It may look like the next phase of COVID-19 is upon us. Several companies have created vaccines and the first batch is being delivered this week. 

Even with a potential solution being here really soon, the holidays are only a couple of weeks away which many are predicting for another surge of cases and potential shutdowns.

Here in Massachusetts, Governor Baker recently implemented a statewide roll back and put additional restrictions in place for fitness businesses, restaurants, and social gatherings. Several states have taken a more aggressive approach with mandatory shutdowns and closings of certain businesses, so it’s almost inevitable that Massachusetts will shut down again at some point.

As the famous saying goes: “Prepare for the best, prepare for the worst and expect the unexpected” , we have to take this approach as we move forward with COVID-19. 

With that being said, we have created a 3 part blog series to give you the information you need so you can keep your fitness the highest priority during another potential shutdown.

In part 1 of our Training at Home Series , we are going to discuss building the PERFECT home gym, what the essentials are, how to do it on a budget and how much space you really need to get a workout in! So whether you are doing personal training sessions from home, CrossFit , or Group classes from home OR you’re just working out on your own, we got you!

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, most at home exercise equipment had more dust than sweaty fingerprints on them! Since the pandemic, that fitness equipment you may have should’ve gotten more usage (well, I hope!) and for those that needed it, well, buying anything has been an issue. 

Due to the global pandemic, the demand has been extremely high for fitness equipment. It makes sense; gyms are shut down, not everyone is comfortable going into the gyms that are open, and more people are exercising from home. However, the global supply chains and manufacturing of that equipment has been severely impacted. The manufacturing can’t meet the demand and the supply of much of the equipment comes from overseas which has been held up from shipping. So, building your perfect quarantine gym may not have as easy as you hoped.

The good news is that more equipment is becoming available and you don’t necessarily have to wait 6 months to get it (like you might have to wait for a couch!). So building your perfect at-home gym can happen so let’s talk about how you’re going to do it!

When creating your vision for where you’re going to train and get your workouts in, you need to understand the space you have available. 

The most common places people are going to set up a home gym is going to be in their garage or their basement. If you plan on setting up a training space somewhere else, don’t worry, this all applies!

First, take a measurement of your space (or check the floor plans/blueprints of your house for exact measurements) to determine how much room you have and where you are going to do the majority of your workouts. For most people, you really don’t need more than 100-200 sq/ft to workout in with storage (it all depends on how much stuff you have).

On average, a two-car garage is 18 feet wide x 20 feet deep, but you don’t need all that space unless your whole family is working out at the same time! For the most part, you will need 4-6 rubber stall mats that are 4×6 feet and ¾ in thick (that’s 96-384 sq/ft total). These will run you between $40-$60 each. The best place to purchase these (if they are in stock) is tractor supply company . Most basement spaces can accommodate this as well, however, the major difference between a basement and a garage set up is the ceiling height.

A factor that is often overlooked is the ceiling clearance. To be safe, you will need at least 8 feet of ceiling height or clearance if you plan on doing anything overhead related, including pull-ups. If you don’t have this ceiling clearance, don’t worry, you can still set up space and make it work, however you will be more limited to what you can do.

*Pro-tip* -The more stuff you have, the more space you will need. Focus on the essentials and build out from there to maximize your space. I talk about that below if you want to scroll ahead!

After figuring out your workout space and how big you would like it to be, you need to look at where and how you will store your equipment.

The best practice for equipment storage is to get as much of it off the ground. Storing equipment on the wall or consolidate it in a way that your floor space isn’t impacted when you’re moving is what you need to do. If wall mounting isn’t an option, creating storage racks or purchasing multi-storage racks can make a world of difference, as long as it’s in your budget! There are a TON of DIY options to build storage for plates, dumbbells, and other equipment (see below!)

Coach Garret’s home gym has DIY plate storage racks (see left side)

If you know you will be in the need of storage, here are some wall mounted storage options to look at:

Clearly, getting all of these storage racks can add up. In the short term, keep your equipment organized and far enough away so it doesn’t impact how you move. DIY options here are to:

Note the plate and dumbbell storage around the squat rack! Nice Karen and Andrew!

Speaking of budget, the next step in building out your home gym is sorting through how much money you would like to spend. The good news is that you don’t need to buy everything all at once AND if you’re handy or know someone that is, you can build several things that will save you some dough. Furthermore, you need to look at buying fitness equipment for your CrossFit home workouts as a lifelong investment. If well maintained, the equipment you buy should last a LONG time, so make sure you take care of it!

Below I broke down a few budget ranges and what you could theoretically create for a home gym based on the budget. Again, you don’t need to buy everything at once, but this will give you an idea of what you would need to spend all in.

If you have zero equipment at home and are on a tight budget, I created a cart on Amazon to get you all of the things I added above. I kept the cost under $100 and if you have all of these items, you can certainly tackle a variety of workouts to help you maximize your goals! Here is the link to access it!

Check out AB’s set up! You don’t need a lot of equipment to still crush your workouts!

All in, plus shipping from Rogue/Titan and Amazon, you are working with around $500 in gear , which would cover 80%+ of all your workouts or training you need. If you have this in your budget, this equipment package is the standard for what you should have in your home gym, hands down!

*When choosing a barbell OR any piece of equipment from Rogue (as inventory has been low) make sure to check off the IN STOCK button under AVAILABILITY on the left of your screen. This will filter the options that are available and save you some time!

With the addition of a barbell, bumper plates, and clips for your bar, this will run you close to an additional $500, totaling the Home Gym Rx Package to just under $1000. This package will add additional versatility to your workouts and allow you to do almost any barbell movement. This gets you roughly to 90% of all the CrossFit or functional fitness workouts you may do.

For under $1000, you can have a pretty awesome setup, but don’t worry, there’s more!

Everyone has a budget, trust me I get it! However, if you still have money to spend on your home gym OR you already have everything I mentioned above and want to add more specific equipment, here are some additional options you may want to consider. 

Concept 2 Bike Erg and Concept 2 Rower (stacked vertically) takes up minimal space!

Overall, my recommendation would be to get on a waitlist for the Concept 2 Rower or try to purchase a used Concept 2 Rower. It will give you the most bang for your buck! Also, I didn’t mention purchasing a treadmill because I don’t believe it’s not cost-effective, storable for small spaces or a major priority to help you get more fit. If you want to run, run outside!

If you have space and lifting heavy is a high priority to you, adding a squat rack to your home gym should be on your list of things to add!  There are several options here and I will break down what I believe the top 3 would be for the majority of home gyms.

The RED rack on the left is the wall-mounted, collapsable rack that fits nicely in my garage!

Jay and Heather have one of the most badass home gyms I’ve seen! You can see the space they have to fit that power rack!

*If you are getting a rack, adding a utility bench to your purchase would be a great additional purchase!

Who doesn’t like having extra fitness equipment?! Below are some additional options and accessories that won’t break the bank and can add more variety to your at home training.

Thank you for reading through part 1 of our 3 part At Home Training series. In our next post, we are going to discuss how to get started with training at home and what you need to do!

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