Bulding Your Personal Gym In The Privacy Of Your Own Home

Think home gyms and what comes to mind? If you’re like most hardcore trainers, you’ll envision fragile, clumsy equipment, interrupted workouts and disappointing intensity levels. Home gyms are ok for pencil-neck geeks intent on strengthening their forearm flexors for the interstate tiddly winks championship, but when it comes to gut wrenching, muscle shocking, man type workouts they just don’t make the grade. Right?

WRONG!

Home gyms are, in fact, the workout venue of choice for thousands of novice, intermediate and advanced bodybuilders across America. Many of these guys have never paid a dime to a commercial gymnasium and yet have physiques that are awesomely developed. They have created for themselves a home training environment where the intensity level of their workout gets white hot, where their bodies are pushed to the absolute limit and where their muscles keep growing. And they’ve done it at home. No time-consuming, gas guzzling drive to and from the gym. No losing intensity while waiting for gear to become available. And no automatic payments depleting their bank accounts.

Hardcore training at home, however, doesn’t happen automatically. Like all worthwhile endeavours, it takes planning. The intelligent design and layout of the training area is what will make all the difference. Of course, knowing how to use those resources to push your body beyond its limits is also pretty important - but without the right set up you’re not even going to get out of the starting blocks. So then, just what goes into the hardcore bodybuilder’s private training den?

Room to Grow

Most of us won’t have too much choice when it comes to selecting the location of our home gym - we simply grab what space is available. Basements and garages are the preferred options but anywhere that allows you the elbow room to grunt and sweat without caving in the floor boards will do nicely. So, how much elbow room are we talking here? Well, an 11 x 10 foot area will give you plenty of space to operate within without feeling constricted. Haven’t got that much room available? No problem - you can actually throw everything you need to grow with inside the confines of a five by six foot power rack. Just make sure that the ground beneath your feet is solid enough to handle the heavy iron that will soon be heading its way. Some sort of padding on the floor will not only protect it from damage but also lessen the noise factor. Throw in a half decent sound system and a fan to combat the summer heat and your gym shell is all set for an infusion of heavy iron.

The Essential Tools

So, down to business - what goes into a hardcore home gym?

Here are four core pieces of equipment that should serve as the basis of any serious workout den:

Power Rack

Basic power movements will always be the mainstay of serious muscle growth and to perform them safely without a spotter you’ve just got to get yourself a power rack.  Multi-joint movements like squats, dead-lifts, bench and military presses can’t be pushed to the limit if the fear of injury lurks in the back of the mind, so the $300-400 investment in a sturdy rack will pay off in increased intensity and, therefore, more muscle gains. If you’re buying new make sure you get a lifetime warranty on the frame and a rack with a weight capacity of at-least 1000 lbs.

Bench

To complement your power rack you’ll need a sturdy bench. Forget the junk models that proliferate in the department stores and search out a low bench with solid enough legs to handle some real poundage and an adjustable back for inclines. Make sure that the incline allows for a 30 degree angle and that the support system is rock solid - there’s nothing worse than feeling the incline bench give way when trying to heave twice your bodyweight over your head. Keep in mind, too, that the bench needn’t have bar uprights - they’ll only get in the way of your power rack.

Olympic Bar & Plates

To steal a phrase from our founding fathers, all plates are created equal - but some more equal than others. As long as that 20 pound weight is actually 20 pounds, who cares how ugly it looks or who’s name it carries? In other words, functionality is the rule here. Still, there are a few considerations to keep in mind when weight shopping:

(1)  An Olympic bar and plates will work better with your power rack than a conventional bar so make this your preferred option. Forget buying new, but rather check the trade and exchange papers for someone who’s willing to let their plates go at a maximum of 30 cents per pound. One disadvantage of going the Olympic route is that the plates won’t work with adjustable dumbbells. Also, you may already have some conventional weights lying around - it would be a pity not to use them. In the end it’s a judgement call, but always go Olympic if it makes economic sense to do so.

(2)  Make sure that you get reliable safety clamps for your bar. In addition to preventing plate sliding, the clamp must have an easy on-off capability for rapid weight change and, unlike many of the spring type clamps available, must be robust enough for many years of faithful service.

(3)  Get a progression of plates that will allow you to lift more weight each week. If your smallest plate is a 10 pounder, how are you going to consistently apply progressive resistance? In reality, you’re probably always going to be on the look-out for cheap plates but make sure you start off with a set each of the little guys, even the one pounders (yes, you can get one pound Olympic plates and here’s where - http://www.fractionalplates.com).

Dumbbells

One undeniable disadvantage of training at home is that you are very unlikely to have access to the range of dumbbells available at your local gym. That means you’re going to have to adjust the plates as you go. Set your sights on four sets of dumbbells with quick, easy adjust ends (the spin-lock variety are my personal favorite). Make sure that the bars are strong and long enough to carry up to 100 pounds - but not so long that they’ll restrict your movement on the dumbbell bench press. You’ll need to get some weights specifically for your dumbbells, so keep an eye out for compact cast iron 1, 2.5, 5 and 10 pounders that will allow you to make up sets between 40 and 100 pounds.

Muscle Wrenching Modifications

One of the great things about having a home gym is that you have free reign to design, build and modify the gear you workout on. Of course it helps to have a buddy who’s a welder but even if you have to pay to get your local engineering shop to knock out some gear for you, it’ll be well worth it in the long run. Here are a handful of custom built suggestions that’ll take your home gym from adequate to awesome:

(1)  Power Rack Add-Ons: If you’re lucky, your power rack will come with a chin up bar. If not, you’ll want to get one welded onto the front cross bar. The bar should be angled slightly up at the ends so that your little finger is higher than your thumb when you begin the exercise. Construct from 1 ¼ inch tubular steel.  A pair of dipping bars belong on the other side of your power rack. Design these so that they’re angled in on a slight ‘v’ and construct from 2 inch square steel. Make sure that you brace these bars well enough to take your weight plus whatever plates you decide to strap on for the ride.

(2)  High/Low Pulley: This will probably be the most demanding piece of equipment to custom build, but you’ll save a heap on buying new. Focus on sturdy design, forget about the seat and make sure that the cabling and pulleys (you’ll need three of them) are heavy duty. A plate loaded system will save you some cash but keep in mind that, if you’re using Olympic plates, you’ll need quite a wide berth to accommodate them. For machine design ideas hit the online search engines

(3)  Hanging Rings: Ever noticed the shoulders and pecs on top gymnasts - and they’re not even trying to build them. Set up a pair of hanging rings and you’ll have a fantastic chest burner to shock even the most stubborn pecs to life. Get a pair of ½ inch solid steel rings, add some padding and suspend them from the ceiling at a shoulder width distance using seven foot long 5/8 inch chains.

Ready to Grow?

OK guy, now you have no excuses. You have all the tools you’ll ever need to create an awesome physique at home. So, lets start putting all that shiny steel to work. In part two we’ll zero in on techniques and routines that will push your training to the (garage) wall. In the meantime, get plenty of rest (you’re gonna need it).

GARAGE BUILT MUSCLE TO THE MAX

Meet Jeff Williamson: 35 years old, father of six, university graduate, garage weight trainer… and Pro Bodybuilder! So, how on earth can a guy build a body that will deliver him 7 overall titles in 3 years, including the Natural 2000 Mr. USA, gain WNBF Pro Status and grab a 3rd place at the 2002 Pro Invitational, all without stepping beyond his mailbox. We went inside Jeff’s head to find out:

HardCore Muscle: Why did you decide to train from home as opposed to a commercial gym?

Jeff Williamson: My original reason for training at home was to save time. I knew training at home would allow me to spend more time to do other things. In addition, I was sick of the fancy, over-priced, “no chalk allowed”, and “don’t drop the weights”, warm, 98° music-playing gyms that plague our society.  I like the blood and sweat mentality of training… I don’t need ESPN or CNN playing on the TV while I’m training.  My garage is not a place to socialize, whine, or make excuses.  That is why I am the only one who trains there!  I make it as hardcore as I like and make no excuses for not achieving… therefore, “I can’t” is not in my vocabulary.  If I don’t have a piece of equipment, I make up an exercise or steal an exercise idea from one of the seasoned hardcore bodybuilders. In addition, I can train when I want and how I want.  If I want to train at 11:00 at night or on a holiday… I CAN!  I can set up my equipment to do a giant set and not worry about someone invading my space. 

The reasons I continue to train at home are because I can concentrate far better and I am much more focused, therefore my workouts are much more intense.    

HCM: Are there any safety problems that you face?

JW: I usually do all my heavy stuff (even flat bench) in the power rack where I can put the safety pins at a level where if I go to failure, I can place the bar on the pins.  When one is training on the edge, anything can happen but I do try and make the exercise as safe as possible, especially when training heavy.  Training at home without a training partner/spotter takes more concentration, focus, and ingenuity than it does training in a gym with a partner or spotter. I have squatted 615 pounds for a triple, 225 for 30 reps and curled 210 for 15 reps, all of which took a great amount of focus and intensity.  I train alone and rarely do single max lifts.  My max lifts usually entail choosing a weight and attempting to rep the weight out for certain number of repetitions. For example, on a deadlift I may choose a weight I can only get for 10 reps but my goal may be to get that same weight for 20 reps. Using this method is certain, definite and intense!  It is very easy to chart progress using this method. 

HCM: Do you miss the motivation/atmosphere of a commercial gym? How do you stay focused and maintain motivation?

JW: I miss some of my friends who still train in a commercial gym.  I had a lot of fun socializing and joking around from time to time, but the bottom line is the reason I train is to build a championship physique; nothing else.  As far as motivation goes, yes there were times where the gym atmosphere helped in the motivation but real and lasting motivation comes from within.  The atmosphere I create in my garage is one of a hardcore no nonsense approach so I have no problem with motivation in that respect.  For personal motivation I like to set goals and then develop a plan to achieve those goals.  Goal setting is the single most motivational factor in my training. Having a good plan really helps me stay focused.  

HCM: What advice would you give to guys who have been told that it’s impossible to build a world-class physique in their garage?