Building a Home Gym

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

i wan’t to build a home gym in my garage but a have a few dilemas. 1 is that i gotta do it on a 3000 dollar budget and i don’t know what equiptment i should get in that price range.

2 my garage roof is 7 feet and theres pipes hanging down so anything over 6 feet tall won’t fit. making any overhead standing presses and olympic lifts immpossible without hitting the ceiling.

also any squat rack over 6 feet is no good but i should’nt matter since im only 5 foot 7. also if anyone knows where to get a wide range of fitness equiptment in the montreal area plz tell me. thx.

2

Definitely check out craigslist and ebay. I’ve heard of people getting some crazy deals on bulk fitness equipment, more-so on craigslist, but I’d still check out both.

Do some searches around the net for equipment too. I know elitefts has some good gear and I’m sure there are other sites as well.

Final option is to build it yourself. Search on this site for posts about how people built their own squat rack or GHR. In the end, it will turn out much cheaper when done that way too.

As for the low ceiling, I think it would be hard to find a power cage that is under 6 ft. tall, but I could be wrong. I think you are more likely to find an open squat rack that fits in that height range.

Hope this helps and good luck.

-LH

3

With 3k you can do a whole lot!

Something like:
http://newyorkbarbells.tv/pro93120.html
and:
http://www.werksanusa.com/products-bars-collars.asp
and:
A rubber mat, some dumbbell handles, a duffel bag and you are good to go.

That’ll probably cost around S1200. You could go to garage sells and by some piping and make it cost almost nothing.

4

First, you can buy a lot for 3,000. the most expensive stuff will be a rack, a good bar and some plates. And all that stuff you could find used if you look hard enough. Every other piece of equipment is just gravy and you should just purchase that stuff as you get the money own the road.

second you can get power racks modified to fit your ceiling height. Or you can do what I did and just get squat stands and spotter racks. I have 7 foot ceilings so I was in the same dilemma

5

thanks. also the pipes only hang to about 6 and a half feet but i think antyhing 6 feet and under should be completely safe. also a rack instead of a cage is fine as long as i can squat and do deadlifts. but what about the upper body should i get a bench press?

also i was thinking about a pair of dumbells but a decent set is like 3k by itself. and all the adjustable ones suck and only go till 40 lbs. also i don’t have a credit card so i can’t oder off the internet.

6

also my floor is made of solid cement. is it mandatory that the rack be bolted to the floor? also my floor is really old and chipped and not level will that make a difference.

7

As far as dumbells, if space is an issue check out Powerblocks. They are nice, adjustable dumbells. Their biggest set goes up to 130 pounds. Their website is: http://powerblock.com/.

Their home gym package D includes an adjustable bench, a pair of adjustable dumbells (5-130 pounds in 5 pound increments), and a stand for $1216 plus shipping.

To that I would add two 300 lb Olympic weight sets. These can be had for about $100-150 each at most decent athletic stores. Two sets will give you plenty of plates and weights to get a good work out.

A powercage is a great investment. You may have a hard time finding one that fits your height requirements, so you may have to figure out some other option. Also make sure you include some sort of pullup bar and a piece of equipment you can do dips.

All totalled what I have recommended should be around $2000 or so, so you will still be a under budget. A nice stereo boombox would add about another $150-200 to the bill. Just about everyone wants to crank some music when working out.

This set up would allow you to do most basic, compound exercises. You would have heavy dumbells and barbells, which form the heart of any good weight training program. With the extra money just consider what you would like to focus on beyond the basics. Buy equipment that will allow you to do those extras. Good luck. Post pictures when you get things set up.

8

[quote]Clifford wrote:
also my floor is made of solid cement. is it mandatory that the rack be bolted to the floor? also my floor is really old and chipped and not level will that make a difference. [/quote]

hmm. If the floor is chipped up I would at least build a lifting platform out of plywood and rubber so you have a surface with sure footing. You can then bolt the rack to the platform which should make it a bit more stable.

9

With $3,000, you should be able to get pretty much everything you need. As others mentioned, check out ebay, craigslist and local used sporting goods stores and your newspaper for good deals.

I purchased many things from Play It Again Sports. If you are looking for good quality stuff, then you could do the following:

Body Solid or New York Barbell Power Rack with lat/row attachment (I highly recommend getting the lat/row attachment): $500-800

Ironmaster Adjustable Dumbbells with rack: Buy as part of a package to get a deal. See below.

Ironmaster Super Bench with attachments (get the ones you may need: leg ext/curl, dip bars, ab/decline, preacher curl, etc.).

You can get a package deal through Ironmaster.com that includes all of the attachments, the bench and the dumbbells for $800-900 depending on what stuff you get. I purchased package number four but had the chin bar taken out of the package. It cost me just a bit over $800 plus shipping. I LOVE THE IRONMASTER STUFF! One of the best purchases ever made. High quality, great feel!

Olympic Barbell Set with 300lbs: $129

Two 4’ x 6’ rubber mats (1/2" or 3/4"): ~$100

EZ Curl Bar: $20-$40

Triceps Rope attachment: $30

Triceps V-bar or straight bar (new or used): ~$20-$40

Med balls: $10-$100

Iron Woody Mini Bands (or buy a starter pack with various bands): $20-60

Xvest (40lbs): $169

Additional flat bench for dumbbell work or misc work: $30-100

Texas Power Bar (it’s always good to have an extra bar): $225

And you can always add more as needed! I have all of the above in addition to sandbags, boards for board pressing, jump rope, dragging sled, push-up bars, doorway chin-up bar, other bands, etc.

10

I forgot to mention, since your ceilings are too low for a power rack, you may want to look into the Iron Mind Vulcan Squat racks. They would be perfect for you and are cheaper than buying a power rack.

And they can be adjusted for dips, squats, benches, chins and other exercises. They fit anywhere and even break down to be stored as needed.

Check them out at www.ironmind.com.

11

bodysolid.com is in canada and has everything i need. except the 500 lb olympic bar weight set. i also want to get 2 of those cause ill need at least 12 45 lb plates.

12

does anyone know of any sights other then bodysolid.ca that sell olympic plates and barbells for canadian dollars. thx

13

[quote]Clifford wrote:
also my floor is made of solid cement. is it mandatory that the rack be bolted to the floor? also my floor is really old and chipped and not level will that make a difference. [/quote]

The one problem I have with my garage is it slightly sloped downhill. Is there an easy fix to leveling it without pouring concrete?

14

I spent about that for my home gym. Pics are in my profile…

Body-Solid gear - I ordered online from a fitness warehouse and got good prices on everything - power-rack, multi-position bench w/leg attachment, 500 lbs of Olympic weight, and a quad and calf machine.

Also added a brand-new treadmill, and the rest is just gear I’ve had for years - a small stationary bike, and my dumbbells, bars and plates…

15

[quote]RickyBobby wrote:
Clifford wrote:
also my floor is made of solid cement. is it mandatory that the rack be bolted to the floor? also my floor is really old and chipped and not level will that make a difference.

The one problem I have with my garage is it slightly sloped downhill. Is there an easy fix to leveling it without pouring concrete?[/quote]

When I bench, I put two 5 lb standard plates under the low side and two 2.5 lb standard plates under the high side. The plates are next to each other, not stacked.

It levels things out.

16

[quote]SkyNett wrote:
I spent about that for my home gym. Pics are in my profile…

Body-Solid gear - I ordered online from a fitness warehouse and got good prices on everything - power-rack, multi-position bench w/leg attachment, 500 lbs of Olympic weight, and a quad and calf machine.

Also added a brand-new treadmill, and the rest is just gear I’ve had for years - a small stationary bike, and my dumbbells, bars and plates…[/quote]

nice setup

17

[quote]richardson23 wrote:
nice setup[/quote]

Thanks. : )

18

[quote]Clifford wrote:
bodysolid.com is in canada and has everything i need. except the 500 lb olympic bar weight set. i also want to get 2 of those cause ill need at least 12 45 lb plates.[/quote]

12 45 lb plates. I assume that is for convenience as well as challenge? =]

Canadian dollars won’t get you as far as US dollars will, but that should still be plenty. I spent like 2 grand US and have everything I need. I got a lot of stuff used and through bartering too though. I would invest in some gym flooring squares which can be strategically placed so as to prevent damage to your equipment and further archeological excavation of your floor.

http://gregnmary.gotdns.com/gym3/album0.html

19

If it was me I would go…

Squats bench rack deads etc etc

Buy a good good bar from some where.

Get dumbell handels and like 16 10’s so you got yourself some 85-90’b dumbells.

Get a weight set that goes up to at least 400lbs

Buy a strong bench to go in the power rack.

Get a adjustable box to squat off of.

Ez bar, knee wraps, good powerlifting belt,

Look for a pullup and diping combo set up like so
http://cgi.ebay.com/Chin-Up-Pull-Up-Exercise-Bar-Dip-Bar-Combo-Set_W0QQitemZ230155241150QQihZ013QQcategoryZ44081QQcmdZViewItem

Get a dip belt

If you have any money left over buy some boards for board presses and some chains for powerlifting… or a sled.

Now thats what I call a home gym.

20

[quote]Clifford wrote:
also i was thinking about a pair of dumbells but a decent set is like 3k by itself. and all the adjustable ones suck and only go till 40 lbs. also i don’t have a credit card so i can’t oder off the internet.[/quote]

If you don’t want adjustable dumbbells – and I don’t blame you, I don’t like them either – just buy a few pairs for now. Start with pairs of 40, 60, 80, and 100, for example. Or whatever sets you will use the most early on. You can always complete you set with the missing pairs at a later time.