Fitness Experts on How to Create a Kick-Ass Home Gym—No Equipment Necessary

While COVID-19 keeps us home, finding the right workout routine— and space— is more important than ever. Four fitness experts gave us a peek into their home workout space and reminded us that the only thing you need for an effective home gym is the motivation to start moving.

Traci Copeland

Nike master trainer, dancer, and yoga instructor Traci Copeland pushes a coffee table aside to set up her daily workout space in the light-filled living room of her Seattle home. With spatial restrictions and ongoing conference calls in a nearby room, Copeland explains, “You have to be more mindful in your space.” But, these restrictions don’t keep her from a strong workout: “You’re in charge of the energy that you bring to the room and [the space] can be easily transformed into whatever you want it to be. The one thing we do have control over right now is our fitness. You can control how much you want to move today.” 

Copeland sees this time as an opportunity to learn and grow not just physically, but also mentally and creatively. For her, that’s meant learning to play the guitar and finding new methods she can add to her clients’ and her own training. “We’re realizing all the things we can do with what we already have,” she says. “Hopefully it empowers us all to pick up something new and focus on slightly different things than before corona life happened.” 

Jules Bakshi

Jules Bakshi, founder of Brooklyn-based dance and mindful fitness studio GOOD MOVE, finds herself dancing in the living room of her 1.5-bedroom apartment because of its natural light and floor space. “You don’t need props or fancy equipment to get a great workout; you just have to know the body well,” she says. “The best thing you can do for your fitness is to find a way of moving that makes you feel good, and use that as a starting point for a dialogue. The body has a lot to say, and will tell you exactly what it needs if you’re listening!” If there were ever a time to tune into our minds and bodies, it’s now. 

Bakshi wants to inspire others to have fun in the space they have: “Clear some floor space for yourself—a yoga mat’s width is all you need to do most exercises worth doing, and two mats’ width will give you plenty of room to dance. Try not to be hard on yourself about the how or where, just start moving your body. It will be so very grateful!” 

She adds, “If you have a solid enough bed frame, jump on the bed! Seriously, [there’s] no better cardio, and you simply cannot stay stressed or upset for very long when you’re jumping on the bed. Don’t be afraid to get creative!”

Jeremiah Maestre

As our days now begin and end in our homes, finding spatial separation is critical to routine and motivation. Spatial separation doesn’t necessarily mean an upheaval of your physical space. Nuanced, subtle changes made throughout the day can transform the energy of a space and signal a shift to the body and mind. 

Rumble boxing instructor and personal trainer Jeremiah Maestre uses sensory signals to define his routine and shift between daily life and exercise. The smell of pour-over coffee fuels his morning, lighting shifts and clothes change as he mentally readies to work out, and when it’s time to wind down, lavender diffuses throughout the two-bedroom, open-concept Brooklyn apartment that he shares with his wife and 9-month-old son.