Tips for Garage Gyms in Extreme Hot or Cold Weather

What’s up, Fringe Fam? Jason is back with us today to chat about heating and cooling your garage gym for extreme climate conditions so you can continue to get your fitness on. This could mean extreme hot, or extreme cold. We’ll cover both ends of the spectrum so you can cover your bases no matter where you live.

As you probably already know, Fringe Sport is based in Austin, Texas. In Texas in August, it’s hot. Like, hot hot.

In the summertime, we’re often seeing 100 degree plus temperatures, and in the winter it’s common for us to experience cold (arguably by some of your standards, we’re sure) days. No matter what temperature, we’re still working out in our garage gyms. How do we do that? We’ve got a few tips for you.

Suck it up

Harsh, but true. Sometimes, you might not have access to anything else but your garage gym, especially in today’s world climate. You might just have to get out there, get moving, and get the work done. The more you acclimate yourself to those extreme temperatures, hot or cold, the easier it will be.

There are ways to make it easier to do just that.

If where you live is super hot like Austin, get out there and get your workout in early. At 5 or 6am, it’s going to be much cooler than it will be at 5 or 6pm.

During the winter months when it’s colder, you could get warmed up inside, layer up, and get into your garage gym to get the work done in the afternoon or early evening when it’s warmer, before the sun goes down.

We recommend easing yourself into it, and once you get comfortable, it won't be such a challenge and you'll be able to focus on your workouts instead of on the temperature in your garage gym.

Wear the right clothes

It’s a lot easier to workout in extreme temperatures if you’re wearing the right clothing for hot or cold days. If it’s super hot where you are like it is for us in Austin, we’re going to be wearing shorts, a t-shirt, maybe a tank top, or go shirtless. 

If it’s scorching hot, the easiest way to get some air flow and movement to cool down your gym is going to be with a fan. Find a fan or two, plug those in, and position yourself right in front of it. These fans aren’t just for post-WOD sprawling. Y’all know what we’re talking about.

In the winter time, you’ll need to layer up. We’re talking base layers with layers on top of that, and you might even find that a pair of gloves does your hands some good and a beanie keeps your head warm.

If your barbell is super freezing cold like it was when we experienced the ice storm last winter, you can bring your barbell inside to warm it up. We’ve even heard of some of you using hair dryers to warm your barbell before you freeze your hands onto it, and that’s genius.

If it’s freezing cold, get a space heater or two. These little electrical space heaters can really do some work and heat up your space so you’re not freezing cold for the entirety of your workout. Again, place yourself in front of the heater until you feel comfortable and warm enough to move away.

After your workout, park yourself on your weight bench and hang out in front of the fan or heater if you need a little bit of temperature regulation.

Insulation

This is going to be the most expensive option. Mainly, we’re talking about insulating the garage door because this is where you’ll lose the most heat or cold air. Insulating your garage door will help keep the temperature in your gym steady, and will make it much easier to workout in.

Air conditioning

The most expensive option is to consider adding some kind of air conditioning unit or built-in heater to your garage gym. There are units that can do both, if that’s what you would need for the summers and winters. Not everyone will be able to afford a built-in unit, but there are a host of different options at different budgets you can add to your garage gym.

Your best bet in heaters will probably be some kind of built-in attached to a gas or electrical line that’s above your head and can actually do some work in heating your space so it’s much more comfortable to work out in.

Cool it down or heat it up

As you can see, there are many different options for working out in extreme temperatures so you can stay cool, or stay warm. If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out or drop them below!

For more information about heating and cooling your garage gym in extreme temperatures, join our Garage Gym Revolution Facebook group and use the search bar to find previous conversations, or strike up a question of your own and see what our group says. In the GGR group, you’ll find like minded, strength-focused individuals just like you.

What are your favorite ways to heat or cool your garage gym? Do you suck it up or have you made an effort to heat or cool your space? Let us know below!

As always, stay cool (or warm), and lift heavy, lift happy :)