Bench905 Home Gym Build/Transformation Thread

[Bench905]

you need more banners

Ordering another one shortly.

It's coming along great, where are you hiding all of the equipment. I expected to see it outside the garage.

I had the same thought. I started moving equipment around this weekend, in order to lay my rolled rubber flooring, I had to disassemble some pieces to fit through my gym door, this commercial equipment is awkward, and heavy.

Yep. It was mostly outside. I'm kinda paranoid, so I didn't want to put the pictures out there until everything was back inside. I moved my car out of the attached garage and piled as much as I could into there.
The EliteFTS power rack is on the ground, there's 5 cybex plate loaded pieces in that photo, hip thruster, hammer bicep, legend 6008, hammer iso row (far back behind snowblower), efs bench (foreground), nebula skullcrusher bench, yoke bar, etc.



For everything else that I couldn't fit, it went outside. I pulled a stall mat out and stacked all my plates on it. Leg Press, dumbbells, hammer low row, cybex shoulder, hammer front lat pulldown, etc.
I bought a 30x20 tarp from Harbor Freight to cover it all.

I called it "Shanty Town."




Unfortunately, I had the worst timing. That week the stuff was outside was the wettest week ever. We had 4-5 days of rain and lots of heavy t-storms. Some high winds too.
No matter how taut I got the tarp, water would pool in the gap between the dumbbell racks and then pull up the edges of the tarp. I had to bail it out constantly.

Who cares about that s---. Let's see some paint on dem walls!

Are you volunteering to paint?

[matrix563]

nice. you need large cardboard or gymnastic mats over the stuff so water wont pool. cant wait for more pics

[Bench905]

More progress. Within the past few days:
- Made 9 window sills/stools using a router and jigsaw. I'm sure using 1x8 would look nicer...but I used 1x6 so they don't jut out from the wall as far.
- Cut and installed 1x4 baseboard, caulked.
- Painted upper and lower walls
- Assembled the EliteFTS Power Rack from S4. Finally! I knew it was going to be about 2-4" of height clearance on my ceiling...and it was 3".

I'm hoping to wrap up by next weekend. Still have to:
- Paint stripe(s)
- Paint baseboard
- Install and paint windowsills
- Install ceiling fan
- Install some new switches/outlets
- Move some more equipment in from other garage

[Greybird2]

Very nice! I am sure it is a major workout just getting all that equipment back in place. It won't be too long and drywall dust will be just a bad memory..

[Luke19341]

Looks great. Fresh paint makes the room look so much bigger. I painted my basement over Thankgiving made a huge difference and that was on block walls. Yours looks amazing on drywall. I think you are not too far away from me. I live near West Chester.

[sm1ke]

The red looks great Bench!

[Bench905]

Thanks guys!

Put up a ceiling fan. Before insulation/drywall, my brother-in-law ran a breaker and new switch for a ceiling fan. I flirted with the idea of one of the industrial fans, but they were just way too much $. Went with the 72" Slinger II that you can get at Lowe's. 72", 9 blades, 6 speeds, light, remote, etc. It's pretty attractive looking and mostly metal - except for the blades (plastic). Being OCD, having the color temp of the LED being different than my others is a no-no. So I ordered a half sheet full CTB gel to get it to 5000K. It also comes with a metal cap kit if you don't want to use the light at all.



Color scheme will almost match the EliteFTS rack...coincidentally, it's my high school and college's color schemes too.



Baseboard is about 80% installed. Just did 1x4 primed pine. Rather than doing something super time consuming, I'm just going to paint the bottom plate and the baseboard the same color to hopefully blend them in.



Still to do:

- 1 more coat of red
- cut windowsills to fit and paint them
- install windowsills
- finish and paint baseboard
- finalize layout of equipment and move the rest of it in!
- clean up
- ribbon cutting!

[shmobin]

Looking great bro! You've really come full circle in that space.

[d2mini]

Awesome space, very cool!

[jeshelton]

What a badass home gym. Everything we have is in a 20x20 garage, this is nicer than the box gym I go to... GJ man.

[AttyGuy]

Color scheme will almost match the EliteFTS rack...coincidentally, it's my high school and college's color schemes too.

[alexthaman]

Your gym is looking awesome! I really like your color choices and i can’t wait to see the final result! You have dream gym in there! It is no longer a home gym. Since the beginning of your thread, i am asking my wife to move to another house, with a seperate two car garage...

During all this work, have you stopped working out? This was the main downside of every work i have done in the gym, you have to skip a few workouts to get it done, there is the time factor, when you workout you are not working on getting the work done and there is also the fact that the gym is a total mess and the majority of the equipment is out of order. With the total amount of time you are doing this, i wonder what you have done with your workouts?

[Bench905]

Your gym is looking awesome! I really like your color choices and i can’t wait to see the final result! You have dream gym in there! It is no longer a home gym. Since the beginning of your thread, i am asking my wife to move to another house, with a seperate two car garage...

During all this work, have you stopped working out? This was the main downside of every work i have done in the gym, you have to skip a few workouts to get it done, there is the time factor, when you workout you are not working on getting the work done and there is also the fact that the gym is a total mess and the majority of the equipment is out of order. With the total amount of time you are doing this, i wonder what you have done with your workouts?

Thanks! Your gym is amazing.

Yes, I've pretty much stopped working out. Back when I was doing wiring or insulation, I'd try to work out and do a few wire runs or staple a few batts between sets. But once I started drywalling, I haven't worked out in the garage. I tried to go to the local YMCA but found I was only going 1-2 times per week...if that. Just last week, I started working out again in the mornings here (my normal workout time) as there's enough equipment to do a back or chest workout. I'm truly all or nothing about my training/diet too - if I'm not working out, I don't watch what I eat. So right now, I'm weak and put on a few lbs. I'm not doing this rack justice. I'm hoping I can ramp it up again pretty quickly.

[alexthaman]

Thanks! Your gym is amazing.

Yes, I've pretty much stopped working out. Back when I was doing wiring or insulation, I'd try to work out and do a few wire runs or staple a few batts between sets. But once I started drywalling, I haven't worked out in the garage. I tried to go to the local YMCA but found I was only going 1-2 times per week...if that. Just last week, I started working out again in the mornings here (my normal workout time) as there's enough equipment to do a back or chest workout. I'm truly all or nothing about my training/diet too - if I'm not working out, I don't watch what I eat. So right now, I'm weak and put on a few lbs. I'm not doing this rack justice. I'm hoping I can ramp it up again pretty quickly.

It will come back no worries! Dont forget that doing some work is hard on energy, strength and that there is a lot of stress coming with that kind of work... Once you will be all set and done, it will come right back and you will have a really nice place to do so!

[Bench905]

Time to move stuff in! Done painting. Still have to change some outlets out, outlet covers and some other odds and ends.

So I kinda decided against mirrors due to expense...I think I dropped $400 just in paint. But after putting 40% of the gym back together, I really want mirrors only behind the dumbbell racks. So I will explore that soon - yes, I know it will involve removing the dumbbells and racks AGAIN.

This is the first time I'm using some of this equipment in the gym - I purchased the EliteFTS rack, Duffalo bar, EliteFTS SSB, Hammer ISO Row, Sorinex Hip Thruster, etc. and never got to use them in the gym yet. Excited to try out the new toys!

[WeakSauz]

Looks simply stunning! when you have some time, post up some night pics with the lighting setup.

The EFS rack is certainly your center-piece there. Don't see one that stout every day.

Regarding mirrors, my tip is to search Craigslist and FB Marketplace for the terms "Vanity Mirror"-- you can often find LARGE vanity mirrors from bathrooms for as low as $20. Over time, you should be able to piece together multiple vanity mirrors of the same size for a fraction of the cost of new mirrors.

[AttyGuy]

I'd like to see the lighting at night. For mirrors, just do it right and contract for professional mirror installation. It'll be done right. You don't have to worry about moving big pieces of easily breakable stuff, and you won't have to worry about cutting easily breakable stuff.

[alexthaman]

I'd like to see the lighting at night. For mirrors, just do it right and contract for professional mirror installation. It'll be done right. You don't have to worry about moving big pieces of easily breakable stuff, and you won't have to worry about cutting easily breakable stuff.

Yes, contract professional mirror installer, i have done mine downstairs in the gym, it was a mess to move them, they have done the outlet hole in the wrong place and on mirror chipped because it was installed to tight on the baseboard. When i have redone my bathroom a year ago, i have done everything by myself except the big mirror, they have done a fantastic job and i did not have to stress about breaking it!

On another note bench your gym is awesome. These colors for the paint are perfect. You just need to clean those horse stall mats better which will be a big job. When i have redone my garage they were on the floor when mudding and painting. After i decided to sell them to buy the 3/8 rubber tiles that i have now. I have to wash them 3 times so they could look good enough to have a great price for them! Good luck buddy!

[gym62richard]

Bench the gym is really something special, what a great job.

Having just laid new rolled rubber and repainted some of my gym, I have some appreciation of the amount of work you've put in. Re-installing the equipment is a major task in itself.

[Bench905]

Thanks everyone! I'll definitely get more pics as I clean things up. I still have a lot of tools, trash, etc. lying all around - I try to keep those areas out of pictures right now

I put everything into place and I'm looking to be short one spot. Technically two spots if you include my Hoist CF-2165 bench. I added 4 pieces while finishing the gym - Hammer ISO Row, Cybex Leg Extension, Cybex Leg Curl and Hip Thruster and didn't really subtract anything. The Hip Thruster isn't an issue because it can be stored vertically and it's super easy to move around. So I'll need to do a little amount of tinkering with the layout. I think my GHD / Leveredge orientation could be improved...currently, my seated calf is the one sitting on a dolly in no man's land. Everything else is good to go.

On my list this week is doing outlets, some new switches, banners, re-installing the TV, etc.

Yes, contract professional mirror installer, i have done mine downstairs in the gym, it was a mess to move them, they have done the outlet hole in the wrong place and on mirror chipped because it was installed to tight on the baseboard. When i have redone my bathroom a year ago, i have done everything by myself except the big mirror, they have done a fantastic job and i did not have to stress about breaking it!

On another note bench your gym is awesome. These colors for the paint are perfect. You just need to clean those horse stall mats better which will be a big job. When i have redone my garage they were on the floor when mudding and painting. After i decided to sell them to buy the 3/8 rubber tiles that i have now. I have to wash them 3 times so they could look good enough to have a great price for them! Good luck buddy!

Thanks! Do you remember the height of your mirrors? I have about 10' 3" lengthwise between two outlets behind the dumbbell rack - so I'd like to cover as much as possible. But before reaching out for quotes, I'm wondering how much height I need. I'm assuming 5-6' or so. Start 1-2' off the floor. Obviously I don't need the mirrors going too high on the ceiling.

I already power washed the mats. After mudding and sanding, they were almost white. Sweeping them did almost nothing. Powerwashing took almost all of the crud off, but when the water dried, it was a little hazy. I'll probably sponge/mop in place to get the rest of the crap.

[alexthaman]

I have 2x over baseboards to ceiling height mirrors behind my smith/rack. I have the joint right in the middle, i hate it, never aligned from one mirror the the other... If i had to go back i would go 18 inches from floor then 5 feet high mirrors from there. Before i had 4 feet high mirrors and they were starting at 2.5 feet from floor and it was ok. You dont need to go to ceiling and you dont need to go to the floor. And be sure to don’t have a junction of mirrors right where you are working out because it is so annoying!

[vhd16]

Lowes has 5'X3' mirrors for $54 I think. But you may need wider mirrors. On CL, I have seen quiet few large mirror like 8' wide for dirt cheap in my area.

I would go with pro installation if you plan on to stay in this house for long ( 10+ years), yes, it will be $$ but could be worth it.

One of my rooms has almost floor to ceiling height mirrors and they were installed professionally. No issues with junction or anything.

Garage is what 20'X40' ?

[401Delta]

Nice job, looks great .

[Bench905]

Got a mirror/glass place to come in on Friday, but still waiting on an estimate. They said they had 60" x 120" in stock, so totally seamless. Even without receiving a quote yet, I'm looking at mirrors that big and they could be $1k for just the mirror. So once I get that quote back (which I assume will too high), I'll see how much we can bring it down by going with multiple mirrors with seams.

Garage is what 20'X40' ?

Garage is 36x30. There's a second floor loft as well. On the first floor, there's currently 28 mats (672 sq ft) dedicated to gym space...but I plan to add a few more this week. I can't do full gym because I do need to keep a path to the second floor (storage) and store a few items on the first floor - tool chest, snowblower, some tools, etc.

[Bench905]

Gym is completely functional except I have a seated calf on a dolly in the middle of the floor...and some other dollies lying around.
Picking up 2 more mats and will bump out my leg section to get the treadmill and seated calf on mats.

Got multiple quotes on mirrors and finally have a company putting in a 8x6 mirror behind the dumbbell rack. I did get a quote on a 10x6 mirror which would've almost covered the entire span behind the DB racks, but it was WAY more than the 8x6 mirror from another company. Nothing like moving 3k pounds in DBs...AGAIN!

Latest pickups:
- Spud Hanging Ab Straps - since selling my Hammer Strength VKR and Decline Ab Bench, I wanted to pick these up.
- Spud Short Ab Strap
- 360lbs in kettlebells off FB marketplace. Possibly keeping. In the market for a small footprint multi-tier KB stand if I'm keeping.

To Do:
- Buy 2 more mats and re-arrange leg section
- Professional Mirror Installation
- Hang Banners - Mutant, O'Brien Iron and Hammer Strength
- Alexa-enabled dimmer installation and replace all outlet covers
- Clean those mats!
- Organize non-gym side of garage.

[shmobin]

Damn bruh! Where do I throw my money to get a membership to this gym?!?

[C123C]

Looks amazing. Makes me want to lift!!

[vhd16]

Gym is completely functional except I have a seated calf on a dolly in the middle of the floor...and some other dollies lying around.
Picking up 2 more mats and will bump out my leg section to get the treadmill and seated calf on mats.

Got multiple quotes on mirrors and finally have a company putting in a 8x6 mirror behind the dumbbell rack. I did get a quote on a 10x6 mirror which would've almost covered the entire span behind the DB racks, but it was WAY more than the 8x6 mirror from another company. Nothing like moving 3k pounds in DBs...AGAIN!

Latest pickups:
- Spud Hanging Ab Straps - since selling my Hammer Strength VKR and Decline Ab Bench, I wanted to pick these up.
- Spud Short Ab Strap
- 360lbs in kettlebells off FB marketplace. Possibly keeping. In the market for a small footprint multi-tier KB stand if I'm keeping.

I have hanging straps. Was debating between Spud short ones vs long ones for lat machine. Would like your feed back on short ones.

As per GYM mirrors, 8'X6' is plenty for dumbbells. It might be look "small" but does give commercial look . As time goes by more mirrors can be added as and when necessary.

Once it is a basic stuff is taken care of , rest can follow. Man.. i don't think i would done in the time frame you did it.

Any future plans add more colors on the walls ? You rack was featured on garagegymreviews's ( coop) IG. ..i think it was called O'Brien GYM.

[Bench905]

I have hanging straps. Was debating between Spud short ones vs long ones for lat machine. Would like your feed back on short ones.

As per GYM mirrors, 8'X6' is plenty for dumbbells. It might be look "small" but does give commercial look . As time goes by more mirrors can be added as and when necessary.

Once it is a basic stuff is taken care of , rest can follow. Man.. i don't think i would done in the time frame you did it.

Any future plans add more colors on the walls ? You rack was featured on garagegymreviews's ( coop) IG. ..i think it was called O'Brien GYM.

I'm kinda regretting the short ab straps...they don't seem all that dissimilar from a tricep rope. The long ab strap is pretty unique. But I really haven't even used them yet...so I'll reserve judgement.

I think the one mirror is what I'll go with right now. I was planning on putting them on the right wall too, but the machines would almost totally block it and loading plates becomes a little more precarious. Not to mention more expense.

No plans on more colors - I did use 4 different colors already - light gray, mid gray, red stripe and black trim.

My instagram is @obrieniron. I think ggr showed it when I finally assembled the rack.

[litljay]

Lowes has 5'X3' mirrors for $54 I think. But you may need wider mirrors. On CL, I have seen quiet few large mirror like 8' wide for dirt cheap in my area.

I would go with pro installation if you plan on to stay in this house for long ( 10+ years), yes, it will be $$ but could be worth it.

One of my rooms has almost floor to ceiling height mirrors and they were installed professionally. No issues with junction or anything.

Garage is what 20'X40' ?

I went the Lowe's route and purchased 2. Figured I could put them ~16" above floor (just above outlets in my room) and install them side by side in Portrait mode. That's the current plan anyway. I have one sitting on top of an old TV stand that is a little higher than install height will be and I'm thinking it will work just fine.

Glad you found a mirror that will work for you Bench. When I was searching the internet for a large mirror, I was shocked at the prices.