Been a little bit since I posted here. Went through some changes in my life and wanted to/had to take a break from the internet. During that time I kept on the Team WB fitness training, but my focus wasn’t there like it had been in years past. Its off season now so time to work with WB and during our talks we’ve decided on a few things and there will be major changes for next year. With that said, I wanted to talk about something I’ve had a lot of fun doing this year, and that is building my home gym.
Version 1. Added a ton to this but this was the only pic I had
The Home Gym
I moved last year to a new home that allows me the garage space to build a home gym. No more lifting out in the cold of winter or hot of summer. The main goal that I’m trying to accomplish is to be able to do as many workouts as I was doing at the gym at home. Depending on your goals it will be a little different for everyone but for the guys who are part of and follow Team WB, we want to be able to build muscle and strength.
If you decide to do this, there are some basic things you will need:
Barbell: Some people say this is the center of the home gym. Lift with a piece of shit barbell then lift with a good one and you’ll see a world of difference. I went with the Rep Fitness Gladiator Bar. Its a weightlifting bar with pin bearing collars, so the ends of the bar spin and the “whip” from this bar is second to none. Its pricey at $220, but I honestly love this thing
Power Rack: If you’re lifting without a spotter, you need a power rack to save your ass. There are power racks available in all price points from $200 up to $3000. Most in the $600-$1000 range are good. I went with the Rep Fitness PR-1100 because it has a ton of accessory add-ons available that I’ll explain below.
These cheap fitness gear plates were rusted to hell. I refinished them and added a bit of my own flair. I’ll do a post on the plate restoration process one day.
Plates: Here is where you can save money if you do it right. If you go out and buy a brand new set of bumper plates, its gonna cost you big, but they’ll most likely last forever. I decided to go with iron plates that I picked up on Offer Up/Craigslist/Facebook Markeplace for $0.50/lb. You can really save money here and find crazy deals.
Bench: Rep makes the best benches period. Solid, strong, wide pad etc. I got the AB-3100 and I love it. I got an adjustable bench that does incline for things like incline bench press, incline curls etc. Also, it doubles as a preacher curl bench if you stand behind it. I love this thing.
Dumbbells: There are many options here as well, but a rack of dumbbells can cost you as much or more than a power rack, bar and plates. In order to save space, the wife/kids got me these adjustable dumbbells for fathers day. They go from 2.5-52lbs each. I plan on just buying heavier ones as time goes on as I need them, but most of our dumbbell work will be less than 50 lbs for most lifts.
Cables/Cardio/Accessories: I went with the PR-1100 because of all the add-on things it supports. It was an extra $50 for the high/low pulley cable system which was a no brainer. Lat pulldowns, tricep pulls, face pulls, cable curls and all the things you can do with a cable machine means more gains. In the pic to the left you can see it also has the landmine attachment as well for T bar rows and other lifts. Lastly, it came with the multigrip pullup bar which is always nice. Rep has a ton of accessories and there is even a website that will tell you what brand accessories work with your rack. Power Rack Accessory List
For cardio I was gifted an old treadmill but it burnt out. Im looking at a stair stepper but haven’t found one yet. Other than the stuff above I also got some specialty barbells, kettlebells and other things I’ll do a post about some other time.
The best part about the home gym is there are a ton of DIY options and it is something that is always growing/changing. Its like having a functional collection of things. Also, exercise equipment rarely loses its value, so if you buy something and hate it you can typically make most if not all of your money back. There are even guys who buy stuff second hand for a steal, then resell it for profit to buy other things they want. Aside from the workout equipment I have a nice big bluetooth speaker that I blast my music out of. A TV is next.
Next Up: I want/need more plates and I plan to build a platform for under the rack as well as a deadlift plaform, but its all in time. I can do everything I need to but will always be adding to it. I get that for some people, a home gym isnt an option. No space for it, or you dont get “in the zone” unless you enter a gym. I understand that, but for me being able to wake up, head to the garage and bang out my workout is really nice. No waiting for equipment, no dude leaving his sweat all over the bench, no retards leaving the plates unracked etc. I think the best part is that it instills something in my kids to keep your body fit and strong. My 12 year old son apprached me and asked if he could workout with me. He gets up at 6 and we go through a quick workout before he showers for school. Its really great and I enjoy the time with him.
Hit me up below if you have any questions.
-J. Nyx