Last updated on September 5th, 2023 at 09:49 am
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Buying gifts for the garage or basement gym user in your life can be difficult at best. If they don’t already have all the gear they want, they are usually very particular when it comes to adding new stuff.
At first, it might sound like a good idea to buy them a new barbell or bench or something, but unless you know exactly what they want, you are taking a big chance. And if they know exactly what they want, you don’t need a gift guide, do you?
When I looked at all of the home, garage, and basement gym gift guides already out there, I was disappointed by how useless most of them are. They are typically filled with a bunch of stuff that has little to no chance of the gym-goer in your life actually liking, needing, or using it.
So I set out to make a list of things that I genuinely believe almost all home, garage, and basement gym enthusiasts will love and use. While I am an affiliate for some of these (I make a few pennies if you purchase them through the provided links), I make absolutely nothing on most of them. Whether or not something makes an income for me was not a criterion when I put this list together.
I honestly just wanted to give you a list of gifts that I think the fitness minded person in your life will love! I hope you find something here that brings a smile to the person you give it to. Scroll the entire list below, or jump straight to the section you are interested in:
The gear they probably don’t have but would love
The garage gym world is filled with cool, new gear each and every year. Unfortunately, many people either won’t buy things for themselves or simply don’t know about the things they’d love. Here are just a few of my favorites that I added to my home gym over the last year.
JayFlex CrossGrips
Every once in a while, someone smart comes up with a new version of an old classic. This is what JayFlex has done with the door-mounted pull-up bar.
I’ve had the same ugly pull-up mounted in my office doorway for over ten years. I’ve hit my head on it repeatedly! See my review here.
Not only are the CrossGrips better and more versatile, but travel well too! I bring them with me on the road for band work, pull-ups, and push-ups.
*Do NOT buy the Ryze Ups on the same site! I explain why here.
HyperWear anchorless battle rope
Wow, this one is fun! Get the benefits of a 50 ft battle rope in only 6 feet of space.
This weighted battle rope is an ideal cardio solution that is absolutely perfect for a home or garage gym.
No anchor point is needed. Just grab the rope and a small square of space and go! This won the best battle rope of 2022 by Men’s Health magazine.
If the home gym owner in your life has always wanted a battle rope but doesn’t have the room, this is a perfect gift!!!
Train like Thor!
There’s nothing like feeling strong and powerful while training. Having some fun at the same time doesn’t hurt, either!
That’s where the Thor hammer series from KettleBell Kings comes in. I can almost guarantee that no one you know has these, as they are brand new.
I can also guarantee that the fitness fanatic in your life would LOVE one!
They will use this every day!
At 51 years old (and soon to be 52 🙁), I’ve accumulated quite a few aches and pains. This is especially true in my hips, ankles, and knees.
Then I started pushing and pulling a sled every day. Every. Single. Day.
And with that one change to my exercise programming, I’ve all but eliminated my knee and hip pain. Not to mention, my legs have never been stronger!
This is definitely the most expensive item on this list and something a lot of people would never buy for themselves.
But I also believe it should be in every home gym on the planet. I love mine that much!
Gifts that will make any home gym look awesome
One of the things I love most about my home gym is the ability to make it my own. All home gym owners love to personalize a basement or garage gym. And that’s what makes the following great gifts that will be appreciated and cherished for years.
Custom iron gym sign.
Custom iron signs have been popping up in garages, basements, and home gyms everywhere. The best place I’ve found to buy them is on Etsy.
Below I’ve linked a shop that will customize any number of cool signs with names or sayings of your choice.
These are so cool!!!
Premium Motivational Art.
Ikonic is a company that kept popping up in my social feeds. They have hundreds of high-quality pieces of motivational art.
They also make quite a few prints that are perfect for a garage or basement gym.
If you are looking for something to give a home gym an upscale feel and is a good deal nicer than your standard poster, check out the full selection from Ikonic.
Motivational posters.
If you aren’t up for buying higher-end prints like the Ikonic prints I linked above, there is a huge selection of much more affordably priced motivational posters available on Amazon.
There are even a large number that are perfect for a home gym
The COOLEST superhero art.
I don’t know of anyone who hasn’t wished they could be a superhero. This is especially true when training hard in the gym.
So what better decor for a garage or basement gym than superheroes? I found the absolute coolest assortment of DC and Marvel superhero art over at superheroesgears.com. These are so
Weight plate clock.
I love this thing! It comes in eight different sizes, so it will fit in any garage or basement gym.
One of the things I like most is that it’s modeled after one of the very first iron-weight plates I ever owned.
Gym Accessories
Little touches and extras can make a garage or basement gym great. The right accessories enhance training, making it more effective and enjoyable.
A lot of great accessories fly under the radar. They are out there waiting to make someone’s gym better, but people just don’t know they exist. Here are some of the accessories that I love and use in my own gym. They are also the things I most often give as gifts to other home gym owners.
The best barbell brush ever made!
I wrote an entire barbell care and maintenance article that you can read here. I even filmed a YouTube video on the topic.
The problem is that the brush I use in that video isn’t really made for barbells.
Even newer “360 barbell brushes” don’t work that well. They are simply brushes made for other things that also kind of work on barbells.
Enter Barbell Rescue. The first barbell brush designed from the ground up to clean your bars!
Every barbell needs these.
I’ve been using Fat Gripz for well over ten years. They are a must-have barbell accessory. They prevent injury, train grip strength, and add variety to training.
Fat Gripz have been recommended by virtually every fitness coach and trainer that uses a barbell and have received numerous awards for product of the year.
They come in several sizes, but I’d recommend buying the middle, standard size if buying them as gifts. Oh, and don’t get fooled by the cheap imitations; it’s worth a few extra dollars to buy the real thing!
These are my favorite shaker cups.
At one point, I had no less than 20 plastic shaker cups in my cabinets. Not only is that a lot of plastic, but all those cups lacked something important. They couldn’t keep anything cold!
If you’ve ever had a protein shake, BCAAs, or other workout-related powdered drink, you know they are much better cold.
So I donated all those old cups to GoodWill and replaced them with two Blender Bottle insulated stainless steel shakers. These things are amazing! Not only are they my go-to shaker cup, but they are my all-day, every-day water glass too.
They come in a ton of different colors, and even some with Batman and Star Wars designs!
Just as good, half as much!
I try to drink a little over a gallon of water a day. So I carry a gallon jug with me when I’m out and about. The problem is that most plastic gallon jugs are wasteful, tacky, and they don’t keep your water cold.
You could go with a stainless steel, double-walled gallon jug by someone like Hydroflask or Yeti, but those guys charge over $100!!! That’s crazy.
After a good amount of shopping around, I found RTIC. They make all the same type of gear that Yeti does but at around half the price (the company was founded by an ex-Yeti employee). This gallon jug is a great example. I use mine every day, and it’s held up great! Anything by RTIC would make a great gift, but I particularly like this jug!
The ultimate cool-down.
I didn’t even know that cooling towels existed until someone handed me one at a golf outing when it was a balmy 102℉. Since then, cooling towels have been in my golf bag and garage gym.
Just wet these down, ring them out, and apply them to your head and neck. I don’t know exactly how they work, but they get cold and stay that way even without cold water. It’s almost like magic!
If you know someone who trains in a hot garage gym, they will absolutely love these things!
Timing matters.
In commercial gyms and CrossFit boxes, it’s pretty common to have a large timing clock on the wall. This times everything from reps to sets to rest periods in between.
The problem with those clocks when it comes to home gyms is that they are big and expensive. They also aren’t always where you can see them.
That’s where this cool little magnetic timer comes in. You can stick this directly to any part of a squat rack or other metal surfaces. It can be set with one hand. It can be silent or loud.
I use mine every time I train, and it’s much better than those big, ugly ones that mount on the wall!
Food for growth.
Our bodies need food to refuel and recover. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of eating-out options that align with a fitness-minded person’s nutritional goals.
The Healthy Human Bento box is a great solution. Made from aluminum with a BPA-free lid, get these for the person in your life who likes to eat healthy, home-cooked food when they are done training.
Put a ring on it!
Whether training at home or at a commercial gym (especially at a commercial gym!), your spouse should always wear their wedding ring, right?
The problem is that a barbell will ruin a wedding ring, and a metal ring can easily get caught and cause a catastrophic injury. That’s where Thunderfit silicone rings come in.
Thunderfit makes a huge selection of rings, you’d be surprised at how cool some of them are! And unlike many silicone rings, they are vented to keep them from making your finger sweat.
Give your spouse a ring they don’t have to take off at the gym. It’s a great gift for both of you!
Books and Programs
Building a great home gym is the easy part. Knowing what to do in it and getting the most out of it is much harder. This is also where many home gym owners refuse to spend money. It’s much more fun to buy another barbell than a quality book or program showing you what to do with that bar.
This section is for all those people in your life with every piece of gear but no direction on what they should be doing with it. They program for themselves, rehab themselves, and generally just wing it when they are in the gym.
THE best book for someone thinking about building a home gym for weight loss.
Too many people think that a treadmill by itself is a home gym. Especially if they are trying to lose weight.
This book is the best one ever written in describing the importance and effectiveness of resistance training for weight loss. It’s aimed directly at the people out there who think the only way to fitness is countless hours of boring cardio.
This is also the perfect gift for anyone who isn’t currently training but you’d like to start. I can’t speak highly enough about this book!!!
Every home gym needs this book.
If there are weights in your garage or basement, and you don’t have this book, WHY NOT? This book is a must-have for anyone who trains with weights, making it a perfect gift for any weight lifter in your life who doesn’t have it.
The Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwartzenegger is so essential that every barbell and weight set should come with it for free. But since they don’t, click the button to get a copy today!
This will keep them going!
I don’t care who you are, sometimes you just don’t want to go work out. You still don’t want to go even when your gym is as close as your garage.
It’s times like those when you need a massive dose of motivation. And this book has that in spades!!! I’ve got this book on Audible (get a free trial and one free book by clicking here!) and regularly listen to it while training.
If someone in your life is having trouble being consistent with their workouts, this is the perfect gift for them!
Help them heal their pain!
If you know and love someone who trains with weights regularly, then there’s a good chance that you also know someone with nagging injuries and joint pain.
Unfortunately, people who train at home often do it the wrong way. Lifting weights should actually heal your body and prevent injury and pain, not cause it!
This book takes the reader through the right way to use weight training to heal their body, eliminate pain, and prevent future injury. It’s laid out body part by body part and is exceptionally useful.
Long-time lifters need this program!
Anyone who has trained with weights for any length of time has imbalances. Front to back, left to right, side to side. Over time, those imbalances start to cause pain and, eventually, injury.
That’s the entire reason the guys over at Mind Pump wrote MAPS Symmetry. It is, by far, my favorite program from them. It belongs in the tool kit of every single person who trains with weights or plays a sport.
I posted a full review that you can read here.
Results in 15 minutes a day.
One of the most common complaints I hear from people who want to train at home is that they don’t have the time. Enter MAPS 15 minutes.
This program is good for so many things, it’s another program I recommend be in the toolbox of anyone training at home with weights.
Whether it’s trying to cut down on your time in the gym, backing off to focus on other areas of life or just a change that allows you to spend more time doing other things, this program is awesome!
I’m currently working through this program and will have a review up soon, but I already love it enough to put it on this list!
The complete injury prevention and body maintenance system.
Combine the two programs of MAPS Prime and Prime Pro, and you have a complete system that will keep the people you love injury and pain-free for their entire lifting career.
I firmly believe that everyone that trains with weights should have and use both of these programs (to see the differences and why you’d want both, check out my article here).
People typically won’t buy this for themselves, but once they have it, they don’t know how they lived without it. It’s a really great gift!
I’ve written in-depth reviews of both programs. You can see the Prime review here, and the Prime Pro review here.
Give the gift of recovery
While it’s important to be smart and work hard in the gym, it’s more important to recover properly. Eating right, getting enough sleep, and not pushing too hard are all important here. But there are also some tools that push recovery to the next level.
These gift ideas are all things that I own and use regularly. They are also things that few people buy for themselves. And that makes them excellent gift ideas for anyone in your life that trains hard.
The BEST recovery, mobility, and pain relief program available.
I’ve been using Kelly Starrett’s The Ready State app almost since it launched, and it’s an invaluable part of my day. It’s far too in-depth to fully describe here (but I do have a full review of it posted here), but the short version is that it’s as close as you can come to having a physical therapist, mobility coach, and personal trainer in your pocket.
It’s a subscription model, but they do offer a 14-day free trial. It’s a perfect gift for the fitness addict in your life that already has everything else.
A massage gun that actually works.
After the third $60 massage gun I’d bought on Amazon failed, I decided maybe it was time to buy something higher quality. After a lot of research, I decided on the Pule by Power Plate. And wow, am I happy I did!
Not only is this far more durable than those cheap alternatives, but it also works soooooo much better! The head’s travel is longer, giving a much deeper massage. It’s also smoother and doesn’t bog down when pressure is applied.
This is not only a great gift for someone you love, but if you live with them, you’ll get the benefit of being able to use it yourself too!
Instant pain relief.
The Cryosphere by Recoup Fitness is one of those little gems that once you have you tell everyone you know about. It’s absolutely the best way to ice down an injury, strained muscle, or sore joint.
Mine lives in my freezer. I don’t need to pull it out often, but boy, am I glad it’s there when I do. If you know someone who trains often and plays any kind of sport, they’ll love this!
Immediate relief of chronic pain.
I’ve had to go to physical therapy more times than I’d like to remember. But every single time, my favorite part was when they would hook up the TENS unit.
The pain relief is almost instant; you feel like a new person after just 20-30 minutes. So I asked my PT one day if I could take the machine home. She said no, but that home units were available on Amazon for very reasonable prices.
I bought this TENS7000 many years ago, and it’s served me well ever since. I use it for low back pain as well as any time I strain a muscle. This little thing is amazing and would make a very welcome gift for anyone with chronic pain in any area of their body!
A high-quality foam roller.
Is your loved one rolling around on one of those black or white basic foam rollers you can get at Walmart for like $10? If so, it’s time for an upgrade!
I’ve owned at least ten different kinds of foam rollers, and the Trigger Point is by far my favorite. I own it in two sizes and use them daily.
A great foam roller is something anyone will use and love, and the Trigger Point is a great one!
Upgrade their lacrosse ball.
Lacrosse balls have been used for mobility and recovery work for many years. While they work, they are also very painful to use. Enter the Alpha ball by Yoga Tune-up.
I own no less than 10 different Yoga Tune-Up balls, but the Alpha is the one I use the most often. The texture and feel of these balls are designed to simulate a human massage. It’s so much nicer than the unforgiving hardness of a lacrosse ball!
Because it’s more comfortable (and also more effective!), I use them so much more often. These little gems make a great stocking stuffer or gift for those that are on a budget.
The BEST gift card!
I don’t have a specific link for you, but getting someone a massage as a gift is one of the best things you can do for them! Most local massage therapy places offer gift cards as well as discounts on buying multiple sessions at once.
This is one of those things that so few people will buy for themselves, but even if they do, they’ll still appreciate this gift. A great massage is something that everyone needs to experience at least once in their life. That goes double for anyone that trains regularly in their home gym!
Fitness Trackers
It’s virtually impossible to get where you want to go in life if you don’t know where you already are. And that’s why fitness and health trackers are so popular these days. While there are solid health tracking apps built into both Apple and Android phones, those lack detail, depth, and accuracy.
For the person in your life truly serious about their fitness, health, and longevity, you simply can’t beat a high-quality wearable fitness tracker. I’ve used all four options below and they are all solid options. Personally, I like the Oura ring the best (and it’s what I wear daily), but all four options would be welcome gifts!
The old standby.
I wasn’t really a big fan, but a whole lot of people really like these. At my day job, we sell them and they are by far one of the most popular gifts bought during the holidays.
Because of that, they belong on this list. If you want to buy a gift that will be greatly appreciated and does a whole lot more than track fitness and health, the Apple Watch is a great choice.
The original fitness tracker.
Fitbit has been doing fitness tracking longer than almost anyone else. And they do a great job too!
You’ll get a more functional and accurate tracker for far less than you’d pay for an Apple watch. Many people like the smaller footprint of a FitBit as well.
The best tracker for athletes.
The Whoop Strap is, hands down, the best fitness tracker for athletes. If you buy this for someone actively participating in sports, they will love it.
Whoop is one of the most accurate trackers on the market. The app is easy to use and offers a ton of information. Check the link below for a full description and some informative videos.
The best overall health and sleep tracker.
If you buy a tracker for someone concerned about sleep and overall health, you simply can’t beat the Oura Ring. It is unparalleled in the depth of sleep and health-related data.
After trying every tracker on this list, I currently use and love the Oura ring. In fact, as I write this, I’m awaiting the new V3 version, which adds full-time heart rate monitoring along with a load of other new features.
What better gift than to give someone insights into their sleep and health that could result in a longer, healthier life!
If all else fails…
So still don’t see something that will work for a gift? I know the feeling. Sometimes you just have to fall back on a gift card, right?
But where to buy the gift card from? It needs to be from someplace with a big enough selection that you know they’ll find something they like, right? And it has to be high-quality gear at reasonable prices, too, right?
That’s where Rep Fitness comes in. Rep is probably my favorite all-around home gym company. They carry pretty much everything and make some of the best products in the industry.
Any garage or basement gym owner would be thrilled with a Rep gift card!