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Installing / Decorating a gym
In the next few days I'll be converting a large unused room at my church into a gym for use by myself, our preacher and staff, and the 2 or 3 members who would avail themselves of the opportunity.
Any suggestions?
The equipment that has been donated is, for cardio a recumbent exercise bike and two gym grade ellipticals, and for strength a very nice BowFlex Blaze, a pull up bar, and frankly whatever else we can cobble together. Should get us a nice start, for a small country church. Remember, we're not setting up a Nautilus franchise!
But, my question is about decorating it, arranging the equipment, etc. Any ideas?
The room is just a large rectangle with some very narrow slit windows, and my instincts are to line the equipment up against the walls, but that isn't always the best approach. Separating out cardio and strength makes sense, but beyond that...
And, are there any colors that are particularly welcome or unwelcome for a gym? My instinct says to paint the walls black/navy, with hand painted murals in inset panels, probably sunrise cloudscapes. Seems like that would be both attractive and somewhat inspirational/"churchy" in theme.
I would welcome suggestions. My intent is to have the basics installed by Christmas...installed, and the room fully decorated.
And, I also welcome any suggestions for other equipment that I might plan on adding in the future...
Thank you for any help you can provide.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Rebekah on -
Co-ed, or men only?
I belong to a pretty posh, co-ed, large, family-owned gym, the opposite of what you're setting up, but some suggestions, nonetheless:
*mirrors! I have 0 muscle memory (That's the skill that allows you to repeat an exercise in the exact same way over and over) but a pretty good visual memory. Mirrors are how I know I'm using the correct form (or not).
*light! Maybe men want gyms that are like man caves. They look like torture chambers to me, and really turned me off the whole idea of gym memberships until I found one with white and green machines, lots of lights, white walls (where there aren't mirrors, which also add light), and pale green carpet.
*floor space. This may just be my work-out, which involves a few exercises in push-up position. It's at a premium at my gym, probably because members and trainers want ever more machine options.
*If you get a clock, make sure it has a prominent, sweep second hand for timing exercises.
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Permalink Reply by Chuck Knight on -
Co-ed, but not really. So far the only people who even know of my plans are myself, our preacher (male), our youth minister (male) and one of our deacons (male), so while I would not exclude women, there just aren't any in the mix right now. It's being done behind the scenes, as a bit of a surprise, but I *did* have to get permission.
As for the colors...I didn't mean solid black walls. I meant a black background, with 7/8 of the surface covered in a trompe l'oeil panel containing a cloudscape...and then repeat the pattern multiple times across multiple walls. I need the darkness of the border to offset the lightness, and make it pop. And, if the black edge is "blackboard" paint, and consequently functional, so much the better!
My preliminary color scheme is black/navy, medium blue, and white/gray, with accent colors of fuschia, gold and chartreuse. Definitely not dull or "man cave."
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Permalink Reply by Rebekah on
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Cool. I know it may sound silly, but I really do appreciate my gym's efforts to keep things light, literally.
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Permalink Reply by Chuck Knight on
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Any other suggestions? I know there's a whole series of color theories that deal with public spaces...certain colors encourage aggression, calmness, hunger, compliance, etc.
Anyone know about this field of color theory?
And, anyone got any other suggestions? As I said, it's not a professional gym, but it would be nice to actually get a decent workout in the thing.
What does it say about someone, if the only way he can get motivated to work out himself, is to anonymously design and donate a public space for others?
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Permalink Reply by Rebekah on
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He's on the generous side of normal. I take better care of myself now that I'm engaged because if I'm sick or injured, it inconveniences both of us, not just myself.
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Permalink Reply by Chuck Knight on
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:) I was thinking more along the lines of mental disorder, but I like your answer better. Thank you.
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Permalink Reply by Paul F. D'Addario on -
How about some charts/posters for the inexperienced? Charts describing max heart rate, target heart rate zone, exercises one can do on the BowFlex, etc. etc. Posters of the muscles, their actions, flexibility exercises, and such.
Will there be a stereo system, radio, ipod dock?
And I will echo the suggestions of a lighter color scheme (safety would be my biggest concern) and floor space with at least some roll out mats, bands, and balls.
Good for you for setting this up. I would love to do something similar for our church.
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Permalink Reply by Chuck Knight on
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The room is actually huge, and unused, except as a storage "dump" so space will not be at a premium, believe it or not. The posters are an *excellent* idea...hadn't considered a sound system, since I was thinking about using our own personal iPods and headphones.
I'm going to look into a few flat panel TV sets, though, mounted above the ellipticals. Balls and mats may have to come from somebody else...I do have a budget, after all. But, my intention is to give them the "bones" of a good gym, so this is all good information.
As for the colors... I don't know why everyone is so concerned that it will be dark. There is a dark element in the design...but the wall murals should brighten it right up. I've discovered that I enjoy painting wall murals, and my preliminary thoughts have them as simple cloudscapes.
Picture a cloud scape like the one below, painted into wall panels *similar* to the ones used on this ceiling. I think the dark linear element would frame the cloudscapes nicely:
The dark border should make the panels just "pop," and look even more special. It should be plenty bright, and have some of that inspirational "church-y" feel too...unless I'm just *way* off base.
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Permalink Reply by Paul F. D'Addario on
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"As for the colors... I don't know why everyone is so concerned that it will be dark. There is a dark element in the design...but the wall murals should brighten it right up. I've discovered that I enjoy painting wall murals, and my preliminary thoughts have them as simple cloudscapes."
I guess I'm imagining an old church with a poorly lit (no natural light, just flourescent lights) dingy spare room. Clearly just a poor assumption on my part. Personally I'd be fine working out in an old basement with a couple light bulbs hanging precariously from wires in the middle of the room. I was just thinking about the safety of those that would be using it. If you're confident that it isn't an issue then go for your idea. It sounds quite nice actually.
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Permalink Reply by Chuck Knight on
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I guess I'm imagining an old church with a poorly lit (no natural light, just fluorescent lights) dingy spare room. Clearly just a poor assumption on my part. Personally I'd be fine working out in an old basement
It's a relatively modern (30-40 years?) A-frame church, with other buildings around the campus. The windows in this particular room are not large...about 7 feet tall x 1 foot wide, essentially vertical slits...and you're right about the fluorescent lighting. Ugly hanging ceiling, too.
But it should be bright enough, and it's definitely not a dimly lit basement. Shouldn't be a problem. It's just ugly...nothing a little paint and a few hours of artistic flourish couldn't take care of.
Now, to get formal permission...there are times I hate procedure.
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Permalink Reply by Chuck Knight on
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Well, I found out that, procedurally, I should ask the permission of at least one of our elders before doing this project. So, I'm going to ask permission...will probably see my favorite elder on Sunday.
Hopefully I'll get the OK, so I can proceed.
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