What’s up CREW welcome to a new post and thank you for reading today. For a video version of this, "What do you need for your Garage Gym?". My name is John Konye aka #bigmansyndrome and my journey to building out my garage gym started in 2014.
Covid19 has put a lot of people on the market for garage gym equipment and may have you wondering… what do I actually need? You can essentially have everything from your local box in your garage given available space and budget. But what if you have neither? Or what if you ultimately plan to rejoin your local box? These are all valid questions and why I wanted to break down my suggestions for garage gym setups based on budget, space and expectations.
Before we dive into each level, you will also want to grab some sort of mat. This is a must for you and your equipment to stay clean and comfortable. If you are limited on space and want something portable, I recommend the Dollumar Mat. Romwod actually sells one for a fair price. If you have a permanent space, I suggest stall mats from a local provider. They typically 1/8 to 1/2 inch thick by 4x6ft giving you the ability to fill any space. (pretty simple to cut and will post about this process soon!). You can also get cheap puzzle style floors however, you will need some strong double sided tape to keep them in place. (https://amzn.to/3e8zjnZ #paidlink) Moving on, Level 1 will start clean and simple.
Since you already have a wide variety with body-weight movements there’s really only two things you need in your home gym setup to increase that variety. Level one will also keep your mind at ease when you decide to return to the gym having not spent a ton of money on personal equipment.
Most will think Rower ($900) or barbell ($200-400 + Plates). Each will cost an arm and a leg and most likely require more equipment to maximize their value. Your first go to items that will stay budget friendly and take up little space, Medicine Ball and Jump Rope(Cheap and #paidlink).
Starting with the jump rope. While it has less unique uses, it holds a wide variety of action. Add it in a warm-up with active stretches and you’ll be ready for any high intensity workout. And don’t forget to vary your type of jump. All too often we get stuck with just singles and doubles. Add rounds of single leg hop, alternating feet or even doing a sequence like three singles one double to practice coordination. Add to any workout to really test your ability to remain collected when fatigued. You can get a pretty cheap rope on amazon for $8-12, but I recommend grabbing something from RX Smart Gear. I don’t have a direct affiliation, no commission for saying nice things, I simply believe they are the best out there constantly innovating. If you have a little room in the budget, grab their Evo rope ($140). It has incredible speed, little to no friction and will make double unders feel like butter! I was even able to string together triples at one point. If not, check out their OG rope.($46-60) You still have far more speed than a conventional jump rope or one without bearings. A little bonus with them is their kit of god ropes. From Posiden to Kronos, youll get a different level of pain and practice with these thicker ropes.
Now the medicine ball re-emerged as CrossFit included them in wods. Wall Balls were introduced as a way to really jack up your heart rate. But this is far from what they were originally designed for. In fact, ask the owners at dynamax what they think :) Not only can you use it as a light weight for squats, you have a plethora of core work to choose from sitting or standing. But what many often miss is the incredible scaling this item offers. Let’s say you signed up for a dope online program like Street Parking. Their workout of the day includes Cleans, but you don’t have a barbel or dumbells. Well… did you know you can clean a Med Ball? And did you know it is quite possibly the best progression available for Cleans. By forcing your mind and body to understand how to keep the logo of the ball forward through the movement, you better understand how to transition from Pull to Catch of a barbell. I know big guys and strong ladies out there are like “but I can Deadlift a car”. Its all good, Trust me, if you do a wod with a med ball… it’s gonna torture you just as much if not more.
Alright. So you have more than a few hundred dollars to spend and want a little more room to work with. You also feel like you’ll return to the local box, but maybe have more equipment for those rainy days. I’ve been there. Workout after workout, there’s only so many times you can sub burpees for equipment you don’t have before shutting down the ol garage gym. Level two, still doesn’t have a rower, but we add a barbell and a rack.
Starting with your rack, we will keep it quick and simple: my suggestion, a folding rack. I’ve had a static rack and honestly, when you don’t want it out… too bad. In my gym, I have the T3 Titan folding rack ($360 Shipped), 41 inch option with tall uprights. I’ve had my hands on the Rogue 21 inch ($460 + Shipping) folding rack and if you want to know my thoughts on the differences and recommendations for how to choose between the two, check out this video. I love having the folding rack. I am a close to 300lb and it is as sturdy as a cage rack. Not to mention, it folds up nice and clean when I am done. Obviously, you have many levels of variation when a rack is introduced adding pull ups, toe to bar, and mobility.
Quick bonus item, a timer. Most of us have a smart phone or tablet. I found the best timer is from Push Press. They have a free option that has ads, and a pretty cost friendly ads removed version. Within this app you have a stop watch, intervals and AMRAPS available for custom programming. You have a long list of voices to cue you round to round as well as a beautiful visual to keep you on track with every style of workout. (not sponsored)
For a mid level garage gym, a barbell is a must. And unfortunately, that means grabbing some plates as well. Now here, you will need to decide if you want to stick to rack work, or include Oly work. If its rack only, look into steel plates. And if you want to keep it budget, just surf craiglist and FB marketplace. Bumpers, are also a budget question. If you want cheap and less need for a lifting platform, Hi Temps are for you. If you are just a fan of that beautiful competition look, you have some options. With level two, you can really hit 70-80% of the WoDs thrown your way.
OK. So, Level 3 is quick, because we really don’t have to talk about the obvious variety. This is where you have nearly unlimited budget and garage space. In many cases, you care more about your fitness than saving the paint of your car. Your mindset is Garage Gym or bust!
The list is long so for a full detailed list, I will save it for a future post. I do not have it all, but I have enough to be able to attack any wod any time with minimal substitution. Main call outs on top of those already mentioned; Rower or at least one cardio implement such as concept ski/bike erg, assault air bike, or runner. Other items include slam ball, dumbbells, kettlebells and plyo box. Those weighted items you can get just your RX weight OR grab 2-3 sets for warm up, scaled and RX weight options. Some bonus items include, bands for warm up and scaling, sleds, and other accessory items. Last thing you’ll need is either a WHOLE lot of self motivation or awesome ready to wod neighbors. Even the fittest in the world rarely workout alone.
So there you have it, 3 levels of home/garage gyms depending on your budget, space and expectations. Save a lot of money and space while keeping in mind you will most likely return to the gym by sticking with a medicine ball and jump rope. Got a little more money and space and still might consider returning to the gym, grab a rack and barbel with bumpers to increase your variety. And lastly, you can start your own affiliate in your garage and charge everyone on your street membership and get everything needed to wod anytime.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. More to come for sure,