Fitness equipment for small apartments: space-saving and quiet

Contents

• How much space do you really need?
• Which fitness equipment fits in a small apartment?
• Which equipment can really be stored away?
• How loud is it for the neighbours below you?
• Which equipment is not worthwhile in a small space?
• How much does a home gym for a small flat cost?
• Frequently asked questions
• Conclusion

Two rooms, 68 square metres, third floor, neighbours below: That is the normal situation in Zurich, Bern or Basel, and it is why most home-gym guides miss the reality. They show basements with rubber flooring. This article answers the question that really matters: Which equipment works in a normal rented apartment without sacrificing furniture or risking a dispute with the people on the floor below?

How much space do you really need?

For cardio plus floor exercises, a free area of about 2 x 1.5 metres, or around 3 square metres, is enough. That is less than most people estimate, and it corresponds roughly to the area of a two-seater sofa plus one step of clearance in front of it.

The calculation behind it is simple. A yoga mat measures about 180 x 60 cm when unrolled. You need half a metre around it on each side to stretch your arms without hitting the coffee table. A walking pad fits exactly into the same space because you do not move sideways on it.

Something else matters more than the square metres: Is the space permanently blocked or only during training? That is exactly where small apartments fail. A device that is constantly in the way becomes a clothes horse after three weeks. A device that disappears in 20 seconds survives.

So plan in this order, not the other way around:

1. Storage space first. Under the bed, behind the wardrobe, in the storage room. Measure the height under the sofa before you order.
2. Training area second. It may temporarily be the living room.
3. The middle ground. Maneuvering a device weighing just under 30 kg through a 70 cm-wide door is something you do exactly twice.

Which fitness equipment fits in a small apartment?

All equipment that can either be stored flat or works without impact will fit in a small apartment. The following table compares our range precisely according to these two criteria, plus price. All dimensions and prices are as of today.

Our recommendation for a small apartment is the oak Walking Pad, for an unromantic reason: It is the only cardio machine in the range that completely disappears from view after training. The basic version runs at up to 6 km/h, while the CHF 499 version runs at up to 12 km/h and has a folding handlebar. Both support up to 135 kg, and the speed can be adjusted in 0.1 km/h increments.

If you can permanently give up one square metre of space and prefer to train while seated, the water rower is the stronger choice for full-body training. It is designed for rowers up to 200 cm tall and 180 kg, can be stored upright against the wall, and weighs 29.5 kg, plus 8 to 16 litres of water in the tank. This is not a piece of equipment you rearrange every day.

Which equipment can really be stored away?

The only equipment that can genuinely be stored away is equipment that folds flat and is light enough for one person to move alone. That is the clear dividing line, and it runs right through the marketing term "foldable".

Here is an example from our own range, to make it clear that we are not glossing over the facts: Our Pilates Reformer for home has a genuine folding mechanism, making it much more suitable for an apartment than a studio reformer. It still weighs 75 kg. When folded, it saves space lengthwise, but you will not carry it to the storage room every evening. Anyone expecting that will be disappointed afterwards.

The honest breakdown looks like this:

• Can be put away every day: yoga mat, Pilates set, weighted vest, balance board. All under 5 kg, all out of the way in seconds.
• Moveable weekly: Walking Pad. Flat enough to fit in the space under the bed, with transport wheels making the journey there manageable.
• Set it up once, then leave it there: Indoor bike, rowing machine, reformer, weight bench. These pieces of equipment need a permanent place that you consciously make available.

For the third category, a different criterion therefore matters: Does the equipment look good enough to stay visible? That is exactly what solid wood is for instead of black plastic. We have explained in detail why wooden fitness equipment for the living room partly solves the storage question by making it unnecessary.

How loud is it for the neighbours below you?

For the neighbours below you, almost only one thing matters: whether your workout creates impact. The motor of a Walking Pad produces around 40 to 50 dB when walking, roughly the level of a normal conversation, and a concrete ceiling easily absorbs that. What travels through the ceiling is your footsteps - impact noise.

That is why we receive the same question from rental apartments almost every day: Will I have trouble with the neighbours? The answer depends less on the equipment than on the movement it is used for. We have written a separate noise check on this, including the question of how loud a Walking Pad really is and what difference a mat makes.

For choosing equipment in a small apartment, this rule of thumb is enough:

• Unproblematic: Rowing, cycling, Pilates, and balance training. No impact, no impact noise.
• Unproblematic at walking speed: Walking Pad at 2 to 5 km/h. In our Zurich office, one runs next to phone calls every day without anyone needing to speak louder.
• Problematic: Jogging at around 7 km/h or faster, skipping rope, jumping on a trampoline, and dropping dumbbells. Here, the flooring determines whether there will be trouble.

Then there is the legal framework: In Switzerland, night-time and midday quiet hours, as well as Sunday quiet hours, apply; the exact times are set out in your building rules. Exercising during the day is almost always fine. Sprinting at 10:30 p.m. is not.

Which equipment is not worthwhile in a small space?

In a small space, equipment that takes up a lot of room while offering little training variety is rarely worthwhile. Three categories regularly fail our test, and we sell two of them ourselves.

1. Large power towers and wall bars. They need an entire wall plus space in front for movement. In a one-bedroom apartment, choosing one means giving up a piece of furniture, not simply adding a piece of equipment.
2. Weight bench plus barbell set. The bench alone is compact, but the plates and bars around it are not. A maple wood balance board plus a weight vest covers your core and legs on a fraction of the floor space, but does not replace heavy strength training. Anyone who wants to build muscle mass cannot avoid weights, and that requires space.
3. The second cardio machine. The classic mistake: buying a bike first, then adding a treadmill six months later. In a small flat, one machine that you use every day beats two machines that you leave standing around on alternate days.

A word on non-motorised curved treadmills and sprint machines: technically, they are excellent, but they are heavy, long and built for intervals. In a terraced house with your own basement, that is ideal. On the third floor above someone else's flat, it is the wrong choice.

How much does a home gym for a small flat cost?

A home gym suitable for a flat starts at around CHF 130 and becomes serious from about CHF 400. Three levels that our customers actually choose:

• Minimal, from around CHF 130: yoga mat (CHF 39) plus balance board (CHF 89). Takes up no permanent space and trains your core, balance and mobility. No cardio.
• The realistic starting point, from CHF 399: Walking Pad in the 6-km/h version. It addresses the biggest opportunity in everyday life: moving while working, then disappearing afterwards. Add a weight vest (CHF 59) for extra resistance without leaving a single weight lying around.
• A piece of equipment that stays, from CHF 849: water rower for full-body training or an Indoor Bike from CHF 1,029. Both need a permanent place, but in return you can train more intensively than you ever could with a Walking Pad.

A pattern that fits this order: equipment that does not get in the way in everyday life also stays part of everyday life. That is exactly why we recommend the Walking Pad for small flats, not because it is the most powerful piece of equipment. You can find the complete range overview in our solid wood fitness equipment.

If you want to take a broader approach and plan strength, cardio and office ergonomics together, the complete guide to setting up a home gym is available alongside this article. This article is the short version, focused specifically on limited space.

Frequently asked questions

Which fitness equipment takes up the least space?
Weight vests, resistance bands, balance boards and Pilates sets take up the least space. They cost between CHF 39 and CHF 89, fit in a drawer or behind a door, and take up zero square metres. For cardio, the Walking Pad is the most space-saving option because it can be slid flat under a sofa or bed.

How many square meters does a home gym need?
Around 3 square meters of free space are enough for cardio plus floor exercises, roughly 2 x 1.5 meters. This space does not have to remain free permanently. What matters is that it can be cleared in one minute and that the equipment then has a place where it does not get in the way.

Can I use a treadmill in a rented apartment?
Yes, as long as you stick to walking speeds. At 2 to 5 km/h, the noise level is around 40 to 50 dB and impact noise is low. When jogging at around 7 km/h or faster, your steps become the main source of noise, and you then absolutely need a shock-absorbing mat and must respect quiet hours.

Is a foldable piece of equipment always the better choice?
No. Foldable only says something about the shape, not the weight. Our Pilates Reformer is foldable and weighs 75 kg, while a walking pad is flat and much easier to move. Always check both before buying: folded dimensions and weight.

Which is better for small apartments: a rowing machine or a walking pad?
The walking pad if you have little space and want to bring movement into your working day. The rowing machine if you can give up a permanent square meter and are looking for an intense full-body workout. The rowing machine measures 210 x 57 x 53 cm when in use and weighs 29.5 kg plus 8 to 16 liters of water in the tank, but can then be stored upright.

Do I need a mat under the equipment?
In a rented apartment with neighbors below: yes. A shock-absorbing mat noticeably reduces impact noise and also protects parquet and laminate flooring from pressure marks. With equipment without impact, such as a bike or reformer, it is mainly about protecting the floor.

Conclusion

Our conclusion: In a small apartment, the best equipment does not win; the equipment with the least resistance in everyday life does. If you are torn between two options, choose the one you can set up and put away again in 30 seconds. Anything that takes more effort will be used less often in November than in January.

For most people, this specifically means: a walking pad as a cardio base, plus a mat and a weighted vest, and you are set. If you want more intensity and are willing to give up a permanent spot, choose the rowing machine or indoor bike. It is better to skip large strength stations in a small apartment; that is no longer a question of space, but of the apartment itself.

All equipment in this comparison is listed in our TWHEELS fitness equipment overview, with dimensions, weights, and delivery time for each piece of equipment. If you are unsure whether a piece of equipment will fit in your apartment, email us at info@twheels.ch or call +41 43 508 20 26, and we will calculate the space requirements with you. You can pick it up and try it out at our warehouse in Weesen.