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Old Forum Home Gym

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Matt

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I have taken the plunge and decided to cancel my gym membership and start training at home.  I am wondering if anyone has had experience doing this?

I find these days I only do heavy deadlifts, then kettlebells.  So most of the gym is redundant.  I will miss the chin/dip frame, and a cable for some chop/lifts - will have to be creative to replicate this.  I feel I can sacrifice squats - I only do heavy partial now, and can do some double kb squats I guess.

At the moment I have some cheap (about $2kg) kettlebells ( 24, 2x32 and a 40) on order (pretty good deal for Australia) and an 1500lb oly. bar.
 
I train at home in my small 9ft by 9ft basement! I have a 6ft and 7ft olympic barbell and 165kg of plates, a squat rack(not a power rack) , an 8kg, 12kg, 32 kg and 2x 16kg, 2x 20kg, 2x 24kg kettlebells and a set of gymnastic rings and dipping belt for chin/pull ups and dips and an ab-wheel.

I have quiet a low ceiling with a steel beam running adjacent to the joists so have to use a 6ft barbell and 5kg plates for overhead lifting and have to bend at the knees with my calfs behind me parallel to the floor for pull-ups.

I find I have to be efficient and minimalist with exercise selection but it keeps things simple.
 
I currently do all my training at home... only doing bodyweight, kettlebells, and I recently got a pullup bar that hangs in the doorframe.  I can do all the training I care to do with just those things.
 
I guess it comes down to the space you have available. A garage or basement would be ideal. I have a garage that 1 day I'll get around to clearing out but in the meantime I hang a pair of rings from a conservatory rafter. i'm not using them at the moment much to the delight of my wife but easy to throw up and take down. I do my Kbs outside on some grass where I jump about. I have plans for a pull up bar/dip station but I take the mañana principle a bit too literally. Something one day I'll get around to aswell. I do Kbs in the conservatory when it rains or is too cold. Training from home is great but it is more a shift in mindset than space perhaps. Going to the gym gives you your time to train and you are prepared for it. Training at home means being free of distractions, kids, pets, phones and stuff which is often harder than it sounds. Rather than finding actual space you have to find some head space first. I've often started a session to be interrupted with 'dad, where's my ipad' or my dog salivating over my face when I do a stretch. Minor inconveniences but can be frustrating sometimes. Having said that I do some crawling around in the garden with my dog jumping all over me which is pretty good for some extra balance and stability. Sure you can adapt to your surroundings and make it work for you.
 
I started training at home about 8 years ago out of necessity. At the time I had a kettlebell, a doorway pull-up bar, a pair of rings, a sledgehammer, and a tire. I probably could have added more kettlebells and stayed with that basic setup (my first KB was 16kg) but I like barbells so eventually I added a barbell set I got off of craigslist and a couple of horse stall mats. I upgraded the bar to a nicer Pendlay one, but I've still got those original plates. I wanted to get back to competing in PL, so I kept cruising craigslist and eventually found another weight set that came with a power cage and a flat bench.

I guess my advice to someone looking to get started training at home would be to just take the plunge. You can get very fit with minimal equipment, and if you want to keep upgrading just put some "gym dues" in a coffee can every week and keep your eye out for deals on the equipment you want to have.
 
For a long time I maintained a great level of fitness with just the things that Travis mentioned.  You can really do a lot with just those few things.  And it won't cost you much.

 

Now I have bought over time a lot more...

A Rogue S-2 rack with pull up bar,

Barbell and bumper plates,

Flat bench,

2x16kg, 2x24kg, and one 32kg kettlebell,

20 lb medicine ball,

2 plyo boxes,

ab wheel,

gymnastic rings,

...and I think that's about it.

I may purchase another 32kg kettlebell in the future, a rower would be nice too.

 

If I had to though, I really would be fine with a kettlebell or two, and not much else.

 
 
I'm one of those people who dreads a gym... which is one of the reasons I started kettlebells, I train at home and find it very convenient. Last thing I want to do after being out for 12 hours (work and commute) is to leave again to go to the gym.

I currently only have 2 x 24kg bells and a door frame pull-up bar. I will shortly be ordering a pair of 32kg bells.
 
In addition to KB's and Olympic weights:

I use a Hungarian core blaster once a week for a couple sets of 10 with 80lbs, a lot more weight than my presently biggest KB (24K).  Cheap to build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuA-565ldAY

I put one of these [ http://www.amazon.com/Metolius-Simulator-3D-Training-Board/dp/B002VSM1B0 ] over my shed door for an easy way to do pull ups whenever I go out to my home gym (though I regret trying the more shallow finger slots too soon and spraining my ring finger rather badly).  Gymnastics rings for pull ups and dips.  A Schwinn Airdyne can be purchased cheaply on craigslist from time to time and can simply rip your lungs out when you're in the mood.  A heavy bag and bag gloves.
 
Over the years I have accumlated what I need in my basement.(KBs,Plates, Bars, Power rack etc)   Investing in my own gym is one of the best decisions I have ever made.  This is not an exageration. It is money well spent."  Lift when I want, with who I want.
 
Interesting, never thought of gymnastic rings.  Would need a beam but still, good idea.  I find psychologically it will be a big change - really challenge training motivations.

I agree Matt that you'd have to be efficient and minimalist with training selection, but that to me is a positive.  Unless you think like a body builder (isolation, body parts) strength can be built this way.  Thinking - TSC, Simple&Sinister, Naked Warrior, and even those posts in another thread regarding resets and brute strength.  Why fatigue yourself to the point of impracticality with more than necessary?  Unless your a competing powerlifting/Olympic athlete perhaps...
 
Over the past 5 or so years, we built up a great home gym with mostly Rogue equipment.  Over time I think we had the original S-1, the second generation S-1, the S-3 with matador since the S-1 wasn't stable for dips, back to the S-1 when we moved and didn't have ceiling space for the 3.  We had the P-4 for pull-ups, their sled, GHD, flat bench, rings, etc. along the way.  Atlas stones, slam balls, dynamax balls...  A nice bearing bar and bumper plates since I was training in weightlifting to compete.

I sold it all in December in order to downsize while I'm in law school.

Now we have kettlebells.  Pairs of 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24kg, a single 32.  I intentionally ordered the pairs of 12, 16, 20, and 24.  The second 4 came when Punch sent me a 4kg bell instead of a 4kg kettlebell buddy.  Looking forward to getting a second 32 this fall when I'm strong enough to justify it.

I don't miss anything.  Seriously.

 
 
I agree with James too. I started training at home with a single 24kg bell a few years ago then got a 32kg, but also found various bargains in the local classifieds - a second 24kg, a  300# barbell set, a trap bar and gymnastic rings.

Trouble is now I have so many options I find it hard to focus one one goal/plan etc.

But I'd be happy to sell all the other stuff and just keep the kettlebells ...and perhaps get a couple more.

 
 
I decided to do the same about five years ago. We have a three car garage and two cars so I have a nice 20′ x 20′ space. I spent some money to do it but have a very complete setup with:

Power rack
Bench
Full size punching bag
Rubberized flooring
Assortment of bars
Lat tower (on the power rack) with upper and lower cables
Plenty of attachments for said lat tower
Full set of kettle bells and rack to store them
500 pounds of free weights and plate rack
Pull up bar mounted on a beam
Best part, an old, wood-cased CD player that never plays Lady Gaga. :)

It took a while to get it all together but has been more than worth it.
 
I should join your gym McLaren!  Nice setup.  Especially like the no-Lady-Gaga rule : the average gym's music is like kryptonite.
 
I started my garage gym about 7 years ago with just a 16 kg kettlebell.  I then added a power tower (pullups & dips).  My gym has morphed through the years after different goals and deals found on craigslist.  Here is my current list of equipment

Power rack
o-bar and 300+ pounds of weight
DIY tire sled
sledge hammer + large/heavy tire for flipping & hitting
40# sand bag
70# kb
28kg kb
24 kg kb
2x 20kg kb
2x 16kg kb (one of them is left at my work)
1x 12kg kb
DIY suspension straps
Glute-Ham developer
Concept 2 rower
DIY 20# med ball
heavy bag

Currently I am just using KBs and bodyweight exercises so a lot of my stuff doesn't get used but I know me and as soon as I get rid of something I will wish I still had it so it stays.  It is nicely set up in the garage so it isn't as if it is in the way.

 
 
Trouble is now I have so many options I find it hard to focus one one goal/plan etc.

But I’d be happy to sell all the other stuff and just keep the kettlebells …and perhaps get a couple more.
Seriously!  I never would've done swings and get-ups everyday for five months if I still had all the gear, and I've learned so much from that experience it's hard to explain.
 
Interesting to me that there are only positive responses/suggestions here.  No one saying their home gym setup resulted in a loss of strength, say 1RPM for their dead...?
 
A variety of kettelbells are a no brainer, but, for a change of pace, I've found sandbags fill a heavier gap. Their instability makes them 'heavier' than their actual weight. Also a 24" jump box costs about $20 and 2 hours to make. It's a great bang/buck option.
 
I like the sound of that Tim.  Also as others have suggested, a tyre and sledgehammer to just smash it with - good for forearms and "core".

 

Yes and no Aussieluke in my opinion.  While it is 100% true what you're saying, to me there would be a (possibly big) difference between what you do do and can do in a gym v at home.
 
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