Basic home/garage gym equipment recs?

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Then rings and a Weighted vest would be my next one

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I would add adjustable dumbells next and then what you said.

Here’s a write up I did a little while back for another poster.

Things to not skimp on:

Power Rack. Get a quality one that is either 1” or 5/8” hardware and you’ll never need to replace it.

Barbell. If you’re in a garage in Louisiana, bite the bullet and get stainless for rust resistance. Get a barbell that works for your needs (I recommend Rogue Ohio Bar for oly and Ohio Power Bar for powerlifting style).

Weights. Get bumpers. Versatility is king in garage gyms and bumpers are simply more versatile and will be more resistant to corrosion.

Bench. This would be the one place that has some price decisions. A cheap flat bench can be found on Amazon that will serve you well. If you want an adjustable, spend the money on a good one.

Priorities after that (in my opinion, not everyone is the same):

1. Olympic Rings
2. Weight vest
3. Dumbbells. I have powerblocks but have heard good things about nuobells. While regular separate DB’s is certainly best, in a garage gym space and versatility is limited so adjustables are going to work better for most.
4. Kettlebells. You can also get kettlebell attachments to the powerblocks if you get those.
5. Dip attachment
6. Rowing machine/bike

While I may have forgotten something, pretty much anything after this is a luxury item. Many people go for GHD items, I went for specialty bars.

There are a lot of different companies and price variations, but I’ve abided by the saying “buy once, cry once.” There is no doubt in gym equipment more likely than not the more expensive item is going to last you longer.

Tiers of brands:

Sorinex

Rogue

Rep Fitness
Fringe Sports
Fray

Titan

If buying American is a concern to you, you’ll want to avoid Rep and Titan as the majority of their products are made in China.

I have a bare bones setup in my garage but I can do all of the lifts I need, and can still park in my garage.

My setup:

Rogue Wall Mount Folding Rack
LINK

Rogue Echo Bar 2.0
LINK

Rogue Echo Bumper Plates
LINK

EZ Curl Bar from Academy
LINK

Various Cap Dumbbells
LINK

Adjustable Bench from Academy
LINK

Stall Mats from Tractor Supply
LINK


All of this takes up less than 1/4 of my garage and when I am done I fold the rack flat against the wall and pull my truck in to park. I'm not a workout junkie but I workout 3x a week and get all of the lifts I want/need with this equipment.

I have the 21.5" version. Plenty room to do squats/bench inside it.

Cause you can use it to do everything on the rings plus regular bodyweight exercises.

Just a quick lookup of what I have at today's prices:

Rogue R-3W Wall Mount Rack (20.5 in) with Stringer Set: $600

Rogue Single Bar Hanger (Mounts on Rack): $40

Rogue Echo Bar 2.0: $265

Rogue Echo Bumper Plates 160 lb set: $375 plus other singles

CAP EZ Curl Bar Academy: $50

CAP Adjustable Bench Academy: $80

4x6 Stall Matt Tractor Supply: $50

Various CAP dumbbells and 5/10lb plates from Academy

I've probably got a little less than $2k in my set. I bought everything 3 years ago so prices have gone up a little since. Will try to post a couple of pics this afternoon.

barbell- just get the single vertical storage from rogue with your order

plates- get the wall mounted storage that is similar to this
LINK

trap bar, no need for second barbell unless you do dual landmine work or circuits.