Designing A Commercial Gym | Gym Design Tips

There’s more to designing a commercial gym than choosing your exercise equipment. A commercial gym offers a variety of specialized fitness services and equipment that individuals usually do not have at home. Patrons expect a safe and practical space with access to commercial-grade equipment, convenient amenities, group classes, personal trainers and other services or facilities that cater to their fitness needs and preferences.

Keeping in mind these customer expectations is critical to fitness center design. The success of your gym depends on a functional layout that meets a variety of needs, ensuring all who come to your facility feel comfortable, engaged and motivated. With a well-planned design, you can increase satisfaction, retention and profitability.

Commercial Fitness Facility Design Tips

Consider the following gym design layout tips to fabricate a space that will keep gym-goers returning for every workout.

1. Make It Functional

While it’s undoubtedly important to create a visually appealing gym design, your guests aren’t coming to admire the scenery — they’re here to work out. That’s why it’s vital to keep functionality at the forefront when designing your gym.

When you build your commercial gym, you should position your equipment in a way that gives visitors enough room to comfortably use the machines without feeling cramped or constricted. There should also be considerable space in your commercial gym design for people to walk around the equipment without bumping into other gym-goers.

It’s also essential to have enough bathrooms to accommodate your guests. You can include additional facilities like showers, lockers and changing areas in your gym for optimal comfort and functionality.

Using zones can improve flow and manage traffic throughout your gym. Having designated zones can also enhance fitness routines and experiences for your guests. Make your floor plan more functional with zones such as:

Cardio: Group your treadmills, stationary bikes, ellipticals and other high-energy equipment and activities together to create a space specifically designed for movement.
Strength training: By separating free weights, benches, strength machines and other heavy lifting equipment from other zones, you can create a safer workout environment.
Flexible spaces: Enhance your gym by adding versatile private multi-use rooms and open, adaptable spaces that can accommodate multiple purposes, such as group classes, personal training, community events, yoga, stretching or functional training.
Recovery: Create a calm, open zone away from high-intensity workout areas where guests can cool down, stretch and focus on other recovery activities without distraction.

2. Maximize Floor Space

Your facility should feel spacious while accommodating plenty of diverse exercise equipment for your guests’ different needs. Ensure you have the right number and type of equipment for your patrons. You may need to consider investing in multifunctional equipment or collapsible setups to maximize your floor space.

The best gym layout maximizes vertical space, such as wall-mounted storage solutions to optimize room on the floor. As you store gear and equipment vertically, you can increase your floor space and reduce tripping hazards. Having enough space for equipment and movement around the equipment will reduce overcrowding.

Your gym layout plan should focus on a logical flow from one workout area to another to minimize congestion. Using zones and prioritizing clear pathways can help streamline workout routines and enhance user experiences.

3. Create a Great Atmosphere

Another essential element of commercial gym design is cultivating a positive and motivational environment. When your gym design creates a pleasant and encouraging atmosphere, your customers will feel inspired to work their hardest and come back for more. Implement design choices into your space that generate a favorable climate for gym-goers, such as:

Good lighting: Large windows, skylights and glass walls can maximize natural light to make a space feel open and fresh. Having sufficient lighting throughout your facility can energize your gym patrons and improve their experiences.
High air quality: Your gym needs adequate air circulation and ventilation to create a comfortable environment for fitness. Use a quality cooling and ventilation system to reduce odors and keep the air clean and healthy.
Televisions and stereos: Incorporate a variety of technology features to make the workout experience more enjoyable and convenient for your guests. Providing entertainment options can increase engagement, motivation and retention.
Air conditioning: Invest in efficient cooling and ventilation solutions to keep your gym at the ideal temperatures for exercise. Prevent overheating to promote comfortable experiences for your members.

You can also choose colors that elicit the mood you want to inspire in your guests. For example, red is a stimulating color that raises blood pressure and promotes strength and stamina, while yellow is a more uplifting shade that encourages joy and mindfulness. You can also incorporate your brand colors into your creative interior gym design to communicate your brand message.

4. Keep Safety in Mind

It’s crucial to implement the safety measures necessary to keep your visitors safe. As you design your gym, prioritize safety features such as:

Appropriate materials: You can choose design materials that prevent injuries, such as even flooring that doesn’t splinter or get slippery when wet. Use easy-to-clean nonslip flooring to improve safety, cleanliness and sanitation.
Open spaces: You should keep your space open so that members can use equipment without colliding with other machines or gym-goers. Keep pathways clear and ensure proper spacing between machines.
Adequate lighting: Install appropriate lighting systems throughout your gym to ensure your patrons have enough light to operate equipment and move through the space safely. Try to include plenty of windows or skylights to maximize natural light.
Hygienic restrooms and locker rooms: Have dedicated spaces for showers and changing rooms to promote proper safety and hygiene. Incorporate design features throughout your facility to improve hygiene, such as sanitation stations.

5. Practice Sustainability

Incorporating sustainable elements into your gym design can help you benefit the environment, appeal to eco-conscious customers and lower operational costs. Consider adding sustainable features such as:

Energy-efficient lighting: Maximizing natural light and using long-lasting LED light bulbs can help reduce your facility’s energy consumption while giving guests plenty of light for improved safety and performance. Consider installing a smart lighting system that can adjust light intensity or switch modes to accommodate different activities and improve energy usage.
Water-saving fixtures: Install low-flow faucets and toilets in areas with high water usage, such as restrooms and locker rooms, to reduce water consumption and waste. Using less water will also help you decrease utility costs.
Recycling: Encourage recycling with easily accessible recycling stations. You can help promote sustainable waste disposal with clear signs and procedures.
Bottle-filling stations: Encourage reusable bottle usage with bottle-filing stations that make it easier for patrons to refill their water bottles.

6. Ensure Accessibility

Focus on making your gym accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III focuses on businesses, including commercial fitness centers. When you comply with these regulations, you can create a comfortable and convenient gym layout that benefits patrons of all abilities.

To design a gym layout that prioritizes accessibility, think about inclusive design elements such as:

Ramps and elevators to improve ease of movement for those with wheelchairs and other mobility devices.
Adjustable equipment that is properly spaced out from one another.
Wide doorways and aisles.
Clear and consistent navigational signs.
Spacious restrooms with handrails and curbless showers.

7. Incorporate Technology

Integrating technology into your gym design can significantly enhance the user experience. Consider implementing features like:

Smart equipment: Invest in fitness machines that track progress, offer real-time performance data, connect to apps or provide gamification. Equipment with these convenient features can engage members and enable them to create more personalized and efficient fitness routines.
Digital check-in systems: Streamline gym access with key cards, phone apps or biometrics. You can speed up the entry process for members while improving accessibility and security.
Free Wi-Fi: Allow members to stay connected while they work out. Offering free Wi-Fi enables guests to make their experience more personal and engaging by streaming music, accessing workout apps, posting on social media and booking fitness classes.
Digital signage: Display class schedules, announcements and motivational content to engage your members. You can promote participation, notify members of important changes and provide dynamic, visually appealing information that boosts retention.
Virtual classes: Set up the infrastructure you need to host virtual classes, such as large screens and private, multipurpose rooms. Having these spaces gives you the flexibility to offer programs around the clock and cater to different schedules, leading to higher member satisfaction.

Contact Alta for Your Commercial Gym Design Project

You can build a high-quality gym design layout with the experts at Alta Construction. We’ll work with you from start to finish to design the commercial fitness center of your dreams.

When you partner with us, you will have access to software such as Matterport and Bluebeam to help organize the design and preparation phases of your gym project. You will also be able to use Procore, Raken and BuildingConnected to stay up to date on progress. View our work to see how we’ve helped previous clients create exceptional modern gym floor plans.

How to Design a Commercial Gym