I Answer The 25 Most Frequently Asked Home Gym Set Up Questions

[@GrayMatterLifting]

Huge shout-out to myself for handling 25 questions in under 4 hours.

[@Two_Names]

Hi, beginner lifter and a proud home gym owner of just under a year now. I started out with some adjustable dumbbells, a storage bench for them, and a doorframe pullup bar and now I've expanded into my garage with a smith machine half rack. I fit everything in about a 6' x 9' space. I'm a couple creature-comforts away from being able to abandon the commercial gym altogether. If I were to give any advice at all to people who have committed to building a home gym, it would be to carve out a dedicated space FIRST. The consistency of workouts with a home gym only happens if you have a space suitable for exercising. It doesn't have to be a permanent space (mine wasn't at first), but it does need to be a space you can use regularly and WANT to use regularly. In the middle 2/3 of the year, I resorted to commercial gym workouts instead of home gym workouts because moving my home gym stuff into my bedroom made it functionally unusable when I had time available to work out. Measure your space, use tape outs and digital or physical mock-ups, and do mock workouts to make sure the space is usable.

[@GrayMatterLifting]

@@Two_Names this is a good one. If it takes you 30 minutes to set up your gym, you are going to find excuses again why you skipped a workout. Hard to do that when you just roll out of bed and can start lifting.

[@justin3993]

Outside of normal bike riding, I absolutely hated cardio. Always just so freaking boring. Then I started jumping rope. Learning the skills and tricks will keep me busy until I die. It's so much fun.

[@GrayMatterLifting]

@@justin3993 good one! Yeah sitting on a treadmill or anything was just wasting my life away. If I go outside I enjoy it, which means I'll do it consistently, and even put some extra effort into it. So whatever you can find that does that for ya, is the winner.

[@Cd11998]

Such a sick gym

[@GrayMatterLifting]

I appreciate it. 10+ years of labor and love

[@jmsantiago1]

Thank you for not recommending crazy expensive bars. I feel like everyone thinks they need the best bar in the market, but in reality, most people just need a decent bar that will perform any lift you want and you can get that within the $150-$250 range especially if you wait for sales

[@GrayMatterLifting]

@@jmsantiago1 I looked yesterday and found a Rogue Ohio Bar in their boneyard for $200. That bar will do more than almost anyone needs. And I think year round you can get a good bar from XMark, Bells of Steel, and Living Fit for under $200. As we get into a hobby we can get a little focused, that $600 bar has extra special qualities. Which is totally cool. But unnecessary to start off with, or maybe even ever.

[@T-Dawg19]

One BIG thing to do when setting up a home gym or transforming one is to think about the type training you want to do and build the space conducive to the training and NOT what you should have. A home gym is a very personal space that should be set up and focused on your training goals.

[@GrayMatterLifting]

@@T-Dawg19 perfect! Yep, my needs as a powerlifter or bodybuilder or crossfitter would be different than someone else's.

[@carps_gym]

Solid list. Good info.

[@GrayMatterLifting]

@@carps_gym appreciate it dude

[@TheKurtlocker]

Awesome Q&A

[@GrayMatterLifting]

@@TheKurtlocker thank you sir! Just amazed I managed to answer a few questions in a minute or less lol

[@TheCarterHomeGym]

I already have a home gym, but I watched the whole video anyway 🤷‍♂️

[@GrayMatterLifting]

@@TheCarterHomeGym A+ for your efforts today

[@jasonmckinney3876]

Odd question that goes back a little bit- that barbell that allows your hands to slide inward and back out. Is it still in the line up and how long has it been since it was used? I never felt “all in” about that thing lol. And it was pricey!!

[@GrayMatterLifting]

@@jasonmckinney3876 unfortunately when you own a dozen specialty bars, they don't each get used as often as they might disserve. It got used last month, might make it into the rotation in a couple weeks for some shoulder press work. That is my favorite use for it currently.

[@jasonmckinney3876]

@ ah that makes sense. Human body can only handle so much volume and then when you ad the variety of attachments or bars, well only so many get in the “batters box”.

[@IYUB30]

I noticed a channel you left off the recommendations. The Ali of home gym reviewers. I know why.. it's alright. It's why I support him. Heavy is the crown ✌️

[@GrayMatterLifting]

@@IYUB30 who, GGR?

[@verablack3137]

I have a question: I have an absolutely tiny space, I sleep on a Japanese style futon/tatami mat which once I wake up I fold it up and put it away, so basically I have a bit more than a bed sized area where I can work out, I have been just using a 48" Barbell, dumbbells and an adjustable bench. Would it be reasonable to buy a Titan Yoke, use it like a rack with a rackable 6ft barbell, and just take the crossmember out and put it away against the wall when not in use? I do have a strap hooked to a stringer on my mall to secure my bench standing up against the wall, so that is the plan, is there some reason this wouldn't work?

[@GrayMatterLifting]

Downside with a Yoke typically, when we are talking about your space, is going to be how large the actual "feet" are. The other issue would potentially be the 6ft barbell. Is it "rackable"? If it is, then I don't see any issues in your idea. You could potentially decide to grab squat stands and get a similar solution (maybe a crossmember with MagPins would hold it togethe?). You mention a stringer, could go a fold away rack. Just a few more potential ideas, otherwise I think a Yoke would be fine.

[@SpiralBJJ]

Where'd you get your camber bench bar?

[@GrayMatterLifting]

Talking bout the black one, right? $20 off Offer up. Picked it up in a vacation trip out of town, from a Home Depot parking lot 😂

[@SpiralBJJ]

@@GrayMatterLifting The black one next to the Football Bar at 00:12

[@GrayMatterLifting]

@@SpiralBJJ yep, that would be it. No markings on it at all. I'm assuming it was made in a local shop.

[@SpiralBJJ]

@@GrayMatterLifting someone needs to compete with Rogue’s Seal Row Bar, all the other competitors don’t seem to have the same camber depth 😔.

[@GrayMatterLifting]

@@SpiralBJJ haven't compared them extensively, but have you looked at the Exponent Edge bar?