Create An Exercise Area In Your Apartment

At some apartment complexes, one of your best perks can be the use of a free exercise facility. If you're not lucky enough to live in one of those locations, but you still want to work out at home, don't worry. You can create your own exercise space right there in your apartment.

Using an Extra Room

If you have a room to spare in your apartment you can turn it into a home gym quite easily. Purchase a treadmill or exercise bike to take care of your cardio needs. For strength training, consider a multi-purpose exercise machine with enough options to work your upper and lower body. Alternatively, purchase an exercise bench and a set of free weights. If your space is limited and you wish to use the room for more than one purpose, the free weights and bench can likely fit into a closet, storage room or laundry room when you're not exercising.

Exercising in the Living Room

You'll have to be more creative if you lack the space for a dedicated exercise room.  Start by installing wheels or gliders on your living room or dining room furniture, to make it easier to clear space for your workouts. Place an exercise mat on the floor, and then use the space you've created to perform exercises that don't require weights, such as pushups, situps and jumping jacks. Or purchase a rubber exercise band and do resistance exercises.

If you don't have room for a bench and free weights in the living room, you can use your furniture as exercise tools. For example, sit between a pair of sturdy chairs and perform chair dips to work your upper arms. Or face a chair, put your hands on the chair's front edge and do incline pushups. For another strength-training option, consider purchasing a pullup bar that's designed to fit inside a door frame.

If you live in a multi-story building you can use a built-in exercise area – the stairs. Walking or jogging up stairs offers a good cardio workout and strengthens your leg muscles. To do cardio work in your apartment without a machine, jog or hop on a small rebounder – basically a mini-trampoline. Set it up in front of your TV for a more entertaining workout. Exercising in front of the TV is also handy if you like to watch exercise videos.

Be a Good Neighbor

If your apartments have downstairs neighbors, make sure your exercising doesn't create excessive noise. Working out on an exercise mat should help dampen some noise, while also protecting your floor. But you may wish to avoid exercises such as deadlifts, in which the weights hit the floor with each repetition.