Home Gym Lighting Ideas: Illuminate Your Workout

With the increase in remote work and the necessity for at-home exercise, more and more people are building home gyms. However, building a gym in your home requires more than just buying equipment, mirrors, and mats. How you light your space can have a major impact on your workouts.

Beyond the basic look of the lights, the specs are also important factors to consider when choosing your home gym lighting. Things like wattage, lumen count, color temperature, and fixture type are all measurements you should pay attention to. They affect more than just visibility, but safety and even workout performance, too.

LED Lighting

The first thing to determine when picking lights for your home gym is what type of bulbs your light fixtures will have. Incandescent bulbs were standard in most homes for decades, but new technology has highlighted their shortcomings in lighting performance. Traditional bulbs have fallen behind in lifespan and reliability compared to newer lighting methods, namely LEDs.

LED lighting is the best modern lighting solution for illumination in your home. The benefits of LEDs are applicable across the board but are especially useful in home gyms. They produce brighter, longer-lasting light while using less energy than incandescent or fluorescent lights. This makes LED gym lights highly energy efficient and cost-effective options for all.

Home gym projects can be expensive, but LED lights ensure brightness and reliability without wasting energy or money.

Color Temperature

All lighting has its own color temperature, on a spectrum of warm to cool. Color temperature is measured in Kelvins (K), and the number indicates the color of the light the fixture emits. The spectrum ranges between 1000K – 10000K, but most lights offer color temperatures between 2700K - 6500K. Warmer temperatures are on the lower end of the spectrum, while cooler temperatures are on the higher end.

In general, cooler light, with a bluer hue, encourages focus and wakefulness. This is because our circadian rhythm is attuned to light, making us energized in brightness and tired in darkness.

The effect lights have on your energy is why proper lighting is vital in your gym space. Improper lighting indoors can upset your brain and body’s stimulation, which can negatively impact your workout.

The best color temperature for home gym lights is between 4600K – 6500K. Lights in this range have a bright white temperature that mimics daylight. The reason you want to mimic daylight while you’re working out is to keep your mind and body awake. This way, you can feel invigorated regardless of the time of day you choose to work out.

Lumen Count

Lumen count measures the amount of light a fixture emits. The higher the lumen count, the brighter the light will be. Properly illuminating a home gym is important, but too much light can also cause overexposure and eye strain. Especially if you have mirrors in your space, the reflections will amplify the brightness and potentially cause unwanted glare.

For the perfect balance of light, the ideal lumen count for home gym fixtures is between 2,000 and 10,000 lumens. This is a total count that you can distribute across multiple fixtures for an even spread of light.

If your home gym is in a place with a lack of natural light, like a garage, you will likely need lights with a higher lumen count. If your space already has a lot of natural light, you can use lights with a lower lumen count.

Fixture Types

For the actual look of the fixture, there are hundreds of different configurations of LED lights to choose from. Depending on your priorities for your home gym, different light fixtures will serve different purposes.

Tape Lights

For a sleek look that is capable of outlining walls and mirrors, you can use LED tape lights. These usually have adhesive backings and flexible tape that allows you to configure them to the shape of your space. Some also offer color changing capabilities for further aesthetic customization.

The installation process for tape lights is easy and unobtrusive. Tape lights are ideal for a more hidden lighting appearance, with a subtle design that will not obstruct your gym space.

Bar Lights

For lights that have a similar linear look, but are more durable, you can use LED bar lights. Also called LED under cabinet lighting, these fixtures are applicable in more than just kitchens and offices. Most are direct plug-in fixtures that you can line up on the floor or adhere to the top of a cabinet, mirror, or wall. Bar lights also typically have a wider range of lumen counts and wattages to choose from than tape lights.

Track Lights

LED track lights are also excellent options for home gyms because of their versatility. Though the installation process is more complex, they are highly customizable. Their innovative appearance is attractive for those looking to make their home gyms an aesthetic interior design.

Oftentimes, you can affix multiple kinds of track light heads to the rail and point them all in different directions. This allows you to distribute light across your entire home gym space from one fixture. Track lights also tend to be more high-powered, making them better for larger home gyms or spaces with high ceilings.

High Bay Lights

If your home gym has especially high ceilings, meaning 15 feet tall or more, consider using LED high bay lights. These fixtures are more robust and provide a higher level of illumination that allows them to light larger spaces. They come in two main configurations, linear and UFO. UFO high bays are rounded fixtures, while linear high bays are elongated, rectangular fixtures.

Depending on how much space you have and the look you're going for, high bay lights may be the most practical solution for you. But, if you have ceilings lower than 15 feet, you could also consider installing low bay lights. They are similar to high bays but use slightly less power to illuminate a space from a lower height.

Recessed Lights

LED recessed lights are fixtures that sit flush against the ceiling and illuminate directly downward. For lighting that does not draw much attention, recessed downlights or can lights are ideal. The installation process is slightly more complex, but the result is professional and long-lasting. If you're already in the process of a home renovation, consider adding LED recessed lighting to your workout room.

Shop HomElectrical to find high quality LED light fixtures for your home gym or workout space today!