Last updated on January 2nd, 2023 at 12:40 pmWhile all treadmills look similar to each other, some key differences will help you determine which treadmill is right for you. Deck height, deck cushion, belt width, platform length, and motor size are just a few. Some of those differences will determine how well the treadmill performs. … Read more
Last updated on July 22nd, 2023 at 10:26 amMany home gym owners seem to think that all they need is a treadmill or rower or tend to leave the cardio out altogether. In my opinion, both sides of that argument are wrong. As I’ve written about numerous times, all home gyms need three basic components: … Read more
Last updated on February 28th, 2021 at 07:47 pmThe largest piece of equipment in most home gyms is the power rack. This is what allows you to work effectively with a barbell and weights and what keeps you safe when lifting alone. It’s also one of the biggest challenges to those with a low ceiling … Read more
Last updated on June 16th, 2023 at 11:08 amThe very first home gym I ever saw was in the early 1970s. My grandfather and uncle had carved out a small back room in their basement that held a drum set and a small home gym. That gym consisted of a heavy bag, a speed bag, … Read more
Last updated on June 13th, 2023 at 12:03 pmAn average treadmill measures approximately 3’ wide x 6’ long x 5’ high. What may surprise you is that a treadmill of this size needs an area about 7’ wide x 12’ long x 8’ high. I cover all the reasons why in my article here, but … Read more
Last updated on May 4th, 2023 at 11:09 amI had finally decided on my treadmill. After way too much research and time at the store trying them out, I ended up going with the first one the guy at the store showed me after asking me about my needs. I’m naturally skeptical of salespeople, so … Read more
Last updated on February 28th, 2021 at 07:28 pmI’ve owned two Bowflex home gyms in my life. Their late-night infomercials featuring super-fit models training for “20 minutes a day, three days a week” hooked me. Twice! While I don’t still own either of those machines, I do look back on them and wish I’d used … Read more
Last updated on June 16th, 2023 at 11:08 amAsk ten home gym owners what you need to build a great home gym and I can pretty much guarantee you’ll get ten different answers. That’s because each of those ten people has different needs and enjoys different types of training. This makes it hard for someone … Read more
Last updated on May 21st, 2022 at 06:12 pmIf you’re going to lift weights in your home or garage gym, you’re most likely going to want to have a squat or power rack. If you will be doing barbell training, it’s a must. But which one to get??? When you start your shopping, you’ll be … Read more
Adding mirrors to your home gym can be intimidating and get expensive fast. But installing mirrors doesn’t have to be hard or expensive if done right.
Last updated on May 3rd, 2023 at 09:39 amBuilding a home gym can get expensive. And it can get that way fast! So finding places to save money without sacrificing functionality becomes important to those of us on a budget. One of the best ways to stay on budget and still get a functional gym … Read more
Last updated on July 3rd, 2023 at 10:05 amOne of the most difficult things about buying a barbell is finding the right knurl for you and your training style. There are almost no stores that stock the better barbells you should choose from, so trying them out in person is usually not an option. This … Read more
Last updated on March 31st, 2023 at 10:53 amWhen you build a home gym, one of the first decisions you have to make is what to do with the floor. Not only do you need a reliable surface to train on, but you also need to prevent damage to the floor below. Most home gym … Read more
Last updated on October 31st, 2022 at 02:18 pmWhen I was planning my full gym build-out, one of the first things that went on my list was a weightlifting platform. It seemed like every gym I looked at online had a platform. I honestly didn’t even know why I might need one (or not). I … Read more
Last updated on March 16th, 2021 at 01:29 pmSo you want to build a home gym for $500. You start shopping and soon realize that in the world of home fitness equipment, $500 doesn’t go all that far. You are faced with a choice. Do you get only a couple of quality items? Or do … Read more
Last updated on July 3rd, 2023 at 10:05 amDetails can be significant. The occasional crashes I would hear in commercial gyms (way back in the day when I still belonged to one) were a reminder of that. As plates fell off of bars and hit the floor, I always cringed. I wish I could say … Read more
Last updated on April 8th, 2022 at 03:59 pmEveryone should have the ability to work out at home. That simple idea is why I built GymCrafter. With recent events (This article is being written in mid-March, 2020, right at the beginning of a shelter in place order where I live in Illinois), people who previously … Read more
Last updated on June 22nd, 2023 at 10:29 amPull-ups are a fundamental and functional movement pattern. They should also be a part of any well-programmed training regimen. For those of us with home gyms, that means that we need to find a place to put our pull-up bar. It also means we need to figure … Read more
Last updated on May 21st, 2022 at 06:29 pmIf you’ve done any research at all into buying gear for your home gym, you’ve almost certainly come across Titan Fitness. You’ve also probably come across a variety of strongly held opinions about them. Very few other companies in the fitness industry are as polarizing as Titan … Read more
Last updated on May 3rd, 2023 at 09:39 amWeight plates are something we should only have to buy once. If we buy right the first time, they typically won’t wear out. That means there are a few decisions we need to make when buying weight for our home gyms. Steel, coated, or bumper plates? How … Read more
Last updated on June 5th, 2023 at 09:44 amIf you buy right the first time (something I highly recommend when it comes to purchasing a barbell), you will end up with a barbell that could last you a lifetime (like this one from Rep Fitness!). That is, of course, as long as you properly use, … Read more
Last updated on July 3rd, 2023 at 10:05 amToo much gear and not enough space. It’s the age-old dilemma faced by most home gym owners. For some gear, it doesn’t matter how you store it. For your barbell, that’s not the case. Improper bar storage can damage your prized barbell, so it’s important to follow … Read more
Last updated on March 16th, 2021 at 01:39 pmWhen I was building my garage gym, I searched on Google for “what makes a great weight bench for a home gym”. The only results that came back were site after site listing their “best benches of 20xx”. There was no good advice. There was no one … Read more
Last updated on May 1st, 2023 at 08:51 amIn my article on the must-have essentials found in all great home gyms, I made the case that resistance training is king. I feel that of all the types of training one could do at home, old school weight lifting is still the most effective. That’s not … Read more
Last updated on July 22nd, 2023 at 10:33 amA lot of the articles on this site address the issues of space and budget constraints. Building a great home gym when you are short on space and/or money can be challenging at best. But what if you have both space and the budget? What then? Even … Read more