How To Reduce Noise And Vibration Within a Gym?

There’s no getting around the fact that gyms are loud. The sounds of clattering weight stacks, dropped dumbbells and people running on treadmills cuts through stereo music unless it’s cranked right up. This is why most people put their earphones in (or headphones on) to zone out and workout without noisy distractions.

As a gym owner there are a few things you can do to reduce noise and vibration within a gym. Here are some tips from our experts:

Rules and signage

The first thing you should do is put up signs that tell people not to drop weights and to be careful with plates and weight stacks. People tend to get too comfortable in gyms and start doing things that are silly, like throwing plates on the floor.

Rules should be established when a member signs up. They should be asked to sign a rule manifesto. One of the rules should be not to drop weights and plates. Accidents are okay in cases, but deliberate dropping should be outlawed.

Flooring

Your gym needs adequate flooring to protect the subfloor and people from injury. The flooring you choose will determine how much noise and vibration is absorbed by dropped weights, plates and functional fitness activities.

Free weight zones should use interlocking rubber floor tiles. These are laid over a rubber membrane (underlay) The combined thickness of the floor will be around 50mm. This will be enough for free weight and bench areas.

Deadlift zones and power rack zones will need impact protection slabs. These are laid directly over the primary floor (rubber tiles). Impact protection slabs are 80mm thick. They are designed to absorb shock from heavy lifts.

Cladding

In large gyms it’s also possible to reduce noise transmission between gym zones using sound-absorbing materials. For example, you can install cladding on internal walls that will absorb sound and prevent it from bouncing around.

We also recommend installing insulation on doors. This will stop noises inside the gym from escaping which is useful for gyms that have quieter zones.

If your gym has a high roof you can get insulating internal roof tiles or you can install banners that hang from the roof. These work well in large spaces like gymnasiums. If you have a warehouse gym this will be a good way to reduce noise.

Get in touch for help

If your gym suffers from excess noise and vibration we have a range of flooring solutions that can help. Call us on (0)1706 260 220.