How to Build a Home Gym

Below is a list of the top pieces of equipment to get started building your home gym.

1. Squat Rack/Cage

The squat rack is the centerpiece of your gym where you will perform most of your compound muscle building exercises such as squats, bench press, and deadlifts. There are many factors to consider when purchasing a squat rack such as cost, quality and space requirements.

Rogue is a popular brand for high end high quality squat racks but can become very costly as their cheapest Monster Rack option is currently just shy of $1000. A budget and best value option for beginners would be the Fitness Reality XLT810 squat rack or the HulkFit Multi-Functional Power Cage for around $300. Both of these options can be purchased directly from Amazon, which means no additional shipping fees! Both of these options also have a lat pull down attachment for an additional cost. Personally, I started with the Fitness Reality XLT810 power rack and it has held up very nicely for me. It has a max capacity of 800lbs which should be sufficient for most people.

Fitness Reality XLT810 Power Rack

HulkFit Multi-Functional Power Cage

Foldable racks are another option to consider for those people who would like to be able to conserve space in their home. In my opinion, the best option in this category for ease of setup and installation would be the PRX performance Profile One or Profile Pro foldable racks. The PRX performance racks take up only 4" of wall space when not in use and was actually featured on an episode of Shark Tank. These are priced starting at $650 for the short 73" version plus tax and shipping. However for the most budget friendly option, I would recommend going with the Ethos Foldable Rack which can be purchased from Dick's sporting goods for as little as $250. Another budget option is the Titan Fitness T-3 or X-3 racks which are currently being offered upwards of $320 with free shipping.

PRX Performance Profile Pro Rack

Titan Fitness T-3 Series Folding Power Rack

2. Olympic Barbell & Weight Plates

Like the squat rack, barbell and weight plates are essential and staples in training regiments for strength, fat loss, and body re-composition.

Again, Rogue is a popular brand for high end high quality American made barbells. A popular do it all bar is the Rogue Ohio Power Bar, which currently retails for $305 plus taxes and shipping. The Rogue Ohio Power Bar includes a lifetime warranty against bending. However, given the fact that the vast majority of people probably wouldn't lift enough weight to cause a barbell to bend, a budget and best value option for beginners would be the CAP 45lb Olympic Barbell which currently retails for somewhere between $70-$90 on Amazon.

Rogue Ohio Power Bar

If you really wanted a Rogue barbell at a discount, you could opt for a Rogue Ohio Boneyard Bar. This is essentially the same barbell offered for $250 due to minor blemishes. Personally, I started with a RitFit Bar I found on Amazon and ended up upgrading to a Rogue Boneyard Bar after a while. If you do end up getting a barbell from Amazon, make sure to read the reviews so that you know exactly what you're getting. I started with the RitFit Bar since it was the cheapest bar I could find knowing that it was a couple of pounds lighter than the typical 45lb Olympic barbell. Regardless of which barbell you purchase, you would have to buy weight plates separately. Depending on your budget, you can go this route and purchase one pair of plates and build on that over time or alternatively, you can opt for a bundle.

Dick's Sporting Goods is offering a Fitness Gear 300lb Olympic Weight set with a barbell included for $400. That price equates to about $1.33 per lb in today's market is not bad. Personally for me, weight is weight so I would just try to purchase the cheapest weights you can find. Keep in mind that cast iron plates are cheaper and that sometimes the lower cost of the weights may mean higher manufacturing tolerances for the actual weight of the product.

3. Bench

For a bench, I would recommend an FID (Flat-Incline-Decline) Adjustable bench so that you have more versatility in your training. But if that's not important to you, the Amazon Basics Flat Bench is a great option. For a bench, Rep Fitness is a company that makes very sturdy benches that are comparable to your average commercial gym benches. However, these types of benches typically start at $319 plus tax. For a budget friendly option, I recommend browsing Amazon for the Marcy adjustable weight bench for $65. Personally, when I bought my first bench, I decided to go for the Figold foldable weight bench on Amazon for ease of storage. Just keep in mind that if you do go with these budget bench options, you get what you pay for and there may be a little bit of a wobble and lower weight capacity than if you invest in a higher cost-higher quality bench. The Figold foldable bench did last me a while until I saved enough money to upgrade to a higher quality bench.

Rep Fitness AB-3000 Adjustable FID Bench

Figold Foldable & Adjustable Weight Bench

BONUS: Adjustable Dumbbells

This last one is a bonus because with the top three pieces of equipment above, you can pretty much come up with a barbell alternative to most, if not all dumbbell exercises. However, if you're like me and you like to incorporate some type of dumbbell exercises into your training program, you can invest in a pair of adjustable dumbbells. Personally for me, I just used a Marcy 40lb adjustable dumbbell set that my parents had laying around. These lasted me for a while until I was able to upgrade to cast iron and rubber coated hex dumbbells. It was a little annoying and time consuming having to change out plates whenever I wanted to change the weight though. Two good solutions and adjustable options are the Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells and the Powerblock dumbbells. They allow you to change weight from 0-50 or 0-52.5 pounds within seconds. At the time of writing this post, both the Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells and the Powerblock dumbbells are currently retailing for $399 plus tax.

Above, we highlighted the top pieces of equipment for building your home gym including both higher end and budget friendly options. Keep in mind, the cheapest option would be to first check OfferUp or Facebook Marketplace in your area for bargain deals! May the gains be ever in your favor!