The 5 Best Garage Gym Air Conditioners, Tested by Editors

A good garage gym is a cool one, where overheating is an impossibility. Sure, summer is slipping away but the heat is going to last. And in a home gym, heat management is a year-round job, as your body will be producing it even when it’s snowing outside.
That makes an air conditioner a priority in the garage workout zone. Without one, conditions can get stuffy at the very least. At the worst, the garage is straight up uninhabitable, at least during the warmer months. Some models throw heat too, making them useful when you need a boost of energy on a cold January morning.
Best Garage Gym Air Conditioner
Our editors tested these models during the sweltering first half of summer and came away with some real favorites. The panel included Fitness and Commerce Editor Charles Thorp, NASM, along with Fitness Director Ebenezer Samuel, CSCS. We tried a plurality of models out, in conditions ranging from dry and arid to humid and muggy. We gauged their mobility, examined how they fit into their respective environments, and weighed power by trying them in different sized rooms.
In the end, we came away with five promising models.
What to Consider
As with all appliances, there are considerations to weigh with garage gym air conditioners.
Dimensions
Size matters. If it’s too big or heavy, it’s not going to work. Space comes at a premium in garages, whether you’re in a tight apartment or you just have a lot of clutter (that’s what garages are for). Nailing the dimensions can be the difference between a streamlined experience where all you really notice is the cool climate and a device you’re constantly bumping into.
Portability
A good garage AC unit should move around pretty freely, unless you have a designated gym area. That way, it can follow your workout around or even double as climate control in different parts of your dwelling. The most portable air conditioners can be wheeled around or are light enough to carry. Options like mini-splits are essentially permanent fixtures post-setup.
Related Tech
We’re not in the 20th Century anymore. That said, the AC units of today should offer some useful tech, whether that’s related apps or useful settings. Sometimes that’s a sleep mode that gets up when you do or it could be a built-in sensor that monitors efficiency.
Setup
Read the marketing material of most models and you’ll likely see “easy setup” listed. Well, we tested them for you to be sure and that’s not always the case. Setup should be easy, as you’re not installing central air, you’re just plugging in a unit en route to a great garage workout.
Strength
These air conditioners can offer some serious power, if that’s what you’re after. But the last thing you want is one that’s not mighty enough to cool your space or so strong that it’s a nuisance. Work around the square footage of your gym space for best results. The main measure of an air conditioner’s power—is the BTU, which measures the cooling capacity. ‘BTU’ stands for ‘British Thermal Units.’ That’s the amount of energy required to raise one pound of water by 1°F. Basically, it tells you how powerful the A/C unit is. Depending on how many square feet you want to cool, BTU ranges can vary. But, higher is not always better. Your first instinct might be to go for the highest BTU available, but you may end up using more energy than needed (and we all know you don’t need a higher energy bill). So be sure to look at how many square feet a model will cool down within an hour and how it compares to the area of the room you’re shopping for.
In general, Thorp says standard home gyms (around 300 square feet) will need an air conditioner that has at least 10,000 BTU. For bigger spaces, Thorp recommends an air conditioner with at least 14,000 BTU.
How We Selected
Our editors tested more than a dozen models, using the criteria above as a compass. The best versions excelled in one or all of these categories, and even went the extra mile with traits like high functionality, quiet running noise, and clean aesthetics that complement your gym space.
The best models proved to be intuitive and user-friendly, as well as relatively easy to get going. They brought near-instant relieve to our workout spaces, which ranged from dens and garages to home offices, and made the reps we put in later all the more enjoyable.
Here are the very best garage gym air conditioners.