Live in an apartment? Don’t want to annoy people with your workout sounds?

Yep, I’ve been there.

Actually, I am there.

I’ve never been to a gym and yet I workout without any of my neighbors complaining.

And yes, I do more than yoga and Pilates.

I do HITT workouts in my tiny apartment and I’m going to show you the tricks I use to minimize the sound

Ready? Let’s jump into quiet workout tips you can use at home.

How to Workout Quietly in an Apartment

From reorganizing your apartment to choosing better apartment-friendly exercises, we got you covered in this quiet workout guide.

#1 Use Area Carpet or Rugs.

If you live in an apartment with a hardwood floor, consider laying down carpet. This is probably the quickest way to lessen the impact from exercise moves. Instead of hearing constant and deep thuds, the carpet will cushion them, making it less noticeable.

Carpets are expensive, but if you plan on working out at home as a habit, it’s a good idea to invest in a thicker one. I changed carpets around in my apartment so that I could have a bigger one in my living room to workout on. Unfortunately, when it was delivered, I noticed it was about half the thickness of my old carpet. Although I saved A LOT of money, you can definitely tell the difference in noise.

Moral of the story? Thicker rugs=less noise.

If you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a rug, you could always look for people selling used ones locally or online. If it bothers you that it’s used, steam clean it. You could also only roll it out for workouts and roll it back up after.

#2 Use Cushy Workout Mat

You can get cheap mats that aren’t a problem to workout on, but you’ll notice they create more of a thud when you’re doing jumping moves. For example, a cushy vegan suede mat is going to absorb more noise and impact than a thin PCV mat.

Again, the good mats cost more money, but they’re a worthwhile investment if you plan on working out at home and sticking to it.

#3 Rethink Minimalist Style

I love the minimalist style. It looks so clean and put together. There are downfalls though. If you live in an apartment, minimalist style can mean more echoing and more sound leaking outside. That means people can more easily hear you talk and workout too. Simply put, a cluttered apartment will contain the sound better.

While you don’t have to have a messy apartment, consider adding some pieces to lessen the noise:

• Furniture
• Pictures on the wall
• Bookshelves
• Wall tapestries

Basically, anything the sound can bounce off of to stay inside your apartment can be a good thing.

#4 Don’t Wear Shoes

If you’re moving around in running shoes, the noise of your impact will be more. Instead, you can workout barefoot or use a pair of non-slip socks. That will also reduce other noises that come from shoes, such as squeaking. However, remember that when you workout without shoes, there will be LESS sound but MORE impact on your feet. To reduce that impact on your joints, it’s a good idea to workout on something soft (ex. on a mat on a carpet rather than bare feet on hardwood).

#5 Land Softly

When you exercise in the gym, you might not care how loudly you land when you jump. However, you may get away with some exercises at home if you are constantly conscious of how light you are when you land. Landing softer also takes more work, giving you an added challenge.

#6 Choose Low Impact Exercises

No matter what you do to make your apartment or room “workout proof,” it’s probably a good idea to choose low impact exercises. The moves that don’t require you to jump are quieter and are less likely to annoy anyone who can hear.

For example, instead of doing full-on burpees, try walking burpees. Instead of doing jumping jacks, try a round of shadow boxing to elevate your heartrate.

This can be easy to do on something like arm day, but when you’re trying to work on your cardio, it can be more difficult to find quiet exercises. We have the answer though: Read 28 moves for quiet cardio workouts.

#7 Use Weights

If choosing lower impact exercises means less of a racing heart for you, add weights to get it back up. Many quiet exercises can be done with weights for an added challenge. When you’re ready to build intensity, up the weight. If you’re worried about the noise of weights, consider plastic coated ones as opposed to metal.

#8 Use Resistance Bands

Another way to make low impact exercises more intense is to use a resistance band. These make it feel like your leg or arm has extra weight, making it work harder. This is also a good option if you don’t want the sound of weights clanking inside your apartment.

#9 Use Headphones

If you like music blasting when you workout and are afraid to annoy the neighbors, simply use headphones. That way, you can get the music as loud as you want!

#10 Get to Know Neighbor’s Routines

If you’re someone who listens to things without meaning to, it’s possible you already know your neighbors routine. For example, maybe they leave at 7am for work every day. That means working out after that time won’t annoy them because they aren’t there. Of course, this is easier to figure out in small apartment buildings where there’s only a few noises to pay attention to.

#11 Ask Neighbors for Best Times

If all else fails, you can always knock on your neighbor’s door and ask them when is a good time to workout. Nice neighbors may say that you can workout anytime, they don’t care about the noise. In that case, you have nothing to worry about anymore!

If they tell you they leave or get home at a certain time, you can consider whether that works into your schedule. Another option is to give them your number, tell them you’ll be exercising and to text you if it gets too loud for them. That way, you can figure out what’s doable without getting any landlords involved.

Summary: Quiet Workouts, Tips for Apartments

If you live in an apartment, getting a workout in can seem impossible because you don’t want to disturb any of your neighbors. Fortunately, it’s possible with the tips we’ve outlined above. After trying your best to soundproof your apartment for impact, choose moves that are less likely to make noise. Another option is to talk to your neighbors and see what’s doable for them.