Things to remember before lifting weights in your garage

Get ripped in your garage

According to the latest statistics, two out of three people who have gym memberships never use the workout facilities at all. As a result, an average of $39 of membership fees go to waste out of the average $58 monthly cost of signing with a gym. In fact, fitness centers rely on this business model to succeed, tailoring their sales campaigns to attract members who are least likely to use the facilities, subsidizing the cost for those who work out regularly.

If you have a garage with a little bit of extra space, rather than signing up for a gym, you can spend money to create a workout area that’s close to home. Before you rush to buy a workout set, consider the following issues to maximize your investment of time and effort.

Prepping the garage

First of all, in order to turn your garage into a mini‑gym, you need to prepare the space to be able to handle all of the equipment that you require. Get rid of all the clutter and clear an area specifically dedicated to working out.

If you live in an area with cold winters, an uninsulated, unheated garage may not be an appropriate solution. Some people don’t mind lifting in a freezing garage, but if the prospect makes you cringe, you should install a space heater and add insulation on areas such as the garage door.

Deep breathing is a part of any solid lifting and cardio routine. Make sure your garage is as clean as possible to avoid breathing in large amounts of dust or other irritants that will affect your lungs.

Workout basics

Depending on the equipment that you already possess, you may not need to spend more than a few hundreds dollars to set up the bare minimum for a full‑body workout.

Dumbbells alone can be used to perform an endless array of strength and endurance training exercises, thoroughly covering all the muscles groups of the musculoskeletal system.

For exercises that require a great deal of weight, such as bench presses or deadlifts, barbells are a necessary tool. Purchasing pairs of bumper plates, including 5, 10, 25, 35 and 45 pound weights, allows to you to use the barbell for exercises ranging from 55 pounds to nearly 300 pounds.

A trio of kettlebells in the weight range you require creates exercise options similar to those that you find in CrossFit classes. Weights of 35, 55 and 70 pounds, give or take a few, are frequently recommended.

A flat utility bench serves as a surface from which you can perform both dumbbell and barbell exercises that hit all the spots. All you need to add to the bench is a rack that holds the barbell for presses, lifts and squats.

Chin up bars provide an opportunity to perform exercises that use your body weight to develop upper body strength and control, like chin-ups and pull‑ups.

Although many cardio options are available for your home gym, all you really need is a speed rope to get the blood pumping and the oxygen flowing. In addition to developing cardio, jumping rope as an exercise increases your hand‑eye coordination and leg strength.

You don’t need to purchase every piece of equipment. Vital workout hardware such as medicine balls and plyometric boxes may be made from scratch using inexpensive, easy‑to‑find materials that you may already have lying around. If you’re proficient and confident with your carpentry and DIY abilities, you can even put together power racks and benches that meet your exact needs. However, health and safety considerations should come first, so if you’re not 100% sure that your DIY projects will stand up to the rigors of training, you should buy workout hardware instead of constructing them.

Not everything should go in the garage

While it may seem like a natural fit, putting a treadmill in the garage isn’t recommended by manufacturers, who typically void the warranty when the machine is set up in the garage. Moving parts such as the belt, gears and tracks accumulate dust and small particles at a much greater rate. Also, fluctuating temperatures in uninsulated garages stress the entire system, even causing the track to crack prematurely.

Before purchasing complex workout machinery for your workout space, make sure that the manufacturer doesn’t specify the garage as a terrible place to set up the equipment.

The more money you invest in your garage gym, the greater the variety of exercises that you’re able to perform from the convenience of your own home. However, getting started doesn’t require a lot of money. All it requires is passion for physical fitness and the dedication to follow through on your convictions.

And whatever you do, don’t forget to set up a stereo that blasts your favorite high‑energy, workout tunes.