How to Build a Home Gym

Home gyms are becoming increasingly popular.  Recent studies suggest that more than 67% of North American households own exercise equipment or home gyms.

With our busy schedules and hectic lifestyles, many of us no longer have time to commute to and from commercial health clubs or gym’s.  This is just one of the many reasons why building and training in your own home gym may be the right choice for you.  

Even if you have a gym membership, it may be worth while to invest in a small home gym.  This will ensure variety in your workouts, and will discourage you to skip workouts when you have little spare time.

Aside from being very convenient, training in your own home gym can also improve the effectiveness of your workouts, and save you time and money.  A well built home gym will help you reach your fitness goals whether you are a beginner, or fitness expert.   

With the right combination of equipment, building and training in your own home gym can be as or more effective than training at a commercial fitness club!  

Now let's take a look at how you can build your own home gym...

Building a Home Gym in Three Easy Steps 

It is important to build a home gym based on your specific needs. Factors that you must consider before purchasing any equipment include:  

1).  Budget

3).  Fitness Goals  

Before you even step foot in a fitness equipment store, you need to analyze your budget, measure the amount of space you have in your designated fitness room, and determine exactly what your fitness goals will be.  These are the three factors that will help you determine exactly what pieces of equipment are suitable for your home gym.

Now let’s take a closer look at each of the above criteria...

Budget

Although it is possible to build a home gym for under $1000, we recommend that you consider spending between at least $1000 and $1500.  At this price you should be able to build a home gym with a variety of pieces of equipment that will help you reach your goals.  

Regardless of your budget, it is important to choose the best equipment that you can afford. Since space is normally an issue in most home gym’s, choosing versatile equipment that takes up as little space as possible is essential.   

If you have a tight budget, consider purchasing used equipment.  Used equipment is readily available, is often lightly used, and is heavily discounted in price compared to new equipment.

If your budget is limited, keep in mind that you don't need the fancy high priced equipment to get a good workout.  Just stick to the basics and you will be fine.  Free weights, resistance bands, a stability ball, adjustable bench press, and chinn-up and dip bar are practically all you need to start with.

Also keep in mind that you will no longer be paying monthly fees at a health club.  This is between $50 and $100 per month that you can use to put towards your home gym equipment.  If your home gym were to cost $1000 for example, it could pay for its self in less than one year.  

Space Availability

In order to determine the best home gym set up for your needs, you have to consider the amount of space available.  We recommend that the room you choose for your home gym be at least 120 square feet in size (10 X 12 Feet).  To calculate the square footage of a room, measure the length and the width of the room (in feet), and multiply each number together.  Once you have determine the square footage of your training area, also make sure that you measure the height of the ceiling so you know how much clearance you have.  Some pieces of equipment are quite tall, and won't work in basements with low ceilings.

Now that you have taken the measurement of your training area, you will have a much better idea as to what type of equipment will be suitable.  Most of the time space is at a premium, so it is important to choose pieces of equipment that are very efficient and take up as little space as possible.    

The BowFlex Ultimate 2

In our opinion, the BowFlex Ultamate 2 is the most versatile and effective piece of home gym equipment on the market.  There are very few machines this versatile that can fit into almost any home gym.  

It took Bowflex years to finally come up with a winner.  With the old models, you had to continuously change attachments and move cable pulleys as you moved from exercise to exercise.  This is no longer necessary with the new units.   Now, you can finally work multiple muscle groups without having to make any attachment or pulley changes. This means a more efficient workout with less hassle.  This machine will allow you to perform multiple exercises for each muscle group.

Of course, with all of the bells and wissles this machine has, there is one downsize... Price.  At around $1800 - $2000, the unit doesn't come cheap.  But it isn't an unreasonable price for such an easy to use, versatile piece of equipment.

PowerBlocks Dumbbells 

Before the Power Block Dumbbell, you may have needed twelve or more pairs of dumbbells in your home gym.  The Power Block Dumbbells are essentially eight sets of dumbbells in one.  

There are a number of different models available. They are:

*Add on blocks can also be purchased if you need to increase weight.  

Fitness Goals

In order to choose the right type of equipment for your home gym, you have to take your specific fitness goals in to consideration.  You also have to keep in mind that your goals may change over time. For example, although your current goal might be to build muscle, you may get to a point where you want to lose body fat.  It is important to make sure your home gym has enough versatility to accommodate your ever changing fitness goals.  

Here are three examples of how your fitness goals will effect what equipment you choose for your home gym: