Note! All pricing INCLUDES sales tax. All items are for local pickup only. Warehouse visits are by appointment only
Note! All pricing INCLUDES sales tax. All items are for local pickup only. Warehouse visits are by appointment only
Instead of diving deep on a specific kind of equipment, or even a specific model, I wanted to take this week to focus on a much broader topic: how do you build out a home gym that’s right for you?
To do this, let’s look at a few different scenarios:
1) Someone with about 60 square feet of available space
2) Someone with about 120 square feet of available space
3) Someone with about 250 square feet of available space (or more)
Within each scenario, we will talk about what a basic vs. advanced lifter would need.
Basic lifter = someone who works out more for health/leisure. Most likely 3-5 times a week with moderate to high intensity
Advanced lifter = someone who works out for more than just the health. Most likely this is their grounding activity that they do 5-7 days a week at a high intensity.
Anyway, enough of setting the stage! Let’s get into the good stuff. What do I recommend?
Scenario 1 (~60 square feet):
I would recommend the basic lifter gets:
-A set of adjustable dumbbells (powerblocks, Bowflex, etc.) with a stand. Most likely just 5 – 50 pounds
-An independent bench with leg curl/extension and preacher attachment
-About 50 pounds of weight for the leg attachment (make sure they have grips)
-A sissy squat machine
-Floor mats
-Stretching equipment (band, yoga blocks, etc.)
Why? This way the equipment you have takes up very little space and you have enough room to actually move. The sissy squat and leg attachment will help enhance leg day by a LOT.
What should the advanced lifter add/remove/replace?
-Replace the 5-50 dumbbells with 5-90 dumbbells
-Add a squat stand or wall mounted folding rack
-Add an Olympic weight set
-Add a set of wall mounted plate pegs and barbell holder
-Enhance the bench to a heavier gauge steel/higher quality
-Remove the sissy squat (optional)
I really like the folding option to ensure that when you aren’t using the rack you can get the space back for other exercises and stretching
Scenario 2 (~120 square feet):
What changes from scenario 1?
Basic lifter:
The main difference I would suggest would be to add a squat rack with a bar and some weight plates. Most likely a full rack for added safety. This will really enhance the space and give more functionality. Getting a rack with plate pegs/bad holder would help
Advanced lifter:
At this point it could be worth upgrading to a full cage, especially one that you can add attachments to. I would also get some sort of cable system (e.g., single stack cable system) this will add some nice variety
Scenario 3 (~250+ square feet):
What changes from scenario 2?
Basic lifter:
I would add a treadmill/bike at this point. Even if it’s just 10 minutes a day when you’re playing on your phone/reading/some leisure activity, this can make a big difference in your physiology throughout the day at home. The basic lifter could also look to get a dumbbell set instead of the adjustable dumbbells.
Advanced lifter:
If you didn’t get the full cage in scenario 2, definitely get it here! Get some cool attachments for it too. I would also like to see some kettlebells/balls added in, and if the budget allows, upgrade some of the adjustable dumbbell sizes to hex/pro dumbbells. Definitely keep the cable system. I would also choose 1-2 pieces of equipment that are you favorite to add (e.g., t-bar row, leg press, etc.)
The basic principle I am applying is that you should ensure that no matter the space you have available, you are leaving some of the space to actually workout in! If you cram the whole space with equipment, it’s hard to make it functional and get all of your movement/stretching in. This is implicable for 60 square foot all the way up to 1,000+ square foot. Sometimes, less equipment per square feet truly means more functionality.
