View Full Version : Could i build my own gym?
Cole673a
07-26-10, 12:32 am
Has anyone here done it? or have any tips.
As long as you shop around well and have the money, yeah, of course you can build your own gym.
However, your own personal gym for you and some friends is quite a bit easier to do than a full on commercial gym.
Cole673a
07-26-10, 12:41 am
i just want one for at my house
Cole673a
07-26-10, 12:42 am
and if i did, i would have to buy it piece by piece, i woul djust have to save money
As I said before, if you have the money, then you can build your gym. Craigslist is a good place to shop for used equipment and probably the best place to by plates. There are a lot of people that get rid of the 300 pound olympic sets.
Buy a power cage, bench, bar, and plates, and that will be a great start.
Cole673a
07-26-10, 12:56 am
i am wanting to do it, i better start saving. i got kicked outta my last gym for heavy deadlifting, the last day i was there i maxxed at 540
The Misfit
07-26-10, 1:21 am
i got kicked outta my last gym for heavy deadlifting
I'm utterly disgusted hearing that. The industry just might be taking a turn for the worse with the establishment of such gyms.
i am wanting to do it, i better start saving. i got kicked outta my last gym for heavy deadlifting, the last day i was there i maxxed at 540
Let me guess 24 Hour Fitness or some other "fitness" club?
That sucks bro. Just left Lifetime Fitness for all the crap they do. No lifting barefoot apparently. Saying the weight could fall on your foot and hurt you... do you really think a canvas upper would help? I don't think so. Back to Average Joe's for me (local community center)
Cole673a
07-26-10, 10:30 am
yea the name was ATC around the clock fitness...but unfortunately theres not much of anywhere to lift thats not a hour away
rockyIV
07-26-10, 11:12 am
That sucks bro. I have a garage and built my own squat rack and have a flat bench so I'm pretty much set on almost everything I really need except for incline and dips. Working on that solution as we speak but it's hotter than balls here in Memphis right now so I go to Average Joe's...
Cole673a
07-26-10, 11:22 am
i live about 30 mins outside of memphis in covington
Dedicated
07-26-10, 12:09 pm
Back in the day when I first started working out, my Dad converted an old shed at my great grandmothers house into a gym. Bench, home made squat rack, curl bar, dumbbells, a small mirror, radio, fridge, dirt all over the floors, and water dripping from pipes in the ceiling. Man I miss that place.
This is an interesting proposition. What are the most important pieces you'd put in a home gym? What kind of flooring? Equipment? Besides craigslist, where's another place you can go for solid, sturdy, reasonably priced equipment. I'm thinking of doing up a home gym too.
squattingtillipuke
07-26-10, 12:51 pm
look at craigslist, ebay, in your newspaper, etc.
You can put it together rather cheap if you have the time to look for things you want.
I put this gym together mostly from the above sites in my barn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmiVsK2fjIE
JUGGERNAUT
07-26-10, 1:04 pm
Sheets of plywood with rubber flooring over it is great if you can swing it. Floors of home gyms...or any gym for that matter take a beating.
C.Coronato
07-26-10, 1:38 pm
Big Ant is your man. His basement is a fully stocked gym, and probably has more equipment than most gyms around.
Cole673a
07-26-10, 2:02 pm
well im just gonna have to save up, weights so far liek dumbells and everything look really expensive
JUGGERNAUT
07-26-10, 2:04 pm
well im just gonna have to save up, weights so far liek dumbells and everything look really expensive
Look in the local paper and go to auctions/yard sales/flea markets. It can be cheap.
ontheEDGE
07-26-10, 2:34 pm
Built my own... Have a bench, chin up bar, free weights dubbells. You can get a lot done right there. Basics plus a little creativity at times. I think a home gym is the way to go cause it eventually pays for itself compared to a gym membership. One thing I reccomend is don't settle. Look around a lot especially before buying your bench. Get all the features you want in there cause it will be your center piece.
JUGGERNAUT
07-26-10, 2:38 pm
I'm a big fan of getting a power rack first if it fits your ceiling height. There is nothing you can't do in one and best part is the spotter rails; training alone.
Over the past few months I have setup a Powerlifting Gym at home, here is what I've got so far:
Rack and Bench (purchased from snpequipment.com, top of the line and well built at an affordable price...dont skimp on the rack and bench)
Texas Squat Bar (made by Buddy Capps in Dallas, TX...the guy who makes the REAL Texas Bars)
2 Texas Power Bars (bought from a local gym that was closing, got a GREAT deal)
20 45lbs plates (picked up from local gyms closing from 25cents-60cents per pound)
2 100lbs plates (from a gym closing)
Chest Supported Row (gym closing)
45deg Hyper (made by a friend)
Extra plates (5's, 10's, 25's) (got these from a retail store, not high quality but weight is weight)
Platform (plywood from Home Depot, Stall Mats from Tractor Supply)
Dip Chin Station (play it again sports)
Complete Band Setup (Elitefts.com)
50lbs Kettlebell (retail shop)
More to come over time.
Most of this was purchased off of Craigs List. You can really find just about anything you need on there, but you have to be patient and look pretty much every day. Dont pay over 60 cents a pound for olympic plates. Skip the dumbbells, get an olympic handle. DB's are pricey...put your money in a good rack, with a DB bench and a good bar (Texas Power Bar). You can find used olympic plates very cheap. You can do pretty much anything with a basic rack, bench, bar, and plates.
My 2 cents.
JUGGERNAUT
07-26-10, 3:51 pm
Sounds like the ultimate Christmas list!
Cellardweller
07-26-10, 5:43 pm
I've built my own over the years. Like was already said, don't skimp on the rack. I got a good power rack with a high and low pully attachment. Yes, ceiling height is a BIG consideration. Every year I add to my gym. Somewhere in my 20's I figured I'd save membership money by buying my own stuff that I'd have forever. Buy 300lbs of iron and it will still be 300lbs in 40 years. There will always be limits to what you can do at home vs the gym, but creativity counts!