Although we are firm believers in training in a gym setting that allows you to have access to a much broader range of equipment as well as a like-minded community of people, there will be times when having a home gym becomes a great option. Two specific examples would be when you can’t find a gym that provides the necessary atmosphere, and when the home gym is available as a backup plan due to weather or a hectic schedule. The most important part of a training program is the ability to follow through with it and home gyms can sometimes become beneficial in that pursuit. In this article I will show you some of the best pieces of equipment to have and how to prioritize their importance. As noted earlier, a home gym is almost always a downgrade from a commercial gym in both available equipment and the atmosphere to make the most progress. Our recommendation is to prioritize finding a good gym first and only resort to a home gym as a last resort.
1.) The Squat Rack
Without question, the squat rack is the most important aspect of a gym including home gyms and commercial gyms alike. Their utility is unmatched and the movements they allow you to perform are the foundation of any good exercise routine. Having a gym without a good squat rack is like having a bakery without an oven. There are a ton of options out there to choose from and we highly recommend not skimping on this one due to it being the main piece of your gym. A good quality squat rack from a good brand will last forever and retain its value over time. Brands such as Rogue Fitness and Rep Fitness will have better resale value down the road so that if the day comes when you need to sell, you will have a better chance of recouping more of the original investment. As the saying goes, buy nice so you don’t have to buy twice.
2.) Barbell
Having a good quality barbell in addition to the squat rack is essential. Squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc. can all be done with these two pieces of equipment and are foundational movements to most training routines. Buying the correct barbell is almost as important as the quality of the bar. If you will be using it for mostly squat, bench, deadlift type movements, a good power bar is the way to go. Key features of power bars include:
More aggressive knurling
Center knurl
Slightly larger diameter and stronger steel to hold more weight without bending
Bushings instead of bearings in the sleeves so they don’t spin as much
If you believe you would like to do or may dabble in Olympic lifts in addition to the power lifts, then a multi-use bar may be a better fit. They will have features such as:
Slightly thinner diameter for better grip
Knurling won’t be as aggressive
Dual ring marks for power and Olympic lifts
Either bushings or a combination of bushings and bearings for a slightly better spin
No center knurl
Finally, if know you will mainly focus on the Olympic lifts, then a good Olympic lifting bar will be the best fit. These will have:
Either no center knurl or a passive center knurl
Bearings in the sleeves for great spin
Slightly thinner diameter for better grip and easier hook grip
Single knurl marks for the Olympic lifts
There is no wrong answer here, it truly depends on the style of training you want to do. The difference between the bars may seem negligible but when in use, the differences are very noticeable. In an ideal world, you would have a barbell for each discipline but that can be rather costly as most of these bars will be between $200 and $400 for a good quality barbell. As with squat racks, spending the extra money for quality is definitely worth it and you will notice the difference. Most of the higher end bars also come with a lifetime warranty against bending and breakage unless they are abused so you could potentially have the same bar forever. In our experience, power bars are the most popular and most people will want to pick up that style. Our recommendation is the Rogue Ohio Power Bar.
A more thorough discussion on barbells can be found here.
3.) Bench
Another must have is a high-quality bench. There are literally hundreds of options at this point so you will have plenty to choose from. If you have the space, we recommend having a dedicated flat bench and an adjustable bench. If space is an issue, then a good adjustable bench is the way to go. The best, most cost-effective benches in our opinion are from Rep Fitness and Titan Fitness where you can pick up really awesome benches that will last forever for less than $500. If cost is no object, then Rogue Fitness, Prime Fitness, Legend Fitness, and Arsenal Strength (among others) become viable options. However, those will run anywhere from $500 to $2000, and few people will find they are worth the upgrade for a home gym since they are built for commercial gyms with much higher usage rates.
4.) Weight Plates
While not as glamorous as the others, the plates are what bring everything else together. About 300lbs is a good place to start for most people since you can add as you get stronger. Once again, our recommendation is to buy high quality plates. Not only do they hold their value better than cheaper plates, but they also have more strict tolerances. What this means is that a 45lb plate is more likely to weigh exactly 45lbs. We have seen plates weigh anywhere from 40 to 50 pounds in cheaper sets which can cause some serious issues as more weight is added. Imagine doing a squat that has two plates weighing 50 pounds on one side and two plates weighing 42 pounds on the other side. Not good. To be fair, the weight differences are rarely that extreme and can be remedied by weighing the plates before using them, but it adds a lot of effort for something that shouldn’t be complicated. Spend the extra on the good plates and thank yourself later. Another thing to look for is the plate diameter of the 45lb plates. 17.7” is considered standard. We would avoid anything more or less than that as it will change the height of the bar when pulling from the ground. If you won’t be doing deadlifts of any kind, this won’t affect you as much but still something to consider for if you ever need to resell them down the road. There are too many good plates available on the market to name them all, but Rep Fitness, Rogue Fitness, and Giant Lifting all have very good offerings at decent prices.
That is it!
Seriously, that is basically everything you need to have a home gym worthy of using when needed. Of course, it doesn’t have everything you could ever want or need, but a lot of progress could be made in that small footprint. Replacing everything that a commercial gym can provide won’t be economically viable most of the time due to the amount of money it would take or the amount of space. It can be surprising how much space some equipment will take up and people are usually shocked with how little they can fit into the space they picked out.
Runners Up
If you have the extra space, there are a few options that can add a lot to your home gym experience. They are by no means essential, but a nice luxury to have either way.
1.) Dumbbells
Full dumbbell sets take up quite a bit of space and cost a lot but are amazing to have. They will allow to do almost everything that you can do with a bar, just in a different way and provide a unique training stimulus and more variety. They even have adjustable dumbbells now that go above 100 pounds and take up very little space. We don’t like using them as much as standard commercial dumbbell sets but having a full set of dumbbells in just a few square feet is awesome. Just make sure not to ditch your barbell movements.
2.) Cable Crossover
There are cable crossover units that are available in more space friendly setups for home gyms. They still take up a lot of space but can be a viable option. The higher end ones can get fairly close to commercial gym quality and open your home gym to hundreds of new exercises that would be impossible to replicate without a cable machine. Keep in mind though that these machines will typically cost $2000+ minimum if you want it to be as close as possible to the ones you find at commercial gyms.
3.) Cardio
Doing cardio is incredibly important for overall health but we left off any cardio equipment because most of it takes up a lot of room and can be done outside. Would it be nice to have a treadmill, elliptical, bike, stair stepper, rower, etc. at home? Absolutely. Is it essential? No. If you have the space and the money, then absolutely add cardio pieces to make it more convenient in your routine. If not, take it outside or find other creative ways to get moving and sweating. You can still get cardio in without a treadmill, but you won’t be able to do heavy enough squats and bench presses without a squat rack.
