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How to Build a Garage Gym on a Budget
One of the biggest desires shared by many weight lifters, fitness fanatics, and gym-addicts is building their own garage gym.
The problem is that it's expensive, and most people simply can't afford to spend thousands of dollars.
Luckily, you don't have to. You can easily build a garage gym on a budget if you know where to look.
Building A Garage Gym For Under $1,000 USD
SO once you decide to set out to build a garage gym on a budget there are a few things you need to know.
1. What items you MUST have
2. What items you DON't need
3. Where to buy your equipment
That's it.
So let's get started.
Must have items:
Well more than anything you're going to need to buy some solid gym equipment such as a weight bench, a power rack or half rack, some weights and bars.
- Weight bench
- Power rack / Half rack
- Weights
When it comes to the weight bench I would opt for a simple Flat Bench or FID Bench (Flat/Incline/Decline).
A flat bench can hold a lot more weight, so keep that in mind.
A flat bench is going to set you back anywhere from $100 - $300. So plan accordingly.
A power rack allows you to rack your barbell when doing barbell based bench press, it also acts as a squat rack.
If you can get a popular brands rack on the cheap, you can even add accessories later such as chin-up bars, lat pulldowns, etc.
The rack is the foundation of any gym and can be bought second-hand for as little as $300. On average though it's going to cost a bit more than that.
As for the weights you need to probably choose between barbells and dumbbells... Getting both on a budget is going to be difficult.
Ideally a barbell set will suit you more because it allows you to load more weight, and allows you to perform all the major compound lifts easily.
It's just more suitable for heavy duty weight training.
Your weights will set you back from as little as $100 when people are just looking to get rid, and that can be a real bargain. That said, you can get some decent sets for around $250-500 that can even be brand new. This is where you'll be able to strike the best deals if you're looking for second-hand.
What items you don't need:
The list would be too huge to write out, but basically you don't need any equipment that is going to not be used in every single workout. At least to start with!
Building your gym on a budget should be about the essentials.
We all hopefully get paid every month, so you can always add to it later.
Where to buy:
Most items can be bought for cheap on sites such as craigslist, ebay and others. This fantastic article on building a garage gym setup by GGPhyqiue gives you plenty of ideas for how to go about doing this.
But aside from the budget options, right now is actually an excellent time to be looking out for budget picks.
Due to the economic downturn many gyms are shutting down and auctioning off equipment.
Maybe you're even pulling the trigger on setting up your garage gym because your old one went out of business?
Whatever the case, go into gyms you know are shutting down and negotiate.
Also, even though I really don't like recommending them, both Amazon and Walmart have excellent weight benches available that are usually on deals. So don't feel bad if you have to go there, a budget is a budget after all.
Conclusion
Building a garage gym is more than feasible on a budget, so what are you waiting for? Get out there and do it!