Building a home gym

As you know, I’m a huge fan of working out at home. That’s mostly because I don’t like sweating around other people. I also enjoy having the ability to work out whenever I want, something that is a bonus when I work from home and have kids.

My husband and I have been building a home gym in the garage using mostly 2nd hand equipment. It’s hot, not all the walls are plastered, and the light doesn’t work, but it’s mine.

It’s not all that fancy or flash, but it contains all the basics that I need to lift heavy stuff.

My garage gym has a squat rack (with pulley), adjustable bench, and a lot of weights (obviously with bars and dumbbells to go with them). I also have some little extras like the swiss ball, some medicine balls, step and a chin up bar. Next on the list of things to get is a suspension system and some kettlebells.

I do have a preference for cast iron weights. Mostly because, well, I just like them more than the others.

The squat rack and bench my husband bought for me 2nd hand off eBay. Best damn present. Ever. He has even re-sprayed the big plates as they were a little rusty. Now they are all shiny. He has no interest in using the gym, so it’s all for me

There’s about 130kg+ of weights sitting there to use. For those playing at home, that’s about 3x my midget-sized body weight. More than enough for now.

My advice when setting up a home gym is to stuck to the basics, there’s no need to go over the top. If you want to workout at home, buy equipment that you will actually use (and fits in your house – get a tape measure). No dust collectors allowed.

I am lucky that I have quite a large space. I can fit what I need in there and have space to do a quick HIIT session. I don’t need a treadmill though. I have kids. And stairs. And a cat that likes to play catch-me-if-you-can every night before bed.