TIPS TO START YOUR OWN HOME GYM
If you are reading this blog, it is assumed that you are interested in or actively looking to put together a home gym. We know that it can be daunting at first, but once you can pinpoint what you would like your space to look like it becomes a much easier task. We will do our best to outline what we feel are the most crucial aspects of this process!
Home Gym Flooring
First and foremost, you need to know just how much space that you are working with. Just as you wouldn’t buy furniture for your living room without measuring the room or knowing the dimensions of the furniture itself, the same can be said for your prospective gym space. You want to make sure that the pieces you end up choosing will fit into your space without too much crowding. Additionally, you need to make sure you have the exact amount of flooring needed. Our general recommendation for flooring would be stall mats. They are durable and shock absorbent, and the black rubber gives any home gym a pristine feel to it. We purchased ours from Tractor Supply Co. and any similar store should carry them. If you find yourself having to cut mats to fit smaller spaces, our recommendation would be to use a utility knife. It creates a clean-cut edge and leaves a minimal mess for cleanup.
Home Gym Equipment
As far as equipment is concerned, it boils down to what you enjoy as it pertains to your training. Training at home can sometimes present unique challenges of its own, and you need to enjoy the equipment you have or else it will not be money well spent. You will find motivation lacking if you despise using your home gym. However, we will outline what we believe to be great options for people regardless of their goals. We feel any home gym should have four main items: a power rack, a quality barbell, an adjustable bench, and some plates. If you have those four items, we truly feel as though all of your bases will be covered. If you already have those pieces but want to add additional pieces to your current setup, then we feel like a pair of adjustable dumbbells would be your next upgrade. Not only will dumbbells add variety to your training, but certain movements with a set of dumbbells are just easier to do than they are with a barbell. Some items that you might overlook that we find extremely useful would include but are of course not limited to the following: squat wedge or solo wedges, a pull-up bar for your power rack, resistance bands, and barbell collars. If you want to add spice to your training, then a cable machine with dual stacks would be a great purchase. They can be expensive for sure, but remember that if you plan on training at home for the foreseeable future you can’t go wrong.
Our Home Gym
Now we will detail what we have in our personal garage gym. Just remember that this is, of course, our livelihood and that it has taken years for us to build it to where it is today. As we mentioned earlier, the flooring is the 6’x4’ stall mats that we purchased from Tractor Supply Co. The power rack we have is the Rogue Monster 3’ rack with a standard pull-up bar. We opted for the safety strap system instead of the pin-pipe as we had on our racks in our previous gym, and four band pegs come standard. We have the Rogue hex dumbbells from 2.5-50 lbs along with the Rogue three-tier storage system (All 3 tiers are dumbbell trays). In January we got the Rogue Monster functional trainer, and the thing is an absolute brute. It is over 10’ tall and has dual 250 lb weight stacks. We also mounted the Rogue crown pull-up bar on the front, and what we like about that pull-up bar is the hand placement variety it gives you. Our two most recent additions are the Prime Fitness plate-loaded seated row machine and the plate-loaded leg extension/lying leg curl combo. Prime Fitness was kind enough to pull both pieces from their showroom floor for us to purchase! If you are in a position to splurge a little, we cannot recommend Prime Fitness enough. Not only are their pieces quite literally the best money can buy, but their entire customer support team is communicative and a breeze to work with. Lastly, we have a variety of barbells from Kabuki Strength and Texas Power Bars. If you are in the market for your typical power bar or specialty barbell (squat, deadlift, cambered, etc.) those two manufacturers are easily two of the best.
High-Quality Home Gym Equipment
Racks
Barbells, Plates, and Dumbbells
Machines
Accessories
Affordable Home Gym Equipment
Racks
Barbells, Plates, and Dumbbells
Machines
Accessories
Support our small business – all workout programs, glute bands, long bands, belts, knee sleeves etc: bodyfitbalance.com
Bailey & Zach
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