Compact home gyms? Pics?
Discussion
Got sick of how busy David Lloyd was, so switched to gympass which gives me access to the local Nuffield. Truth be told the DL was better, but won't be going back due to £/no. of people.
A home gym is a challenge as the only space we have is the box room which is also a mini office.
I'll probably be ok with just a bench (ideally foldable with preacher stand and adjustable incline/decline) , and a dumbell rack.
I found some adjustable dumbells by bowflex which are expensive but would save a whole load of space as I wont need loads of dumbells (I hate having to add/remove plates).
https://www.fitness-superstore.co.uk/bowflex-2-24-...
I'm sure some other Ph'ers have come up with some smart space saving solutions? So looking for inspiration.
A home gym is a challenge as the only space we have is the box room which is also a mini office.
I'll probably be ok with just a bench (ideally foldable with preacher stand and adjustable incline/decline) , and a dumbell rack.
I found some adjustable dumbells by bowflex which are expensive but would save a whole load of space as I wont need loads of dumbells (I hate having to add/remove plates).
https://www.fitness-superstore.co.uk/bowflex-2-24-...
I'm sure some other Ph'ers have come up with some smart space saving solutions? So looking for inspiration.
Do you have any outdoor space? It can be far better and removes ceiling height restrictions.
Skipping rope.
Indian clubs are good
https://heroicsport.com/
Maces are great
https://gravity.fitness/products/gravity-fitness-m...
Kettlebells are superb.
Get a suitably sized (not too large) kettlebell and learn to use it with good form. Expand your collection as required.
Big bags of sand are very versatile. Carry one up and down your road in various holds (bearhug is a good one) and you will work far harder than you might expect.
Don't drop them on the floor or bash your walls/ceiling/desk.
Skipping rope.
Indian clubs are good
https://heroicsport.com/
Maces are great
https://gravity.fitness/products/gravity-fitness-m...
Kettlebells are superb.
Get a suitably sized (not too large) kettlebell and learn to use it with good form. Expand your collection as required.
Big bags of sand are very versatile. Carry one up and down your road in various holds (bearhug is a good one) and you will work far harder than you might expect.
Don't drop them on the floor or bash your walls/ceiling/desk.
Yep, have outdoor space but looking strictly for indoor resistance stuff. Although those clubs and maces look interesting, perhaps double up as home defence 
I try and get out on the bike a few evenings a week to cover the cardio but might also keep a cheap gym membership for access to the cardio stuff for when winter really kicks in lol
Good to hear the bowflex stuff is decent. It seems to be heavily targeted by the scammers on fb market place. Usually selling it at exactly £78
I try and get out on the bike a few evenings a week to cover the cardio but might also keep a cheap gym membership for access to the cardio stuff for when winter really kicks in lol
Good to hear the bowflex stuff is decent. It seems to be heavily targeted by the scammers on fb market place. Usually selling it at exactly £78
I’ve put one upstairs in a small box room; it’s a squat half-rack with a six foot bar, a compact bench and Bowflex weights.
I was doing 5x5 Stronglifts so it works fine. I’m not that strong and have no intention of going nuts (150kg deadlift, 120 squat, 100 bench is fine for me) so I don’t need ridiculous equipment. So 5x5 plus some dumbbell work for ancillary stuff and it’s great. Couldn’t give a stuff about cardio so no need for any of that nonsense, I just go out for a run to warm up.
A few things I’ve now realised: I wish I’d bought some proper bumper weights as well as the rubber-clad iron weights I have. I’ll probably pick up a few just so deadlifts are from the correct height, I don’t drop the bar so that’s not a problem anyway. I think I should’ve probably got a bench that had a detachable leg extension function, I’ve seen them but didn’t think I’d need it at the time.
I’m also now on the lookout for a cable pulley system that’s slimline and mounts to the wall. They’re out there but they’re all too tall for the ceiling. I’d also like a dip station, one that has the back rest so you can do knee raises / L sits as well. Ideally it would have a pull up bar but, again, I’m limited by ceiling height. There’s just about room for those two pieces of equipment in that space and that will cover 90% of what I’d do in a proper gym.
I was doing 5x5 Stronglifts so it works fine. I’m not that strong and have no intention of going nuts (150kg deadlift, 120 squat, 100 bench is fine for me) so I don’t need ridiculous equipment. So 5x5 plus some dumbbell work for ancillary stuff and it’s great. Couldn’t give a stuff about cardio so no need for any of that nonsense, I just go out for a run to warm up.
A few things I’ve now realised: I wish I’d bought some proper bumper weights as well as the rubber-clad iron weights I have. I’ll probably pick up a few just so deadlifts are from the correct height, I don’t drop the bar so that’s not a problem anyway. I think I should’ve probably got a bench that had a detachable leg extension function, I’ve seen them but didn’t think I’d need it at the time.
I’m also now on the lookout for a cable pulley system that’s slimline and mounts to the wall. They’re out there but they’re all too tall for the ceiling. I’d also like a dip station, one that has the back rest so you can do knee raises / L sits as well. Ideally it would have a pull up bar but, again, I’m limited by ceiling height. There’s just about room for those two pieces of equipment in that space and that will cover 90% of what I’d do in a proper gym.
I have the same situation - Box room, which doubles up as an office. There's a sofabed in there too which the dogs lie on when I WFH, or its folded out when guests stay over.
I make do with adjustable dumbells and a bench. I was surprised how little space I needed really. Maybe I'm just not lifting big enough weights
I make do with adjustable dumbells and a bench. I was surprised how little space I needed really. Maybe I'm just not lifting big enough weights
Crumpet said:
I’ve put one upstairs in a small box room; it’s a squat half-rack with a six foot bar, a compact bench and Bowflex weights.
I was doing 5x5 Stronglifts so it works fine. I’m not that strong and have no intention of going nuts (150kg deadlift, 120 squat, 100 bench is fine for me) so I don’t need ridiculous equipment. So 5x5 plus some dumbbell work for ancillary stuff and it’s great. Couldn’t give a stuff about cardio so no need for any of that nonsense, I just go out for a run to warm up.
A few things I’ve now realised: I wish I’d bought some proper bumper weights as well as the rubber-clad iron weights I have. I’ll probably pick up a few just so deadlifts are from the correct height, I don’t drop the bar so that’s not a problem anyway. I think I should’ve probably got a bench that had a detachable leg extension function, I’ve seen them but didn’t think I’d need it at the time.
I’m also now on the lookout for a cable pulley system that’s slimline and mounts to the wall. They’re out there but they’re all too tall for the ceiling. I’d also like a dip station, one that has the back rest so you can do knee raises / L sits as well. Ideally it would have a pull up bar but, again, I’m limited by ceiling height. There’s just about room for those two pieces of equipment in that space and that will cover 90% of what I’d do in a proper gym.
That's a really neat setup. I reckon I could get away with the barbell setup for now and it'd be pretty compact based on that..I was doing 5x5 Stronglifts so it works fine. I’m not that strong and have no intention of going nuts (150kg deadlift, 120 squat, 100 bench is fine for me) so I don’t need ridiculous equipment. So 5x5 plus some dumbbell work for ancillary stuff and it’s great. Couldn’t give a stuff about cardio so no need for any of that nonsense, I just go out for a run to warm up.
A few things I’ve now realised: I wish I’d bought some proper bumper weights as well as the rubber-clad iron weights I have. I’ll probably pick up a few just so deadlifts are from the correct height, I don’t drop the bar so that’s not a problem anyway. I think I should’ve probably got a bench that had a detachable leg extension function, I’ve seen them but didn’t think I’d need it at the time.
I’m also now on the lookout for a cable pulley system that’s slimline and mounts to the wall. They’re out there but they’re all too tall for the ceiling. I’d also like a dip station, one that has the back rest so you can do knee raises / L sits as well. Ideally it would have a pull up bar but, again, I’m limited by ceiling height. There’s just about room for those two pieces of equipment in that space and that will cover 90% of what I’d do in a proper gym.
What bench is that?
Billy_Rosewood said:
That's a really neat setup. I reckon I could get away with the barbell setup for now and it'd be pretty compact based on that..
What bench is that?
I think it’s this one, everything I got was from Fitness Superstore:What bench is that?
https://www.fitness-superstore.co.uk/bodypower-uk-...
As Mr Bodge mentioned, unless you really want to do squats, barbell bench and overhead press there isn’t much need for the rack if you’re pushed for space. You could do everything with the heavier set of adjustable dumbbells; I think one version goes to 45kg or something. I just think squats are really important and I like doing them. You need 6’ for the bar plus another 6-12” either side to slip the weights on, so probably an 8’ wide room minimum.
If I hadn’t put the mirror on the wall behind it I’d be putting a slimline cable machine on the wall and work between the uprights of the rack. You can get a surprising amount in a small space.
As I say, in hindsight I think I’d have got a bench that you can add attachments to like a leg developer / extension system.
One thing I’ll add, I’ve used cheap machines and weights in some hotels and it’s just an unpleasant experience, so I was keen to have commercial gym quality on fewer pieces to be sure I had no excuses not to use it.
Edit: I see MC Bodge referred to the bench itself. I’d disagree, you need it for most chest work and I use it to rest my knee on for dumbbell rows and the like. It’s also useful to have somewhere to sit when you’re f
ked from doing squats to failure. Edited by Crumpet on Tuesday 12th September 19:11
Variations of pressups and holds will challenge most people looking to develop chest (and core) strength, at least for quite a while. I use stools to raise my feet
In fact, all kinds of calisthenics (and plyometrics) can be challenging for most people before buying any additional weights.
Ps. A Bench or a padded support is handy for Bulgarian Split Squats.
In fact, all kinds of calisthenics (and plyometrics) can be challenging for most people before buying any additional weights.
Ps. A Bench or a padded support is handy for Bulgarian Split Squats.
Edited by MC Bodge on Tuesday 12th September 19:54
Ordered a couple bits from these guys - https://uk.rpmpower.com/
Their 24kg adjustable dumbbells look like the Bowflex ones at nearly half the price (£250 for the pair). Picked up a 160kg foldable bench, all in came to £330 delivered which I thought was decent. Cheaper than 3 months membership at David Lloyd
Will get a pic of it all later to give a sense of scale. Impressed with the value for money so far.
Might potentially look at turbo trainers for the cardio and drop my gympass membership completely.
Their 24kg adjustable dumbbells look like the Bowflex ones at nearly half the price (£250 for the pair). Picked up a 160kg foldable bench, all in came to £330 delivered which I thought was decent. Cheaper than 3 months membership at David Lloyd
Will get a pic of it all later to give a sense of scale. Impressed with the value for money so far.
Might potentially look at turbo trainers for the cardio and drop my gympass membership completely.
I have a box room, yours looks easily twice or three times larger.In the back of my garage, I have a full set of cast iron dumbells on a rack (5kg - 25kg), a separate stand with around 200kg of olympic plates, a barbell, some squat stands and an adjustable bench. There is also an old but decent foldup Powerline treadmill.
There is barely any space to use them though, I just can't bring myself to get rid of them. I can use the treadmill if I move stuff around but, if I want to use the weights properly, I'd have to move the car out of the garage and I can never be @rsed.
I bought everything (and a lot of other stuff which I sold) when I lived in a bigger place with an outbuilding used as a dedicated gym.
I also have a spin bike in the lounge which I use a lot.
There is barely any space to use them though, I just can't bring myself to get rid of them. I can use the treadmill if I move stuff around but, if I want to use the weights properly, I'd have to move the car out of the garage and I can never be @rsed.
I bought everything (and a lot of other stuff which I sold) when I lived in a bigger place with an outbuilding used as a dedicated gym.
I also have a spin bike in the lounge which I use a lot.
I got fed up of commercial gyms years ago. Waiting for machines or weights while people take 2-3mins between sets. People leaving stuff lying around after they use it, not being able to have my routine flow just defeated the point for me.
I’ve trained at home for a while now and finally kitted my garage out properly about a year ago. It’s a single garage space and has everything I need to keep me going for a few years yet.
I’ve trained at home for a while now and finally kitted my garage out properly about a year ago. It’s a single garage space and has everything I need to keep me going for a few years yet.
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff