Welcome to Part 1 of the "Building Your Own Gym" Series. This series will focus on the top 5 items I believe are best for creating your own "gym" based on your individual situation. As the title indicates, this article is speaking to the homeowner who has a dedicated space that they can furnish a home gym in. They don't have too many space constraints, no apartment neighbors across the walls, nor any questioning landlords they might have to deal with when deciding how to best build out their gym. Maybe some jealous neighbors once their setup is complete.
For the homeowner looking to build their home gym in the most efficient way possible, the following 5 items are your best purchases for building a solid, minimalist gym that will meet just about all of your fitness needs. Depending on what you want to spend, I have given my recommendations for the top-of-the-line equipment as well as more wallet-friendly equipment that will still definitely get the job done!
1. Barbell and Weight Plates:
The home gym starts and ends with a quality barbell - emphasis on quality - and weight plates. A barbell and plates allow for a myriad number of exercises and are the best way for building absolute strength. No rack for squats? Better develop the strength and mobility for power cleans, front squats, and overhead pressing. No rack to bench press from? get good at barbell bridges to transition the barbell into the floor press position. Deadlifts and Bentover Rows? no rack needed. A lack of a rack is no excuse to not be able to get jacked with a barbell. Get after it. There is no substitute for a barbell and weight plates. I do offer my favorite recommendations of each below, however. Check them out!
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2. Power Rack:
All the information above being said, a power rack is THE staple home gym centerpiece due to its versatility and is a definite symbol of the serious home gym lifter. Whatever your fitness goal is, a power rack can play a role in helping you accomplish your goals. If you have the funds and space in your home to have a power rack, do not hesitate. Buy one. NOW.
As a sidenote, if you are buying a power rack, look for one that enables attachments. Good power racks allow for attachments for pullup bars, dip bars, and safety bars, as well as landmine attachments, barbell storage attachments, and weight plate storage attachments. If you have space for a power rack, you already have your entire minimalist weight training setup ready to go. As an added bonus, many power racks come with a pullup bar already installed. No need to buy an additional wall or ceiling mounted pullup bar for your gym.
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3. Dip Station:
The king of bodyweight pressing - and perhaps upper body pressing - exercises. Dips allow for incredible upper body development and functional strength. They emphasize work on the shoulder, chest, and tricep musculature, while also requiring full body stabilization. Properly performed dips will translate over into either the bench press or overhead press and not leave you with the hunched forward shoulders you so often see from repetitive bench pressing. When done correctly, dips will actually allow you to get a deeper stretch in your chest muscles and increase your mobility in your shoulders and upper body. Do dips. Experience the gains.
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4. Weight Bench:
A Bench is actually an incredibly versatile object for your gym. A flat bench alone is incredibly adaptive to different exercises. A flat bench allows for flat bench press (obviously), unilateral row variations, elevated split squat variations, step-up exercises, box squats, and a variety of other exercise variations. While not essential, a bench is definitely a game-changer and well worth the purchase.
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5. Row Machine:
My favorite cardio machine out there! The rowing machine is incredible for everyone. It builds full-body musculature while simultaneously offering an incredible cardio conditioning workout. It has an extremely low impact on the body's joints and can be used to "get smoked" or as an active recovery tool. Your intensity determines your workout. Furthermore, it's a portable indoor exercise option for those rainy or snowy days when you'd rather not go for that walk or run outside but still want to get in some conditioning and cardio work. As an added bonus, the sliding seat function can be an excellent tool for building hamstring and glute strength through this bodyweight hamstring curl exercise.
If you plan to buy a rower, look at it as an investment and go with the best. The Concept 2 Rowing Machine is simply the best out there. you will not regret this purchase.
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