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Gym Build-Out

Building a home or garage gym?
Good! It’s one of the best things you’ll ever do for yourself!
We’ll even help since we’ve done it a time or twenty.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Is your pull-up bar mounted in the right place?

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

Pull-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 out exactly how high to mount it. There … Read more

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

The best ways to store your barbells

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
barbell storage

Too 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 a few basic guidelines. Proper barbell storage guidelines: … Read more

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

How to Fit a Gym You’ll Love in a Small Apartment

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
Apartment building

While my current home gym is located in my garage, that wasn’t always the case. I’m very fortunate to have a two-car garage and only one car. That has allowed me the room to build a home gym I could only fantasize about previously. Apartment Gym Challenges For many years, I lived in an apartment. … Read more

Categories Plan Your Gym, Gym Build-Out

How Much Does it Cost to Build a Home Gym You’ll Love?

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
Weight on bar small

The first thing most people consider when building a home gym is where in their home it might be able to fit. A millisecond later, those same people usually wonder what their new gym is going to cost. It’s probably a safe assumption that budget is one of, if not the primary concern of most … Read more

Categories Plan Your Gym, Gym Build-Out

Easy Ways to Keep Deadlifts From Damaging Your Floor

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
danielle cerullo Oo rHghLNhA unsplash scaled

The weight dropped with a thud that shook the whole house. I hadn’t expected to lose my grip, but the bar (which was loaded to just over 300 lbs.) slipped without warning. After I inspected myself for injury, I checked the weights for damage (at that time I was using a set of sharp-edged iron … Read more

Categories Plan Your Gym, Flooring, Gym Build-Out, Maintain Your Gym 6 Comments

Getting the Smell Out of Your Rubber Gym Floor

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
Fumes

When people ask about the best flooring for their home gym, the answer is almost always rubber. Rubber flooring has a ton of benefits and is the ideal floor for your home fitness area. That said, it’s important that you use the right kind rubber. If you don’t, you can run into a few different … Read more

Categories Maintain Your Gym, Flooring, Gym Build-Out 7 Comments

Should You Bolt Your Squat Rack to the Floor?

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
Anchor small

The sound of the power rack’s metal feet scraping across the floor was almost unbearable. Real nails on a chalk board type sounds. I had attached a heavy band to one of the uprights and was trying to do banded rows. Every time I pulled, the rack moved. This wasn’t the only time I was … Read more

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

How Much Room Do You Need For a Squat Rack?

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
Squat Rack

I get pretty pumped every time I add a piece of gear to my home gym. But no addition has ever excited me more than the addition of a power rack. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve stood in my garage imagining a full-size rack as the centerpiece of my garage workout space. … Read more

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

Is It Safe to Build a Home Gym on the Second Floor?

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
Gym on second floor featured image

Sometimes my imagination gets the best of me. As I was using my treadmill the other day (it’s in an upstairs bedroom), I envisioned my 205 lb. frame riding the 350 lb. treadmill as it crashed through my floor into the garage below. I’m fairly sure that won’t happen, but that’s just how my mind … Read more

Categories Plan Your Gym, Gym Build-Out 14 Comments

How to Hang a Heavy Bag in Your Home Gym

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
Heavy Bags small

The knock at my door was unexpected. It was my neighbor. “Hey, we’re moving, and we have to be out fast. If there’s anything over in my garage, you see that you might want, let me know. We’d rather not have to move most of it.” The housing crisis had claimed yet another victim. I … Read more

Categories Equip Your Gym, Gym Build-Out

How Much Space Do You Need For Your New Treadmill?

by Tim Steward, NCCPT
Tread small

I love walking outside. But here near Chicago, there comes a time of year when no matter how hearty you think you are, walking outside just isn’t gonna happen. When the wind chill is 30 below, and the actual temp is -2° F, even the dog doesn’t want to go outside. And I can’t blame … Read more

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