Equipment list to open a box or studio

The three-layer rule

Before opening any catalogue, write three or four workouts for the first week, as if you were coaching them tomorrow. The shopping list comes from those. Anything that does not appear in the first weeks of workouts can wait.

CrossFit and functional fitness

To open

• Olympic barbells, men's and women's, one per spot, with collars for each.
• Bumper plates you can drop, in pairs, at the loads your classes use most.
• Light technique plates for people who are learning.
• A pull-up rig with squat stands, with stations for the whole class.
• Kettlebells and dumbbells across a range of weights, with repeated pairs in the middle weights.
• Plyo boxes, ideally soft foam, which are kinder to shins.
• Medicine balls for wall balls, and a wall target.
• Air rowers or air bikes, enough for a rotation without queues.
• Skipping ropes and pull-up assistance bands.
• Rubber flooring, with platforms in lifting areas.
• An interval clock visible from the whole room, a whiteboard and a sound system.

Later, as the timetable grows

• Extra rings and climbing ropes.
• Ski ergs and back extension benches.
• A sled, sandbags and carry handles.
• Heavy dumbbells and specialty bars.
• More rowers or bikes, once the rotation starts to queue.

Hybrid training and HYROX preparation

The official race has eight stations, always in the same order: ski erg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, row, farmers carry, sandbag lunges and wall balls. There is one kilometre of running before each station.

• To open: rowers, ski ergs and air bikes in enough numbers for queue-free rotations.
• To open: kettlebells or farmers handles, sandbags, medicine balls and a target.
• To open: a safe running loop around the building, or treadmills.
• Later, or at opening if the space allows: sleds with a long enough artificial turf track.

What changes in a hybrid training gym, from timetable to stations, has its own guide.

Small-group and strength training

• To open: full racks, one for every two or three people in the group, with barbells and benches.
• To open: enough plates for the group's heaviest lifts, and dumbbells in pairs.
• To open: platforms, if you teach Olympic lifting.
• Later: cable machines, presses and rehab equipment.

Pilates

Pilates splits into two business models. Mat Pilates uses light equipment and supports bigger groups. Reformer Pilates uses machines, and the class capacity is the number of reformers.

• Mat, to open: thick mats, small balls, rings, bands, blocks and rollers.
• Reformer, to open: reformers, one per spot, with walking space around each.
• Reformer, later: tower or cadillac, chair and barrel, for private sessions and duets.

Yoga

• To open: mats, blocks, straps, bolsters and blankets, one set per spot.
• To open: controllable heating and ventilation, if you run heated classes.
• Later: chairs and restorative props for special classes.

What changes in a Pilates or yoga studio, from group sizes to class packs, has its own guide.

What every space needs

• Storage: racks for barbells, plates, balls and mats. A tidy room is safer and faster between classes.
• A first aid kit, in a place the whole team knows.
• Cleaning and disinfecting supplies for shared equipment.
• A tablet at the entrance for QR code check-in.
• Sound that carries over the noise of a class, and a microphone if the room is large.

Test the list before ordering

Take the first week of workouts and go through them one by one with the list beside you. For each exercise, ask three things. How many people do it at the same time? Is there equipment for all of them, or for the rotation? Is there a lighter version for beginners? Every no is a line to add. Every item no workout used is a line to postpone.

Do the same for the beginners class. It is the class that runs short of light loads, technique bars and low boxes, because nobody thought of it when ordering.

Quantities for a class of twelve

For a box whose biggest class has twelve spots, the first layer looks like this. These are quantities, not prices, because prices vary too much between suppliers.

Ordering, delivery and installation

• Get the delivery date in writing. Equipment that arrives after opening does not exist on day one.
• Order the flooring first. Everything else goes on top of it.
• The pull-up rig is fixed to the floor or wall. Confirm with the landlord and the installer.
• Keep invoices and manuals. You need them for warranties, insurance and your own procedures.
• Install everything before the test classes, not the night before opening.

New or second-hand

Anything without moving parts takes well to a second life: barbells, plates, kettlebells, dumbbells, boxes and rigs. Machines with chains, fans and monitors need more care. Before buying second-hand, test the monitor, listen to the chain, and ask about age and servicing.

For a rower or an air bike, check the space it needs in use, too. The maker of one air rower lists 274 by 122 centimetres for use, more than the machine itself takes up.

Equipment for the beginners class

Beginners need lighter versions of everything: technique bars, light plates, low boxes, lighter kettlebells and medicine balls, and bands for pull-ups. If the beginners class shares the room with a regular class, these come on top of the per-spot count, not instead of it.

Maintenance and records

Keep an equipment sheet from day one: what, how many, where it is, when it was last serviced. It helps with insurance, with buying replacements, and with any inspection. Some countries also require written procedures for equipment use. Portugal, for example, requires an operations manual that covers it.

The shopping list, by biggest class

The timetable decides the equipment. Buying before the timetable exists is buying for a catalogue.

The mistakes that cost the most

• Buying specialist kit before the basics. A premium machine does not make up for twelve missing barbells.
• Forgetting storage. Kit on the floor wastes time between classes and causes accidents.
• Buying only heavy weights. Beginners need light loads, and those are what run out.
• Counting the machine's footprint without its space in use.
• Leaving no budget for what breaks in the first months.

With Rummo

Class mode is the coach's screen during class: who has arrived, the session plan in blocks and the results area. Blocks run from warm-up to strength, conditioning, running and stations. The door screen shows a QR code on a tablet that changes every 30 seconds.