to think that putting heavy gym equipment upstairs might be a bad idea?

[GoryGilmore]

Please help settle a disagreement I’m having with DH. We’ve been offered some gym equipment (cross trainer and rower) for free from a family member and as we both need to lose a few stone and sometimes struggle to exercise outside due to late work finishes/dark evenings and the other limitations that lockdown brings, we’re keen to take it. However, our house is small and the only place we could put it is in an upstairs bedroom. I’m really concerned though that as the gym equipment is obviously heavy and will have my hefty 15 stone arse weighing it down some more when I use it, I might come crashing through the ceiling when exercising. House is a new build if that’s relevant. Am I being unreasonable/ridiculous? DH reckons I am - please vote!

New builds are required to support 150kg/square metre anywhere on floor, plus withstand a single point load of 140kg on a single joist in middle/mid span. To be safe, stay under 140kg.

So add it up? 15 stone is 95.25kg. So if each piece of gym equipment (count cross trainer abs rower separately) weighs more than 45kg by itself, your concern is warranted. But that’s your weight, is your DH heavier than you?

No, he’s actually pretty much the same weight give or take a couple of pounds. That’s interesting information though, thank you. I wonder if I can find out the average weight of a cross trainer. It’s a big one, like you’d get at a gym.

I’ve just managed to find the weight of it online - 48.7 kg, so not as heavy as I had thought. Just over the 140kg threshold though. Maybe I’ll let him put it up there but try and lose a couple of stone first!

It surely can't be heavier than a bed?!

I think you’ll be ok. You’re still under 150kg/ sq metre. I’d just avoid putting it right in centre of floor.

I’m not sure how much a bed weighs! I think my main concern is that the weight of it isn’t spread over a large area. We could squeeze the rower in downstairs perhaps as it folds down but the cross trainer can definitely only go upstairs.

I’ve just thought, there’s a massive bloody wardrobe in that room already. So I would need to take that into account too, wouldn’t I? Bugger.

@GoryGilmore

I’ve just thought, there’s a massive bloody wardrobe in that room already. So I would need to take that into account too, wouldn’t I? Bugger.

Only if it sits in the same square metre of floor space that the gym equipment will occupy....remember that weight limit is per square metre. So if your room is 3m x 3m, that is 9 sq/m and limit for whole room would be 9 x 150kg.

Unless you are giving your DH a piggyback whilst you are using the cross trainer, it will be fine

@PlanDeRaccordement ah yes, of course. Sorry, I think I’m getting anxious about it for no good reason.

@HintOfVintagePink can’t even manage to give the DC a piggy back anymore so definitely no chance of that

I’m in a newbuild with a massive cross trainer upstairs., seems ok so far even with my hefty arse.

Good to know Bashful, thanks

@GoryGilmore

No, he’s actually pretty much the same weight give or take a couple of pounds. That’s interesting information though, thank you. I wonder if I can find out the average weight of a cross trainer. It’s a big one, like you’d get at a gym.

Make sure it straddles more than one joist. If necessary, stand it on a stout piece of wood to carry the weight across two joists.

I lived on the 3rd and 4th floor in a maisonette. The 4th floor had my DHs weight training equipment in, a rack with all attachments, around 200kg of weights and then obviously it would also have his body weight lying on a bench lifting alot of that weight (can't remember how much he can lift) a cross trainer and a massive electric treadmill. No problems at all, the floor felt fine and it wasn't even that loud when I was in the room underneath when he was training.