The Rock’s home gym might be out of reach, but you can still design a space that rivals your local big box gym.

Home gyms are a game-changer if you have the space and budget. They're ideal for those who are self-motivated and embrace the grind. No more driving 15 minutes to wait for the local hooligans to remove their backpacks from the squat rack.

Introduction

Lots of articles cover the best budget or minimalist home garage gyms.

This is not one of them.

Instead, I'm focusing on investing in commercial-grade equipment for the long term. Planning your space and spending on quality pays off. You'll have pieces that will last forever and create a proper training environment. As a strength coach, I can tell you firsthand that you will train harder and more consistently with the right setup.

How Much Should I Expect to Spend on a Home Gym?

I designed this garage home gym plan for 400-1000 square foot spaces, costing between $10,000-$20,000.

With that said, if you're in a small area, you can get a lot from steps 1-3.

You will need to part with some decent cash for most items, but not all. I'll highlight some pieces in which the value play makes plenty of sense for your garage home gym.

The setup included in this article works best for:

Fitness buffs that focus on functional fitness and barbell lifts
Beginner to intermediate powerlifters
Amateur athletes upping their sports performance
CrossFitters supplementing their training

Let's get started with some garage gym ideas.

1 - Prepare Your Workout Space

Determine square footage

Measure the dimensions of your garage or basement. Four hundred square feet is the ideal minimum for fitting the necessary equipment.
Measure the ceiling height, paying attention to any high or low points. 8 feet is the ideal minimum.
Mark any obstructions, such as columns or doors.

Sketch your layout

All great garage home gym ideas come to life during this process. Once you know your overall dimensions, you can play with your floor plan. Use software to map out different options from the equipment listed in this article.
Consider a deadlift platform. You'll have a defined area for Olympic lifting or barbell deadlifting. It also better protects and dampens your floor. You can build one using one of the many DIY videos on YouTube or purchase from a fitness company.
Ensure enough clearance around each piece of equipment to perform exercises safely. This is important for power racks or plate-loaded machines in which you’ll need room to load the weight on each side.

Setup the environment

Garage gyms may require some specific solutions:

Zeus is a software program from Rogue for designing your gym

Start with insulation, if necessary, and then add drywall.
In brick garages in certain climates, tuckpoint the brick and use Duralock to seal the space.
Install a ductless mini-split.

Install the floors

Fill large cracks and buff the floors to create flatter services for equipment.
You'll want rubberized flooring to absorb force and sound.
- Horse stall mats from Tractor Supply Co (which you can find at this link) are a solid option
- However, a professional provider like PLAE or Kodiak offers custom fits and installation, and you don’t have to worry about large floor seams

2 - add aesthetic features

Paint the walls and ceiling.
Lighter colors work best for walls, while black ceilings have a finished effect.
Overhead LEDs work ideal for home gym lighting.
Barina is an excellent choice, or go with honeycomb style for a modern look.

3 - Choose your Main Equipment

A squat stand or power rack

You have a range of choices depending on your total floor space and configuration. Look for a version with 11-gauge steel and plenty of attachment options, but don’t feel the need to spend at the top end of the range. Most quality racks perform the same basic functions. You're better off allocating your budget to higher-end accessory pieces, in which quality makes a more significant difference.

Nearly limitless options exist for racks now, even wall-mounted versions that collapse. Image courtesy of PRX.

Squat stand: Ideal for freeing up floor space for dedicated machines or functional work. These are also great options for odd space configurations.
4-post power rack: These are standard for lifting inside the rack. You can also attach features like landmines and dip bars.
6-post power rack: While these take more immediate floor space, they potentially create more overall room. With two additional posts, you have a complete system for add-ons and storage.
1/2 rack: A 4-post rack in which you lift outside the front uprights, making the back posts a storage solution and freeing up the floor
Wall-mounted rack: The most space-compact option, with the wall replacing the need for back posts or front stabilizers. PRX even offers a folding version that can be stowed away. I would not recommend these for powerlifters, however.

Recommendations: Rogue, Sorinex, Rep Fitness, Bells of Steel.

Wildcard pick: Bridge Built Phoenix Rack. I'm obsessed with these beefy, collapsible systems. Depending on your workout style, they're another option for freeing up floor space.

Second wildcard pick: Design a custom option using the Rep Fitness rack builder (link here). They now offer an integrated system that includes a rack and cable system. While they’re incredibly engineering feats, I’m not convinced they work as well as the standalone pieces listed below.

Barbells

This is one area to push your budget. A high-quality barbell aids performance while lasting longer and requiring less maintenance. If money is truly no object, then the best of the best is Eleiko. However, you can still find excellent products at a lower price point.

Overall, your sport or interests will guide your choice of barbells. You can read my article at this link for a deeper dive.

Purchase a multi-purpose barbell for fitness or sports performance.
- Recommendations: Eleiko, American Barbell, Rogue Fitness, Rep Fitness, Bells of Steel

Olympic lifters will want a dedicated Olympic barbell.
- Recommendations: Eleiko, American Barbell, Rogue Fitness, Rep Fitness

Powerlifters will benefit from a dedicated power bar.
- Recommendations: Eleiko, Kabuki, American Barbell, Texas Power Bars, Rogue Fitness, Rep Fitness, Bells of Steel

Specialty Barbells

The Kabuki Transformer might be the single best specialty barbell on the market

Once you have your primary barbell, you’ll want to add 1-4 specialty barbells

Deadlift Bar: These have a smaller diameter and more whip, which allows lifters to pull more. It’s worth practicing with one if you compete in a powerlifting federation that uses a deadlift bar.
- Kabuki, Texas Power Bars, Rogue Fitness, Rep Fitness
Open Trap Bar: These versatile bars are ideal for athletes or general fitness enthusiasts. They're superior to a traditional deadlift for explosiveness while inducing less fatigue.
- Recommendation: Rep Fitness, Giant Fitness, Titan Fitness, Bells of Steel

Safety Squat Bar: Great for lifters with shoulder issues or those drilling an upright squat position.
- Recommendations: Rep Fitness, Kabuki

Multi-grip Bar: The varied grip options take pressure off the shoulders, making them great for assistance rowing and benching movements.
- Recommendations: Rogue Fitness, Rep Fitness, Elite FTS
- Note: All all multi-grip bars fit all racks. Measure beforehand.
Cambered Bar: Excellent for bench training due to the extended range of motion.
- Recommendations: Kabuki, Rep Fitness
Wildcard pick: Kabuki transformer bar.

An adjustable weight bench

Instead of buying a flat bench, spend a few hundred extra dollars for incline and decline positions. Quality ones can be stored upright to open floor space.
Recommendations: Rogue Fitness, Rep Fitness
Wildcard pick: IronMaster's bench functions like a gym system due to its various attachments. If you focus on functional fitness and bench pressing is a lower priority, this is an innovative option.

Bumper and iron plates

Quality bumper plates reduce noise and vibrations when Olympic lifting and barbell deadlifting.

Since they're more expensive and have a finite life, supplement them with iron plates. Because of their narrower width, these last forever while increasing the amount you can fit on the bar.

Recommendations: Fringe Sport, Rogue Fitness, Rep Fitness, Titan Fitness, Bells of Steel
Wildcard pick: As the main commodity item on this list, consider buying iron plates used on Facebook Marketplace. You can also purchase much cheaper from a smaller, secondary company like TruGrit and Giant.

A cable machine

A home gym cable machine is a major flex that adds significant functionality.

DialedMotion’s new cable pulley system may be the first independent rack-attached option worth buying.

They're far superior to home gym pulley systems or universal gyms.

You have three main options. These all top out at below $3,000. If you want a genuinely commercial or very high-end piece, look at Prodigy Fitness, FreeMotion, Hammer Strength, or Arsenal Strength.

A functional trainer: This will serve almost all of your cable resistance needs. They're not ideal for lat pulling or rowing, but the dual-stack design allows for fly movements
- Recommendations: Rep Fitness FT5000 2.0 (click here) and FTX Functional Trainer (click here)
A cable column: A single stack can replicate about 90% of a functional trainer minus fly movements. These are an excellent option for about 1/2 the price and a 1/3 of the space.
- Recommendation: Bells of Steel Cable Tower (click here)
An integrated lat pull and low-row: Combine this machine with option 1 or 2 for a complete stack. You'll have everything you need for your upper-body workout.
- Recommendations: Rep Fitness Arcadia (click here)
Wildcard Pick: A company called DialedMotion has developed an intriguing cable pulley option. If they work as promised, they would be the an excellent budget pick.

Adjustable dumbbells

Adjustable dumbbells will work better for most people than a dumbbell set. You will save massive space while still getting most of the benefits. Dumbbell racks can set you back hundreds of dollars before buying a single weight.

Despite the odd shape, PowerBlock have unrivaled durability

You have a lot of options for styles. When selecting a model, you're balancing convenience and durability.

Nearly indestructible ones like IronMaster and Powerblocks take longer to adjust. You're either manually adding weights or pulling pins in and out.
Many newer ones that change weights at lightning speed have fit the market but break more easily.
Recommendation: The newly released Rep x Pepin appear to be the only version that combine speed with durability.
Other Picks: Nuobells, Bowflex, Pepin, Snode

4 - Choose your Secondary Equipment

By now, you have a fully functional gym. However, you may want to add a few pieces based on your training style, experience level, or injury status

If you’re seeking a home gym for powerlifting or sports training, consider the following options:

Unless you have tons of extra space in your home gym, choosing a few versatile pieces is a good idea. The Shogun NORD-EX combines a hyperextension machine and a Nordic bench

Leg press: PowerTec
Belt Squat: Titan SquatMax-MD
Freak Athlete: A 6-in-1 Nordic Hyper GHD

If you lean toward functional training, these items will round out your space:

Kettlebells from 5-55 pounds
1-2 medicine balls
1-2 slam balls
Olympic rings

5 - add Powerlifting Home Gym Accessories

For a relatively small price, you can add training gear that dials in your powerlifting training:

Bands and Chains
These provide accommodating resistance, which makes lifts more or less challenging during certain phases. For example, during a reverse band squat, the tension on the band increases as you descend. You'll get practice with heavier weights that you couldn't usually handle.
Lifting Straps
You'll likely encounter some issues as you progress with heavy pulling workouts. One is that your posterior chain will strengthen more quickly than your grip. You're missing out on gains if that limits your ability to handle progressively heavy weights. Using straps for 1-2 top sets overcomes this problem so long as you're not over-reliant.
In addition, you may have multiple pulling movements during a workout. Heavy barbell deadlifts can beat up your hands before getting to your lat pulls. If your grip fatigues but you have plenty of overall energy and strength left, straps can allow you to keep training.
Boards
Similar to a barbell squat, we're much stronger during the lowering phase of the barbell bench press. That's why most sticking points occur at the chest or above. Boards shorten the range of motion, bypassing this phase so that you can handle heavier weights.

6 - add Cardio Equipment

I'm a huge proponent of everyone including plenty of conditioning in their training.

But since individual preference matters a lot with cardio, choose what you'll use. You want to start small with jump ropes or battle ropes before deciding on a major piece like a treadmill or assault bike.

7 - organize your space with Home Gym Storage

I've intentionally put storage as the final step. I recommend working out in your gym for a while while you figure out optimal storage. Use existing shelves and corners until you have a clearer idea of what you need.

You're generally going to want some combination of the following:

A floor storage system for adjustable dumbbells, plates, medicine balls, and kettlebells. You can also attach pins to the side for change plates or bands and chains.
1-2 dedicated wall systems for barbells, such as a gun rack and hangers.
Wall control for attachments and bands
1-2 drawers or baskets with hooks

Conclusion

Long-term gains come down to consistency. A home gym pays off over years and decades by making it easier to string together quality sessions.

Setting Up Your Premium Home Gym: A Step-By-Step Guide