If you’re tired of paying for a gym membership, waiting for equipment to become available, or dealing with crowds, you may be thinking about building a home gym. Today, I’m going to talk about how you can build a home gym with 300 square feet.
Is it possible to build a 300 square foot home gym? Yes, it is. We worked with Camila Lyons, the co-founder and lead designer of ALVA Interior Architecture and Design, to design a 300 square foot home gym. The layout that works best for you will depend on what kind of training you do, but you can still build a functional home gym with 300 square feet.
Scroll down to see our 300 square foot home gym floor plans.
I’ll also provide examples of what can and can’t fit in a space of this size and share lists of the essential and optional pieces of equipment for your home gym.
Table of Contents
300 Square Foot Home Gym Floor Plan
The designs below are examples of what you can put in a 300 square foot home gym.
As you can tell from this drawing, there is plenty of room to fit equipment for both strength training and conditioning. For all of these designs, we used a room that measures 15’x20’.
Here is a 3D view of this layout:
Here is how this room would look when viewed from an angle:
And here is how the room looks when viewed from the front:
These layouts don’t include everything you can possibly fit, and you can swap out this equipment for other pieces that match your goals. Further down in this article, I provide some ideas for substitutions based on different styles of training.
Check out our complete guide to Small Home Gym Layouts.
What Can Fit Into A 300 Square Foot Home Gym?
Based on the floor plans above, you can fit the following pieces of equipment in a 300 square foot home gym:
- Dumbbells and a dumbbell storage rack
- Kettlebells and a kettlebell storage rack
- Medicine ball storage
- Power cage
- Barbell wall storage
- A lifting platform
- A bench
- A concept 2 rower
- A plyo box
- Wall-hanging storage for things like a belt and resistance bands
- A wall-mounted cable station
What CANNOT Fit Into A 300 Square Foot Home Gym?
With 300 square feet, you can build a decent home gym, but here are some examples of what won’t fit:
- More than one or two cardio machines, unless you don’t need a squat rack
- More than five or six separate bodybuilding machines
- A full power cage, if your ceilings aren’t high enough
- More than one power cage or squat rack, but this depends on how much other equipment you decide to purchase
Extras & Substitutions Based On Your Goals
1. For CrossFitters
For CrossFitters, an important thing to consider is where you’ll place all of your equipment. You’ll need space to keep a barbell on the floor as well as to do burpees, double unders, or situps without hitting your equipment.
As such, most non-competitive CrossFitters only need one or two pairs of dumbbells, one or two kettlebells, and one medicine ball for wall balls. I recommend the following weights since these are the Rx weights used most frequently in WODs:
- 50lb dumbbells for men
- 35lb dumbbells for women
- 53lb kettlebell for men
- 35lb kettlebell for women
- 20lb medicine ball for men
- 14lb medicine ball for women
Of course, you can go higher or lower depending on your strength levels. You may also need additional dumbbells, kettlebells, or medicine balls if you work out with your partner or children, but full racks aren’t necessary for casual CrossFitters. You could also get just one storage rack and store both dumbbells and kettlebells on it.
This will give you more room to move freely during a WOD and will also give you more wall space for handstand pushups and wall balls. You could also use the extra room for a GHD machine.
You probably also won’t need a deadlift or weightlifting platform. And instead of a full power cage, I’d recommend getting a squat stand and installing a pullup bar on your wall.
If you don’t have high enough ceilings to do pullups, you can get a set of gymnastics rings and do ring rows. Even if your ceiling is high enough, gymnastics rings would still be beneficial so you can practice ring muscle ups or ring dips.
The floor plans above also feature a Concept 2 Rower. I can’t think of many reasons why a CrossFitter wouldn’t want a rower, but you could get an Echo Bike or ski erg instead if you didn’t want a rower.
2. For Bodybuilders
For bodybuilders, a home gym should include machines so you can perform isolation movements. You don’t need kettlebells or medicine balls. You probably also don’t need a deadlift platform, but that depends on whether or not you incorporate deadlift variations in your routine and how heavy you lift.
In place of the storage racks and lifting platform, you can fit more machines, like a leg extension, leg press machine, or lat pulldown machine.
Bodybuilders will also need various dumbbells for isolation exercises, but you can get adjustable dumbbells to save even more space.
3. For General Fitness Enthusiasts
General fitness enthusiasts who don’t lift very heavy weights won’t need a power cage. You may not even need a squat stand or barbell at all, depending on what kind of workouts you do.
If you like to do more cardio and less strength work, you can fit both an exercise bike and a treadmill in a 300 square foot home gym. Instead of multiple sets of dumbbells, you can get adjustable dumbbells.
Unless you prefer having various bodybuilding machines, you can easily fit an all-in-one gym. While this is a big machine, you’ll save room by not having individual machines. And even with one or two pieces of cardio equipment, you’ll still have room to do HIIT or circuit-style training.
4. For Powerlifters
Building a home gym in a 300 square foot space is easier for powerlifters since you don’t need quite as much equipment. Powerlifting workouts require a barbell, a squat rack, plates, a pullup bar, a bench, and a few pairs of dumbbells.
Since most powerlifters won’t need cardio equipment, medicine balls, or a full rack of kettlebells, you can use the extra space for machines like a reverse hyper or GHD machine. You can also get a sled for sled pushes if you have easy outdoor access from your gym space.
5. For Weightlifters
Like powerlifters, weightlifters don’t require a ton of equipment. Essential equipment for weightlifters includes a squat stand, a barbell, plates, a lifting platform or crash pads, and a pullup bar.
You may not need a lot of dumbbells and kettlebells, so you can even get jerk blocks. You can get a bench if you like to incorporate bench presses, but many weightlifters don’t. And if you like to do conditioning work, you’ll still have enough space for a rower or bike.
Equipment For A 300 Square Foot Gym
Must Haves for a 300 Square Foot Gym
The 7 must-haves for a 300 square foot gym are:
- Barbell
- Plates
- Squat rack
- Bench
- Dumbbells
- Resistance bands
- Kettlebells
1. Barbell
A barbell is a must-have for almost every home gym. The Rogue Ohio Power Bar is a good all-purpose barbell if you’re looking for a versatile bar that you can use for squats, bench presses, deadlifts, and overhead presses.
For Olympic weightlifters or CrossFitters, I recommend the Rogue Bella Bar 2.0 for females or the Olympic WL bar for males. I’ve been using the Bella Bar myself for almost four years. it’s hardly showing any signs of wear even though I use it 4-5 days per week and my garage gets very humid in the summer.
2. Plates
There are three different kinds of plates available, and what you choose will depend on the type of training you do.
- Bumper plates are most often used for CrossFit and Olympic lifting.
- Metal plates are most commonly made from steel and iron and are used by powerlifters.
- Rubber-coated plates are ideal if you’re going to be doing bodybuilding or general strength training.
I wrote an in-depth review of each of these plates and discussed in detail why different sports require different kinds of plates. Check out the article Bumper Plates vs. Metal Plates vs. Rubber Plates (Pros and Cons).
3. Squat Rack
A 300 square foot space can easily fit a full power cage as long as your ceilings are high enough. I recommend the Fringe Sport One Fit Wonder Power Cage Squat Rack because it has a high weight capacity and it can fit in rooms with ceilings that are only 9 feet high.
If you need a squat stand to accommodate lower ceilings, I recommend the Rogue SML-1 70” Monster Lite Squat Stand. It also has a high weight capacity but doesn’t have as large of a footprint, and it’s only 6 feet tall.
For more recommendations on the best squat racks for small spaces, check out my article 7 Best Squat Racks for Small Spaces.
4. Bench
Benches are available as either flat benches or adjustable benches. I like adjustable benches because you can use them for incline bench presses, incline dumbbell flyes, or chest-supported rows. But whichever option you choose really just comes down to personal preference.
The Fringe Sport flat bench has a weight capacity of 800lbs, which is more than enough even for competitive powerlifters. Fringe Sport also has an adjustable bench. This bench has a weight capacity of 1,000 lbs and comes with seven adjustable positions.
5. Dumbbells
I like hex dumbbells vs round dumbbells for home gyms because you can do a variety of movements with them such as renegade rows, dumbbell snatches, and farmer’s carries. The rubber hex dumbbells from Titan Fitness are an excellent option because they’re durable and the knurling makes them easier to hold if your hands get sweaty.
If you want to save even more space and use adjustable dumbbells, I recommend PowerBlock dumbbells. I’ve had these for years and they’re great for quickly changing weights mid-workout. They’re too clunky for dumbbell snatches and dumbbell cleans, but I like them for pretty much everything else.
6. Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are inexpensive and don’t take up a lot of space. They’re great for stretching and warming up, and you can find creative ways to use them as substitutions for different machines.
For example, I do lat pushdowns in my garage gym with a resistance band and a PVC pipe. I adjust my squat stand to the highest setting, loop a resistance band around my barbell, and loop the other end of the band around the PVC pipe.
I then kneel on the floor and perform the movement as if I were using a cable machine with a straight bar attachment. Whenever I feel like I need more resistance, I use a larger band or wrap the band around the barbell or PVC pipe more times to make it more challenging.
I’ve had this set of resistance bands for years and they’re still going strong. I highly recommend them for anyone who wants to add resistance bands to their home gym.
7. Kettlebells
Even though we showed a full set of kettlebells in our sample floor plan above, you only need one or two for your home gym. You can leave them on the floor, or as I mentioned earlier, you can get just one storage rack and store both your kettlebells and your dumbbells on it.
Rogue Kettlebells are an excellent choice for home gyms. They’re made out of iron ore and don’t contain any low-quality materials such as plastic. They also have a matte powder coat finish that is easy to hold onto even when your hands are sweaty.
Optional Pieces of Equipment for a 300 Square Foot Home Gym
Five optional pieces of equipment for a 300 square foot home gym are:
- Plyo box
- Cardio equipment
- Machines
- Medicine balls
- Lifting platform
1. Plyo Box
Plyo boxes are nice to have, especially for CrossFitters or anyone who likes to train explosive movements such as box jumps, but they’re not a necessity if you need to save some space.
Plyo boxes are made out of wood or foam-covered wood. Some manufacturers make steel ones as well, but I don’t recommend them since they can really damage your shins if you fall. Wood boxes are cost-effective, but they can also hurt your shins if you miss a jump.
For this reason, I recommend foam boxes if you have the budget, but a wood box is sufficient as long as you’re careful.
Boxes like the Rogue wood plyo box or foam box are both excellent options. They’re used in a lot of CrossFit gyms, which is a testament to their durability.
2. Cardio Equipment
This largely depends on your goals, but if you wanted to focus primarily on strength or hypertrophy training, you can get by without any cardio equipment.
However, as I mentioned earlier, you can fit a Concept 2 Rower, Echo Bike, or ski erg in a 300 square foot space. If you’re not a CrossFitter, you can get a treadmill, spin bike, or elliptical instead.
3. Machines
Most athletes can get effective workouts with a barbell and dumbbells, but machines are beneficial for bodybuilders. However, having too many machines will make your space feel cramped.
For that reason, I recommend an all-in-one machine like the Body-Solid G6BR Bi-Angular Home Gym. You can do a variety of upper body exercises as well as leg extensions on this machine. It will fit in a 300 square foot home gym even if you have a squat rack.
GHD machines and reverse hypers are also nice-to-haves for bodybuilders, and powerlifters, weightlifters, and CrossFitters can benefit from them as well. They’re excellent machines for strengthening the posterior chain.
4. Medicine Balls
CrossFitters will need a medicine ball for wall balls, but I don’t consider it a necessary piece of equipment for most home gyms.
If you do want a medicine ball, you can’t go wrong with one from Rogue. Like the plyo boxes I recommended, Rogue’s medicine balls are used in a lot of CrossFit gyms, so they’re more than durable enough for a home gym.
5. Lifting Platform
If you have strong floors or you’re a recreational athlete, a lifting platform isn’t necessary. You can protect your floors with crash pads or horse stall mats, which help absorb vibrations and noise from lifting weights.
If you do need a lifting platform, the Rogue Deadlift Platform is a great option for powerlifters and the Rogue Oly Platform is good for weightlifters. Both platforms are designed to not only protect your floors but reduce noise and absorb the impact from dropped weights.
What Exercises & Workouts Can You Do In A 300 Square Foot Gym?
With a 300 square foot home gym, you have plenty of room to perform exercises such as:
- Squats
- Deadlifts
- Lunges
- Bench presses
- Overhead presses
- Snatches
- Clean and jerks
- Isolation exercises, such as bicep curls or tricep extensions
- Rows
- Pullups, depending on your ceiling height
- Ring or bar muscle ups, again depending on your ceiling height
- Box jumps
- Cardio
- HIIT or circuit-style workouts
You could even perform movements such as shuttle sprints, farmer’s carries, or handstand walks if you don’t mind having to walk back and forth several times.
Other Gym Floor Plans
- 500 square foot home gym
- 400 square foot home gym
- 250 square foot home gym
- 200 square foot home gym
- 150 square foot home gym
- 120 square foot home gym
- 100 square foot home gym
Final Thoughts
If you have a 300 square foot room to build a home gym, you’re in luck because you can fit quite a bit of equipment in that space.
The designs we shared above should give you a good idea of what’s possible in a 300 square foot home gym. The equipment you choose will depend on your goals, but you’ll have enough room for both strength and conditioning workouts.
About The Author
Amanda is a writer and editor in the fitness and nutrition industries. Growing up in a family that loved sports, she learned the importance of staying active from a young age. She started CrossFit in 2015, which led to her interest in powerlifting and weightlifting. She's passionate about helping women overcome their fear of lifting weights and teaching them how to fuel their bodies properly. When she's not training in her garage gym or working, you can find her drinking coffee, walking her dog, or indulging in one too many pieces of chocolate.
