Estimated read time: 6 minutes

So you’ve decided to invest in fitness equipment for your own personal workout space, but do you have the appropriate space to fit the product you are purchasing?

Understanding the amount of space you are working with is crucial no matter what equipment you are purchasing. This is because you still need the proper amount of space to work out safely and effectively. 

At Akfit, we are a Canadian specialty fitness store located in Sudbury, Ontario. We have been working closely with our clients within our communities locally, the rest of Canada, and beyond since 1989 with all their fitness related needs. This includes finding the right fitness equipment for your home or commercial gym environment. 

If you don’t measure out your space, you could find yourself running into some problems depending on the type of equipment and workouts you intend on engaging in. A squat rack, for example, needs the proper amount of vertical space to fit within a room. Similarly, treadmills are bulky machines that can be difficult to fit through doors and hallways. 

In fact, many retailers require you to measure your delivery path. Further, some retailers will  just leave the product at your front door for you to move yourself. You will want to ensure that the equipment you ordered will fit into your home effortlessly. 

If you plan on ordering a piece of fitness equipment, this article will provide a step-by-step process of how to properly measure your space to ensure your fitness equipment fits.

In this article:

1. Determine Your Equipment
2. Measure Your Workout Space
3. Measure the Delivery Path
4. Reach Out to Akfit

Determine Your Fitness Equipment: Shape, Dimensions & Weight

Fitness Equipment varies in terms of shape and size. In turn, some types of fitness equipment require more space than others. 

Before you start measuring your workout space, it is important to determine the equipment you are going to purchase. Not only should the equipment align with your comfort level, budget, and fitness goals, its shape and dimensions should be able to fit into your space. 

If you are unsure of what gym equipment is right for you, we highly recommend reaching out to us at Akfit and speaking with one of our fitness professionals to help you find the perfect product that will fit your needs. 

If you have decided on what type of fitness equipment you would like to invest in, make sure to take note of the dimensions of the product, (height, width, and length), as well as the total weight of the product. 

If you intend on moving your fitness equipment in and out of a storage space, you will also want to ensure that the size of your equipment will fit into storage.

Large strength machines and functional trainers are likely to stay put, but some equipment such as treadmills, yoga mats, and free weights, can often be moved around. 

For example, folding treadmills have the ability to fold vertically so you can maximize your floor space when you aren’t working out. Whereas with free weights, you may look to invest in free weight storage racks, and that also requires measuring your workout area. 

Measuring Your Workout Area

Measuring a space is no easy task. It can be difficult to know where to start and what exactly to measure.

Some key measurements include:

• Ceiling height
• Floor space
• Entry points
• Length and width dimensions

Now it is time to measure your workout area.

Step One: Gather the Appropriate Tools

When measuring your workout space, you’ll need to have the appropriate tools to be able complete this task. These tools can include:

• A measuring tape
• A laser measuring device if measuring tape isn’t an option
• A pen and paper to record your measurements

Step Two: Measure Your Workout Area’s Dimensions

First, it’s best to grab a sheet of paper and a writing utensil to sketch out the shape of your area with a bird’s eye view perspective. 

Now it’s time to measure the dimensions of your workout area. If you are using a laser distance measurer, place the laser against one wall and aim it at the opposite wall. Press the button on your laser measurer and the measurement will show up on the device. 

If you intend on using a measuring tape, just simply measure out the length and width of each  wall and surface area. Then record your measurements on your sketch.

Make sure to repeat your measurements a second time to ensure accuracy. 

Step Three: Measure Vertical Ceiling Height

If you intend on owning equipment that requires a lot of vertical space, you need to make sure your ceiling is high enough. 

A low squat rack for example, usually carries an average height of 72 inches, whereas other racks and cages could be as tall as 93 inches tall. 

Regardless, you should also make sure there is space between the height of your fitness equipment and your ceiling. This is especially important especially if you are considering using your equipment for exercise that requires more vertical space, such as chin ups.

If you intend on using your doorway for equipment such as a chin-up bar, make sure that there is a foot of clearance from your equipment to the ceiling. 

Step Four: Don’t Forget About Your Floor

It is important that the flooring in your workout area can effectively absorb the impact of your equipment and exercises. 

While you can get away with a treadmill mat for some heavy-duty cardio machines, sometimes rubber flooring tiles or rolls are more desirable. 

With this, you’ll need to measure your desired floor space before purchasing a mat, rubber flooring, or tiles.

To measure your floor, you’ll want to calculate your space by square feet. You will also want to consider any cabinets, countertops, or ledges that may impact your measurements.

In order to determine square footage, just simply multiply the width and length of your workout space. For example, “10 x 7 = 70 sq.ft. 

If you are still having issues measuring your desired floor space, you can use an online square foot calculator to help you find out how much flooring you need. 

Step Five: Take Note of Additional Details

When measuring out your room, make sure to take other specific details into consideration that may impact where you can place your fitness equipment. These could include:

• Power outlets
• Ceiling fans
• Radiators 
• Existing furniture 
• Floor or wall vents
• Fireplaces or wood stoves

Step Six: Consider Space Between Equipment

If you are designing a complex home gym or a commercial gym facility, you need to consider the space between all of your fitness equipment. 

A good rule of thumb to follow is to provide at least two feet between each piece of fitness equipment. This allows users to easily and safely hop on and off the equipment.

Measure the Delivery Path

Don’t forget that your workout area isn’t the only place you need to measure. You also need to take measurements of your delivery path to ensure you can transport  your equipment to your desired location. 

Some key pathways you should measure include: 

Smallest doorway

As you begin to measure your smallest doorway (or all your doorways), in your delivery path, you need to record the following.

• Left wall placement: Measure the distance of the left corner of the wall to the edge of the opening or trim.
• Width including trim/frame: Measure horizontally the opening from outside edges of the trim.
• Width excluding trim/frame: Measure horizontally the opening from the inside of the trim.
• Right wall placement: Record the distance from the right side of the opening trim to the right corner of the wall.
• Top wall placement: Measure vertically from the ceiling to top of the trim.
• Height including trim/frame: Measure vertically from the outside edge of top trim to outer edge of bottom trim.
• Height excluding trim/frame: Measure the height from inside edges of trim.
• Bottom wall placement: Measure from outer trim to the floor if necessary
• Diagonal Depth excluding the frame: Record the distance diagonally from the inside top left corner of the door frame to inside bottom right.

Stairwells

Before measuring the stairwell, make sure to measure the entry path. Afterwards you’ll want to measure the width of the staircase wall-to-wall and railing-to-railing. 

It’s also important to take note of the diagonal width of the stairwell, and measure the width and depth of the stairs if necessary. This could impact your delivery path depending on the size of the equipment being transferred.

Make sure to also measure the floor space of any landings as well since larger equipment such as treadmills are harder to transport on smaller landings.

Elevator space

Recording measurements of an elevator is similar to measuring a room and it’s doorway:

• Take note of the elevator’s wall-to-wall measurements
• measure the entryway of the elevator, taking the trim or frame of the elevator door into account.

If you live in an apartment complex or condo building, you may need to request your landlord or building supervisor a designated time to use your elevator for delivery. 

Hallways

Measuring any hallways in your delivery path should follow a similar practice to measuring a room and any doorways or entry paths. Take note of the width, length, and height of the hallway. 

Booking a Delivery or Installation at Akfit

If you are scheduling a delivery or installation for your equipment, you should take note of additional details to ensure the carriers can deliver your equipment safely and efficiently. 

Some of these key considerations could include:

• Number of stairs
• Number of flights of stairs (turns/bends)
• Primary entry point
• Secondary entry point
• Number of doorways to pass through
• Can the delivery truck fit in your driveway

Reach Out to Akfit

After reading this article, we hope that you feel confident on how to measure your space for fitness equipment. 

Measurements aside, we understand that it can still be difficult to know where to start when it comes to planning the perfect home gym set up to match your comfort and fitness goals. 

This is why we  are here to help at Akfit!

Since 1989, Akfit has operated as a Canadian specialty fitness store and we have been serving our communities locally in Sudbury, northern Ontario, Canada, and beyond.

We work closely with our clients to help them find the perfect fitness equipment that aligns with their space, budget, and fitness goals.

We highly recommend reaching out to us with any of your fitness-related questions. Our fitness professionals will help you find the equipment that is right for you and your budget.

You can always visit us in-store at our Sudbury location, or you can book a virtual consultation.

If you have already decided on the equipment that is right for you, you can request a delivery and installation here. As emphasized in this article, don't forget to measure your space and delivery path before scheduling a delivery.

Whichever your fitness goals may be, we are here to help to provide you with expert fitness advice!