]

I keep my dumbbells, shoes, and other small random gear in the lower part of the entertainment center (luckily it has cupboard doors, so it's concealed). I have a bookcase that's pulled just far enough from the corner of the room that my TransFirmer can slide into the space, and I keep my stability ball in the opposite corner. I can't get any more equipment, because that's all the space I have!

[kat_b]

I'm lucky in that I now have a dedicated space, but when I had to work out in my living room I bought two large storage footstools (from IKEA) that I kept in front of the sofa instead of a coffee table. I put all my gear inside (including lighter weights) and put them on castors instead of feet so when I worked out I could roll them to the side.

Gin Miller had been making little slipcovers for step platforms that I thought were a clever way of hiding that sort of stuff, too: http://ginmiller.com/blog/2010/01/cl...ide-your-step/

ETA: the only thing I could never figure out how to hide was the stability ball...

[Diane135]

Originally Posted by kat_b

I'm lucky in that I now have a dedicated space, but when I had to work out in my living room I bought two large storage footstools (from IKEA) that I kept in front of the sofa instead of a coffee table. I put all my gear inside (including lighter weights) and put them on castors instead of feet so when I worked out I could roll them to the side.

Gin Miller had been making little slipcovers for step platforms that I thought were a clever way of hiding that sort of stuff, too: http://ginmiller.com/blog/2010/01/cl...ide-your-step/

ETA: the only thing I could never figure out how to hide was the stability ball...

Great ideas!

[Cammie-Cam]

In in an NYC apartment where space is at a minumim. I workout in the living room, and put puzzle mats down when I need to. I practically have a gym at my disposal and keep everything on the bottom of the coat closet. (Hand weights, barbel and various weights, step and risers, high step, yoga mats, kettlebells, puzzla mats). It's not a big closet, but I've learned to make small spaces work since I've been in NYC all my life. It's what we do.

It's sort of a PITA to take things out, but if I plan which workout Im doing the night before, I'll usually set everything out in the evening, so in the AM I just need to get up and get dressed.

[Sass]

A room in my basement...the floor is cement or at least it feels and looks like it. I don't use any cushion. Just a mat when I do floor work. I don't rough it out by choice...hopefully I can get a real floor in the near future.

[jessicavi]

I keep my equipment in the linen closet, which is around the corner from the family room where I workout. I keep my 4 kbells under the lamp table in the corner of the room where they aren't very visible. My SB is kept in the attic stairwell. It's hidden by the closed door. I've thought of maybe putting up a shelf above that doorway to put my ball on but since noone really goes up there much, I haven't followed through with it. I'm a real closet vidiot, so I'm always careful not to leave any telltale signs that I workout/have vidoes for prying eyes/curious minds to question.