Many of today’s top bodybuilders didn’t get their start in the iron game at state of the art commercial gyms, equipped with juice bars and saunas. Many of them didn’t begin at hardcore gyms like Temple in England, either. Most of today’s top bodybuilders learned the ropes of the iron game at home, in their garage, with a simple Weider bench and some sand weights. Over time, they outgrew them, and eventually you will too. However, for beginner and intermediate bodybuilders, a home gym setup might be just what you’ve been looking for, in terms of bringing the equipment you need for serious growth.

The key to building a successful garage gym is planning. You don’t want to just visit your local Sports Authority or Play It Again Sports whenever you have one or two hundred dollars in your pocket, and buy whatever is on sale. Rather, you will want to develop a list of all the equipment you will need for your working home gym, and purchase them as they become available. Craigslist and other stores are great places to begin, but you may find the best luck from friends or acquaintances who have purchased equipment and just gave up on lifting. Ask around, and you’ll be surprised how much equipment you are able to find!

Staying motivated to train at a garage gym can be tough. Aside from the fact you don’t have attractive members of the opposite sex to admire while you train, you also don’t have much of anything else. The good news is, since it is your own property and you run the place, you can add anything you want to the gym to make it more inviting and to keep you motivated. It’s never going to be easy to stare at the walls of you home gym for 45 or 60 or 90 minutes at a time. Why not decorate them with images that will keep you motivated to train – or at the very least keep you from going crazy. Music is present in most gyms, but it’s very often the light rock that makes you want to bring an mp3 player. Why not bring a boom box into your garage gym, and blast your favorite heavy metal or rap music as you train? As long as your family members and neighbors don’t mind, you can have the greatest experience your muscles and ears can buy, without much cost! Also, an mp3 player and television might be a good bet for those marathon weight training or cardio sessions.

Safety should never be neglected when training in a home gym. Of course, you should follow the usual basics, and include gloves, wraps, and belts. At the same time, when you make your equipment purchase, consider buying a solid power cage to keep the weight from crushing you should you fail while lifting. Always keep a cell phone by your side when you do lift, so you can call for help if needed.

In the long run, you will probably reach a point where the garage gym is going to just be too limited for your needs. Even Ronnie Coleman, Mr. Olympia for eight straight years, attempted to build a home setup, but it didn’t hack it. He ended up using it for calves, and cardio, and returning to the “real” gym for the major lifts requiring lots of weight, professional grade equipment, and multiple spotters. You’ll outgrow your gym one day, but you should make the best use of your garage gym until then!

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