HVAC for a garage gym

[Steven Z]

Was curious to know what others' experience was on this. At this point I am used to working out of my garage in the heat (I've been working out of the garage for a year and a half now), but as I've been pushing into heavier weight the heat takes it's toll on my recovery time between lifts. Sometimes I just walk inside but mentally I prefer to stay put in front of my barbell.

I was eyeballing a cheap $220 AC unit at Costco. It's a window unit designed for a 350 sq ft room but I was thinking it might do the trick to take the edge off. Who knows, maybe even just a high powered fan would do. They've also got the nicer ones that roll around and run between $400-$600 but I'd rather save that money for my first competition. I'm a renter so I don't want to invest in anything permanent. Prefer to workout with the garage door open so I have plenty of light.

Do you guys have any thoughts/recommendations/suggestions? My garage is two car, about 500 sq ft. I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area so humidity plays a bit of a factor sometimes too.

Thanks all for your thoughts!

[bobman]

If you intend to continue to train with the garage door open forget the window unit AC and get a large fan

Training early in the mornings is also going to help if it’s doable

If you stop training with the door open the AC unit will work and also dehumidify the room

which will make it feel cooler and be easier on your equipment in reference to rust issues

[Satch12879]

Do not bother unless the exterior walls of our garage, ceiling/roof, and the door itself are insulated. The door is the biggest factor as it constitutes a giant opening in the exterior envelope. Next would be the ceiling/roof. In summer months, the heat is replaced faster than a discrete AC unit can condense out.

[Oso Rojo]

I know you are renting so you don't want to invest to much. You might want to consider insulation the walls that are exposed to the outside, assuming the garage is bare studs and not finished. Insulation on bar studs isn't that pretty but will help with costs. All assuming you are training with the garage door closed.

[Steven Z]

If you stop training with the door open the AC unit will work and also dehumidify the room

Thanks bobman for the response! I like having the natural light in the garage but yeah if I want it cooled down I may have to just shut the door. If I did that do you think the 250 sq ft one would cut it? Does it matter where I place it?

I'd do the fan but I'm not sure if blowing hot air up my tail would do much.

[Michael Wolf]

Thanks bobman for the response! I like having the natural light in the garage but yeah if I want it cooled down I may have to just shut the door. If I did that do you think the 250 sq ft one would cut it? Does it matter where I place it?

I'd do the fan but I'm not sure if blowing hot air up my tail would do much.

I'm down in Austin and started training in my garage just a few weeks ago when my gym closed down permanently. Starting this in July instead of March has been a trial by fire, almost literally.

That said, I recently got a high powered fan (this one), and even when it's been 95-100 out, it actually blows fairly cool air. The workouts are still rough, especially once I get past the 90 min mark, but the fan has helped a lot.

I also switched from water to a gatorade mix to sip on during the workout. I use about 40-50g of gatorade powder in about 40oz of water with a few ice cubes, in an insulated water bottle that keeps it cold, and that works well for my ~1:45-2:15 long workouts. When I get into competitive training, some of my workouts will be longer and I may up the bottle size and grams of gatorade if it's still hot out, but the fan + gatorade combo has helped.

[Snake Plissken]

I'd recommend just getting a good fan. I have one my dad gave me from a fab shop that moves a lot of air and it blows through the middle of my deadlift stand and rack. Today it was 97 degrees outside where I live at about 50% humidity and it was tolerable. Training with the garage door closed can't be fun. I love it being open year round. I even enjoy when it's raining right outside.

[Steven Z]

Thanks guys for the feedback,

Yeah actually the house is newer and the walls are finished so there is insulation there. Just not the garage door. Also the roof is NOT insulated; just a drywall ceiling. So I would have to insulate the attic space over the garage and the garage door. Doesn't seem worth it since we're planning on buying a house next year anyway. Guess I just need to man up for now and do the fan/Gatorade combo. Thanks again everyone for the info!

[jfsully]

I'd do the fan but I'm not sure if blowing hot air up my tail would do much.

Doesn't matter if it's blowing hot air. You will sweat, the air will dry it up, and you will experience evaporative cooling! You can enhance this effect with having a cold wet towel nearby to swab yourself with. Stay hydrated, and you'll be fine.

[Suwannee Dave]

I insulated the attic above the garage, as well as the garage door, thinking I would add an air conditioner. Now I just have a big fan and have decided I like to sweat. After working out I go jump in the pool to cool down.