Well I think it is safe to say this home gym project seems to have become the most drawn out project ever however, we have finally got the wheels in motion and the project is actually making progress, who knows we might actually have a home gym that is fully usable by the time my birthday rolls around in Spetember. 

We were going to go for a prebuilt structure however, once again we changed our minds and are back to building the structure from scratch ourselves which is going to take a bit more time however, it is going to be perfect for us and will be more suited to what it is being used for. We finally have the old garage gone so we now have a blank slate to work from and let's just say things are getting really exciting now. So here is the plan so far to get the structure built...

Now that the old garage is out of the way we have seen that we are going to need to bring the old floor up in areas to get the flooring level, we will also be creating the base for the structure once the floor is level. This part is also going to involve doing a bit of damp coursing as the last thing we want is the gym getting damp not long after building it. 

One the base has set it is time to get onto the fun part which is building the structure which is going to be wooden possibly with some cladding just to make it look a bit nicer from the outside as it is going to take a lot of space outside and is going to be one of the first things you see. The actually frame shouldn't take too long to build due to the lengths etc so fingers crossed this part goes without a hitch and we can start cladding it nice and quickly. The roof shouldn't take too long either due to the size so fingers crossed that is on in now time and the structure is done ASAP, with the work being done on a weekend the actual structure should take around 2 weeks we believe if all goes to plan. Once the structure is up and nice & secure with a decent door we need to go buy then it is a case of checking it is all water tight before running some electrics for the electrical equipment we are planning on purchasing and adding the lights which we still need to decide on.

Once all that is done it is on to the fun part really as we will be able to see the inside really start to take shape which is the bit I am definitely most excited for if I am honest. So once the electrics and lights are done we will be adding some insulation to the walls for the added bit of warmth before boarding over the insulation. Once boarded we will be painting the walls and at the moment we are considering a bit of a dark grey however, we won't be 100% on the colour choice until we see what the space is like when it is all boarded, I am also very tempted to put a quote on one wall from a female footballer but again I am not 100% sure on that just yet. Once the paint is all dry a few mirrors will be added to the weights are and then we are all good to lay the gym flooring which we are still on the hunt for, once that is down and secure though we can focus on moving everything into the gym and actually start using it. 

Luckily we already have a fair bit of equipment with a spin bike and just a normal exercise bike which to be honest might be going if we need the space for anything else as we don't really need two bikes. We also have a rowing machine which will be going in and hopefully be being used more often, this is a very old rowing machine but if we do start using it more an upgrade may happen in the future. We also have plenty of weights to go in weights corner already too which is more than enough for what I can currently lift and these weights will be joined by an incline bench and plenty of resistance bands. There will also be a punch bag and a few other little bits heading into the gym on day one and it is more than enough to get some good workout sessions in.

Luckily we have plenty of equipment to fill the gym already as the cost is going to mean nothing new can be purchased for a while however, I am hoping that once money allows and once we know how much space we have to play with then a few more bits of equipment can be purchased to take those workouts to another level. A treadmill is high on the priority list and is why one bike may be going to allow for space. We are also hoping that we can add some more weights into the area so that when we are able to lift heavier the options are there waiting for us. Along with more weights we are hoping to add a bit of a multi-gym/cable pulley system for those targeted weighted sessions, which option we go for is definitely going to be based on the space so lets hope there is space for one of these as they will definitely be helpful for my journey. Fingers crossed I can find a reasonably priced flat bench for weights too seen as our other bench doesn't have a flat setting. We will also be purchasing a little bit of storage for all the smaller pieces of equipment so that the home gym will always look nice and tidy.

Obviously all those new purchases will dependent on the budget and more importantly the space we have available but fingers crossed we can have a fair few new additions to the gym by the end of the year. I just can't wait to get this home gym built as it is definitely going to help me get back into a routine and help me hit my workouts unlike the way I haven't been bothering lately. Having this space means we get the house back too as the downstairs will no longer be filled with workout equipment. Overall though I am just excited for my own space to progress with my journey with no distractions as it should really do me the world of good and hopefully we will start seeing some progress once again rather than my journey seeming to go backwards like it currently is doing.

Let's hope things get moving soon as I am definitely getting excited now.