HOME GYM

    Hello all my fellow gainz train passengers. COVID-19 cases have skyrocketed since the reopening of California and gyms are due to close again because of this. So now you're here panicking because you're afraid of losing the gains you've reclaimed these past few weeks since the gyms reopened. If you're fortunate enough to have some leftover money whether it be from unemployment payments or just from your savings, and you want to build a home gym, but have absolutely no clue where to start, here is a guide on how to build one (FYI this isn't going to be a full in-depth guide on every little bit of information, you're going to have to do a bit of research yourself. You're an adult, not a baby who needs to be spoon fed). And for all of my less fortunate peeps out there, I'm sorry but money runs this world :( On the bright side, bodyweight exercises/calisthenics are a great way of retaining and building muscle! So don't give up on that swole team 6 grind! We're all gonna make it brah.

There are five essentials needed for a home gym:

• Barbell
• Squat Rack
• Bench
• Weights
• SPACE

Tools that will help you:

• Rogue Stock Bot - To keep updated when items are restocked (Tip: Rogue typically restocks their equipment from 6:00AM-12:00PM PST)
• Distill.io - Same as above, but this is used for any other sites other than rogue
• Offerup - You can possibly find the items on this list here if they're not in stock on the site, also if you don't want to wait for shipping you can buy the item straight up from someone and get the item in hand faster
• Google Chrome Autofill - So you can check out faster, these items go quick so you have to be fast

If you need some inspo for your build or just wanted to check out other people's home gym check out /r/homegym

BARBELLS: $160-$285 W/O SHIPPING

    Let's talk about barbells, this is where a good amount of your budget is going to go towards. A barbell is the root of all gains, with just a barbell you can do so many exercises. We need a QUALITY barbell because it's used for all compound movements. You don't want a cheap shitty barbell that will break on you during a heavy lift. A good quality barbell could last you decades if taken care of properly. Remember, this is an INVESTMENT for your future. Your kids could be using this barbell down the line. So without too much explaining because I'm lazy, here is what barbell you'll want depending on what type of lifting you do.

Powerlifting (Squat, Bench, and Deadlift) - Here is a review of this bar

Rogue Ohio Power Bar

Weightlifting/Olympic Lifting (Clean & Jerk, Snatch, and Front Squat)

Rogue Ohio Bar

    These bars are the best bang for your buck no doubt about it. For these bars you're going to want either the black zinc, e-coat, or bare steel finishes because they're the cheapest. Rogue also has a CHEAPER alternative of these bars called Boneyard Bars, which I highly recommend you look into if you're really on a budget (Rogue has been releasing a lot of boneyard bars recently, use the roguestockbot to be notified when they are restocked). Here is a review of boneyard bars.

SQUAT RACKS: $209-$277 W/O SHIPPING

    A squat rack is the next item where a decent amount of your money will go towards. This will be used for both squatting and benching. You want a good solid/sturdy quality rack because you don't want 300lbs falling on you because your rack fell apart. And no I'm not going to talk about power cages because those are too expensive. Also consider buying safety bars for these racks, they could save your life.

CAP Strength Power Rack - $209

Safety bars - Here

For this rack consider buying rubber strips to apply to the j-hooks and safety bars to protect your barbell, the j-hooks on this rack aren't UHMW plastic like the higher priced/quality racks out there so they could possibly damage your bar. You get what you pay for, this is just a small con of this rack.

Titan Fitness T-3 Short Squat Stand - $250

Safety Bars - Here

Rogue Echo Squat Stand 2.0 - $275

Safety Bars - Here

Fringe Sport Garage Series Squat Rack - $277

Safety Bars - Here

BENCHES: $81-$149 W/O SHIPPING

    A good durable bench is up next on the list, you want a quality bench because you don't want 200lbs falling on your face because your bench collapsed from beneath you. For this one I have listed a budget pick, runner-up, and top pick.

Marcy Deluxe Versatile Flat Bench (BUDGET PICK) - $81

Rep Fitness FB-4000 Comp Lite Bench (RUNNER-UP) - $115

Rep Fitness FB-5000 Comp Flat Bench (TOP PICK) - $149 Here is a review of this bench

WEIGHTS: $$-$$$

    For weights I highly recommend investing in bumper plates for the simple fact that YOUR HOME/GARAGE FLOOR WAS NOT SPECIFICALLY MADE FOR DROPPING HEAVY WEIGHT ON IT. Although metal/steel plates are usually cheaper, they could possibly damage and or crack your flooring if you don't have rubber stall mats covering them (we'll cover this later). Bumper plates are also much quieter and more versatile. I won't be listing any specific bumper plates because all of the bumpers from the companies listed below are great quality. I own a pair of weight from every single company below and they are all good plates IMO. The black bumpers from each company are their cheapest options so take a look at those. Compare options with pricing/shipping etc. and decide which company you want to go with yourself, also note that a lot of these will be out of stock which is why you'll be using distill.io or roguestockbot. I highly recommend only getting 10lb, 25lb, and 45lb pairs if you're buying them individually. 15's and 35's aren't necessary unless you just have money to blow. But if you're buying a set then 15's and 35's might already be a part of the set so don't worry about it. Also take a look into change plates if weight increments of 10lbs< interest you. The amount you spend on plates is all dependent on how strong you are, which in turn translates to how much weight you're going to need. 

• Eleiko (Shipping Delay: 5-6 Days)  Price Point: High
• Rogue Fitness (Shipping Delay: 5-7 Days) Price Point: Mid
• Fringe Sport (Shipping Delay: 2-3 Days) Price Point: Moderate                  CURRENTLY IN STOCK Here
• Rep Fitness (Shipping Delay: 14-21 Days) Price Point: Moderate                  
• Vulcan Strength (Shipping Delay: 1-10 Days) Price Point: Low
• Titan Fitness (Shipping Delay: 3-5 Days) Price Point: Low
• American Barbell (Shipping Delay: 7-10 Days) Price Point: Low

    So there you have it, this is everything you're going to want to look for when building a home gym. This should run just around $1000 or less depending on what you decide to get. Below I will list some extras you could take interest in if you have some leftover money to spend.

XXXTRAS

WEIGHT STORAGE - W/O SHIPPING

    

    If you want to keep all of your weights organized consider buying a weight plate holder.

Marcy Combo Weights Storage Rack - $115

Steelbody Horizontal Plate and Olympic Bar Rack Organizer - $70

Rep Fitness Bar and Bumper Plate Tree - $100

Rogue Vertical Plate Tree 2.0 - $178

Titan Fitness Portable Plate & Barbell Storage Tree - $115

Vulcan Vertical Weight Tree with Wheels - $190

Fringe Sport Vertical Barbell & Bumper Plate Holder - $177

FLOORING - W/O SHIPPING

    If you want to protect your flooring and also minimize sound. 4 ft. x 6 ft. 3/4 in. rubber stall mats work best. All you really need is two stall mats. Pricing is per mat.

Rep Fitness - $59

Tractor Supply Co - $45

The Fitness Armory - $59

ACCESSORIES - W/ SHIPPING

    If you want to do accessory lifts like any cable exercises or t-bar rows check out this t-bar row platform and pulley system. FYI you will have to buy your own cable attachments if you buy the pulley system.

ARCHON Fitness Single Pulley Cable Station - $60

Yes4All Deluxe T-Bar Row Platform - $35

    

    Thank you guys for coming to my TED talk. Let me know if this helped at all and I wish you guys the best on creating your home gym.