Introduction:
Many of us have made mistakes in the quest to create the perfect home gym. Fortunately, forums and channels like this exist to help those still on that journey avoid some of these mistakes. What works in your space may not work in another, and that’s why these mistakes are not universal.
This article is a short, broad list of common mistakes the community shares. The majority agrees upon most, but there are a lot of ‘loose ends’ that we will explain in our reasoning. Hopefully, this serves to help you avoid some of the hiccups and regrets others have faced as they have built out their home gym.
The Mistakes:
Not starting early enough.
One of the most common responses from the community, when we ask for the biggest mistake or regret, is that most people wish they would have started the journey sooner. COVID forced a lot of people’s hands, and what we all saw in the community was a rise in the cost of equipment and out-of-stock issues. As prices continue to increase, the time to start is now, not just to prepare for a global shutdown but a long list of reasons.
Buyers Remorse
Whether it is cheap equipment or gimmicks that go unused, buyer’s remorse is something that most people have experienced as regret in their home gym. This is tough to explain to the masses who are starting a home gym on a budget, so let’s try to unpack it.
Buy once, cry once: The phrase, ‘buy once, cry once’ is echoed repeatedly, but that doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone or every situation. Some people can buy the best equipment or find it better to wait and save until they can afford top-tier equipment because having subpar choices is not something they are willing to compromise on. On the flip side of this, there are inexpensive pieces that are worth buying. An example is purchasing a 2×2 style rack or buying standard steel plates.
Level up: A conflicting strategy is the ‘Level up’ strategy that many built-out home gyms have used, and over time that approach can create a fully complete home gym. An example of this would be buying what you can afford to train at home while continuing to save for replacement pieces. If someone wanted to start a home gym on a budget, a neat way to do it would be to buy a yoke that can double as a rack or squat stand. While you train using the yoke as the rack, you continue to save for your next rack upgrade slowly, and when you are ready, you resell the yoke and upgrade to the next level-up purchase. You do this for all aspects of your home gym; plates, cardio equipment, dumbbells, etc. Many home gym origin stories go this way, and it is a great way to build a space that will eventually be a complete gym.
Tried and true investments: There are a few pieces where we suggest that you should absolutely not buy cheap. The first is flooring. Do not buy ‘gym’ puzzle mat flooring because it popped up on your internet search. When it comes to flooring, horse stall mats from your local Tractor Supply company are your home gym best friend. There are other (more expensive) options, but stall mats are the choice for the majority. Next, you should not skimp when buying a good barbell. The barbell will be the best tool you bring into your home gym. We have already broken down the types of barbells for making your selection (link article), but a good barbell is worth the investment. Rogue makes some of the best barbells, so keep your eye on the Boneyard (link article) when searching for a good barbell. Lastly, invest in the piece of equipment that is essential to your training style. If you do Olympic lifts, you will want to invest in good bumper plates. If you are really into kettlebell training, then good kettlebells will be worth the money for you.
Stay away from gimmicks: COVID gave a lot of companies an opening to the home gym space. With that came a lot of gimmicks. If what pops into your head is the thought, “Oh, that seems cool,” odds are you don’t actually need it. Instead, you need to focus on what you need to train effectively. If you can’t see yourself using a piece of equipment consistently for the foreseeable future, it’s not worth your time and money.
Investing in your space
You can start a home gym in your garage, basement, or extra bedroom of your house, but the sooner you commit to that space, the better.
Space you can grow into: Look ahead into the future and have a space that will fit what you want, not what you have. The garage corner may work for your bar and plates now, but what happens when you want to add cardio equipment or a decked-out rack? Find a space that you can grow into, but also understand that “enough space” may be an illusion that doesn’t exist.
Flooring: Investing in flooring is essential, and you don’t want to make the mistake of waiting too long or getting cheap flooring. Get horse stall mats at least to put under your rack and in your lifting space, and plan on covering the rest of your space in the near future. Flooring choices or timing usually make the top of the list for established home gyms. It can be challenging to cover the ground with a few hundred dollars of mats instead of saving for equipment, but it is worth it.
Aesthetics: Investing in the aesthetics of your space is essential. Not groundbreaking to read about, but take it from the community when they tell you that paint and lighting are underrated. It’s something you don’t think you need until you have it, and then you wish you would have done it sooner. Clean up your walls and get some good lighting. If you are unwilling to pay an electrician to wire new lights, or you don’t trust yourself, then you can jump on Amazon and grab some reasonably affordable plug-in options. We go into paint and lighting more in the Home Gym Guide and the Basement Gym Guide, where you can read more.
Others:
With an active audience, we can get a lot of feedback on our questions. With that, here is a list of other home gym mistakes that seem to pop up for more than one home gym builder.
- Not measuring correctly: Home gyms (especially basement gyms) often come with height restrictions. Not measuring your space correctly can lead to a huge disappointment to what would be an exciting installation day. Be aware when looking at specs to look at all measurements, and always remember that if you have stall mats that you are loosing almost an inch in additional height. If you plan on adding on to a rack with an attached lat-pull, be sure you know the measurements of the additional pieces as well.
- Big, bulky, single use pieces: The word used for equipment in the home gym space is versatility. There have been a lot of regrets that come with people buying a large item that takes up a big footprint, and that is only used on occasion. Luckily, the market understands this and that is why you have rack attached dip bars, landmines, and lat-pulls instead of stand alone pieces. Another great example is the scout hyper. Be sure to only buy equipment that you plan on using regularly, and treat square footage in your gym as a premium.
- Not taking advantage of bulk shipping: If you are buying from a company that does not have free shipping, the added shipping cost can be somewhat of a buzz-kill. If you plan on making future purchases through that company, saving up and doing all of your purchases at once can save you some money. Companies like Rogue also offer things like “Hundo pricing” for larger orders and daily shipping deals. Take advantage when you can, and do your best to save your money.
- Not researching before making big buys: Don’t get caught up in what’s popular in the home gym scene at the time. Be careful of the review that prompts you to ‘buy now’. Research every product you bring into your space and have a plan to put it to use regularly. Spending money on equipment that will eventually collect dust is a home gym regret waiting to happen.
Conclusion:
So there you have it; a broad list of home gym mistakes apply to nearly everyone building out their home gym. These are universal things to be wary of as you start building your home gym. You will probably still make mistakes, but avoiding the big ones can save you a lot of time, headaches, money, and, most importantly, regrets. As always, be sure to share your journey with the Garage Gym Experiment community as we help guide others in their home gym journey.