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Setting up a Home Gym

I’ve commented in the past about how you can get strong with limited equipment (for example just a pair of dumbbells) but what if you want your own Iron Den? Someone ask me this week for advice on setting up a home gym, it’s a great question so here’s my thoughts based on my own trial and error.

Find your space

To start you need to decide where you are going to train. I’ve been training at home for decade’s, so I have had a few different permutations. If you have the space, a room in the house is great. It doesn’t need to be massive. A room that is a least 2.8 metres (to allow space to move and load a bar) by around 2.5 metre (or about 8x9 feet). I would suggest using a downstairs space, whilst I have seen (and had) a home gym upstairs, it will make you unpopular with your wife if you drop anything and her ceiling starts to shudder. So, trust me, downstairs is better. I have seen plenty of home gyms in conservatories and that looks to be a good idea to me. The advantage of being in the house is that you the equipment is kept at a constant temperature, so you don’t tend to get issues with condensation. The ceiling is also typically higher than in an outbuilding so again this can be a benefit when choosing your rack (more on this later).

Earlier version of the Den in a shed

If you don’t have a space inside the next choice for me is a garage. These will usually be of a good size already (typically 2.65m wide and 5m long). They can get colder in the winter so if able consider insulation. The temperature changes can also cause condensation. The concrete floor will have been intended for a car to sit on so should be good with heavy weights (and some protection). Garages can often have lower ceilings which may affect equipment choice.

A shed can also work, providing its large enough. One of the earlier permutations of the den was in a shed that I had specially made (to fit a long but relatively narrow stretch of the garden). This was over 6, long and about 1.8m wide (20’ x 6’). Again, a lower ceiling may affect your choices of equipment and it can get cold. The floor on most sheds will usually be wood, if this is the case you will need to reinforce it.

Flooring

If in a house or a shed, build a platform to put your equipment on. This doesn’t need to be fancy a few large sheets of 12 or 18mm structural ply laid on top of each other and screwed down will help distribute the weight across the floor so reducing the risk of damage. Even in a garage its worth considering putting a wooden platform in to mitigate damaging the concrete (or equipment) where you deadlift. Rubber mats are also a good plan. I have 30mm ones in the den, which work well to reduce noise as well as protect the floor. Mats for gym flooring are available from most equipment suppliers, but you will likely get a better deal by looking for flooring specialists rather than gym equipment suppliers (it often cuts out the middle man).

A simple deadlift platform I made from ply and rubber.

Equipment

When it comes to equipment there are lots of options and manufacturers out there. Your budget will decide on what you can get and how much. My top tip though is to check online for local adverts (whether that be marketplace, gumtree, free-ads or ebay) and see what is available. I have added a number of items to the Den that have been absolute bargains because I bought them second hand.

Some manufacturers also have B grade equipment sold on with a discount. This will be kit that may have been a little scratched during transport from manufacturer to supplier, cosmetic damage that doesn’t affect function.

If you are buying a lot of equipment from one supplier at once, ask for discount. Many will give you a discount on multiple items if you ask for it – you just have to call and be cheeky rather than click through their online shop.

Essentials

The Barbell: This is going to be a mainstay. Whilst it may seem like a good idea to get an exercise set (the kind of bar that is 24mm in diameter and with plates with a 26mm hole) this will almost certainly be false economy. They are good for starting youngsters, or for people who maybe just want to do circuits but for anyone serous about strength training you will outgrow it rapidly. My recommendation is to purchase an Olympic type of bar. Don’t scrimp here though. A good bar will last a very long time, a cheap bar will bend and stay bent, and then it’s pretty much scuppered and you’ll be having to replace it. There’s a lot of variety, so think about what your goal is. If you are wanting to get strong primarily on the powerlifting movements (squat bench and deadlift) then get a powerlifting specific bar (these have a 29mm shaft and the steel is stiffer to prevent “whip”). If weightlifting is your goal then you will need a specific weightlifting bar (these are 28mm in diameter and the steel will be intended to give more “whip” which will help in the lift). You can get Hybrid bars that are marked (scored rings) for both events, these are good compromises. Consider your environment as well. If indoors a black oxide or chromed bar will be ok, but in a garage or shed environment these will rust. I bought a stainless steel powerlifting bar for the Den, and there is not a mark on it.

Plates: I have a lot of black iron plates, which I love the traditional feel of. Plates don’t need to be super expensive. If money is no object, sure buy a full set of calibrated steel plates if you want, but iron will definitely work. Although some will note that the iron plates aren’t calibrated, in the home gym this is less of an issue. Because you’ll use the exact same plates from workout to workout, so even if they are slightly out (tolerances are typically within 1% of face value), it’s consistent. If you like the weightlifting movements get bumper plates but avoid the crumb rubber ones, yes, they are cheap, but they also don’t last and the rubber crumbs away and gets everywhere. They also tend to be really wide, which limits what you can get on the bar. Urethane are generally better, and thinner (albeit pricier).

Power Rack/Cage: You can get by with some squat stands that have safety bars, but generally the versatility of a power rack is hard to beat. I specifically mean the kind with four uprights, and safety bars. You can squat in it, you can bench in it (safely, alone which is the key part here), press in it, most have pull up bars, all manner of partial movements. You can often even add cable attachment or dip bars. Pay attention to load capacity, some cheaper racks may look the business but are then made from 1mm thick box section and have a maximum safe load of only 250kg, which may not be sufficient in the long run (especially for partial movements which lend themselves to heavier weights). Heavier gauge steel box section is what is wanted here. Another thing to consider carefully for the home gym setting is ceiling height. Inside the home, it will probably be fine, but in a garage or shed this might be an issue. Power racks can often be 2.2+ metres tall so consider this in your planning. A few manufacturers offer shorter, garage specific power cages which is most helpful. Both cages I have had, I purchased from companies that manufactured the equipment rather than suppliers who import. The relevance here is that as they made the equipment to order, I asked if they could make them shorter to accommodate my shed for the first one and garage for the second. Both companies obliged and neither charged me extra for the modifications. It does mean there is more of a lead time (typically about six weeks) though I think that is worth it.

Storage; You will definitely want a way of keeping your plates out of the way when not in use. No one wants to be injured because they tripped over their plate. A simple weight rack can usually take a decent number of plates. Often, they come with barbell storage holes, but as these are loaded vertically it can be an issue with ceiling height. I have previously used wall mounted racks, currently I made a simple hook and eye arrangement with some off cuts of timber that works well.

Additional

Bench:I’m sure some might be surprised that I see a bench as an additional rather than an essential, but I am of that opinion that unless you compete in bodybuilding or powerlifting it’s not a must have. Utility benches are quite accessible and can be put inside the power rack for safety. My biggest bug bear with utility benches is there safe loading parameters, which is often surprisingly low. This is especially true of benches that can incline/decline. Pay careful attention, especially if you are heavy. If the maximum safe load is 200kg, and you weigh 100kg, then the most that you can bench press on the bench is 100kg (ie 100kg barbell + the 100kg you). As a general rule of thumb, the heavier the bench, the stronger it will be, so if it’s advertised as light weight, I’d avoid it. Same applies if it has a lot of bolts to put it together, it will likely not be as sturdy as something that is welded.

Dumbbells: Whilst I personally have a selection of both fixed weight and adjustable, unless money and space are no object, you will probably want some adjustable dumbbells. Personally, I like the old-fashioned kind (ie plates, bar and collars) but that’s my own preference (and also because some of the ones I have are antique). I have seen and tried some pretty good compact dumbbells that use a dial or similar to adjust the plates. The downside to those are that they are often quite limited in how heavy they can go. You can also get adjustable Olympic dumbbell handles (that don’t then require having different sized plates). Just make sure that whatever adjustable dumbbell handle you have, you have really strong collars, no one wants a dumbbell coming apart and hitting them in the face!

Kettlebells: These are great tools to my mind and don’t tend to require too much space. I will note I have yet to see an adjustable one that makes me think it would be a good investment . You don’t need to have the full range that I do, a 16, 24 and 32 will be plenty to give you some variety to start with and they can be used for some explosive variations such as swings and snatches that are difficult to replicate with dumbbells.

In conclusion, a home gym is great for convenience and in the long run if you have the space, can save you a lot if gym fees over a lifetime. It can also be a great way to encourage your family to engage in strength training with you. If you shop around and keep an eye out for bargains you can get some fantastic deals. Thanks to individual who posed a question to me on this subject, it’s a good question, and hopefully my experiences will help more of you.

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