Setting Up My Home Gym???

[MasonMatlock]

I'm asking ages over 35 because I know a lot of you have your own place and I figured you'd be more likely to have your own gyms.


I'm getting pretty fed up or going to my gym for a number of reasons

- It's pretty far away
- There are always gym idiots everywhere
- It's annoying having to wait for equipment
- I'm often kind off pressured to rush when it's busy (most the time)
- People always come up to me trying to correct me (most the time their wrong)

So I was thinking about setting up my home gym because

- Convenient (so no more skipping workouts cause of rain/snow etc)
- Cheaper in long run
- More personalised
- No idiots
- Take my time
- Open 24/7 =)


So I just threw a tape measure around my garage and figured out that I have about 15M squared of room for equipment etc and looking at my routine (below) I feel that is enough space



Workout 1 - Shoulders/Abs

Military Press 3 x 8
Front Lateral Raises 2 x 7
Side Lateral Raises 2 x 7
Suspended Leg Raises 3 x 10
Barbell Shrugs 4 x 8

Optional:

Situps to failure or weighted x 6-8



Workout 2 - Legs

Squats 3 x 7
Leg Press 3 x 8
Leg Curls 3 x 10
Calf Raises 3 x 8

Optional:

Deadlifts 2 x 6
Cardio


Workout 3 - Chest/Triceps


Bench Press 4 x 4-5
Incline Bench Press 4 x 4-5
Cable Crossover 2-3 x 6-8?
Dumbbell Flyes 3 x 8
Tricep Pushdown 4 x 8
Lying Tricep Extension 3 x 8

Optional:

Pushups to failure x 2-3



Workout 4 - Back/Biceps

Deadlifts 4 x 6

Preacher Curls 3 x 6-8
Standing Barbell Curls 3 x 8
Bent Over Barbell Row 4 x 6
Wide Grip Pull Down 3 x 8

Optional:

Alternating hammer curls 2-3 x 6-8



=======================


So I have concluded I would need (not including cable crossovers, Wide grip pulldowns, Leg curls and Leg press)

- A bench press
- Dumbbells
- Squat rack... Do I really Need one?
- Barbells for deadlifts/rows/shoulder presses etc
- Around 200kg of plates
- Ezbar


So what to you guys think about my idea of setting up my own home gym? Any opinions/advice?

[JolietKev]

Just buy a bowflex. SRS. I have one and have added free weights and kettlebells over the years.

[uncbob]

I'm asking ages over 35 because I know a lot of you have your own place and I figured you'd be more likely to have your own gyms.


I'm getting pretty fed up or going to my gym for a number of reasons

- It's pretty far away
- There are always gym idiots everywhere
- It's annoying having to wait for equipment
- I'm often kind off pressured to rush when it's busy (most the time)
- People always come up to me trying to correct me (most the time their wrong)

So I was thinking about setting up my home gym because

- Convenient (so no more skipping workouts cause of rain/snow etc)
- Cheaper in long run
- More personalised
- No idiots
- Take my time
- Open 24/7 =)


So I just threw a tape measure around my garage and figured out that I have about 15M squared of room for equipment etc and looking at my routine (below) I feel that is enough space



Workout 1 - Shoulders/Abs

Military Press 3 x 8
Front Lateral Raises 2 x 7
Side Lateral Raises 2 x 7
Suspended Leg Raises 3 x 10
Barbell Shrugs 4 x 8

Optional:

Situps to failure or weighted x 6-8



Workout 2 - Legs

Squats 3 x 7
Leg Press 3 x 8
Leg Curls 3 x 10
Calf Raises 3 x 8

Optional:

Deadlifts 2 x 6
Cardio


Workout 3 - Chest/Triceps


Bench Press 4 x 4-5
Incline Bench Press 4 x 4-5
Cable Crossover 2-3 x 6-8?
Dumbbell Flyes 3 x 8
Tricep Pushdown 4 x 8
Lying Tricep Extension 3 x 8

Optional:

Pushups to failure x 2-3



Workout 4 - Back/Biceps

Deadlifts 4 x 6

Preacher Curls 3 x 6-8
Standing Barbell Curls 3 x 8
Bent Over Barbell Row 4 x 6
Wide Grip Pull Down 3 x 8

Optional:

Alternating hammer curls 2-3 x 6-8



=======================


So I have concluded I would need (not including cable crossovers, Wide grip pulldowns, Leg curls and Leg press)

- A bench press
- Dumbbells
- Squat rack... Do I really Need one?
- Barbells for deadlifts/rows/shoulder presses etc
- Around 200kg of plates
- Ezbar


So what to you guys think about my idea of setting up my own home gym? Any opinions/advice?

Lat machine or chinning bar

[doindbt]

I have a bench, a barbell, plates obviously, dumbbells and a chin up bar. It's all I've ever used or needed with the exception of a squat rack. I'd sell my soul for one of those. I would make life so much easier (and safer).

[Maluket]

A very standard setup would solve most of your needs - power rack with lat attachment, FID bench with leg curl and preacher curl, barbell and plates, dumbbells.

I'm using a hex bar for shrugs due to my traps being MUCH stronger than my ability to get dumbells up or hold onto them once they're up, but start with dumbbells and see how it goes. I also do shrugs on my hip sled.

Not sure how you want to do leg press. Some benches have a leg press attachment. I've heard there's a way to do it in a cage, but never tried to figure it out since I have a hip sled.

Also not sure how you want to do calf raises. I used to do it on one leg holding a dumbell, and seated with plates and a 120 pound vest balanced on one knee, but it wasn't working particularly well and my gains stalled out quickly. Then I bought the hip sled and a seated calf machine, and I made newbie gains in my calves again. SO much better.

For cable crossovers, you'll probably want to set up a pully system in your rafters. That's my intent. I'm just lazy and haven't gotten around to it yet. You can buy a cable crossover, but they're pretty big, and I'm guessing unnecessary if you're willing to go the home-brew route. I don't have room myself.

I would not just buy a Bowflex. No, that's a lie, I DID just buy a Bowflex probably 15 years ago. It was a GREAT piece of equipment for me for a long time, back when I was only working out off and on, so never made any serious gains and so didn't outgrow it. I still use it for a number of exercises, so it still isn't a waste, and I've totally gotten my money out of it. But if you're serious, and you stick with it, you're going to outgrow it. So if you do buy one as a starter gym, figure you'll eventually have it AND a power rack and everything else, and make sure you have room.

[getfitwithme]

I would have to agree on the power rack. Not only for safety but versatility.

[boathead]

imo, the requisites are:
squat or power rack
bench
barbell
chinup bar.

in the "would be nice to have" category:
2 extra barbells. it is nice to be able to have a bar for squats that just sits there always loaded with your starting warmup weight. same for deads.

extra weights for those extra bars.

some dumbbells would be nice, but they can get expensive as you become stronger.

[Brackneyc]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...FEZRG7161S4Y6J


I have one of these^^

Cannot imagine not having it. I use it for squats, overhead presses, BP, and anything else where I don't want to start from the floor.

I have dumbells which I switch weights for when I need to go up or down. I have a couple of 45lb barbells, a home made tricep pushdown, home made dip station and seated calf machine. I have a brick I stand on to do calf raises (while I hold a 100 lbs DB). I have two chin-up (home made) stations also.

I can do everything I need at home. I do cardio by running the streets and riding my bike.

[IronAvalanche]

Op, you may want to consider one of these:

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...367453.2622932

You can use it for pullups as well as dips, and it is relatively inexpensive.

[Jeffro72]

I built my home gym for around $460 for everything, brand new (except for the bench, which I bought used). Takes up only about a 6x8 foot area in the garage.

Olympic barbell and nearly 300# of plates: $220 (sports authority)
Olympic weight tree to keep it feeling tidy and feeling "official": $50 (sports authority)
Adjustable metal saw horses (2500# capacity): $50 (home depot)
Adjustable commercial grade bench with leg curl/leg extension: $60 (craigslist)
Weight attachment belt: $40 (online)
Neck Harness, high quality: $40 (online)

Exercises I do:
Squats: start with bar on metal saw horses pre-adjusted to my height at lowest squat position. Saw horses self spot, so if I can't make the lift, they catch the weight.
Bench Press: bench sits between the saw horses. Turns out the squat height setting coincidentally matches the bench press starting height perfectly on the bench. It also self spots.
Deadlifts
Bent Rows
Overhead press
Upright row
Overhead tricep press
Bicep curls
Leg Curls (using bench attachment)
Standing Calf Raises (using weight attachment belt on a step)
Standing Reverse Calf Raises (same as calf raises)
Neck Harness (just started doing neck work a week ago)

I'm sure there's other exercises I could do. And some I can't. But the ones listed above are pretty much the best for strength, proportion, and aesthetics. And way cheaper and much more convenient than a gym membership, which I had for years and years.

[Braindrop]

Power rack, bench, a couple of Olympic bars, and some adjustable dumbbells and you've got everything you need (well, plus plates and bumper plates, depending on what you're doing).

It beats the hell out of driving someplace.

[Fifty+]

Squat rack with a quality upper and lower cable system.
Quality bench that inclines & declines. Some come with leg ext. assy.
Straight bar.
EZ curl bar.
"V" grip cable attachment. You can also use it for T-bar rows.
Start building your own DBs.
Free weights.

[gray73]

I put my home gym in my garage, but, it was my only choice. I have 4 kids, a wife, and 4 dogs, so, going to a gym is not in my budget. I enjoy it though as I can pick the music being played, I don't have to leave my house, my kids can come out and talk to me if they need something, and my friends come down and work out with me.
For right now, I only have bench, a Bowflex (which is for sale right now), and a handful of dumbbells. But, it is getting the job done, I am seeing results and feeling damn good right now. I will be adding new and better equipment soon.

[VoxExMachina]

I have a home gym, and I'm a fan of training that way after many years fighting the crowds at commercial gyms. IMO, the best bang for the buck comes from:

Olympic weights
Barbell
Flat/Incline/Decline Bench
Power rack with Chinup bar
Dumbell Handles (to use with your Olympic plates)

You can do an excellent array of exercises with that equipment. If you can afford to add a cable lat tower with high and low pulley to your squat rack, then you're really set to go.


One thing, though, since you're only 16 have you considered what's going to happen when you head off to college or move out? Will you still have the room for your equipment? Balance your investment with your ability to continue to use it for longer than just the next two years.