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Transforming a log cabin or a summerhouse into a fully functional garden gym is one of the most rewarding ways to make the most of your garden space. Whether you’re aiming for a simple setup with the basics or a personalised workout zone with all the extras, a dedicated garden gym offers privacy, convenience, and year-round usability.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to help you get started. If you’re still weighing up your options or want a broader look at layouts and inspiration, be sure to explore our garden gym buying guide.
Essential Features for a Garden Gym
First, you need to check that your building is prepared for exercise usage, especially high-impact moves.
Whether you’re using a log cabin or a summerhouse, the first thing you want to make sure of is that the floor can support the workouts you want to do. Thick, supportive flooring will be required to support exercises that involve running, jumping, and heavy weights. At least 16mm is ideal to prevent cracking or bending from continuous pressure.
Ventilation is the next major consideration for a garden gym. There will be a lot of humidity in the room, not just from sweat but also from breath, and that can lead to mould if you’re not careful. Not to mention that sweaty smell which could be soaked into the wood.
The easiest way to ventilate your garden gym is to leave the doors open while you’re exercising and for a little while after you’ve finished. Add a fan pointing at the door to create some airflow and help the moisture on its way out.
While most summerhouses only have opening doors and not windows, log cabins usually do have windows you can open.
And remember: If there is condensation on the windows, there is still moisture in the room. Let it vent.
Now we move onto the features of your building that are less structurally important but are still good ideas to make your workout space better.
Ceiling height is something you should focus on when choosing your garden gym building. Let’s say you’re lifting weights over your head, doing pull-ups, or performing burpee jumps. You don’t want a ceiling to be in the way. Most log cabins and summerhouses have ceilings that follow the slope of the roof, so you might want one with an apex roof so that it’s the tallest in the centre. Since garden buildings are generally under 2.5 metres’ total height, you might still have to go outside for using a skipping rope, though.
If you want to use a treadmill, an electric fan, or any other kit that runs on electricity, you’ll need to have a power supply. Read our guide for connecting electricity to your garden building.
The last thing you need to consider is security for the storage of your gym equipment. After all, some of it can be quite valuable, especially cast iron weights. Log cabins typically come with a mortice lock and key supplied, while summerhouses usually need to be fitted with a hasp and padlock. Padlocks are not the most secure method as they can usually be broken with a pair of bolt cutters, but you can get padlock covers which prevent access for this. Check out our guide to garden room security for more advice on this.
Log Cabin Gym Setup Checklist
Earlier we mentioned thick flooring as a requirement for garden gyms, but you might also want to add foam floor tiles or other padding to protect it from impact. A dropped weight, even only a few kilograms, can damage a wooden floorboard, so extra padding is extremely important.
A basic part of maintaining a wooden building is to treat the timber for protection from outside weather, but in the case of a garden gym you must also give it a layer of protection on the inside. This is due to the aforementioned humidity issue that will inevitably occur from intense exercise.
Look for mould-resistant interior wood paints or stains. If the gym is well-used year-round and isn’t ventilated 24/7, consider products labelled “mildew resistant”, “water-resistant” or “moisture controlling”. There are often interior wood treatments specifically for humid areas which would be ideal.
The next important item to set up is a fan. Given the enclosed environment of a garden gym, often with openings only on one side, you will almost definitely need a fan to give it good air circulation. This not only helps with humidity but keeps the environment cooler for a more comfortable room in general.
With all of the above sorted, you can now set up your garden gym equipment. Consider this for your garden gym layout:
- A treadmill in the corner (facing the windows)
- A rack of dumbbells along the wall
- A storage box to store your resistance bands, gym ball, foam roller, and other small accessories
- A boxing bag hung from a roof bearer
On wooden buildings, we would not recommend mounting heavy items on the walls such as barbell racks or a pull-up bar.
Ideas to Personalise Your Log Cabin Gym
Keep your workout motivation going with some solid garden gym decor. Here are a few ideas:
- Add a wall-mounted TV for background watching or follow-along workouts.
- Use mirrors to enhance space and check form
- Decorate with motivational quotes or posters
For a colour scheme to paint the room, consider what most appeals to you when you need to stay focused on the goal. It doesn’t have to be a single colour, but something bright can help keep you going when the fatigue kicks in. Alternatively, you might find vibrant reds and neon greens to be helpful if you need something a bit more extreme to activate that angry energy.
Final Thoughts on Your Garden Gym Build
The building itself is the most important part of your garden gym setup. It needs to support all the activities you want to be able to do inside it, without taking damage or developing mould. The electricity consideration is also a big one. After that, it’s about decorating it ready for use and picking the right layout for your equipment.
Check out our garden workout ideas for strength, cardio, and flexibility routines.
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