Build your own Gym

Why to start..?

We already discussed, why strength training is paramount, for dressing well. Now let‘s have a look how to do it as cost and time efficient as possible. If you are as busy as most people are in our era, you can save a lot of time and money building your own gym. No monthly fees, no commute to a gym, no waiting in line after work, to use one of the two squat racks that are available to 100 eager trainees.

To start a new habit, in this case lifting consistently, you have to minimize resistance. Make it as easy as possible to get going, by having your personal gym in your own place. You don’t need a lot of space, cellar, balcony, spare room, terrace everything works, if you want to.

But where to start..?

Cheapest way to get going and get the most out of your first investment, buy/ make yourself a pull-up and a dip bar. You can go a long way with pull-ups, dips and air squats before you need to add any weight.

Next up would be a sturdy Olympic barbell, even if you don’t want to learn the Olympic lifts, the spin is pretty nice for power cleans, and those will give you a lot in reward, easy to learn, easy to progress, pretty low risk & huge potential for overall body mass & speed. if you have very limited space, you can go with a 1.5m or 1.8m long bar as well, search for one that can be loaded for ~250kg that will be sufficient for a long time.

Get some bumper plates next, 50mm bore with a metal socket to fit the Olympic bar. The rubber coating will keep training more quiet & your neighbors will stay your friends, even after picking of lifting as your new favorite pastime. Get enough weights to do challenging deadlifts and rows, get smaller plates for curls and extensions as well (5kg or sth.) but try to get those in the same diameter as the heavier ones, this makes changing and adding weights easier. Don‘t worry about the money you spend on weights to much, those are better than gold or silver. Price only goes up over time, so when you decide to sell your equipment, you will make some profit and in the meantime they will support you on your way to become your best self.

After having a bar and weights you can already do most of the stuff that will get you jacked, joked or toned or whatever you want. You can substitute benchpresses for floorpresses like the Oldtimers, you can do front or zercher squats instead of back squats.

If you want more variety in your training and make things easier and safer, if you are pushing yourself with maximum weights, I suggest you look into getting a power-rack or squat stands and a bench next. Lock for sturdy stuff, don‘t be so cheap, that you hurt yourself because you saved some 20€!

With that you can workout for years to come and make progress forever.

If you are stalled after reaching an intermediate level, you might want to add fractural plates, to keep progressing in weight. 0.25kg 0.5kg and so one, make small additions in weight possible when the next 5 or 10kg jump just is not manageable.

If having a barbell gets boring start looking into kettlebells and dumbbells or even rubber bands. Depending on space available of course. But a barbell and some plates might be all you need. Simple always trumps complicated and keep in mind consistency is key here, enjoy the way to your dream physique, enjoy clothes starting to fit better, enjoy the additional strength in your day to day life, be it when helping a friend move, or throwing you kids around in the pool. Being physically capable is the one capability improving all the others, and all other aspects of your life, if you are in it till the end.

And with another motivational picture of Arthur Saxon, enjoy your lifting!