Seriously though, the 1966 AITC, on page 3-7, recommended 100 psf for Gymnasiums and Dance Halls, but only 75 psf for Bowling Alleys, pool rooms, and similar recreation areas.
Considering the weight of pool tables as compared to workout equipment, and the similar distribution of people, 75 psf might not be a bad value to start with.
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto: KISS
Motivation: Don't ask
A couple years back I did a renovation of a structure to convert the second level to a work out facility. No information of the original design was known at the time. Here is the rational that I used to determine the new loading, in order to review the structure:
Floor live loading per ASCE-7 and IBC, closest given loads were:
drill rooms = 150 psf
dance hall = 100 psf
gymnasium = 100 psf
office = 100 psf w/ 2000# concentrated load at any location
I also looked on line to see the self-weights of different workout equipment. For cardio, the typical self-weight was ~400#, with a rated user weight of 400#. Thus a total of 800#. For weight machines, the typical self-weight was ~100# plus the amount of weights added. Thus a total of ~1050# (100 self-weight + 400 user weight + 500 weight's weight + 50 misc). The equipment size varies but at least 4'x4' or 3'x5' for 15 sq ft. This would be a uniform live load of 70 psf or less.
Therefore, the design live load should be similar to that of the office, 100 psf w/ 2000# concentrated load at any location.
![[bigsmile]](/data/assets/smilies/bigsmile.gif "[bigsmile] [bigsmile]")
