Getting Started #4: The Equipment You Need for Your First Home Gym

Once you’ve made the decision and started traininginstead of exercising, it doesn’t take long to realize the average commercial “globo gym” is woefully inadequate for productive barbell training. Waiting to use the squat rack while someone finishes their high-rep curl set, poor quality barbells, dodecagonal plates, not being allowed to use chalk — these are just a few of the reasons that most trainees at Barbell Logic choose to build a home gym.

With a modest outlay, you can equip a home gym with high quality equipment that will allow you to continue getting strong for years, and will last long enough to hand down to your children. In addition to the gym equipment, you will also need a few key pieces of personal equipment.

The Gym

What you need:

• Barbell
• Plates
• Microplates
• A rack — commonly known as a power rack, squat rack, or sometimes a power “cage”
• Bench
• Platform

Personal Equipment

Both home gym lifters and commercial gym-goers will need:

• Weightlifting shoes
• Belt
• Wrist wraps (optional)
• Lifting straps (optional)
• Knee sleeves (optional)

Some of the brands we like and mentioned on this podcast:

• Rogue Fitness
• Rep Fitness
• Microgainz
• A7 International
• Dominion Belts
• Fringe Sport
• Nike / Adidas / Reebok / Rogue Do-Win (for shoes)

Key Takeaways

Start with a good barbell. Most big-box gyms have cheap bars, and Matt and Scott say the barbell is the foundation of everything. A good bar is 20 kg (44 lb) or 45 lb, has sleeves that spin on bushings or bearings, is straight when you roll it in the J-hooks, and has proper knurling. A quick gym test: a hex nut or Allen bolt on the end of the sleeve usually means a low-quality bar. Taken care of, a good bar can last a lifetime.

Buy enough plates. Their starter kit for a man is about 500 lb: four pairs of 45s, a pair of 25s, two pairs of 10s, and a pair each of 5s, 2.5s, and 1.25s. For a woman, about 300 lb is a good start. You’ll need more eventually, especially with a training partner, and plates are the place to save money.

Get a rack with safeties. Choose a rack with safeties, ideally tall enough to hang hooks or safeties above your head for press lockouts. Close hole spacing through the bench area makes setup easier.

Get a sturdy flat bench. It should be stable, firm, and the right height for benching, not a wobbly adjustable bench.

Putting it to use. Spend most of your budget on the bar, the rack, and the bench. Those last for decades. Everything else can wait until you need it.

Related: home gym essentials for beginners, a beginner’s guide to strength training equipment, how to squat: a beginner’s guide.

Ready to get stronger with a plan built around you? Apply for personal strength coaching.