Free Home Gym Setup and Buying Guide
Essential Equipment and Setup Tips for Building Your Own Elite Home Gym
Odds are if you’re reading this, you probably think how amazing it would be to never have to leave your house to get an awesome workout…
The idea of being able to get the same quality workout and results you can get from a public/commercial gym without needing to leave your house is a dream myself and most of my gym bro’s have always had.
The issue is, you think you’d need a ton of extra space to fit all the unique equipment a commercial gym offers and it’d be so expensive that it remains a “once I’ve made it” type goal.
I know this is how I felt until I “accidentally” stumbled into building my own home gym in the small extra bedroom in my house.
If you know what you’re doing, you’ll realize it actually requires very little space and costs less than most spend on their yearly vacation down at the beach—so that’s where I come in, to tell you how.
Like I said, this kinda “accidentally” happened when we stumbled upon a Rack and Bench on clearance for $50. We figured it’d just be cool to have so why not. Like most things in my life, this led me into an obsession as I got into it when I was buying little extras for it like a Barbell, Plates, Adjustable Dumbbells, and another Dip Rack on clearance for $50…
…it was like a gateway drug that led to our unused baby nursery becoming a Home Gym good enough that I haven’t gone to my usual public gym in longer than I can remember.
As straightforward as it sounds, considering that a Rack, Barbell, some Plates, and a few Dumbbells would be enough, I didn’t want to sacrifice the convenience and tools to get better results that a good public gym offers. I have grown accustomed to my privileged Machine Life, so going back to a more minimalist set-up of mainly just Free Weights was a giant turn-off.
Luckily we live in the 2020’s and capitalism has done what capitalism does best and has made it to where it’s very easy to buy your own reasonably priced machines + they make machines with multiple uses so space becomes much less of an issue.
So, if you have a spare bedroom, or especially if you have a garage with free space, you can take advantage of this and build a home gym that can match the results and a lot of the ease/convenience machines and equipment in public gyms give you.
What I’ve done here is listed out the equipment I’d buy depending on how much space and/or budget you have to build one. I’ve done this by thinking about what equipment I would prioritize in terms of alleviating friction that the lack of machine access can create and what will give you the best bang for your buck/square footage.
For example:
When considering equipment availability, I found Legs and Shoulders to be the main limiting factors:
Legs: Without a Leg Curl/Extension and Hack Squat/Leg Press Machine, my workouts would be limited to Barbell Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats, Lunges, and a few Hamstring isolations like Nordic Curls. These are less enjoyable or more fatiguing. The Leg Curl/Extension Machine changes this significantly, and the Hack Squat/Leg Press adds versatility while reducing spinal load.
Shoulders: The Shoulder Press/Lateral Raise Machine isn't as essential, but it's crucial for me since I dislike being limited to just Barbell Shoulder Press, and safely setting down heavy dumbbells without damaging me or the floor is an issue. The machine offers safety and versatility.
For other muscle groups:
Chest: Easily covered with various Bench Presses, Dumbbell Flyes, Dips, and Push-Ups.
Back: Ample options with Rows, Pull-Ups, Landmine Rows, and Cable exercises.
Arms: Well-served by Cables, Dumbbells, and Barbells/EZ curl bars.
My gym setup focuses on practicality with variety, tailored to my goals. When setting up your home gym, it’s important to consider what machines benefit you most and what variety you need. If you have different priorities, adjust your choices. If space and budget allow, aim for a comprehensive setup.
This is what I DID, many of you likely will feel the same, BUT these are the questions and things to consider when setting up your own home gym.
Maybe you can’t live without a Chest Press Machine or find you struggle to feel like you’re getting good workouts without a Row Machine for Back… if that’s the case, choose those instead if you have similar space limitations…
…or get everything in my guide if space and budget are not issues (that’s what I’m doing once we’re done building our house that is basically half living quarters, half gym… this is only kinda a joke…)
Download Your Free Guide
*Billy Mays Voice*
But wait, there’s more to this…
I Made A New Program Just For Home Gyms, Too
Last week I released a new Home Gym Program along with this buying guide for my paid Substack subscribers here ⇩
As much as I wish I could just give everything away for free, I have bills to pay and children to feed so I can’t (people also don’t psychologically take things they get for free seriously so even just the $5 for a subscription makes the subconscious mind take this more serious so people will actually try and use the program to get the awesome results it offers).
That said, I figured I’d give you the Buying and Setup Guide for your own Home Gym for free because I’ve learned just how game changing having your own Home Gym can be and wanted to make sure anyone who was interested but didn’t know where to start had a good resource to help make it a reality—the program is just a bonus for those who decide (or already have) to build a home gym and want a great, structured program to get the most results from it.
The program can be done with just as little as a Rack, some Free Weights, and other minimalist equipment like a Bench or Adjustable Dumbbells.
I designed this program with 2 things in mind:
I wanted to be able to get similar results to what I could get in a fully stocked commercial gym
I wanted it to be quick and efficient + break things up in a way that made them mentally simple and easy to digest in a way that you get the time/convenience benefit of a Home Gym and are more likely to adhere to the program
That last part was very important to me because when you have a Home Gym and thus 24/7 access, it’s actually easier to put it off because it’s always there so it doesn’t feel as urgent.
I also made it at a time where the gym wasn’t my main priority and things like raising my son, business, and taking care of my entire family (I’m one of my grandparents’ main caretakers now) were far more important to me, BUT I also didn’t want to sacrifice getting good results.
Because I make everything for myself first, then post for you all later, I ended up accomplishing this and actually making some of my best progress in years because I was putting more quality time in the gym because it didn’t feel like a chore, as ironic as that is.
If you are familiar with any of my previous programs then you have a pretty good idea as to how this is set up and works because since my last program (Density), the human body still hasn’t changed.
However, for those of you who are new to my programs, here is my thought process and philosophy for how it works: the main goal and principle that we will follow is Progressive Overload. This program is written with the expectation that even though it’s only 3-4 days a week and done in the comfort of your own home that you're going to work out HARD and not just go through the motions like every other gym bro that looks the same year after year…
So, if this is something you think could help give you some structure and better purpose for your home workouts then bookmark for later or you just subscribe for $5 a month (or less if annual) and get this + my other dozen or so highly esteemed programs here:
#WAGMI
Your friend,
- BowTiedOx
DISCLAIMER
This is not Legal, Medical, or Financial advice. Please consult a medical professional before starting any workout program, diet plan, or supplement protocol. These are opinions from a Cartoon Ox. Bob Saget.
Hell yeah! Just yesterday I ordered a rack, lat pulldown/low row attachment, bumper plates, and some other attachments after being inspired by the buying guide. Not going too crazy with equipment cuz moving in a year or so but def excited and excited to give this program a shot.