Written by Rob Riches @robrichesfitness
Having worked within the fitness industry for almost 20 years, training has always been a big focus within my lifestyle, and I would usually perform some type of cardio or resistance training most days. So when I recently moved into a new home, I wanted to build out a gym within the garage, but where we could still fit both cars inside without moving many things about.
One of the first things I looked into was getting some type of flooring installed that would allow me to workout hard (meaning sweat), as well as provide some cushioning (for high impact exercises), but also allow me to drive the car over and leave it there without causing damage or marking the flooring.
After a brief search online, it became obvious as to what type of flooring I wanted to get, and why it would be the perfect fit for my garage gym. It was Smart Turf’s Athletic Turf (actual name is Xtreme Play Turf), which was ideal for me considering it has built in 5 mm padding.
I also learned that it has something called “Microban Antimicrobial Technology” built in, which inhibits growth of bacteria, mold and mildew, as well as helps reduce odor and keeps it fresher for longer. This was a definite plus for me, as I also didn’t want to constantly be mopping rubber floors each time after I exercised.
Given that I wanted this garage gym to last, especially as it was a new property, I really liked that Smart Turf manufacturers all of their artificial grass in the U.S.A, and not overseas, and gives me a 15 year warranty (most others I had seen only seemed to be for 10 years)
I even had options for different colors (red, green, white, black, grey, navy, and Florida blue), although I went for green as I also wanted the garage gym to look and feel like it could be outdoors (when the garage door was open and allowed in the morning sun).
Finally, with it coming in 15 foot rolls, it literally was the perfect fit in my garage, and really transformed it once I had all my gym equipment in place, from a cold, grey garage, to a colorfully inviting, and bright exercise space. I couldn’t wait to perform my first workout within my new garage gym.
Watch out for Rob’s upcoming blog posts for his full body strength workout in his new home gym garage. Post in the comments below which color turf you’d pick for your own home gym garage.