Whether in a home gym or commercial gym, free weights are found in just about every kind of gym. Dumbbells, kettlebells, and plate weights are all fairly portable and can be used for a multitude of exercises.

As versatile pieces of exercise equipment, you can use fixed or adjustable dumbbells, kettlebells, and weight plates to work out just about every single muscle in your body depending on the type of exercise you engage in.

However, if you have a home gym setup in a personal space, or more importantly, if you’re a commercial gym owner there is a crucial element to consider when you have a variety of free weights for you or your clients to use: Storage.

Storing your weights is an important design element for your workout space and for properly maintaining your equipment. You’ll want your weights organized in an easily accessible fashion so that they take up less space and don’t become tripping hazards.

However, you may be asking yourself, do I really need to store my weights? How do I store my weights? Or how much does a rack cost to store my weights?

The purpose of this article is to answer these specific questions and to explore how you can store your free weights.

In this article…..

1) Why Should You Store Your Weights?

2) Important Details to Consider

3) Storing Your Dumbbells

4)Storing Your Kettlebells

5)Storing Your Weight Plates and Bars

6) General Weight Storage Tips

7)Purchasing Your Gym Equipment at Akfit

Why Should You Store Your Weights?

Unless you own a pair of adjustable weights, it’s very likely that you will invest in a larger set of fixed free weights, especially if you are a commercial gym owner. A simple 5-50 lbs set of rubber dumbbells could be as many as 10 separate pairs, that’s a total of 20 free weights.

Organization

Free weights can be bulky, take up a lot of room, and can be subject to wear and tear if you don’t have a proper place to store them. 

Safety

If you leave your weights laying out in an open space, a simple slip or fall can lead to injury if you come into contact with them. While these common pieces of strength training equipment are usually small and compact, they can be heavy enough to cause harm if dropped or kicked.

Accessibility  

As a commercial gym owner with frequent visitors to your gym, you’ll want to provide a service to them that is organized and easily accessible. Having a proper place to store your weights is key.

If you’re designing a home-gym workout space, you’ll want a dedicated area for strength training and that is organized as well. 

Important Details to Consider

Before investing in any storage racks for your weight lifting equipment, there are a couple things to consider. First, it is important to measure your space. While taking measurements, ensure that you have the appropriate floor space, or even ceiling height, to safely add and remove weights from your rack.

It’s also important to consider the type of floor in your gym. If your workout space is in a carpeted area, a rack with wheels may not be the right choice. Moreover, if your floor doesn’t absorb the impact of weights, you should consider purchasing proper gym flooring to lay underneath your weight storage.

If you are confused on where to start with the space you are working with (or lack thereof), we highly recommend reaching out to us, at Akfit, so one of our experts can assist you with planning your gym design. 

Storing Dumbbells

If there is any piece of fitness equipment that comes to mind when you are thinking of planning a home gym, its dumbbells. These weights are very common because they are portable, take up minimal space, and offer endless strength training opportunities. 

However, as previously mentioned, a full set of dumbbells can create a lot of clutter if not stored properly. With this, it is a good idea to invest in a dumbbell storage rack for your safety. 

First you’ll want to make sure you measure out the dimensions of your workout space to be able to first identify which kind of storage rack is the best fit. 

Dumbbell racks come in both vertical and horizontal designs. Both of these styles of racks are designed to handle the heaviest of weight at the bottom and the lighter weights at the top.

Vertical racks will save you more floor space however these racks typically won’t hold as many dumbbells as a horizontal rack would. They also aren’t as stable as horizontal racks, especially if your rack will hold a lot of heavy weight. 

Vertical racks often come in a few forms:

• A-Frame: These racks look like the letter A with the intention of the pairs being placed on either side of the rack. 
• Vertical tower: These racks are built just as the title suggests. They’re vertical towers designed to take on weight on the edges of the stand.
• Wall mounted racks: These racks consist of one or two parallel rack lines but obviously can’t be moved after installation.

Horizontal racks tend to be able to carry more weight and are very common to find at commercial gyms with a large dumbbell collection. Many of these racks can also be built up to a perfect height to store weight and still sit underneath a workout mirror. 

On the flipside, horizontal racks take much considerably more floor space compared to their vertical counterparts and on average tend to be more expensive. 

Cost of Dumbbell Storage at Akfit

At Akfit, we sell a variety of dumbbell racks including vertical racks, horizontal racks, and racks on wheels. Depending on what is required for your equipment, our dumbbell storage rack ranges in price from $90 to $998.

Storing Kettlebells

Similar to storing dumbbells, a set of kettlebells can begin to take up a lot of space and can pose a safety hazard.

When it comes to purchasing a kettlebell storage rack, it’s important to consider the size and weight of your kettlebells. Due to the ball-like shape of a kettlebell, the bigger the kettlebell is, the more space it will take up on a storage rack.

However, there are a variety of different storage options on the market designed specifically for kettlebells including vertical racks, horizontal racks, and tree racks. 

Vertical kettlebell racks are often designed in a 2-tier up to a 4-tier design. These are built to maximize floor space and depending on the size of your kettlebells, these racks are designed to fit anywhere from 3-8 kettlebells per shelf.

Horizontal racks are essentially the complete opposite in design but tend to be more durable than vertical racks. These racks are best designed to be stacked up against a wall so you can get the most out of your floor space.

Tree racks are less common, but are still an option for storing kettlebells. These racks are designed to hang kettlebells from pegs that are built to hold your weight securely. They are usually built in an “X” design to balance out weight and maximize stability.

The amount of weight these racks hold can vary depending on the specific rack you purchase as each rack can have a different space and weight capacity. It’s important to make sure that you map out your storage requirements before investing in a kettlebell rack.

Cost of Kettlebell Storage Industry Wide

Kettlebell racks can come in at a cost of anywhere from $100 to over $1000. The cost can be determined by if the equipment is new or used, the material and durability of the rack, and the weight and space capacity. 

Storing Weight Plates and Bars

While powerlifting and Olympic lifting equipment is more common at commercial gyms, that doesn’t exclude them from the home gym environment. In fact, there are squat racks designed specifically for lower ceilings with the sole purpose of fitting into a home.

Whether you’re an Olympic lifter, a powerlifter, or you own adjustable dumbbells with removable weight plates, you’ll need somewhere to store your plates.

When choosing storage for weight plate equipment, it is important to consider the space taken up by any benches, where you plan to hold your bars, and how you want to organize your plates.

Most storage equipment for weight lifting bars usually consist of vertical racks similar to dumbbell racks. However, these vertical racks tend to take up more floor space than vertical dumbbell racks due to the length of the weightlifting bars.

When it comes to storing plate weights, tree racks are a common type of storage. These tree racks come in horizontal and vertical designs allowing you to place your plates in any fashion you prefer. However, like dumbbell storage racks, it is recommended that you store the heaviest weights at the bottom and the lightest weights at the top.

Another way to store plate weights is on a horizontal bumper plate rack. These racks are horizontal racks and some have the ability to sit stationary or roll on wheels.

However, if you find that these options aren’t quite getting the job done you may prefer a vertical bumper plate storage rack. These racks are placed on the floor with a vertical post in the center allowing you to stack your plates on top of each other.

Cost of Weight Plate Storage at Akfit

At Akfit, we house an inventory of horizontal and vertical bumper plate racks, as well as weight plate trees to help you easily organize your weight training equipment. Our plate storage racks range in price from $100 to $598.

General Weight Storage Tips

Regardless of the type of strength training equipment you are storing, it is important to follow these tips:

• Make sure to always follow the owner’s manual and safety guidelines associated with the product.
• Always place the heaviest  weights at the bottom of the storage racks.
• Avoid placing the storage racks in the middle of your workout space.
• Make sure the storage rack has a solid and levelled foundation to stand on.
• Ensure that your floor is capable of withstanding all the weight (especially if your home-gym is on an upper-level of your home).

Purchasing Weight Storage at Akfit

We hope that this article has helped provide you with the answers you have been looking for.

If you are ready to invest in a storage rack for your free weights you can check out our entire inventory here. We sell a variety of storage racks built for several types of weights, including dumbbells, kettlebells, and plate weights.

If you still aren’t 100% sure which weight storage option is right for you, we encourage you to contact us with any questions or concernsyou may have.

Our fitness experts are ready to assist you in reaching your fitness goals. Book a virtual meeting with us or visit us in-store at our Sudbury location.