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Plan Your Gym

If you fail to plan…
You are planning to fail.
Learn from my mistakes and take a few minutes to plan before building or buying.
I wish I’d done that.

The 6 Most Versatile Pieces Of Home Gym Equipment

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
6 most versatile featured image

When you are tight on both money and space, buying garage gym gear that’s versatile becomes extremely important. But what’s the most versatile?

Categories Equip Your Gym, Gym Build-Out, Plan Your Gym 12 Comments

9 Reasons You Should Have Your Treadmill and Other Cardio Gear Professionally Installed

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
tread install featured image

Treadmills are expensive enough without also having to pay for treadmill installation. But is it worth it anyway?

Categories Equip Your Gym, Cardio, Gym Build-Out, Maintain Your Gym, Plan Your Gym 5 Comments

5 Reasons Open Trap Bars Blow Away Conventional Models

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
5 ways a trap bar is better featured image

Open trap bars seem to be popping up everywhere. Why? What makes them better and worth a lot more money than conventional options?

Categories Equip Your Gym, Barbells, Plan Your Gym 6 Comments

Can You Install a Treadmill Outside?

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
treadmill outside featured image

Training outdoors is amazing. The sun and fresh air add a whole new dimension. But is it safe to install your treadmill outside?

Categories Equip Your Gym, Cardio, Gym Build-Out, Plan Your Gym 6 Comments

Surge Protectors. Yes or No For Your Treadmill And Other Cardio Machines?

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
surge protector featured image

Should you plug your treadmill, elliptical, or other cardio machines into the wall or a surge protector? And if a surge suppressor, what kind?

Categories Equip Your Gym, Cardio, Gym Build-Out, Maintain Your Gym 8 Comments

16 Reasons You Need A Sled In Your Garage Gym Today!

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
16 reasons to add a sled featured image.

Sleds are taking the fitness world by storm, and with good reason! In fact, here are 16 reasons you should add a sled to your garage gym today!

Categories Equip Your Gym, Conditioning, Guides, Gym Build-Out, Plan Your Gym, Train In Your Gym 18 Comments

Treadmill Buying Guide – What To Look For When Buying a Treadmill For Your Garage Gym

by Shayla Whitters
treadmill buying guide featured image

It’s easy to spend a lot more money on a treadmill than you planned to. But you don’t have to if you know exactly what you do and don’t need.

Categories Equip Your Gym, Cardio, Guides, Plan Your Gym 9 Comments

8 Reasons a Manual Treadmill Might Be Perfect For You

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
manual treadmill featured image

Manual treadmills are far less complex than their motorized counterparts and somehow much more expensive. Are they worth the price difference?

Categories Equip Your Gym, Cardio, Plan Your Gym

How Much Does the Right Home Gym Flooring Cost?

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
flooring cost featured image

Flooring is an often overlooked but essential part of building a home gym. It can cost more than you think, but it’s worth every penny!

Categories Plan Your Gym, Flooring, Gym Build-Out 18 Comments

No Power Rack? No Problem! Building a Garage Gym Without a Cage.

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
no rack featured image

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!

Categories Equip Your Gym, Gym Build-Out, Plan Your Gym, Racks 10 Comments

What’s the Best Electric Space Heater For Your Home Gym? 10 Heaters Thoroughly Tested

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
electric heater featured image

I tried and tested ten electric space heaters in my garage gym. See which ones performed the best and which might be a waste of your money!

Categories Plan Your Gym, Gym Build-Out, Reviews

The Best Places to Buy Home Gym Equipment Online

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
best places to buy featured image

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

Categories Equip Your Gym, Guides, Plan Your Gym 4 Comments

14 Books That Every Home Gym Owner Have and Keep in Their Gym.

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
home gym booklist

There are a lot of books out there that would benefit you as a garage or basement gym owner. There are also a lot of books that are mediocre at best and misleading at worst. I know because I’ve read a couple hundred of them. And out of all of those, there are shockingly few … Read more

Categories Reviews, Plan Your Gym

Should You Use EVA Tiles for Home Gym Flooring?

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
eva tiles featured image

If you go to almost any home improvement or sporting goods store (in person or online) and search for “home gym flooring,” you’ll almost always find EVA as a recommended option. EVA is one of many different materials explicitly marketed as “home gym flooring.” The problem with most of them is that they are not … Read more

Categories Plan Your Gym, Flooring, Gym Build-Out 4 Comments

How to do pull-ups in gyms with low ceilings.

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
using a multi-grip pull-up bar

The pull-up is a foundational functional movement pattern that everyone should train regularly. While it’s one of the more challenging movements anyone can do in a gym, it’s one that has a myriad of benefits that apply to everyday life. The pull-up is also a movement that requires more vertical room to perform than any … Read more

Categories Plan Your Gym, Train In Your Gym 2 Comments

Overhead Pressing in gyms with low ceilings.

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
PXL 20201230 204159187 1 scaled

In its many forms, the overhead press is one of the best compound lifts you can do when training with weights. After the “big three” (bench press, squat, and deadlift), some consider the overhead press a very close fourth when it comes to critical lifts. While there are a significant number of variations of this … Read more

Categories Plan Your Gym, Train In Your Gym 2 Comments

The best indoor cardio solutions for home gyms with low ceilings

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
woman running on treadmill on an incline

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: That said, what if you are trying to … Read more

Categories Equip Your Gym, Cardio, Plan Your Gym 5 Comments

Finding a Squat Rack for a home gym with a short ceiling

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
Rack 1

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

Categories Equip Your Gym, Plan Your Gym, Racks

Building a Home Gym You’ll Love in a Room with a Low Ceiling.

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
Low Clearance e1605136472735

The 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, a flat/incline weight bench, and a set of … Read more

Categories Plan Your Gym 4 Comments

Can you put a treadmill on the second floor?

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
Stairs scaled

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

Categories Equip Your Gym, Cardio, Gym Build-Out, Plan Your Gym 2 Comments

Building a great home gym, what do you really need?

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
Garge gym without a technique bar

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

Categories Equip Your Gym, Gym Build-Out, Plan Your Gym Leave a comment

Squat Rack or Power Rack, which one is best for your home gym?

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
Which Rack Featured

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

Categories Equip Your Gym, Plan Your Gym, Racks

Adding mirrors to your home gym… Everything you need to know.

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
mirrors featured image

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.

Categories Plan Your Gym, Gym Build-Out 4 Comments

Horse Stall Mats, Are They Really the Best Choice for Home Gym Flooring?

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
Horse stall mat

When 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 owners use one of two options: Horse stall … Read more

Categories Plan Your Gym, Flooring, Gym Build-Out, Reviews 12 Comments

Do you really need an Olympic lifting platform?

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
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

Categories Equip Your Gym, Gym Build-Out, Plan Your Gym, Racks
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