If you're in the market for a home gym mirror, but don't want to shell out too much dough, then read on. A good quality home gym mirror can be expensive and many people just don't have the budget to buy one. Whether your goal is simply to get into shape or lose weight, working out at home with no mirrors may not be the best option. We've compiled a list of cheap mirrors that we found online and provided important information such as dimensions, cost, etc., so you know what options are available before making an investment in buying one.
Gym mirrors are more than just a decoration for a gym-owning hobbyist. They provide necessary visibility, especially for those cutting workouts.
With the help of gym mirrors, you can put your exercise in focus by watching yourself and what you're doing. In order to ensure proper form, it is necessary that you can see what you're doing. This means you must install a mirror somewhere in your facility. And as for cost-effectiveness, we recommend purchasing mirrors at any gym equipment retailer since they are relatively inexpensive and of good quality.
Before purchasing a home gym mirror, it’s important to consider how you want to use the mirror, what installation options are available at your residence.
You may also want to factor in other price points for dimensions and decorative features within your budget such as frame styles and colors. In this post, you'll read about the various types of gym mirrors and their costs.
Do you need a special mirror for your Gym?
Most gyms do use special mirrors in that they are made to blend in with the walls. This doesn't mean you have to get a special gym mirror, you just need a durable one that cleans easily.
Below are a couple different versions of Gym mirror types that are used specially for this application:
Glass Gym Mirrors: Around 75% of gyms use glass mirrors. These are good for durability and don't show fingerprints easily, but they do need to be replaced more often than other types of mirrors due to the glass breaking easier
Glass mirrors also come in a variety of different shapes, colors and sizes which can make them more attractive than other types if you're looking to upgrade your gym's look with this type of mirror. Allowing people who want an added level of privacy while still being able to see themselves from many angles during their workout session.
The downside to these types is that they do have a tendency to get dirty, as well as fingerprints showing up on them rather quickly because so much contact goes on with it from members' hands constantly touching it when trying new exercises etc., causing scratches.
Acrylic Gym Mirrors: Acrylic gym mirrors are coming into more gyms then ever before. They are stronger, more durable and less likely to break than the glass ones because they don't have a rod in them that can snap if someone is swinging on it or falls off of it like with some home gyms.
The downside when using these mirrors for your gym is that you will need to clean them often as well due to fingerprints etc., which can lead to scratches and moisture being trapped under the acrylic causing mold growth over time.
Gym Mirrors VS Home Mirrors: Differences
-Thicker – gym mirrors are thick than normal home mirrors which is good for weight lifting and pushing exercises. They are mounted right against the wall so that is why they are thicker as well so they won't just shatter. When you are lifting heavy weights it does shake the building a bit. Also another good thing about thicker mirrors is they don't add that 10lbs that cameras do. You get a truer reflection then thinner mirrors.
-Larger – gym mirrors are larger than normal home mirror which means that you are able to see more of your body when doing an exercise because it's not in the way. It also makes sure there is no blind spots so you know what part of your body should be working out next as well as being safe from injury if someone falls off a machine or swings onto the mirror etc., plus they have protective mats underneath them at most gyms.
-Better Quality – gym mirrors are better quality then traditional home mirrors with features such as anti fog coating, scratch resistant properties and don't need lights on all day like some do (like those made of glass).
-Reflection – gym mirror manufactures do make the product a bit different from the home one. You will look better in your gym mirror than a regular home mirror. This is a trick they use to make it look better while you are exercising. So your selfies I would make sure to take them with that big gym mirror and probably not as much the bathroom mirror.
Make sure you have good lighting as bad lighting will offset the good reflection. You never go to gyms where there is bad lighting right? Well maybe, but even the basement ones are usually well lit up.
Frame VS No Frame: Which Is Better?
Frame mirrors are usually for more eloquent gyms where people are more concerned with their appearance and health. These mirrors have a frame that is usually made out of metal or wood.
No-frame mirrors come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. If you want to save some money on installation costs then no-framed ones might be the way to go for your home gym mirror purchase.
Can't decide whether to buy a mirror with or without frames? Here's an overview of the pros and cons.
Framed Mirrors For The Gym
Most high quality gyms use what is called framed mirrors for their customers. Framed mirrors for the gym have a frame that is usually made out of metal or wood.
They are best suited to gyms where people take their appearance and health seriously, so if you're considering installing one in your own home then it's important to know what type this mirror will be used for before investing any money into it.
Pros:
- Added protection from vandalism and breakage
- People in the gym are more likely to take care of their equipment where they know it's going to cost them money.
- Last longer since they are built higher quality
- Easy to hang on the wall
Cons:
- Price tag – The only downside that we've found with framed mirrors for gyms is the price tag attached, which can be anywhere from $400-$600+ per.
- Must be exact with your measurements. You can't expand on the mirror like you can with frameless.
Frameless Mirrors For the Gym
Frameless mirrors in gyms is quite common, as they are often cheaper and easier to install. You can find them online for around $100-$150, and you get a more versatile product in the end.
Frameless mirrors have a number of benefits that make them an excellent choice for home gym spaces. Since there is no external frame to take care of, you can decorate the mirror however you please. And changing the size of frameless mirrors is simple as well.
Pros
- More Affordable
- Easier To Install
- Versatile Design For Decorating
- Use multiple mirrors to fit walls
- Re-arrange when you want and move them around
Cons
- Frameless mirrors are not as sturdy as framed counterparts, so you have to be careful with them.
- They're also a little more difficult to clean and maintain than frames.
- Plus, they usually don't come with preinstalled hooks for towels or clothes!
- No frame so nothing to protect them
- Edges sometimes get dinged and break off.
- Need more adhesive for walls.
What Size Mirror Is Needed For Gym?
Size is very important when choosing a mirror.
A full length gym mirror should be at least one foot in height and width for easy viewing and feedback from yourself on your form.
The more of you that's seen, the better!
Smaller mirrors are useful if space is limited or if they're placed near eye-level to reflect what our eyes can see without moving much: this helps us make sure we're doing things properly with less wasted movement.
But these types of mirrors don't offer as many benefits as larger ones do like accuracy, detail, distance evaluation, etc. They also tend to not be very good for use where there might need to be some serious introspection (such as weight lifting).
You have options though just make sure you have the below measurements:
Wall Height For Gym Mirror
Most all gyms you see that are professional you can see the mirror go all the way up the wall. This makes it easier to do things like:
-kneeling and doing pushups
-leaning out on the wall for pull ups at a 45 degree angle (great way to get more weight onto your back)
-watch yourself in the mirror while sitting/lying down. This is great for ab workouts, stretching, etc. You can also put some light behind you if needed!
This size of mirrors are typically 36 inches x 72 inches or 42 inches x 78 inches according to what most gyms have available but this really just varies depending on preference.
If you have low ceilings then I would recommend not going any larger than that unless they're adjustable up higher otherwise you'll be watching your whole face when trying to focus on an exercise.
For your home gym you can make it as professional as you want. When starting out and you are just looking for something to get your form down just look for whatever is in your price range.
Wall Width For Gym Mirror
For professional gyms wall width of the mirror is just as important as height height. For home gyms the width of the mirror isn't as important as just making sure you cover where you will be doing the bulk of your workouts.
If your home gym is very small then just stick with a single mirror. This is where going with the frameless is nice a option so you can piece in as you build up your gym equipment.
General Sizing
If it is just for a home gym where 1-2 people will be working out then don't over complicate it. Once you do that then you will be working out for the foreseeable future without the benefit of mirrors.
Get something that is relatively close in measurements just needs to be exact or a little less. In general gym mirrors com in in a standard size of about 36 inches width and 5-6 feet tall.
However, the length should normally encompass all of the room. You can get custom-built ones in appropriate sizes for your specific walls. Small and mid-sized mirrors are also available if that is what you prefer.
Where Can I Buy Gym Mirrors?
There are many places that you can purchase mirrors for your home gym. Some of the most popular stores include Target, Walmart, and Amazon.
Online resources like Home Depot and Lowe's also offer options as well. You could even go to a store such as Costco where they have smaller versions available in packs of two or more if desired by some people.
So it is just about finding what fits best with your budget and needs at this point-in-time so be sure to keep that in mind when shopping around!
Amazon
Amazon has some nice quality gym mirrors that are pretty affordable. They have several sizes that will match up with almost any room.
They also offer free shipping with Amazon Prime which is a definite plus for those of us who like saving money!
Overall, it would be difficult to go wrong with these mirrors if your budget is tight or you need something fast before going on vacation or any other reason. Just make sure that when ordering online the dimensions will work in your space when they arrive as this can't always be guaranteed without being able to see them beforehand in person.
If you want to really get some crazy deals and can wait a bit. Search “gym mirrors” on Amazon for prime day, black Friday, or cyber Monday.
Why we love Amazon is that you can check the reviews and make sure there aren't only a few reviews when purchasing. You can return anything to Amazon no questions asked pretty much when it is Prim, but do your due diligence and go through others reviews. The more the better the more positive ones the best.
The best way to search through reviews is by sorting by “Most Recent” then looking particularly at 3 stars or less. That will give you an overall feeling on whether it is a good product or not. If the mirror is broken during shipping they will replace for free of course.
eBay
A lot of people have kind of forgotten about eBay over the years. It used to be not so high quality products, everything was usually heavily used or from over seas, etc.
Well they have clamped down on a lot of the sellers and how they monitor things that are being sold these days. From electronics to yes even gym style mirrors you can find on there. So before you buy at somewhere like Amazon make sure you check eBay as well.
As long as you pay using Paypal you will have buyer protection 100% so the seller has to produce and send they product they displayed or else you get your money back and that seller will get into trouble.
One big benefit eBay has over other big online retailers is the ability to ask the seller direct questions. So don't be afraid to ask questions to the seller.
Home Depot
At Home Depot you can find some good deals on mirrors for your home gym. They're a little overpriced in some cases but they have many to choose from and the prices are decent.
Some mirrors come with hardware for mounting on the wall, or you can also buy a frame separately if necessary. There's not too much difference between the two as far as pricing goes, so it just depends what your preference is.
Check deals around the Holidays as well as signing up for their credit card to get an additional 10% off. Just make sure you pay it off right away. Memorial Day and Independence Day Sales seem to be the best all around days to get some great deals.
Lowes
Lowes similar to Home Depot has some high quality home gym mirrrors. They're a little pricier than some other places but they have more to choose from. I recommend them if you want something more high quality and long-lasting or are willing to pay the extra bucks for that reason.
They offer an 18×42 inch wall mounted mirror with hardware, an attractive frameless option.
Craigslist
Yes Craigslist does still exist some people seem to have wandered to the other thousands of local selling apps which work great for something common to find. However when you need to expand to other towns then look to Craigslist.
Just precautions don't look to send money ever up front. Take somebody with ya when you go to pickup and let someone else know where and what you are doing too.
There are some great Craigslist apps as well for mobile where you can search your entire state and probably can even find a free mirror if you want to take a little drive of course.
Garage Sales
Some people love going to garage sales and auctions and that is just their thing. I know my in-laws go almost every weekend and even though 9 items out of 10 are pretty much junk that 10th item always keeps them coming back.
Ask other people to look for big sized mirrors and you can probably find something for pennies on the dollar.
Facebook Marketplace
Everybody seems to be on Facebook these days. So with a marketplace you are sure to find somebody close by that has a decent sized mirror for sale.
Just search “Big Mirrors” or “Wall Mirrors” to get started on your journey to finding an affordable gym mirror.
How Much Will My Gym Mirror Cost?
There are a lot of different variables that will go into the cost of your gym mirror these include:
– Who are you buying from?
– What size mirror do you need?
– How much is your budget for this purchase?
Other Factors include:
-Materials
-Mirror length
-Mirror width
-Glass thickness
-Frame material
-Mirror style
-Decorative additions
-Internal adhesion
-Reflective edges
Cheaper mirrors are going to cost between $30-50 for a basic mirror that will work in your personal gym.
Higher Quality mirrors that have all these factors included are going to start around $100-400+. There is quite a range because of the quality and different types.
Home Gym Mirror Alternatives
The main goal with gym mirrors is to see yourself so you can make sure you can get your form down. Along with a bit of flexing of course. So with that being said there are other options out there other than mirrors that might work better for you.
Here are a couple examples to get you started:
Webcams
Webcams can be used in place of gym mirrors. They work great for live-streaming and are easy to set up.
To get the full effect of a mirror, you can try using mental imagery or videos. Just find an area in your gym where there is a good angle on both sides and take some time to practice looking at yourself from different angles.
This might be something that helps give you more confidence if going into competitions as well with the training involved since it forces you to really look closely at your form before entering any competition setting.
This person will help correct your posture when lifting so make sure they have experience doing this type of thing.
You can record and playback to make sure you are getting that form down in exercises you can't look at the mirror like bench press. Unlike mirrors you can capture any angle you want to if you are looking at a specific area you are struggling in like getting down low enough in your squat.
On top of the angle you can also zoom in on the areas you are looking to judge and correct. If you are a personal trainer this is something you can even do for your clients when they are working out at home.
Using Your Phone Camera
Phone cameras can be used just like webcams and laptops to record your exercises to make sure you are keeping your form.
The only downside would have to be that it won't zoom as well or do some perspective changes but for most exercises this should not affect anything too much.
If you want a simple solution without any expense then a phone camera could help provide more angles when recording yourself.
Most people will agree after using your smart phone camera it is easy to record your day to day workout sessions and specific exercises. There are mounts that can go on almost any piece of equipment to get the right angle like the Gorilla and spider mounts.
Final Thoughts
Home gym mirrors are a great way to improve your workout routine and stay motivated. They provide you with the ability to see yourself in an accurate reflection, which can be helpful when it comes to spotting problem areas or working out difficult poses.
When it comes to fitness, you deserve the best. The mirrors in your home gym are going to be a powerful tool for tracking and recording your progress as well as providing motivation when needed. You can't go wrong with the selection of affordable and high quality mirrors that will make any workout more effective!
