Every gym enthusiast dreams of building their own home gym one day. When you start imagining your home gym, there are a few steps you should follow in order to avoid bad experiences. These steps are simple and can save you money and a lot of time.
Let’s get to work!
1 Choosing the space
2 Cross-training home gym
3 Weightlifting home gym
4 Powerlifting home gym
5 Complete your home gym
1 Choose the space
Step 1:
First, you need to choose a location. Know that you don’t necessarily have to use your entire garage for your home gym. If you don’t have a whole room to dedicate to your home gym, just the corner of a room will work just fine. Before you start organizing and writing down your equipment list, it’s very important to know your goals and the type of training you would like to follow.
Step 2:
When choosing the location of your home gym, you should definitely take into consideration the floor. If you train with heavy weights, it’s best to have a good, thick, concrete floor that you can cover with floor tiles, weightlifting platforms or perhaps protective mats, which absorb all the vibrations and sounds during your workouts. If you choose to build a home gym that specializes in weightlifting, powerlifting, or strongman training, it is advisable to choose a weightlifting platform with at least 2 to 3 cm of rubber thickness. If you choose to make a home gym for more standard workouts, it is also advisable to get anti-vibration foam floor tiles so that you can drop dumbbells without damaging your floor.
Step 3:
Take all the measurements. Measure the height, depth, and length of the place you have chosen to build your home gym. Pay attention to the measurements and don’t forget to adapt them to your future workouts, for example, a 220cm bar requires approximately 2 x 3 meters for a normal workout. Once you have these measurements, you can start choosing the right equipment that will fit your home gym.
Step 4:
If you plan on having a lot of gym equipment, you will also need storage. You can buy wall brackets, storage racks (dumbbell rack, kettlebell rack, disc storage tree, etc.). There is nothing wrong with buying storage equipment from a furniture store, but it is advisable to buy good quality storage in order to keep your equipment in good condition and therefore optimize its lifespan.
2 Home gym de cross-training
Step 1:
If you decide to build a home gym to do cross training, you will need adequate floor protection for this practice. You will be training with high loads so your bar will be dropped more often and your floor will be more likely to be destroyed or damaged. If you choose floor tiles about 2-3 cm thick, this should be enough.
*If you have ceramic flooring, the best option is to choose anti-vibration foam floor tiles.
Step 2:
When choosing a long bar, it is advisable to take an Olympic straight bar and a pair of clamps. For both men and women, a 180-205 cm chrome Olympic straight bar will do an excellent job. Be careful, it is strongly advised not to buy a cheap long bar, you can save on other equipment, but do not save on your bar. If a bar breaks or bends while using it, it can cause serious injuries.
Step 3:
When designing a new home gym, you will need about 100 to 150 kg of bumper plates or classic weight discs. Olympic weight discs with handles will make it easier to install the plates on your weight bar and will allow you to perform additional exercises using the cast iron disc directly (lateral raise, farmer’s walk, shrug). Bumper plates, thanks to their protective coating, will be more recommended for bar drop exercises (weightlifting, strongman).
Step 4:
The next essential device for a cross-training home gym and which cannot be missed is a cross-training rack or platform. To choose this device, a wide choice is available to you. You can choose a Power rack, a folding rack, a wall rack, an Air rack or a Squat Rack. If you have enough space in your home gym, the best solution is to opt for a Power rack. It is more stable and you can add a wide variety of accessories. You can do pull-ups, squats, dips, bench presses, shoulder presses and other various exercises. It is also possible to add a weight storage option on the side of the rack, a space saver! But if you do not have enough space to install a Power rack, you can choose other devices such as a wall rack, a half rack or a folding rack that can save you a lot of space. A folding rack will allow you to unfold and install it in less than 30 seconds and when you are done with your workout, you can fold it up and use the space for other activities or to park your car.
Step 5:
To best complete your cross-training home gym, you can also add: a skipping rope, kettlebells (16kg or 24kg), dumbbells (pairs of 5kg, 10kg, 12.5kg and 17.5kg), wall balls (6kg or 9kg), gymnastic rings, elastic bands and a massage roller to the list of essential equipment for a cross-training room.
Step 6:
A multitude of equipment exists to equip your cross-training home gym, such as: PlyoBox, benches, rowers, weighted vests, but it all depends on your space and your budget. If some of the equipment does not fit in your home gym or if you have a small budget, a bar and weights are enough, don’t worry! You can do various exercises with only a few pieces of equipment!
3 Home gym for weightlifting
Step 1:
If you have decided to build a home gym to practice weightlifting, here are some tips. First of all, you will need a weightlifting platform. The best option is a combination of intermediate and lateral wooden rubber. You can choose between a platform of 20mm to 70mm thick or even foam floor tiles under the platform and a layer of rubber on the surface. This is the best option to limit noise during your training. Platforms can cost from a few hundred to a few thousand euros, so it is advisable to do some research and choose according to your needs and your goals in the discipline.
Step 2:
Secondly, you will need a quality weightlifting bar. If you want to train in the best conditions, you should look at long bars measuring more than 200 cm with WL knurling marks and medium knurling. Also, don’t forget to buy some weightlifting-grade clamps.
Step 3:
The next step is to buy some bumpers. You will need between 100-200kg of competition bumpers.
Step 4:
You can’t forget about the Squat Rack. It is highly suggested to find a rack with a weight capacity of 500kg or more.
Step 5:
Other essential equipment: Weightlifting belt, weightlifting straps, resistance bands and lots of magnesium!
4 Powerlifting home gym
Step 1:
If you are passionate about powerlifting, now is the time to build your own home gym. First, you will need a standard 20-30mm rubber platform.
Step 2:
You will also need a quality long bar. A long bar can cost anywhere from $250 to $1000 and more. Don’t skimp on your bar, even if you are on a budget. When you are lifting a few hundred pounds with your bar, it can be dangerous for it to break, so don’t neglect this part.
Step 3:
If you have to save, save on weight plates. You can find deals everywhere on cast iron steel weight plates. If your budget allows, I would definitely recommend competition steel bumpers, but if not, regular plates will do the job just fine. To start, you will need at least 150 kg of plates.
Step 4:
As with a cross-training home gym, you will need a Rack. For home powerlifting, it is recommended to take a Power Rack or a pair of candles. Safety is a priority, so it is highly recommended to invest a little more money and also to acquire safety straps or safety pins. If you choose candles, you will save space.
Step 5:
Other equipment is essential to complete your powerlifting home gym such as: dumbbells (pairs of 12.5 kg, 17.5 kg, 22.5 kg, 25 kg and 30 kg), bands, weight plates, a bench, lat pull straps and a weight belt.
5 Complete your home gym
Step 1:
In your home gym, you will need an accessory to track time, time or duration. You can have a watch, a phone or a portable or digital timer. You must be able to track your training time and check your performance during your workouts to see your improvement over time. Having a follow-up will give you a lot of motivation to optimize your workouts.
Step 2:
A television can also equip your home gym, thanks to it you can watch motivational videos on bodybuilding or training videos. If you do not have a television, you can also buy a speaker to listen to music. This will help you motivate yourself during difficult sessions for example.
Step 3:
If the walls of your home gym are white, you can personalize them. For example, you can attach posters, or banners of your favorite athletes.
Step 4:
Don’t forget the physical training program. You can find a lot of fitness training programs on the internet. Choose the one that suits you best. You may probably think that online programs are a waste of money, but think again. A good program can give you a much better combination of exercises and therefore better results.
These are the most important tips to help you build your home gym. Just one last tip, even if it is “your home gym, your rules”, it is essential to clean it after each workout. Thanks to this, the next time you train, you will start from scratch and you will be ready to reach your goals.
