Equipment for a small gym: Final list

This will probably be the last post of this kind I make. I am in the brainstormning stages of starting a gym and wanted to do some research on what people would definitely want in a small gym, before getting started on plans. I took advice from several sources including this forum, and this is what I came up with. I would appreciate some final feedback on if this list sounds good. It doesn’t include every last accessory, but it does include all the equipment I hope to start out with.

Power rack |2|
Multipress rack |2|
Deadlift platforms |2|
Leg press machine |1|
Hack squat machine |1|
Leg extension/curl machine |1|
Power tower |1|
Chest supported row machine |1|
Lat pulldown/Row machine |2|
Cable crossover machine |1|
Smith machine |1|
Preacher curl station |1|
Back extension machine |1|
Reverse hyper machine |1|
Seated calf raise machine |1|
Barbells |8|
Benches |10|
Weight plate sets (4 45-lb plates per set) |8|
Weight collars, pairs |8|
Dumbbells, 5-150 lbs |1|
Utility seat |1|
Deadlift jacks |2|
Plate trees |3|

Treadmills |3|
Exercise bikes |2|

The total cost for these, using the listings I’ve found online, sums to $46,799. It will of course be much more when shipping and installation are added.

Thank you.

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No pullover machine??..i won’t be joining, lol

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Most gyms I’ve seen don’t have them.

That could set you apart from others then

But it also implies that there is little demand for it. I think it would be a waste of money and space in a small gym where both are precious. Plus, you could always do them on benches.

Is this list for starting a commercial gym i assume?

Yes.

Just a couple thoughts… If there are going to be more than a handful of people working out in this facility at the same time, having only one set of dumbbells per poundage might pose some issues. Not trying to be a negative Nancy, but it would be really good to try and add in several dumbbells of the same weight for the lower weights. E.g. 3 20lb dumbbells, 3 35 lb dumbbells, etc.

I just know that at the gym I train at (not huge, but not small), when it gets pretty busy it can be challenging to find dumbbells whenever you are using anything weighing between 25-60lbs. And this gym has multiple pairs of dumbbells in that weight range.
Imagine a bunch of people in your gym and it’s universal chest day aka Monday. After benching, many of them are going to go to the free weight area to do incline db press, incline flyes, flat db presses, etc. Gonna lead to a lot of people sitting around, waiting and growing irritated.

Last, if you are going to have the bare minimum amount of machines in your gym, just make sure that the actual manufacturer/type of machine you end up purchasing is a good/popular one. For example, don’t buy some off-brand “cybex” seated row machine, get a plate-loaded hammer strength machine.
I would advise you to do a ton of research into machine brands, types, styles, chains vs belts vs cables etc. Try and personally test/lift on different styles of machines, do some online research reading reviews, maybe even talk to people at gyms about what machines they really like, etc. before deciding what you will put in your gym. I can’t tell you how many gyms I’ve visited where I was totally pissed off when trying to get a workout in because the line/manufacturer of all their equipment was some shit brand that used like flat belts instead of cables and all of the geometry for the movements was wrong and thus affected my workout. Lol, or they had that damn “Hoist” line of machines, the ones where as you lift your goddam seat lifts up or moves due to them using your bodyweight for resistance. Stuff like that is what I mean…purchase equipment that people will see and be excited to work out on, equipment that has a strong track record for being unbreakable and if something did break/wear out, that it also was not difficult to fix.
Ok, this is really the last one-ditch the seated calf raise. Get a standing calf raise machine. The seated focuses more on the soleus muscle (the little one under the big calf muscle, the gastrocnemius), while the standing has the greater growth potential due to training the much bigger gastrocnemius. Just a thought

Good luck

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What I can find says that Body Solid is a very good brand. Thank you for the recommendation to actually try out the equipment though. I will need to figure out a way to do that. Thank you also for the warning on cables. I don’t think I saw any belt cables in the equipment I chose, but I need to double-check.

At my old gym there was a standing calf raise machine that sucked. None of the preset heights allowed me to get a full stretch. I’ve done my best calf workouts on hack squat machines, both the standard design and linear ones.

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The gyms that I go to, they are always being used

just an observation on my part

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I will have to consider it.

List is looking great! Your community will be so lucky to have your gym. I hope you keep us posted on how it goes!

Thank you.

As much as I hate Hoist, their standing calf raise machine is the best of the handful that we have. The footplates actually rock a bit so foot pressure doesn’t change thru the movement.

The rest of the Rok-it series blows donkey dong though.

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Why do you hate Hoist? And would you be willing to do calf raises on the hack squat machine?

meastlake1 summed it up best

Basically your seat moves as part of the motion - that’s the best description I can come up with.

I’ve done calf raises on both the leg press and hack squat, but these machines are very busy at our very large gym (55000sq ft / 5000 sq m) and doing calf raises on them might draw some stink eye.

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Not a fan of hoist either because of the rocking motion with the seat…just does not seem right

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Add it only if the cost makes sense i.e. 2000.00 or less

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If you can find a donkey calf raise machine, grab it! It takes a lot of pressure off of the lower back/spine and you can really move some weight. It still primarily hits the gastrocnemius muscle of the calf, so that’s good.

I just thought of one more idea: go to several different gyms and just observe. Observe which machines seem to have higher levels of activity vs ones that rarely get used, or at least are rarely used by those who are really training hard (for some reason old people or people not familiar with the gym will use EVERY weird ass machine in there). This will greatly help you in identifying the MUST HAVE machines and save you a lot of grief and MONEY when you equip your gym. I could walk trhough my own gym right now, in my mind, and tell you what I use, what’s good, and what machines/equipment are garbage. You don’t want to be spending your money equipping your gym with machines that suck or aren’t “bread and butter” items.

If I think of anything else I’ll let you know.

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World gym in port st lucie florida had a donkey calf machine back in the 90s, it was the best

have not seen one since

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