I have a sizable shed located in my backyard that I use as my home gym.
The cement floor, eight-foot ceiling and square footage are ideal.
There is a window located at each end of the shed that is helpful to provide fresh air during milder weather. I like to workout first thing in the morning when possible. I spend approximately an hour on a combination of stretching, strength training and high-impact aerobics. I have an incline bench, mini trampoline, battle ropes, free weights, yoga mat, jump rope, medicine ball and a stationary bike. The only problem I had with the space was the lack of temperature control. For a while, I got by with an electric space heater in the winter and a window air conditioner in the summer. I’d need to go out to the shed, start up the portable heater or cooling unit and then wait about an hour before I could begin my exercises. On especially hot or cold mornings, the heater and air conditioner struggled to keep up with demand. I’d try to workout as early as possible during the summer to avoid the heat of the day. During the winter, I’d wait for the temperature to warm up before working out. I finally decided to make an improvement. I had a ductless heat pump permanently installed to handle year round temperature control. The system consists of a compact outdoor compressor and a slim profile indoor air handler. The air handlers is mounted up high on the wall and provides both heating and cooling capacity. I’m able to switch from heating to cooling, raise and lower temperature, adjust fan speed and even target the direction of airflow from an app on my phone.