Choosing a space for your gym or studio

Measure the class, then the room

The question “how many square metres do I need?” cannot be answered without another one first: which class, with how many people, and what equipment each person uses. Twelve people rowing take up a different area from twelve people with barbells.

The method is to draw stations. A station is the rectangle one person needs to do the exercise safely with their equipment. Measure the equipment, then add the movement space around it.

The usable training area is only part of it. Add reception, changing rooms, toilets, equipment storage and an office if you need one. A room with only training space has nowhere to put the rowers when the next class uses barbells.

An example, with a class of twelve

Picture a class of twelve, half on barbells and half on rowers, swapping halfway. Six rowers need about 20 m², using the maker's space in use. Six barbell stations need the area you measured for each, with room to drop the bar. Add walkways for the coach and a warm-up area.

Then run the same sum for the class where everyone lifts at once. Your usable training area is the larger of the two, not the average.

Ceiling height

Ceiling height decides which movements the space allows. The tallest ones are wall balls, rope climbs, pull-ups and ring work on the rig, box jumps and overhead barbell work.

Measure the clear height under the lowest obstacle, not at the highest point of the roof. Beams, ventilation ducts, light fittings and sprinkler pipes all take height away. Bring the list of movements you will teach and check each one.

• Wall balls: the target sits at the height set by the rules of the event you train for, and the ball travels above it.
• Rope: rope length plus mounting height, plus room for the hand of whoever reaches the top.
• Pull-up rig: the height of the top bar, plus the body of someone doing muscle-ups.
• Overhead barbell: your tallest athlete, arms locked out, holding the bar.

The floor

A barbell dropped from overhead is the hardest load a floor will take. On a ground-floor slab, rubber flooring and lifting platforms solve it. On an upper floor, the question is for a structural engineer: load, vibration, and what the people below will hear.

• Ask in writing what the floor is made of and what load it can take.
• Check for rising damp. Rubber on top hides it and does not fix it.
• Plan drop zones with platforms wherever you teach Olympic lifting.
• Confirm the landlord accepts rubber glued to the floor, and how it is restored at the end.

Noise and neighbours

Training is loud: dropped barbells, music, encouragement, and a class at 06:30. The neighbour above or next door will hear it. Noise complaints are one of the few things that can close a gym that has everything else in order.

• Who lives or works above, below and next door? Industrial or commercial areas are more tolerant.
• If the unit belongs to a shared building, read the building rules before signing.
• Ask the local authority which noise limits and hours apply in that area.
• Visit at the time of your first class of the day, and listen.
• Budget for sound insulation if any of these answers leaves you unsure.

Access, parking and visibility

Does your audience arrive by car, on foot, by bike or by public transport? The answer comes from the person you described in your plan. Someone training at 07:00 before work needs to park in two minutes. Someone training at lunchtime needs to be near the office.

• Parking at peak class times, not mid-morning when you happen to visit.
• A bus or train stop within walking distance with a gym bag.
• An entrance visible from the street, with room for signage.
• Access for unloading heavy equipment.
• Step-free access for people with reduced mobility.

Ventilation, light and changing rooms

Twelve people training heat a room quickly. Ask what ventilation exists, whether there is air conditioning, and what it would cost to add. Natural light helps. Changing rooms with hot water for several people at once are an expensive build if they do not already exist.

The permit, before the lease

Buildings can have a permitted use, and a gym needs one that allows it. Before signing, ask the landlord for the current permitted use of the unit and take it to the local planning authority. Ask whether a gym is possible there, and with what works. A unit without a compatible use may need a change-of-use application that takes months.

The other legal steps before opening, from insurance to waivers, are in a separate checklist.

Lease clauses to negotiate

A commercial lease is negotiable. These are the clauses that matter most for a gym, and each deserves a conversation with a lawyer before you sign:

• Permit condition: the lease only takes effect if the gym use is approved, or ends at no cost if it is refused.
• Rent-free period: months without rent during fit-out and permits.
• Term: long enough to earn back the fit-out, with a predictable renewal.
• Works: who pays for what stays with the building, and what you must restore at the end.
• Rent reviews: how and when.
• Use clause: it should say sports and fitness, not just retail.
• Hours: the lease and building rules must allow early opening and late closing.
• Sharing: whether you can host a physiotherapist or nutritionist.

The cheapest space is the one that gets the permit first time. A cheap warehouse that never gets it is the most expensive of all.

The viewing, step by step

1. 1.Book the viewing at the time of your busiest class, and arrive fifteen minutes early to check parking.
2. 2.Bring a long tape and a laser measure. Measure the usable area, the clear height, and the doors equipment has to pass through.
3. 3.Photograph the ceiling, the floor, the electrical panels and the toilets.
4. 4.With permission, drop an empty barbell and listen from the unit below or next door.
5. 5.Ask the landlord for the permitted use, the works they will accept, and any rent-free period.
6. 6.Talk to a neighbour if you can. One minute of conversation tells you more about noise than an afternoon of measuring.
7. 7.Fill in the checklist below the same day, before you view the next space.

The viewing checklist

The mistakes that cost the most

• Measuring the empty room and forgetting storage, reception and changing rooms.
• Measuring ceiling height at the highest point, ignoring beams and ducts.
• Visiting mid-morning instead of at peak time.
• Signing without a permit condition.
• Ignoring the upstairs neighbour until the first complaint.

Capacity, once you open

The station sheet gives you the capacity of each class type. In Rummo, that capacity lives on the class, and booking stops when the spots run out. Anyone after that joins the waitlist, which moves on its own when someone cancels.

How to set the capacity of each class, using three numbers, is covered here. How many spots should a class have