The last two years have seen a tremendous change in the way we live our lives. More than ever before, we have seen a shift in awareness towards prioritising our health, wellbeing and, as a result, regular exercise.
The pandemic has also shown how important being part of a community really is to people. A recent MIT study found that people crave interactions in the same region of our brains as we crave foods. Another study found the feeling of social isolation was perceived in the same region of the brain as physical pain.
As a company, it’s now become more important than ever to consider how to prioritise your staff’s health, wellbeing, and work-life balance.
Setting up an office gym or other wellness facility at your workplace is a great way to support employees along their wellbeing journey and to nurture a company culture with a strong focus on community. They’re also an excellent way to increase productivity, improve employee retention and reduce absences, so it’s a win-win situation.
With this in mind, there are a number of gym design trends to consider including in your gym space this year:
- Functional strength Training with Free weights
- High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
- On-Demand Group Exercise Classes
- Personal Training
- Wearable Technologies
How to integrate gym trends in your workplace gym design
1. Functional strength training with free weights
Interest in functional training, a term used to describe exercises that help you perform activities in everyday life more easily, has been on the increase over the years. Because these exercises train the whole body by using multiple muscles simultaneously, they’re great for general strength and stability.
It’s no surprise then that this type of strength training, especially in combination with free weights, came in fourth on the ACSM’s worldwide’s most popular workout for 2022.
The benefits of functional strength training with free weights include:
- Decreased chance of injury
- Improved bone health
- Increased weight loss
When it comes to incorporating this into your corporate gym design, don’t underestimate the space requirements for a free weights area.
It’s important to design it in a way that ensures enough free space to perform the movements safely. It’s also important to add specific gym flooring that reduces the impact of high-energy workouts and makes exercises more comfortable.
You can also integrate virtual systems into the space to allow for a defined audio and visual setup that adds a sense of energy to the space.
2. High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
High-intensity interval training involves periods of intense work with periods of medium to low work. One benefit of high-intensity training is a reduction in stress, and because it is fast, it can be great for someone with a busy schedule, making it a perfect way to fit a workout into your employees’ day.
When it comes to gym design, you need to consider what type of fitness equipment you have to make this work. Some gym equipment, such as Lat Pull Down Machines and Power Racks, can be relatively tall so ensuring the ceiling is high enough is crucial.
A high-intensity workout also requires enough space to ensure the activity can be done in a safe manner (here’s more on different gym layout techniques you can use). What’s more, dynamic lighting and good mirror placement will help improve the ambiance.
3. On-demand group exercise classes
Lack of accessibility to gyms during the pandemic has sped this trend up, however, the use of digital platforms to let consumers work out isn’t going anywhere. Being able to give your employees access to join on-demand group exercise classes any time is a great way to look after your workplace’s mental wellbeing.
On-demand classes require little space in your gym. All you need is a cardio machine, such as a treadmill. Technogym, for example, offers a great treadmill that also includes a live platform with a variety of different workout programmes to choose from.
4. Personal training
This year’s fitness trends have a strong focus on community and wellbeing, taking a holistic approach to health and wellness. So it is unsurprising that personal training came in at number 6 in the ACMS’s report for fitness trends in 2022.
People are now more aware of how important a personal trainer is in their journey towards overall fitness and health. A personal trainer sets goals and can assess an individual’s needs on a one-on-one basis, as well as assist with overall wellbeing and even mindset.
If you are thinking about hiring a personal trainer in your corporate gym, consider whether you have the space, equipment, and the right technology to accommodate them. Given personal trainers have sit-down chats with their clients regularly, you may want to provide them with a private office space or room as well.
5. Wearable technologies
Coming in at number one in fitness trends for 2022, wearable technology is a great way to make tracking goals and improving accountability easy
This includes fitness trackers, such as watches and heart rate monitors, that track a number of metrics like calories lost and distance run.
You can use wearable technologies in the workplace by encouraging participation in team fitness activities, a great way to improve morale, boost wellbeing and increase productivity.
For example, you can incorporate wearable technologies into group workout classes by displaying the heart rate of participants on a large screen in the studio. This allows participants to see their workout in real-time, creating an immersive experience.
Let’s talk about your vision
Our team has over two decades of experience in architecture and design in the wellness sector. We can support you from concept to design through to the finalisation of the project.
We are passionate about creating luxurious health and wellbeing facilities, so if you have a project in mind, we’d love to hear from you.
You can easily schedule a consultation call with our team today so we can help you turn your vision into a reality.
What to expect during your consultation call
You’ll be chatting to Stavros, Founder and Managing Director of zynk Design. Here are a few things he will cover during the call:
- We’ll take an in-depth look at your project, discuss your proposition and review your plans
- We’ll provide more information about zynk Design, our design process and project costs
- We’ll discuss what the next steps could look like