How to Build Your Home Gym
Sep 2nd, 2007 by Mehdi
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I trained from 1999 to 2004 in a commercial gym. In August 2004 I built a home gym. Since then I’ve been training home. This article will give you info on what you need to build your home gym & where to buy your equipment.
Benefits of Home Gyms. Commercial gym or home gym? Here’s why I choose to build a home gym.
- Freedom. Weekends, holidays & working shifts are no more a problem. You workout when & how you want: Deadlifts, Power Cleans, grunting, yelling, chalk, shirtless, music playing hard, no people watching, etc.
- Saves Time. No more driving to the gym & back, no more waiting for the Squat Rack/showers to get free, no talking. Gyms are packed on Monday & Tuesday evening, which is when you’ll probably train if you work 9-5.
- Saves Money. Gym memberships in Belgium cost 50€/month. Add car fuel costs. You’ll break even on your home gym investment within 3y.
- Equipment. Many commercial gyms don’t have the equipment you need for routines like StrongLifts 5×5. Building a home gym might be your only solution to get access to a Squat Rack & free weights.
Downside of building your home gym: it’s an initial investment, you need space & you’ll have to motivate yourself. You also don’t have a spotter for the Squat & Bench Press. But there are ways around this.
Home Gym Space. You need a solid floor for exercises where you’ll drop the weight like Deadlifts & Power Cleans. Garages & basements work best.
- Area of Space. 10 square meters (10×10 feet). Space necessary for your Power Rack and for doing Deadlifts & Power Cleans outside it.
- Roof Height. Your length + 1 meter so you can do overhead movements like the Overhead Press, Push Press & Jerk. If your roof is too low, you can do Seated Presses (or Press outside your house).
Home Gym Flooring. Flooring should do two things: reduce the noise from the barbell hitting the floor & protect your floor.
- Plywood. I use 3 layers plywood with a heavy carpet on top. The carpet tends to slip around & doesn’t give solid footing. Not the best solution.
- Rubber Mats. Reduce noising & protect your floor. Get 2 stall mats of 60 square cm (2×2 feet) from a farm supply. Best option.
- Platform. If you plan to do a lot of Olympic exercises like Jerks & Power cleans, best is to build a platform. Read this guide.
Home Gym Equipment. You need a barbell that doesn’t break and a Power Rack for the Squat & Bench Press.
- Barbell. 2m20 long, weighs 20kg, with knurling & 50mm sleeves. Quality barbell that supports weights of 3-400kg.
- Plates. Plates with 50mm holes to fit the bar. Start with 156kg weight: 4×20kg, 4×10kg, 4×5kg, 4×2,5kg, 4×1,25kg.
- Power Rack. Handles up to 400kg. With adjustable safety pines, pull-up bar & dip bar attachements. Outside uprights for the Overhead Press.
- Bench. Necessary for the Bench Press. Adjustable bench you can put inside your Power Rack. Handles weights of 200kg.
The minimum setup is one barbell & 150kg/300lbs plates so you can do strength training with one barbell. If you want to do StrongLifts 5×5 you’ll need a Power Rack, Bench, Pull-up Bar & Dip bars. This setup comes at 1500$.
Where to Buy Your Equipment. Buy a quality barbell & Power Rack. You don’t want accidents when lifting weights overhead, on your back, above your chest. Pay a little more for quality. You only buy equipment once.
- Craigslist & eBay. Buy equipment from someone who quit weight lifting. Quality equipment doesn’t wear out, you can find great deals.
- Build Your Equipment. Save money by building your own Power Cage from Scaffold. Costs less than 100$.
- EliteFTS. Company run by Powerlifters. Equipment from EliteFTS might cost more, but you’re paying for quality & safety. Don’t save money on a barbell or power rack.
Take a look at my home gym for an example. If you think it’s a lot of money, think long-term. Home gyms don’t wear out. They last forever.
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Some things to add
Bench - get an adjustable one so you can do inclines and declines too
Bench - don’t forget to add your own weight onto the weight limit. If you weigh 100kg and the weight limit of the bench is 200kg, it looks good on paper but think about it, you won’t be able to bench more than 100kg.
Barbell - I might even get 2 so that you can do supersets
Plates - I love bumper plates
Rack - preferably get ones with some sort of hook at the bottom so you can attach bands
Rack - get extra pins if you can…for isometric work
Rack - a dip attachment would be great too.
Flooring - get some rubber matting…you don’t wanna be dropping your weights on bare wood(unless it’s a platform)
Hey Mehdi, I’d value your thoughts on how to do a complete workout with just dumbbells - I’ve got a bench and a set of adjustable dumbbells, and that’s really all I’ve got room for. I get a pretty good workout, but I always feel like I’m missing something …
It is always possible to get a great workout from dumbbells like doing single arm snatches, jerk etc etc…but its not possible to get same effect as in the case of barbell training, and the main reason is you can’t go heavy after 1 point..
Hi, I was wondering about your thoughts on rings… Crossfit (and simplefit) people seem to talk very highly of them… Also, for someone like me living in a small flat, I don’t have the space for a rack or dipping station, or even enough room to put down suitable flooring for bar lifts. While it’s obviously not a complete alternative I think a doorway chin up bar and some rings provide a cheap (less than 150 euro) and compact way to at least do something at home…
I have a great bar from powertrainer.co.uk and plan to get rings at Christmas. Obviously no replacement for going to the gym though…
Hi Mehdi,
Any plans on writing an article on how to Floor Bench Press with proper technique? Does this have any advantages over a standard Bench Press?
Thanks
H.
@Rob.
If your goal is to dip: yes rings are a great tool. Harder than dip bars or a dip machine.
@H.
Floor Bench Press work your triceps more. Technique is same as for the Bench Press. Setup: 1 or 2 plates on the floor. Weighted barbell on it. Put yourself under the bar. Press up. Range of motion goes from elbows on the floor until complete lockout of the weight.
Mehdi,
In your article you say that 10 meters square “will do” for a room, with a height of about a meter above your head. While that would be nice, I suspect this dramatically reduces the number of us who could put together a home gym. I’m curious what people think is adequate in terms of minimal dimensions for a gym with a rack like the one Mehdi suggests? The only possible space I have is part of a detached garage (w/ electricity but no heat or air- so space heaters and ac would need added to deal w/ Iowa winters & summers), and it is about 4 meters across the short dimension. I could carve out about 5-6 meters the other dimension, but probably not more than 3 meters could have all 4 meters of depth (i.e., @ 2 meters would have storage that sticks out about half a meter along the wall. Obviously you need at least 3 meters in the direction you hold the barbell to give enough clearance for a bit more than 2 meter barbell length. Thanks in advance.
Dave
Thanks Mehdi, that is all I needed to know.
Cheers
H.
@Dave M
My home gym doesn’t have any airco/heater/whatever. So when it’s -10°C outside, it’s -10°C in my gym.
It all depends on what you have. If you don’t buy the power rack, you need less place. You don’t need that much place for doing squats, deadlifts & bench press. You need a higher roof for overhead exercises, you need more place for doing olympic lifts like power cleans. Etc…
I’ve seen people renting garage boxes to train in. I’ve seen people having a power rack next to their bed. Be creative. You’ll find ways.
Thanks for the info/encouragement. Damn, you are a hardy soul, & more dedicated. I don’t need any additional excuses to work out, and we get stretches in Jan/Feb. where it doesn’t break -15C, and then regularly get 35C in the summer (& closer to 40-43C in the garage baking in the sun.
Dave
Hello,
Could you recommend some good gym mats? I’m 99% sure I’m going to set up a home gym, but in a spare bedroom.. so I don’t want to ruin the carpet/flooring with the squat rack/weights. The ones on amazon.com seem cheap and really thin.
Also, could you recommend any squat/power racks in the $200 -$300 USD range? The ones I’m finding say 24 inches apart, I will barely be able to fit and squat inside!
Thanks alot, love the blog.
Eric
Gym mats??? Hit Walmart…I think they are for like 18$…That should cover a bench…
Try a horse supply for rubber mats. Or Walmart as Rissam advise.
On the power rack: I don’t know of racks at 200-300$ (I live in Belgium, not US). My advice is not to go too cheap on the power rack. Remember: it’s what is holding the weight on squats/bench… You don’t want it to break.
This is the rack I have. Here’s one of elitefts. But both are in the +500$ range.
Since Mehdi pointed people to elitefts equipment (and my understanding from reading other sites’ forums is that they are considered, well the elite of equipment companies), they have a couple packages that get you a great price on a starter gym, or even better. The first was their “Sick of your gym” package which for $1,398 plus shipping gets you the same combo power rack/bench the Mehdi linked to, the same barbell, 2 boxes of chalk, a power sled, 6-45# plates, 4-10# plates, and 2 of each of the following plates: 35#, 25#, 5#, & 2.5#.
For those looking to go more advanced in their home gym (you better use it to produce results because if any of your experienced lifting friends find out that you have these and aren’t taking advantage of them, your reputation will suffer as they’d probably kill to have these), they have a package for $2,698 plus shipping that got you the same combo power rack/bench, a Glute-Ham Raise machine, and Westside’s Reverse Hyper Pro machine. You’d still have to pick up the barbell & plates, and while this is much more than needed even for the well-appointed home gym, these are expensive luxury pieces of equipment so being able to pick them up at about $300 savings between price & shipping is worth mentioning for those who have some spare cash burning a hole in their pocket and have been lifting for a while and know they are going to be lifting for a long while to come.
BTW, I have absolutely no connection to the company, just fyi as people explore options and combinations that work for their budgets.
Dave
Excellent post Dave. Thanks for sharing.
Is there any gym equipment that allows for a safe bench press in case you might drop the barbell?
Safety pins of the power rack. Take also a look at this post.
Oh, I see. Thanks for the help.
I’m interested in that power rack that you linked, but I can’t tell if that’s an adjustable bench it comes with… is it necessary to get an adjustable bench for better strength training? And does that power rack allow for overhead presses?
Thanks.
I don’t think it’s an adjustable bench. If it doesn’t cost much more, you could go for it. You could do incline bench press instead of flat bench press. It’s not necessary, you can make progress without it. However having the option to add variety is always fun.
The rack is 7′ tall. Put your hands overhead while standing tall & have someone measure the distance from you feet to your fists. If it’s less than 7′ you’ll be able to overhead press inside it, if it’s more you won’t
But the rack has outside uprights, so you’ll be able unrack the weight outside the uprights.
I’m not affiliated with elitefts, but if you buy from them, I’d appreciate if you mention my name/this website
If I end up doing business with them, I surely will, as I appreciate all the help you’re giving. I was thinking about getting the “Sick of your gym” package (unless buying everything separately saves money). I should probably still look into more options though, because my inexperience with this kind of equipment gives me no idea if these are good prices or not.
EliteFTS is more expensive than other companies. But you’re paying for quality. This is the kind of stuff you buy once in a lifetime. Bar will get rusty 20 years from now, but it won’t break. Plates don’t break, rack doesn’t break etc. If you would ever quit the sport, you can sell the equipment on ebay/craiglist, it doesn’t lose value.
Another reader bought the sick of your gym package too. Just what you need if you ask me.
Hi Mehdi.
I’m trying the floor bench press but have no idea how to get in position and back up.
At the moment the weight is light enough to sit down with it on my lap but after the rep i don’t know where to put the bar safely. My additional weights don’t provide enough height for putting the bar there.
Do you have an idea?
Thanks,
Thomas
If you use 20kg plates, you can put yourself under the weight then simply grab it. Or you can put small plates on the floor then press it from there. Depends on how tall your arms are.
Hm, it seems that my plates are to small. The 20kg have a radius of just 18cm - thats not enough even for my pigeon breast
I think i have to build something.
Looking at the EliteFTS power rack, it looks like it doesn’t have a pull up bar, unless that one bar we see is one (but it looks squared).
I’ve been looking into other power racks. One that has my interest is by New York Barbells. I’ve seen a lot of people on the internet claiming that it’s one of the best, and it’s only $300 with free shipping.
Do you know anything about NY Barbells and if their power racks are of good quality?
@Thomas
Good luck. Keep me updated on what you’ve did, might be useful for other readers.
@Jared
Best is to ask EliteFTS if the Power Rack has a pull-up bar or not. It doesn’t look like it has one indeed. It’s their cheapest power rack I think, that might explain it.
I have no experience with New York Barbells (remember I live in Europe). Their 300$ power rack looks good. Make sure it can handle some weight (ask them) & hope for good customer service/quality on receipt. Keep us updated if you can, it helps other readers.
Well, I don’t know if they’re gonna respond to my email or not…
But anyhow, a place called Midwest Barbell sells the same cage for 9 bucks less (it’s not made by NY Barbells, but by a company called TDS). On NY Barbells’ page it doesn’t say anything about the safety pins coming with the rack, so ordering from them could cost around an extra $70 with the pins and shipping costs. I’ve also read some complaints with NY Barbells as well, so I’m not really too confident in doing business with them, anyway.
I’ve also read somebody saying that they’ve asked NY Barbells how much weight the rack could handle, and that they said 1000 lbs. Maybe not too reliable of a source, but I think that may be all I have to go off of.
I once read on a forum about a company which had the word “barbell” in it’s name not being very reliable. I can’t remember which company it was however. A rack that can handle 1000lbs is good.
Try to email EliteFTS, you’re a customer. Would surprise me a company doesn’t want to make money by assisting you in choosing a rack.
Here’s some last things I should note about the TDS rack after having considered my options, if anyone else reading is considering this rack.
Somebody on a forum says he owns one - that it wobbles a lot at 400lbs, but that it seems to be able to handle a lot of weight.
Something to take into consideration is its height - it’s 6′10.5″. That couple of inches in height shorter than 7′ could make a difference for a lot of guys in being able to do overhead presses inside of the rack. However, I see no reason why we couldn’t just attack the J-hooks on the outside of the rack and do the presses from there.
You can order dip attachments as well from that same website for about $60 (free shipping). If you’d prefer rings, I’ve seen somebody recommend Ringtraining.com, which costs about $80 with shipping for a pair of rings. Their FAQ says:
“The Elite Rings have been tested up to 1000 lbs static load for a single ring. Our rings were designed to hold a 250 lbs person falling from above the rings, while holding on with only one hand.”
Based off of that, I’d think they’re very high quality.
Another rack some may want to consider is the Powertec rack. It costs $400 with free shipping, has a 1000lb weight tolerance and includes dip bar attachments. If you want rings instead of dip bars, though, it’d just be a waste of money to get that rack. Some may not be able to do overhead presses on the outside of that rack, since the pull up bars stick outward.
I think going with one of these options for beginners would be a good option. You may have to upgrade to a better rack in the future if you should progress enough, but with the rack/dip bars for about $350, a bench for around $100 (Midwest Barbell has some decent looking ones for about $60, $100 and $135), and a weight/barbell set, you can get a pretty decent starter home gym for around $600-$800, depending on what kind of a deal you can get for a weight set.
You’ve done some research, great Jared. Thanks for posting this info helps other readers.
You could indeed add outside J-hooks for overhead presses. My rack is also not tall enough to do presses inside it.
The rings from ringtraining.com are great material. I recommend them in the article on Dips. Simplefit.org also recommend them.
My pleasure. I just hope that somebody finds it helpful.
One more thing I should say about the Powertec cage regarding what I previously said - you can actually reverse the pull-up bars so that they’re inside the cage. Doing overhead presses on the outside of the cage wouldn’t be a problem this way. The best place I’ve seen to get this rack would be through dumbbellbuddy.com for $358 (shipping and dip bars included). I’ve seen people commonly say they’ve done business with them, so I think they’re a trustworthy company.
If doing an overhead press inside the rack is a high priority, then a good rack for that would be the EliteFTS 3×3 Classic Rack. It’s 7.5′, which is about 6-8″ taller than common racks. It costs a lot of money, but it seems pretty much like a perfect rack.
It’s very helpful Jared. Thanks a lot. That EliteFTS rack really looks great indeed.
@Jared: Which rack did you end up getting? I’m getting to the point that the gym I work out is no longer doing it for me and will likely, in the next 6 months, invest in a rack (the EliteFTS 3×3 is tempting, but the $1500 price is daunting).
You guys will probably make fun of me, but one thing I was thinking would be really convenient is a treadmill, just so you can run even when it gets extremely cold outside. I like running, and it would be great to get that training done first thing in the morning every day , I know for a lot of people its a way to jumpstart the day.
I think a bar and plates are the most necessary thing for a gym. I feel you could get amazingly strong with just that. The other things are great useful additions. Bands, take up little space and are also a great strength building tool.
@Alex
No laughing, don’t worry. Treadmill is nice, but too expensive imo. You can get decent cardio using dumbbells or barbells, which is more fun (check crossfit & rosstraining for some ideas). Unless you really love running of course.
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