The Trap Bar. 12 Reasons You Need One in Your Garage Gym!
If I were only allowed to have one barbell of any kind in my garage gym, it would be a trap bar. Find out why and which one I’d buy in this article!
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Rep Fitness Deep Knurl Stainless Power Bar EX Review
If you are looking for an overly aggressive knurl pattern on your bar, one that can shred your hands in one set flat, this is the bar for you. For 95% of the people out there, though, this isn’t a suitable barbell. Which group are you in?
Rep Fitness Stainless Steel Power Bar V2 Review
If you are looking for the perfect barbell for your garage gym, look no further than the Rep Fitness stainless steel power bar V2. It’s the bar I use every day and the one I recommend more often than any other bar!
No Power Rack? No Problem! Building a Garage Gym Without a Cage.
Too many people skip building a garage gym because they don’t have the space or budget for a power rack. This is a huge mistake! You can build an amazing garage gym without a rack and I’ll show you how in this article!
10 Ways To Protect Your Barbell When Using a Landmine Attachment
A landmine attachment is one of the most versatile and least expensive pieces of gear you can add to your garage or basement gym. So much so that it doesn’t make sense not to have one! I get a lot of questions about landmines here at GymCrafter, but the most common one is, “Will a landmine … Read more
The Best Places to Buy Home Gym Equipment Online
Most people building a garage or basement gym can’t go to a local store to see, feel, and try things before buying them. There simply aren’t that many stores in the world that display and sell quality home gym gear. Big box retailers and sporting goods stores have some stuff, but it’s primarily low to mediocre … Read more
Home Gym Gift Guide – 36 Gifts They’ll Actually Use and Love!
It can be incredibly hard to buy the right gift for the fitness-minded person in your life. That’s why we’ve rounded up a huge list of unique gifts they’ll actually use and love!
Center Barbell Knurl – Does Your Home Gym Barbell Need It?
If you are shopping for a new barbell, one of the options you’ll see is whether or not to get one with a center knurl. To many people, this option is confusing. What is a center barbell knurl? Why would you want one or not? Does it even matter? A center barbell knurl helps prevent … Read more
Bushings vs Bearings in Barbells – Are Bearings Worth the Extra Money?
One of the barbell features that impact price the most is the choice between a barbell with bushings and one with bearings. At first glance, the sales copy on bearing bars makes it seem like a higher-quality choice. Barbell manufacturers describe bearing bars as having “faster, smoother spin” or “ideal for faster lifting.” Faster? Smoother? … Read more
Power Bar or Olympic Bar – Which is Better for Your Home Gym?
When selecting a barbell for your garage or basement gym, you’ll typically end up choosing between two basic categories: Power bars and Olympic weightlifting bars. Knowing the differences and which will work better for you is important for many reasons. The best type of barbell for most basement and garage gym owners is a power … Read more
24 months training on the Titan Fitness X-3 Rack, An Owner’s Review
Few brands in the home gym industry are more polarizing than Titan Fitness. There are so many strongly held opinions about the company that most Titan equipment reviews spend more time talking about the company than the product being reviewed. If you want to know whether or not Titan is a good brand as a … Read more
Rep Fitness AB-5200 Bench: An Owner’s Review
*Update, Aug 2023… Rep has replaced the AB-5200 with the AB-5200v2. The new version is upgraded nicely from v1, but v1 (reviewed below) is still an amazing bench and what’s still in my garage. With the changeover, you may be able to find a 5200 v1 on eBay for a great price. You can click … Read more
Rep Fitness AB-3000 Bench: An Owner’s Review
*Update, Aug 2023… Rep has replaced the AB-3000 with the AB-3000v2. The new version is upgraded nicely from v1, but v1 (reviewed below) is still an amazing bench. With the changeover, you may be able to find an AB3000 v1 on eBay for a great price. You can click here to check! The big four … Read more
How to clean your treadmill to keep it working and looking like new
Your treadmill is one of the most expensive items in your home gym. It only makes sense to spend just a little time every now and then taking care of it. I’m not sure about you, but after I’m done with my treadmill for the day, I’m not in the mood for a cleaning project. … Read more
Picking the right size motor for your treadmill
While 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. Others will determine how long the treadmill lasts. … Read more
The best indoor cardio solutions for home gyms with low ceilings
Many 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: Space to train Resistance to train with An … Read more
Finding a Squat Rack for a home gym with a short ceiling
The 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 in their home gym. Finding a power or … Read more
Can you put a treadmill on the second floor?
An 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 in the end, treadmills take up a fair … Read more
Do you really need a treadmill mat?
I 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 of course, I couldn’t just say yes right … Read more
Is BowFlex the best option for an all in one home gym?
I’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 them more often. Both times, they became very … Read more
Building a great home gym, what do you really need?
Ask 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 trying to build their own home gym to … Read more
Squat Rack or Power Rack, which one is best for your home gym?
If 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 confronted with a myriad of terms and options. … Read more
Why and how to mix bumper plates with iron plates
Building 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 is to spend money where you need to … Read more
Barbell knurl. What it is and how to pick the best one for you.
One 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 leaves you with descriptions and reviews online. To … Read more
Do you really need an Olympic lifting platform?
When 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 simply figured it was something you needed if … Read more