Okay, I’m going to be honest here… My husband and I both love going to the gym. Not just that, but we’ve always enjoyed going to nice gyms… maybe slightly bougie gyms. The unfortunate part of it is the expense and we’ve come to a point where we started thinking, “Why not invest in a nice, comprehensive home gym so that we can save money in the long term”. So we had to weigh our pros and cons:
Pros:
Long-term investment, no monthly fees (so it’s less expensive in the long run)
No commute (we were driving 30+ minutes!), therefore saving time, gas, and wear on the car
Workout at any time, even a couple times a day if we want
No waiting for machines or feeling awkward between sets
Cons:
Big up-front cost
Takes up space in the home
No gym environment to motivate
Can’t get out of the house
No amenities (sauna, pools, care, etc depending on gym)
No classes (yoga, spin, etc)
Although there are more cons than there are pros, the pros outweigh the cons for us. We don’t mind taking up space in our home because we had an extra bedroom we didn’t have anything in. We also didn’t mind the up-front cost because that money put down would be earned within 6 months of not paying for the gym + not spending as much on gas.
So with that said, we had more pros than cons to switch over to a home gym. I was the most sad about losing the ability to get out of the house and workout around others (which is very motivating most days). I was also slightly sad to lose the amenities, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker.
The home gym began
Not gonna lie, it took us several months to finally take the plunge. We were really upset to lose the gym environment and the basically unlimited amount of exercises we could do there. However, it was time to be more financially smart; we were spending too much on the nice gym, but would still rather have a home gym than an inexpensive membership.
So, it was time to start our own little gym in our home!
Finding the equipment
I did tons and tons and tons of research on home gym equipment. We would have loved to buy all the nicest equipment and have a full-blown gym environment, but we were trying to start within a certain budget, so I went on the hunt to find equipment that was sturdy but cost-effective.
Since I did all that work, I figured I may as well share the equipment so that you don’t need to do as much research!
What’s your non-negotiable?
This is an important question, because it’ll help you decide what’s important to buy first and what you can purchase after that to stay in budget.
Our non-negotiable was a power cage because we love weight lifting. I obviously wanted a sturdy, reliable power cage so that we would not end up injured or have to purchase a nicer one down the road if we went too cheap right off the bat.
What we bought
I was fortunate enough to find a power cage that was very comprehensive! I wanted one with a lat pulldown because it’s honestly one of my favorite exercises, and there were tons available with that feature. The one we bought has the lat pulldown along with a pull-up bar, landmine, dip bar and storage for bumper plates. So with this machine alone, we had a lot of exercises covered.
With the power cage, you’ll also want to purchase a bench, bumper plates, a barbell bar, bar clips, as well as a barbell pad if you do hip thrusts or exercises that need extra padding.
Now, aside from the entire power cage setup, we invested in a couple other items. We got a flat bench and a dumbbell weight set with a vertical rack. This way, we can both be working out at the same time because one can be using the power cage while the other is using the dumbbells. It would just take planning to make sure we don’t both want to be doing the same exercises. Another benefit is an extra variety of exercises with the dumbbells that you can’t do with the power cage, such as targeted arm workouts, Bulgarian split squats, step-ups, shoulder presses, etc.
Other equipment to consider
If you also like cardio machines, then you can consider a treadmill, elliptical, or exercise bike. These pieces of equipment may be easily found lightly used on Facebook marketplace, depending on where you live. Fortunately, I already owned a walking pad because I have a standing desk at home, so I would walk while I work. Otherwise, we weren’t really interested in investing in cardio equipment because our priority is weight lifting equipment.
Comprehensive list for weight lifting
Here’s a comprehensive list of equipment that you can choose from, depending on your priorities:
Adjustable Incline Bench (if you purchase a power cage without it)
Dumbbells with storage rack (vertical) or this one with non-vertical rack
Cardio options
Exercise bike – This Peloton Bike (what I would love to have!) or this affordable option
List of extras
These items help bring the workout space together, but aren’t absolutely necessary for it to work.
Floor storage – I love this from Pottery Barn for nice storage, or this for more affordable storage
Wall storage – We got this to store our foam rollers.
Kettlebells (if you prefer them over dumbbells)
Foam roller – this is the best foam roller in my opinion. Some of the cheaper options are not comfortable at all, but this one is amazing.
I hope all this information helps you start the home gym of your dreams! I’m thankful that there are plenty of affordable options so you don’t have to break the bank. Select any of the items from the lists above to start your own gym – we all have our own priorities, so that’s why I included such a comprehensive list. Let me know if I left anything out!
