Building a Home Gym

drenergy

Alright, fitness buffs! I need your creativity.

I'm pretty much in maintenance mode now and don't need to lose any more weight (maybe a couple lbs to prepare for Thanksgiving MMM) so I want to concentrate more on lifting. I should have done more sooner, but I really love running and have only done body weight exercises alternating with cardio. I can't do a pull-up and it's driving me crazy.

My question is this: if I am building my own home gym on a budget, what must-haves should I acquire for weight lifting/strength training? I have a big open basement that is dying for a gym.

Can you think of any ways I can build my own weights without having to go buy them? I'm cruising Craigslist for used ones, but any creative suggestions (milk jugs full of sand?? lol) are welcome. Thank you!

sm1zzle

Squat cage or a squat capable bench.

Serah87

Barbell with weight plates, dumbbells, weight bench (incline and decline), squat rack

ETA: I also have a exercise ball, mat and jump rope.

Walmart on line has some good deals, that's where I got the majority of my stuff, except the squat rack working on getting that, Amazon has them for about $100.

Ideabaker

I would still have one quality piece of cardio equipment (for inclement weather) that you can adjust the resistance on, so you are strengthening muscle while you work on your overall fitness. Lucky you to have a full basement to be able to start from.

I'd also have an open area with a mat for stretching, which you need to do whether you are lifting or doing cardio.

cdahl383

I got all my dumbbells, racks, and bench off of Craigslist for cheap. Got some cheap foam interlocking tile and put some cheap rubber mats over that to go under my bench. You should be able to get used dumbbells for $0.50 / lb or less. Adjustable ones are cheaper but less convenient. I went with the fixed hex dumbbells and love them.

Next piece of equipment will be a power rack so I can do some compound lifts at home. I'd also like to add a recumbent bike just so I could do cardio at home in crappy weather if I wanted to.

I'd check Craigslist and Play It Again Sports for deals on used equipment that's in good shape. You'll probably see a lot of nice equipment go up for sale after the New Year when everyone falls through on their resolution to lose 35 lbs in 3 weeks and sells all their newly purchased and barely used equipment.

You could get a piece of pipe and make a pull up bar for a doorway as well. Though the door mount ones are pretty cheap as it is.

drenergy

My in-laws gave me their stationary bike, which was awesome! I have a mat for yoga/stretching, an inflatable ball (but I am still figuring out what to do with it), and I bought a nice carpet remnant so that I can relatively comfortably roll around on the floor if I need to. Oh, plus a friend gave me a pull-up bar for a doorway, but I still can't get to the point where I can do a pull-up. BOO. My arms are weak!

Plus, I run outside even in the dark and rain. Don't worry, I am super visible, stick to sidewalks, and have the necessary gear!

rick_po

Get a good quality white board for the wall. And a wall clock with a second hand.

Mia_RagazzaTosta

Bench, barbell, plates, and a squat rack. I got mine either from Craigslist or Amazon. I also have some dumbbells.

drenergy

All good ideas! I wonder where I can get a big wall mirror for cheap. And that I can fit in my car without smashing it. haha

addysolari

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/03/21/how-to-build-the-ultimate-bodyweight-gym-using-only-pvc-pipe/

Heres a body weight gym made from PVC pipes.

0somuchbetter0

Home Depot has 12"x12" mirror tiles...buy a bunch and stick them on the wall

pcdoctor01

Buy a step and do box jumps.

angelamangus1

Dumbbells, barbell, weight plates, bench, mats, and jump rope (great form of cardio, I do HIIT training with it). Since you want to work on pull ups I would suggest a pull up bar. You can get one and place it in your garage or you can purchase the ones that fit in your door.

AnaMre68

Home improvement stores often have a scratch and dent area, might be able to find something there

beekay70

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/03/21/how-to-build-the-ultimate-bodyweight-gym-using-only-pvc-pipe/

Heres a body weight gym made from PVC pipes.

That thing did not look very stout where it shows the guy doing suspension training.

david_swinstead

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/03/21/how-to-build-the-ultimate-bodyweight-gym-using-only-pvc-pipe/

Heres a body weight gym made from PVC pipes.

No way in hell do I trust that.

I've used PVC pipe before, I've got a good idea how strong it is. No way does it take my 120kg in it's stride, especially not when it's stretched out over a length like that, losing it's tensile strength.

beekay70

If you're new to strength training and don't have equipment, I would suggest starting with body weight exercises. Between push-ups, pull-ups, and squats, you hit just about everything. If you can't do a pull-up, do step-offs to get stronger. Use a chair or something to get to the top of the movement and step off, slowly lowering yourself to the extended position. You can also do static hangs to build strength.

tonybalony01

How handy are you or your SO?
This guy shows how to make pretty much everything you need for a home gym by hand and for cheap.
http://homemadestrength.blogspot.com

danimalkeys

A set of Olympic weights, an adjustable bench, and a squat cage is all you really need. You can bench in the cage so you can set the safety rails so if you have to bail out, you don't need a spotter. Most cages have a chinup bar built in as well.

A horse stall mat or 2 on the floor is nice, gives good grip and protects your plates and floor from damage if you drop the bar doing deadlifts.

As others have said- don't buy new, look on craigslist or local classifieds, people are always selling weight gear. You might need to get the cage from an online place but they usually do free shipping.

mdizzle99

I was about to comment but then saw danimalkeys response and I'd just be repeating it.

Focus on that first, then pick up the accessories.

mamagirl49

We're house shopping and keen on a place with space for a simple home gym. Appreciate these ideas!

pittsjg

Power rack, best and safest peice of equipment in the gym

FishingGuy75

I love working out at home. Thanks for the great ideas.

timbrom

You'll want rubber flooring if you are doing free weights. The gym-specific stuff is extremely expensive, >$100 for a 4'x6' section. Go to a Tractor Supply Company (or similar) you can get 4'x6' horse stall mats for $34.99 that are the same thing. The only downside is that they can smell for a bit, the ones I bought were stored with the chicken feed, and my basement thus smelled like chicken feed for a week. You could avoid this by airing them out for a few days, or just deal with it like I did. Be warned, these things weigh something like 80 lbs each and are hard to carry, they don't roll up or anything. They'll last forever, but getting them in place is a pain too.

I built my squat rack, you can see it in my profile picture. I found the plans here: http://www.home-gym-bodybuilding.com/homemade-power-rack.html

I've had 350 lbs in it, and I'd trust it with more. Cost was just over $100

0OneTwo3

previous posts make this redundant but: power rack, bench, barbell. all you'll ever need.

flet2

Since you mentioned pullups several times, get a set of gymnastics rings with the tie downs to hang them. Then hang them from the bar and do horizontal bodyweight rows to build your back strength and work up to pullups. I got a set a week ago and love them, raise and lower as your skills progress or for your various exercises. Also, a small collapsible/ adjustable bench is a good buy for a minimalist home gym. use for stepups, box jumps, dumbell moves etc.
Just start with basics and add equipment as your strength grows and you fine tune your program.

progressnotperfection84

Bumping

Danny_Boy13

I would say to hit up Craigslist or Amazon.

Items to look for:

- Power Rack
- Barbell with Plates
- Bench

That right there would be a good start and as time goes on maybe pick up some dumbells or kettle bells.

drenergy

We're house shopping and keen on a place with space for a simple home gym. Appreciate these ideas!

I know! This is super helpful.

danimalkeys

We're house shopping and keen on a place with space for a simple home gym. Appreciate these ideas!

I know! This is super helpful.

Prerequisite when we moved. We passed up a couple nice houses because they didn't have a basement or room for my weights.

MisterDerpington

Equipment:

- Power Cage (aka Power Rack), Squat Rack or Squat Stands.
The power cage is ideal because you can get a stand alone bench and set the safety catches to the proper height to allow you to bench inside the cage and safely to do without a spotter. Basically, when you arch your back to bench, the bar should be able to touch your chest, but when you lay flat it should hit the safety catches. I had to put two pieces of plywood underneath my bench to get this to work properly.

- A standalone bench (if getting a power cage) or a bench press
Self-explanatory. Just make sure you read weight limits and think about how much you will be benching + your own weight. One that can vary inclines would be good too.

- An olympic barbell
A standard 45lb one; or if you're not that strong yet, you can find 35lb or lighter ones online. Most on criagslist will be the 45lb ones. Make sure the bar is not bent much when buying on Craigslist.

- Dumbbells: Olympic dumbbell handles (takes olympic plates) or dumbbells of varying weights

- Olympic Plates
No milk jugs won't work. lol Just get how much you think you'll need. Realize you'll need either two of each for barbell exercises or four of each for dumbbell exercises with olympic DB handles. You will need multiple 10lb plates though (for making the jump from one 10 to one 25, etc.)

- Olympic spring collars
Stops the plates from moving around on the bar or dumbbells.


Nice extras:

- Bumper Plates
Not just for olympic lifts, but any floor lift where you're starting with a weight less than the bar + two 45's. If you can't afford these (they're not cheap) consider measuring the 45lb plate from the center to edge and get cinderblock(s) that equal that height. You can place the bar on these to raise it up when doing less than 45's. I've done this for years and it's worked for me.

- A simple pulley machine
I never got one of these, but a pulley machine would add a lot of exercises that hit muscles that are hard to hit with just barbells and dumbbells (such as lats if you're unable to do chinups).


Conditioning Equipment (if you're into that sort of thing):

- Prowler
It's a weight sled that had two upright handles you can push it with and you can also loop a rope with some PVC pipe handles through the hole in the front to do backwards and forwards drags. It can give you a brutal workout. I absolutely love/hate my Prowler!

Farmer's Walk Handles:

Look around for "Pitbull Strongman Equipment". He has a Myspace (lol I know), but his email is around somewhere. He has the cheapest Farmer's Walk handles around ($105 with shipping), but they are very sturdy.


Well that's all I have. I doubt you'll want everything I listed, but I wanted to show you options. My home gym is just a remnant of it's former glory since I started doing my lifting at a gym. But I still have my Prowler, Farmer's Walks handles, and a place to do floor lifts. If you have any more questions, I'd be happy to help.