I have a shed behind my house that is the ideal spot for a home gym set up.
The floor is concrete, the ceiling eight-feet high and there is a window at each end of the building.
The shed is approximately twenty feet long and ten feet wide and outfitted with electricity. I have two overhead lights and plenty of outlets. I’ve added a folding mat, incline bench, set of hand-weights, medicine ball, battle ropes, jump rope, kettlebells, mini trampoline and an elliptical to the shed. For the majority of the year, the weather is mild enough that opening the windows is pleasant. I enjoy the fresh air. However, there are a couple of months in the summer and a couple in the winter that are a problem. At first, I tried managing the indoor temperature with a box fan and a space heater. I didn’t like that the equipment took up room. Plus, I wasn’t satisfied with the level of cooling or heating. The shed felt overheated and sticky in the peak of summer, making it just about impossible to get motivated to exercise. The conditions were so chilly in the winter that I needed to bundle up in layers of clothing. It was difficult to warm up my muscles, and I worried about injury. I decided to install some type of permanent heating and cooling solution. I did quite a bit of research and came across ductless heat pumps. The system consists of an outdoor compressor linked by way of a conduit to a compact indoor air handler. The conduit required only a small three-inch hole in an exterior wall. The indoor air handler needed mounting capabilities up high on the wall and access to electricity. The ductless heat pump supplies both heating and cooling. It runs quietly and is wonderfully energy efficient.