Garage Gym Basics
Looking to set up a home or garage gym? Want to make sure you avoid any missteps in the process? Not sure what bar or rack to buy? I’m here to help. I’ve written countless articles, handled tons of equipment, read and watched every review, and I am here to pass on what I know to be true about setting up a home gym to you. Below you can find my current Garage Gym Starter Pack. These are the items I’d recommend you grab to start a quality home gym on a budget. If you’d like to dig in more, then my Garage Gym Basics series is for you!
I cover planning and budget, used market tips and tricks, as well as each individual item in depth with recommendations based off of your space, budget and needs. I have laid out multiple options in each and provided justification for why they are included in my list. You can rest assured that anything I recommend is something I wouldn’t hesitate to put in my own gym, or recommend to a friend. If you are here, reading this, I consider you a friend.
If you’d like a one-on-one consultation with me, no problem, I’ll do that too. Fill out this form and I’ll help you build out a gym that meets your needs.
Garage Gym Starter Pack
I believe in starting small. If we focus on the basics for a garage gym, we are going to end up with a few items. A rack, a bench, a bar, some plates, and some floor protection.
Rack
The REP Fitness PR-5000 won r/HomeGym’s Favorite Rack award, and continues to be one of the best racks you can buy.
Bench
REP Fitness is the king of benches. And their FB-5000 is a beast at a stupid price.
Bar
The Rogue Ohio Power Bar has been a fan favorite for years in r/HomeGym and across the community.
Plates
I REALLY like these plates. American Made, handles, accurate, aesthetic, thin. Checks every box.
Flooring
Horse Stall Mats are the inside secret of the home gym community for flooring.
Cooling
If you live anywhere that gets warm, this is a simple reminder to cool it down a little.
The Garage Gym Basics
You can most certainly find cheaper equipment than what I will recommend in these articles. Amazon is loaded with options. But again, I’m only recommending what I would put in my gym or recommend to a friend. Take a look at this post to see what happens with bad equipment. And that was a $300 BENCH!
I personally lean towards American Made equipment, and I like things that can handle my powerlifting aspirations. But I’ll include items that fit different budgets and goals.
Without further ado, let’s get into the Garage Gym Basics.
Note – More articles in this series are planned. So make sure to sign up for the newsletter to never miss new content!
Will There Only Be Affiliate Links?
Short answer, no. I am going to recommend the companies and products I recommend, whether I make anything off of it or not. Take a look at my reviews and you’ll notice the same thing. Over the past several years I believe I have proven my abilities to write a review, recommend a product, and all around support a company based on the product/company itself, not the dollars they kick back to me. You can check out my stance on affiliates here.
I hope you find this to be true as well. If you do not, please let me know. I want to make sure I am being honest, transparent, and authentic.
Not sure what an affiliate link is? Check it out here.