Creating a Base Sheet
Before we get to the fun stuff of designing and planning workouts we need to know what we’re working with. To do this we first need to create a base sheet to work off of.
A base sheet is a technical drawing that is created by measuring your gym (or space) and then converting the measurements into a scaled drawing.
Your Landlord may already have Architectural drawings of your space. If they do and you can obtain a copy of this then we have a great starting point.
Whether we have a plan from our Landlord or not we need to create a worksheet to mark-up and add notes on.
The worksheet is not drafted, it’s not to scale, and it is primarily a sketch that will be used as a reference for when we create the base sheet.
The worksheet should include the following:
• General shape of the space - is your gym square, rectangular, or L-shaped? Are there multiple rooms or is it just one big room?
• Approximate locations or doors / openings - how do people enter & exit the space, if there are offices or bathrooms how do they connect to the gym?
• Any physical barriers that break up the space - this would be things like the pull-up rig or any structural supports that extend from the floor to ceiling. This would also be any equipment storage racks or things that cannot be moved.
• Any changes in flooring - is the entire floor gym mats, is there a turf strip or any exposed concrete?
After we’ve created a worksheet we get to spend some time measuring our space. How long are the walls, how far from the corner of the wall to the door frame, how far from the wall to the rig, how long is the rig, how far does the flooring extend, etc… You’ll need a measuring tape and I’m also a big fan of using a Laser Measurer since it’s quicker and much easier to use to for longer distances.
It is a simple process but it is important to be as accurate as possible. Whenever I’ve created a base sheet for another gym I try to take measurements within a 1” tolerance.
The other piece of information which is key to creating the base sheet is pictures. You’ll want to walk around the gym taking a bunch of random photos of the space, particularly corners, doors, rigging, flooring, etc...they help clarify the information we add to the worksheet and are a great reference.
Once the worksheet is completed and we’ve taken photos of the space we can then turn that information into a scaled, drafted drawing.