7 Ways to Use Heavy Exercise Machine Without Annoying Your Neighbors

Exercising at home is beneficial in a lot of ways. It saves you money from gym memberships, and it also saves you time from traveling to the gym regularly. However, home exercises also come with a few disadvantages, and one of those is annoying your neighbors, specifically if you live in an apartment. It’s because you can create noise when exercising at home, especially if you tend to use heavy exercises machine or equipment. Some fitness centers implement soundproof doors to control the noise and avoid disturbing other businesses in the area especially if they are located in the same building.

The biggest source of noise in a home gym is when you drop the weights. For some people, the sound of the plates hitting the floor is really annoying. It can create a quick racket depending on the type of floor and plates you are using. Aside from weights, exercise machines like elliptical trainers can also make lots of noise when being used, due to the vibrations that they make.

If you are bothered by the thought that your neighbors might be feeling annoyed every time you work out in your home gym, then there are two things you can do to deal with it. One is to make your home gym soundproof, and the other is to reduce the noise that your equipment makes. Today, we will tackle the latter. Here are seven ways on how to use heavy exercise machine without annoying your neighbors.

Use an Equipment Mat

If you are using heavy or large exercise machines in your home gym, like treadmills and elliptical trainers, these machines can make a lot of noise because they produce vibrations when in use. The noise can even become louder when the user weighs almost 200 pounds. If you want to reduce the noise of your heavy exercise machine to make your workout more enjoyable, then placing a soft surface below it as a cushion can help. Therefore, you can use jigsaw mat to reduce noise. Learn more here on what an equipment mat is and how it can help in your home gym.

man using an elliptical trainer at home

Use Coated Dumbbells and Kettlebells

Weights and kettlebells are very helpful in terms of exercising. However, dropping them on a concrete floor can surely make a lot of noise which can disturb your neighbors and other people in your home, as well. One of the best solutions is to use coated ones if you want to continue using your dumbbells and kettlebells. You can buy weights and kettlebells that are coated and not just bare metal.

One example is a polyurethane-coated dumbbell, which is quieter than exposed iron. The same goes for kettlebells. You can also find some that are coated with rubber, which is a much quieter option. However, rubber can be less durable than urethane. But both are quieter than raw, uncovered steel.

Use Bumper Plates

For noisy weight plates, you can also apply the same principle that applies to your dumbbells and kettlebells. You can either use rubber or urethane coated plates or use bumper plates. Bumper plates is a type of weight plate that are made of dense rubber with a steel collar in the middle. They are commonly used to prevent damaging the weights and as well as the floor when you do barbell work. Even if you are not dropping them on the floor, you are still setting them on the floor at some point. This means that aside from protecting your weights and floor, the use of bumper plates can also reduce the noise of your weights when you drop them.

Tape Things Up

Aside from the noise that weights and dumbbells make when being used, the bars and racks that the plates go on can also create noise. To lessen the noise, you can use some cloth tape in strategic places to limit the clanging and banging sounds. Reduce all the metal on metal contact as much as possible, including the j hooks where you rest your barbell. By doing this, you’ll be surprised at how much quieter racking the bar is on deadlifts, squats, and presses when these contact points are taped.

Use a Platform

If you are into powerlifting or Olympic lifting, you’re probably making the most noise in your home gym. It’s because it requires dropping the weights over and over once you get them up. When you drop a fully loaded bar on the floor again, and again, that is perhaps the single loudest noise that will ever come from your gym. With this type of exercise, you do not have the option to not drop the bar. But there are solutions to lessen the noise.

One of those is using a lifting platform. Aside from reducing the noise, a platform will also protect your floor when dropping the weights. You can either purchase one or create your own. You can use rubber or wood platforms. But if you really want to lessen the noise, then building a small pit is better. You can place a layer of rubber on the floor and then pout some sand on top of it. With this, you are cushioning the impact area with sand, and silencing the bang when you drop the barbell.

Know the Schedule of Your Neighbors

Knowing the schedule of your neighbors or figuring out when they are not at home is also an effective method to not disturb them when you exercise. You can time your workouts when your neighbor is not home. No matter how loud your exercise machines and equipment are, your neighbor won’t be bothered when they are not home. For example, you can time your workout during a workday or maybe when they are out for a grocery store trip. This way, you’ll be able to exercise in peace.

Talk to Your Neighbors

Lastly, communication is an effective strategy to be able to use heavy exercise machines without annoying your neighbors. It’s because when you exercise loudly without caring about your neighbors, it can probably tarnish your relationship with one another, and can result in noise complaints and other minor problems.

To avoid these, talking to your neighbors is healthy and effective. For example, if you’ve been using your exercise machine in a while now, you can ask your neighbor if it is bothering them. You can also do this before exercising. Try to tell your neighbor about your fitness routines and ask them if a little noise would be bothersome for them. This way, there’ll be a possibility that your neighbor would understand and have no issue with a little extra noise for a short period.

These are some of the best tips we can give on how you’ll be able to exercise at home using your heavy exercise machines without annoying your neighbors. We hope that these strategies can help you in getting started with your home workout routines.