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Building a Home Gym, Need Recommendations

Hunter260

Hunter260

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2019
Messages
1,585
Location
Ash Flat, AR
Hey guys, getting into strength training and needing recommendations on what goes into my home gym. I’ve got a bench and cheap squat rack. My main headache is finding these stupid weight plates. Everyone told me it would be so easy to find plates for nearly free on Craigslist or Facebook and so far I’ve not found any for sale. Seems like new plates are just insanely expensive. Should I just bite the bullet and buy new? Is there a secret stash of cheap plates? Why would a guy spend more money on plates or a bar? Will I look like the rock within 2 months? Please help
 
Same here, though I don't have space for a full home gym so decided I didn't need plates and have been getting into calisthenics a bit. The much more ripped than me guys in the videos swear it works! Lol but more seriously, I've been working out/running pretty regularly for a few months now and am starting to feel stronger/definitely have tightened a few belt notches. My goals are mostly hunting fitness though not aesthetics, so can't speak to that if that's also a goal of yours.

I think it's also not quite the right timing yet, likely at this point many people have given up on their new years resolutions, but aren't ready to admit it to themselves yet, so aren't ready to sell. I think the best time for sales is mid summer-fall but don't have any real evidence to back that claim up
 
Email, or better yet; Stop in to a CrossFit style gym ( less machines - more Olympic weights ) near you and ask if they have any used barbells / bumper plates.
There should be alot of Covid gym purchases popping up for sale.
Bumper plates are better for home gyms but I would avoid dropping more than 135 as basement / garage concrete is brittle .
Kettlebells are the best bang for the home gym $buck I have found , but I’m back to a regular gym until the housing market cools around me.
I can’t wait to have a dedicated gym area again
 
I have a full garage gym setup, best investment ever.

Rogue SML-2C half rack, couple Rogue bars, flat bench, ~500lbs of bumpers and ~600lbs of regular iron plates, dumbbells, kettlebells, sandbags, plyo box, rower, assault bike, and other odds and ends.

Took me a long time to piece it all together. The bumper plates I bought from a CrossFit gym that was going out of business, bought the iron plates on Craigslist. Rest of the stuff I was just waiting on sales to buy.

I definitely recommend Craigslist or similar for buying plates. It will take a bit, but you’ll find them eventually. Not sure where you’re located, but after the CrossFit games in August Rogue will sell off all the stuff used during the games for a pretty good discount. I was living in NJ at the time and went to Ohio to pick a bunch of stuff up from their shop.

edit: Forgot to add that you should prioritize the quality of the bar over the quality of the plates. The plates weigh what they weigh, but the bar is where you interface with them. Make sure it’s a style of knurl and spin that you like. I’m picky depending on the lift so I have a couple.
 
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Hunter260 said:
Hey guys, getting into strength training and needing recommendations on what goes into my home gym. I’ve got a bench and cheap squat rack. My main headache is finding these stupid weight plates. Everyone told me it would be so easy to find plates for nearly free on Craigslist or Facebook and so far I’ve not found any for sale. Seems like new plates are just insanely expensive. Should I just bite the bullet and buy new? Is there a secret stash of cheap plates? Why would a guy spend more money on plates or a bar? Will I look like the rock within 2 months? Please help
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I’ve yet to see amazing deals on plates since Covid. I’ve had decent luck buying used rogue plates after a major competition ( they sell off all the equipment online rather than haul it back)
 
I've had some luck at local auctions (online or otherwise). Try Hibid.com or proxibid.com and keep an eye out for what's in your area.
Another option is a dual cable column. They can be very versatile.
I also have some selecttech 552 dumbbells that have served me well-- saved me a lot of space and give me any weight in the 5-52 lb dumbbell range. You can do a lot with dumbbells. you can't be throwing these around though
 
I made a dip bar (and inverted rows) from some 2x4s and black gas pipe. Set it inside the squat rack and you're good to go. I also got some of that cheap floor mat from harbor freight. It's nice to have under the bench for setting dumbbells down.
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I found some cheap bumper plates on Walmart.com. Not the best in the world, but they were just barely over $1/pound. Cheaper than steel… I think they were “everyday essentials” brand.
 
avgjoe said:
I found some cheap bumper plates on Walmart.com. Not the best in the world, but they were just barely over $1/pound. Cheaper than steel… I think they were “everyday essentials” brand.
Click to expand...
How can they be better or worse. I don’t understand
 
The best advice I can give is if you can make it to a gym then do so. It's easier with a partner to push you. The workout at home sounds great, but I have rarely seen individuals stick to a consistent workout at home. There are too many distractions at home to prevent you from working out, unless you are extremely regimented.

There are cheap gym memberships, such as Planet Fitness for $10 a month. For my area, if you needed more gym than what Planet Fitness has, YMCA is the best bargain for all that they offer. Also keep in mind that many health insurance plans have a gym reimbursement programs. (Mine is up to $300 a year, which takes a pretty good chunk out of a yearly membership.)

But if you have no other choice or just want to give working out at home a try, then pick a time and schedule and stick to it everyday, regardless of what hits you when you walk through the door. I have found when I was working out at home I was way more consistent doing this first thing in the mornings before work, or any distractions could happen.

What ever you decide, I wish you the best. Any kind of exercise is better than none.
 
I have a really nice and really complete home gym setup. I can do everything at home that I can do in a commercial gym but I have to get creative. And I rarely use it. A commercial gym is easier to stay consistent in because once you are there you do your workout and leave. At home I get distracted and don’t get a great workout.
If you’re sure you want a home gym then you’ll need a squat rack, a high quality adjustable bench (don’t be cheap on this one), dumbbells from 10-50 pounds (you can add the big boys later like 55-100), a dip bar setup that attaches to your rack, a landmine attachment for your rack (great for doing back and leg work), a row attachment to use with your landmine/bar setup, a cheap bar is ok to start but won’t last long so I’d recommend a rogue Ohio bar, a set of resistance bands, and if you want you can get a cable attachment for your rack (I’ve been ok with just resistance bands attached to the rack). Weight plates are always expensive and hard to find used. Most people will be fine with 4-45s, 2-10s, 2-25s, and 2-5s for a while and can add 45s as needed later. It’s an expensive investment but last forever.
Now for the flooring, stall mats from tractor supply on top of 23/32 plywood from Lowe’s has protected concrete with tile on top in my gym/sewing room. Recently rearranged that room and the flooring underneath still looks new. 7296AA2F-047D-46D1-8EB0-DBC62CD8657C.png
 
Try this https://stix-and-stone.com/ seal the concrete when you're done and it eliminates the dust that can come off. Make your own mold too and save even more money.
You can also get away with selectable dumbbells and increase/decrease rep count as needed.
The guy is kind of cheesy but this workout https://www.amazon.com/RIPT90-FIT-E...ocphy=9024753&hvtargid=pla-308209115202&psc=1
Is the real deal if you follow it closely and can stay committed. You just need a set of selectable dumbbells and a pull up bar.
 
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If you want to keep it really simple get...a good jump rope, a weight vest, battle ropes, a good sand bag, set or two of DB's, 50#KB and setup a pullup bar. I promise you can get all the workout you want with that if general fitness is the goal. If I was going to add one cardio machine it would be a Concept 2 rower.
 
My only suggestion is to try to get a bench that allows decline bench press. In my opinion, it is the most underrated chest exercise and people don't do it because it's a pain to get into position and looks goofy. For many people, it is the most shoulder friendly chest exercise and it activates way more of the chest than what gym-lore tells you.
 
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