What should you have in your home gym?

If you have the space, and you have a dislike for training at a commercial gym, then consider setting up your own home gym.

The space requirements are minimal, and some of the major equipment needed for a home gym is now being produced in a space saving configuration.

With all this in mind, to become a Champion of Aging, here are the items you should have in your home gym.

Before I get to that, a disclaimer.

To help fund this website, I participate in the Amazon Associates affiliate program.  So, if you click on any of the links below and buy anything, I may get a commission.

Necessities for a home gym

First of all, you should consider the priorities of your fitness training.

If you are reading this, you are likely over 50, which means it is time to focus most of your attention on strength training.

Strength training will help to fight against the natural loss of muscle mass due to aging known as sarcopenia.

It will also help to prevent the onset of osteopenia and osteoporosis, which can leave your bones brittle.

Therefore, the primary pieces of equipment you will need are a set of barbells.

Barbells are the most effective tools for improving strength, as they are easiest to load when performing natural human movements.

These natural human movements include the squat (we squat down to use the bathroom), the deadlift (we bend over and pick things up), the overhead press (we lift things up over our head) and the bench press (we push things away from our body).

If you are completely untrained, you will likely need to start with a standard barbell set where the bar weighs about 20 pounds.

Or perhaps you will need to start with dumbbells.  I’ll get to those later.

The barbell is the best device for training for strength, since it is the best tool for training the compound exercises mentioned above (squat, deadlift, overhead press, bench press).

This is because the barbell can be loaded with more weight as you perform these exercises, compared to exercises that target specific muscles or muscle groups.

Training with barbells is simply the best way to train for general strength.  I like this Cap Barbell set you can find on Amazon.

Given that the barbell is the most important piece of equipment, and the squat is the most important exercise for building strength, you will need a squat rack.

I recommend a power rack set up that also includes a pulley system to help you train the lats if you can’t do pull ups.

A power rack that also has dip bars and a pull up bar is also desirable.

While you should focus on the big four exercises I mentioned above, a power rack with a pulley system allows you to perform a variety of assistance exercises to help improve your performance.

The unit pictured above with me is a Marcy Home Gym Cage.

It is quite affordable, and smaller than full size units, as it is more of a half rack system.

It was the only unit I could find that would fit in my small garage space due to the low ceilings.

Lifting Shoes are a must

Since barbell training should be your fitness priority, you should also pick up a pair of lifting shoes.

Lifting shoes provide more stability for exercises you are performing on your feet.

The stability is provided by a solid sole with a raised heel, which assists with your posture.

When you are lifting heavy weight, you don’t want to be wearing sneakers with a spongy sole.  Even if you only intend to train with dumbbells, you should still wear lifting shoes.

The pair I own is by Nordic.

The next major item you will need for legitimate strength training is a lifting belt.

A lifting belt provides additional support to the lower back and core when you are doing squats, deadlifts and presses.

The idea is to stabilize the spine and reduce strain on the lower back when you are performing these lifts.

Furthermore, it can help prevent a hernia as well.

The Dominion belt pictured is the one I wear and I highly recommend.

Ok, back to the dumbbells.

Yes, you should have a set of dumbbells in your home gym as they provide you with the opportunity to perform a wide variety of assistance exercises.

Furthermore, if you are physically unable to perform any of the big four lifts, then dumbbells can provide you with an opportunity to train the important muscle groups.

For instance, some people have shoulder mobility issues and are unable to push a barbell overhead.

Dumbbells can still allow some of these people to train the press from a different angle by having the palms turned inward toward the head.

For people who are completely untrained, dumbbell training can help with getting started on a strength training journey that will eventually lead to barbells.

An adequate set of dumbbells for men can be quite costly, as you will want the set to go up to at least 50 pounds.

Also, storage of all those dumbbells can be problematic for some people.

Therefore, I highly recommend the Bowflex Adjustable dumbbells.  I’ve owned my pair since 2012 and still use them regularly.

Next up, you need a solid weight bench.

You’ll probably want to get two weight benches.

One should be a flat bench that is not adjustable.  This is for use when you are doing any exercise where you are lying flat, such as the bench press.

A flat bench with no adjustments is necessary in this regard since it will provide better support for your back and hips.

I recommend this Rep Fitness flat bench on Amazon.

Adjustable benches are useful when you are training assistance exercises such as an incline bench press and some rowing exercises with dumbbells.

I like this Major Fitness adjustable bench on Amazon as it is more heavy duty than many of the other benches you will find.

Last, but not least, you should consider a piece of cardio equipment.

I personally am not a fan of jogging, so the treadmill is not my top pick.

I prefer an exercise bike that allows you to adjust the resistance manually and also offers programs of its own for variety.

I’ve had the Schwinn Recumbent bike pictured for a few years and it works well for me.

How much space do you need in a home gym?

My home gym is in my garage.  My garage is a bit odd.  It is detached from the rest of the house and is long and narrow.  There is also a second level and the steps leading to the second level are found about two-thirds of the way back into the garage.

Thus, the first floor is set up into two spaces.  The actual width is probably not more than ten feet.

At present, my power rack, barbells, dumbbells and two benches are found at the front portion of the garage, which is probably about 170 square feet, with a width of 10 feet and depth around 17 feet.

The rear portion is smaller at around 100 square feet, and then there is some space under the steps.  I have my recumbent bike and a heavy bag in that portion of the space.

So, altogether, I have about 270 square feet, and the ceiling clearance is barely 7 feet.  Yet, I get all this equipment in there, along with all kinds of other junk.

Oh, and the upper level is purely for storage as the ceiling height is very low.

If you have a 150 to 200 square feet of available space, you can at least fit a power rack, Olympic barbell set and dumbbells into that space, and possibly an exercise bike.

Final thoughts

It will definitely cost you a good bit of money to fit out a home gym.  The total cost of the items I mentioned above will be over $2,500, and these are definitely not high end items.

With that said, having a home gym is such an incredible convenience.

You can work out when you want, you don’t have to drive to and from the gym, and you don’t have to wait to use equipment.

Therefore, if you are short on time, and you have the space, you will definitely want to consider building out a home gym.