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Creating Your Own Badass Home Gym - A Guide for the Modern Man
Creating Your Own Badass Home Gym - A Guide for the Modern Man
Life pulls us in a million directions these days. Between work, family, and other responsibilities, finding time for yourself can be a challenge. But staying in shape is key to being the best husband, father, and provider you can be.
That's where having your own home gym comes in.
No more wasting time driving to the gym and waiting for equipment. Now you can knock out efficient workouts on your schedule, without neglecting what matters most.
But outfitting the ultimate home gym takes strategy. You don't have thousands to drop on needless equipment. This guide will show you how to create a high-performance training space for maximum convenience and versatility, without blowing your budget. Let's get after it!
Determine Your Budget
Determine Your Budget
Decide upfront how much you want to spend. Our bare minimum setup costs around $1,200, while a more complete beginner home gym is around $6,000. Remember, quality equipment costs more initially but lasts for years.
Consider Your Space
Consider Your Space
Make sure you have adequate room for essentials like a barbell, rack, and pull-up station. A barbell is 7 feet long and you need at least 1 foot per side to load plates. At minimum, a 10 foot x 10 foot space is what is recommended.
Know Your Skills
Know Your Skills
The more construction and installation tasks you can handle yourself, the more money you'll save when setting up your home gym. Consider your DIY abilities before making purchases.
For example, building your own basic plyo box rather than buying a pre-made one can save over $100. Attaching a half or full rack to your wall studs rather than hiring installation help will also keep costs down.
If you're not as handy, opt for freestanding squat stands or other equipment you can assemble yourself without complex tools or skills. The more sweat equity you can put in, the further your budget will go.
Start with the Basics (Level 1) - $1,200
Start with the Basics (Level 1) - $1,200
To start out, you need just three things:
Rogue Fitness Garage Gym Barbell ($265) - A high-quality Olympic barbell is essential for core lifts like squats, deadlifts, presses and rows. Rogue's Echo Bar and their Boneyard bar are both durable yet budget friendly picks.
Rogue Hi-Temp Bumper Plates ($485 for 4x45, 2x25, 2x10 lbs) - Known for longevity, these bumper plates will last years. Get enough to lift ~80% of your max deadlift. We've personally used our set of Hi-temp plates we bought in 2009.
Amazon Landmine Attachment ($22) - The versatile landmine opens up many exercise options, from presses to rows and Bulgarians. It's the best bang-for-buck accessory.
With just these three tools, you can complete many beginner to advanced routines with minimal modifications.
Stricter budget? Bumper plates get pricey, so always be on the lookout for gyms trying to sell some used plates.
Leveling Up Your Gym
Leveling Up Your Gym
Our progression takes you from the Level 1 home gym to a home gym that is the envy of the most hardened gym bros.
We know you wanna drop 2Gs on a reverse hyper/GHD but pump the breaks! You’ll get there. Let us show you the economical and functional way.
Starting with our recommended basics, you can gradually upgrade your home gym gear within the following framework:
Level 2 (Additional $150)
Level 2 (Additional $150)
DIY Plywood Plyo box (12"-18" heights)
These cheap additions instantly add versatility – now we can do step-ups, pull-ups, throws and more. We love sandbags for all the loading versatility and throwing Slam balls or medicine balls are great for power.
It is not that these are the most important tools, but the bang-for-your-buck instantly levels up a home gym.
Level 3 (Additional $500)
Level 3 (Additional $500)
Kettlebell (mid-weight, we would start with 55lbs)
All our early tools are extremely versatile, with only our creativity as programmers holding back their usage.
If you can budget it, you can purchase a full set of CrossOver Symmetry now as well. Also, sticking with rings over a pull-up bar can save on costs.
Notice that we have not added a squat rack yet. Why? A true student of Physical Education will be able to power clean up their weights for front squats and pressing. If your Olympic technique is subpar, we would recommend you budget for the squat rack now, prior to the dumbbells in Level 4.
Level 4 (Additional $350)
Level 4 (Additional $350)
We recommend starting with 10lbs, 20lbs and 50lbs dumbbells. These will mainly be used for assistive exercises. For unilateral pressing or rowing, the landmine is a great tool to replace the need for a large number of dumbbells.
Total so far: ~$2,000
Level 5 (Additional $420)
Level 5 (Additional $420)
While a squat rack can certainly come in handy very early on, and can in fact be the foundational piece of equipment purchased alongside a barbell, we like to delay that purchase as long as possible.
Why?
It is not actually equipment you use. Everything else so far as been equipment that is necessary to lift weights. A squat rack merely makes things easier.
The more you learn to power clean for presses or front squats, the better student of Physical Education you become.
Level 6 (Additional $550)
Level 6 (Additional $550)
So now you are about $3,000 invested in this set up. All of the above equipment plus the new additions of the kettlebells (35lbs, 70lbs), dumbbells (35lbs) and a power sled make for one hell of a set-up.
Level 7 (Additional $2,000)
Level 7 (Additional $2,000)
Time for some big upgrades. First off, if you buy a bench, make sure you have a good area to store it - either out of the way of foot traffic or protected from weather. You do not want your fancy new pad to get damaged right away.
And second, heavy weights get expensive. If you can find heavy dumbbells used, we guarantee they are just as good as new. Steel is steel.
You can substitute an Bike or Ski erg for the rower, that is personal preference.
Level 8 (Additional $600+)
Level 8 (Additional $600+)
To cap off your amazing home gym, you can now budget in an additional erg. Whether it is a ski erg or a bike erg / assault style bike, you will love the well-rounded set-up you have at the house.
You have now invested between $5,000 to $7,000 into your home gym. If you do it right like how we have outlined, youd be amazed how far your money can go.
Appendix
Appendix
What are some other fun things you can add that immediately increase the versatility of your space?
Hurdles
Speed Ladder
Airex Pad
Phsyioball
Bosu Balance Ball
Bosu Surge
Ab Wheel
Sliders
20lbs Medicine Ball
12lbs Medicine Ball
Large Sandbag
Scout Reverse Hyper
Cable Stack System ($2,000+)
Landmine Row Handles
Bulgarian Pads
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