New year, new you, new garage gym: Things to consider when building your dream garage gym

So… you’ve decided you want to hop aboard the Iron Game train and join the Garage Gym Revolution, ehh? Now’s the perfect time to start as we roll into 2021. 

Man, are we glad to have you! We’ve been waiting for you… no really… in the least creepy way possible. We’ve been preparing for this, and to help you build your ultimate dream garage or home gym and get strong as heck. Not only have we tested, perfected, and gathered some pretty awesome equipment (if we do say so ourselves), we’ve prepared an entire guide on things to consider before you venture into Garage Gym Land, and we’re psyched that you’re here to use it.

Before this year, garage gyms were a thing of leisure, of convenience, of choice and willingness to workout at home rather than at the gym with your friends and family. Some people might’ve had their own home gym to make their lives easier, some because they preferred their own space, among many reasons. But now, staring at 2021 right in the eyes, some of us are being forced to slow down (and to that we say, “HECK NO!!”) or get with the garage-gym-times… we are in the thick of the Garage Gym Revolution, and this train is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. All aboard!!

We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, but don’t worry. This information is going to clarify the things that you need to know and consider before diving into building out your dream garage gym (or home gym or wo/man cave or pain cave… wherever you put in the dirty, hard work against your own monsters). Buckle up, Fringe Fam. Let’s do this. 

Location, location, location.

The very first thing you need to consider is the space you’re choosing for your dream gym. Will it be your garage, your basement, a she/he shed in your backyard? This is crucial, because this begins the blueprint for your gym design. 

How much space does this chosen location give you? Could you fit a mounted rig, free standing rig, or does it need to fold away for more space? Can you lift your barbell overhead without any lights or shelves or drywall coming crashing back down? Can you do a muscle-up, or even pull-ups without sending your head through the ceiling?

These things are very important to consider to make sure you’re not only protecting your home and you, but your equipment, too. 

Matting and protecting your floor and equipment

Matting is one of the more tedious details of your garage gym, but important nonetheless. Stall mats work best because they’re thick and not easily damaged by weights and they easily protect your flooring underneath. This is something to think about because it’s hugely important to protect your flooring at home and your new equipment. 

It’s important to get the measurements right for these mats because you don’t want a mis-mash of mats and open spaces, but also because floor mats are generally not very easy to cut on your own as they’re super thick. We recommend doing this task with a friend because the mats can feel awkward and heavy to move and set, and we recommend cutting them with a utility knife (and definitely NOT a saw of any kind - trust us.)

What kind of workouts will you be doing in your space?

This is one of the fun parts about designing and building your very own garage gym. You get to choose exactly what you need, what you want, and what you’ll use in your space. Looking to get crazy good at CrossFit this year in your 2021 endeavors? Go after a traditional box setting. Powerlifting, Olympic lifting, or bodybuilding goals, even? You can cater your equipment and flooring to exactly what you’ll need to reach your biggest, toughest goals in the fight against gravity this year and fulfill all of your resolutions in the gym.

What kind of equipment will you need?

Good news: you can get, and have, all of the equipment an affiliate box gym might have, and have it at your disposal in your own garage gym… and we can help (that’s what we’re here for!) There’s a few guidelines we recommend you follow when getting your equipment to start: choose your favorite weights for resistance training, and build your collection of other things over time. Choose your favorite cardio equipment to start with, and add to your collection piece by piece. Choose your favorite accessories to use for extra work. Choosing your favorites to start and building from those pieces allows you to start with excitement and some motivation to train with your favorite gym toys instead of things you’re not going to want to use, and might go to waste. We want to make sure you’re pumped to use your equipment and get a good sweat session in to crush your goals, and not let your equipment sit in your garage getting dusty.

Will you get everything your gym needs at once, or over time?

You might feel pressure to get everything at once, or maybe you feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. The good news in this case is that you only need to get what you’re comfortable with to start, and cater toward your current workouts and goals. As your progress with training, you can progress with the equipment you buy.

We recommend that you start with a barbell and some bumpers to throw on, at minimum. There are so, so many things you can do to get your heart pumping and your lungs working and a great workout in with just those few pieces. But, if you’re less experienced with a barbell and more experienced with dumbbells or kettlebells, those are a great place to start. A pair of dumbbells or kettlebells can also be great replacements for a barbell in many different workouts. 

What kind of rig will you need?

Like we mentioned before, this is imperative to your gym design. We’ve got several different options, like a retractable rig, a garage series stand alone rack with a pull-up bar, a full squat cage with spotter arms, and more to completely customize your pain cave. Do some research, some measurements, and make sure you’re catering to you, your workouts, and your goals and resolutions in 2021.

What accessories will you get?

This truly is the most fun part of building out your garage gym. While not everything will be added all at once, it’s fun to pick and choose your next big thing to make your workouts better, harder, and sweatier. We recommend, again, choosing the things you love to do most especially as you begin your garage gym journey and your journey to a new you this year. Maybe it’s a curl bar, maybe a climbing rope, maybe a sled or a weight vest. Whatever floats your boat and gets you excited to workout is exactly what you should be starting with. Make this garage gym journey fun, and more importantly, yours! Choose equipment that makes you giddy and excited to get into your gym and get a good, hard workout in.

Finishing touches

When we say finishing touches, we mean some bad as heck decor or add-ons that make your gym yours. Banners, a timer, flags, and everything in between are awesome touches to personalize your space and make you super proud of your personal pain cave. This can also be those things you might put off for a while, like bigger pieces of equipment to really seal the garage gym deal. Rings, ropes, parallettes, even a whiteboard or mirror (for the real bro sessions), a TV, and a sound system are awesome and arguably necessary finishing touches in our book.

As you venture into the unknown in 2021, give yourself the stability you need in a garage gym to get stronger, fitter, faster, and healthier this year. We’re here to help you build your very own thriving, bad-ass garage gym and are happy to have you in this Garage Gym Revolution.

Crush your goals, trust the process, lift heavy, and lift happy. 

Happy New Year, Fringe Fam! Let’s crush 2021 and our goals this year, together.