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049 - Why You Should Have a Home Gym and What You Should Have In It

Jun 18, 2019

As much as I enjoy having a gym to go to, I still love having a home gym.

Some people dislike going to a gym and it could be for any number of reasons. Maybe you feel intimidated. Maybe you feel like it's packed with meatheads. Maybe you're self-conscious because you don't know your way around it.

And I'm here to tell you that you definitely do not need a gym membership to get healthy and fit. In fact, with just a few pieces of equipment, you can outfit a home or garage gym and do very well.

First, there are a couple of good reasons to have a gym at home:

  • One of the keys to success in fitness and sustaining it is doing exercise you actually enjoy. Having a home gym allows you to incorporate things you like, with the equipment you like using.


  • It’s more costly upfront but can save you money on membership fees in the long run, not to mention gas/time getting there. The average gym membership is $600-$700 a year.

  • You never have to wait around for some knucklehead to finish up with the equipment you want to use.

  • It's open 24/7. And you have no excuses either. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining, snowing, or traffic is bad. It's right there.

  • There are no rules (well, just YOUR rules). No lunk alarm or time limits on the machines.
  • It's way cleaner. Gyms are a hot bed of bacteria and germs and most gyms aren't sanitized nearly as well as they should be. I know because I worked in them for years.

As far as equipment, you don't need much and it doesn't have to be expensive. Here are the top 8 things I'd add if I were building a home gym right now.

  1. A flat/incline bench
  2. Dumbbells (2 sets should work well)
  3. Jump rope
  4. Suspension trainer
  5. Slam balls
  6. Pull-up bar
  7. Kettlebell
  8. Tire sled

You can read the article on FitDadNation.com that breaks this down even more and explains why I chose these over some other things. I also share my thoughts on what equipment is garbage and a waste of money.