The Garage Gym Thread

Discussions about our lives, families, jobs... things may get a little personal
MarkD
Posts: 3969
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:59 pm

The Garage Gym Thread

Post by MarkD »

I've been going to a gym for strength training for about a year-and-a-half. I've been trying to get my wife to go too, and a few weeks ago she asked me to find out what it would cost for a family membership, which I did. About a week later she suggested we could build a barbell gym at home, to which I replied the only place we could would be the garage, I'd want it on a concrete floor and the basement doesn't have enough headroom. So I've been researching, and thought I'd see if any of you fine folks have any suggestions.

The garage in question is a small-ish single-car garage. I still need to measure, and of course empty out the crap that's in there.

Required equipment:
Platform (built of plywood, maybe with some 2x4s underneath).
Power rack (thinking seriously of the Titan T3, either 24" or 36" depending on space).
Barbell (Rogue B&R Bar)
Steel Plates (Craigslist if I get lucky, Walmart if I don't)
Adjustable dumb bells (Amazon sells a set of 100 pounders with spin locks. I prefer spin locks for dumb bells.)
Bench (Titan sells a flat bench for $114, it has wheels and a handle to make it easier to move around too).

Nice to have eventually, but can wait:
Bumper plates
kettlebells


Issues:
There's no heat or A/C in the garage, so for winter use I'll need some sort of heater to take the chill off, and in summer I'll use a fan.

When it rains hard I sometimes get some water in the garage, so the platform will need to be capable of handling that without rotting or warping. Any thoughts on appropriate lumber to use? Or perhaps something other than wood?

Am I missing anything?
User avatar
blackeagle603
Posts: 9770
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 4:13 am

Re: The Garage Gym Thread

Post by blackeagle603 »

That power rack set up for a pullup bar? You have an open ceiling/exposed trusses with enough overhead for rings and a stop pad for throwing a wall ball?
"The Guncounter: More fun than a barrel of tattooed knife-fighting chain-smoking monkey butlers with drinking problems and excessive gambling debts!"

"The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of a republic;" Justice Story
MarkD
Posts: 3969
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:59 pm

Re: The Garage Gym Thread

Post by MarkD »

blackeagle603 wrote:That power rack set up for a pullup bar? You have an open ceiling/exposed trusses with enough overhead for rings and a stop pad for throwing a wall ball?
Yes, the rack actually comes with two pull-up bars, thin and thick.

The garage ceiling is sheet-rocked, so no exposed beams. Rings, if I ever want them, can be attached to the rack. There's also a dip station that can be attached.
Precision
Posts: 5268
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 6:01 pm

Re: The Garage Gym Thread

Post by Precision »

figuring out the load rating of your planned platform is going to be more difficult than the weather proofing. Even nonpressure treated wood will handle random exposure to moisture without much issue. Keeping it wet is the problem. Standard box store PTE will work fine.

I would assume your platform does not need to be raised very much to get what you want. 2x2 frame with a double (cross laid) 3/4" ply would probably be enough. Run the 2x2 at 12" OC and cross brace at the same 12"OC. That should provide a damn rigid base. If one of your machines is particularly heavy, run a 2x2 through the center of the 12x12 box at an angle. When bolting the machines down, use 3" doubled washers under the wood and they should be solid or you could bolt them into the cement with wood spacers all the way down.

I would rip a strip of ply that covers the 12" OC, mount the washer to the bolt head and secure that underneath with the bolt up through a hole. One 1 3/4" screw every 4 inches to hold down the 12" wide strip. Then put the second sheet (with proper holes drilled) over top and secure with 2 1/2" screws. Then put the equipment in and drop a nut on and tighten. Benefit of being able to see the nut and ease of placing it.

adjust to 2x4 if you have the spare height, but since it is resting on cement, the floor is doing the load. The dimensional lumber is just keeping the Plywood from bouncing, sagging etc when in use and keeping it out of the water.

Someone with more building sense will come by and gut my idea. but hey...
"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~Thomas Jefferson
My little part of the blogosphere. http://blogletitburn.wordpress.com/
pbnuc
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Feb 22, 2011 12:12 am

Re: The Garage Gym Thread

Post by pbnuc »

Is Platform just to keep rack out of water? Just lay rubber mats around (Tractor Supply) platform? Maybe hockey pucks under rack feet if rust is a concern.
BDK
Posts: 1698
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 11:14 pm

Re: The Garage Gym Thread

Post by BDK »

First thing to determine is what is your current training like, and what are your goals?

If its just "being healthy", I think far more folks are better off doing calisthenics than lifting. (AKA, Gymnasts are pretty well considered in superb shape, and they don't lift.)

Hand balances, dips, pull ups, etc. More of the "physical culture" stuff, before body building abandoned actually being strong/functional.

DO NOT BUY CHEAP ADJUSTABLE DUMB BELLS or CLAMPS. If its going over your head, it needs to be well made*. Ironmind.com sells good stuff. (Back in the early mists of time, they were a sponsor of some of the old clubs I belonged to, but they make very good stuff.)

*For overhead, I always used "bulldog" clamps, or... Inzer ones? Can't remember. Very handy plastic ones w. a lever. Not calibrated, and didn't last forever, but we got surprisingly lazy about somethings. Bulldog clamps on the dumbbells, though, every time.

On strongman gear, we often used a better grade of carpenter clamp - fast, cheap, and worked well enough, but I haven't seen them in years. I know we had to buy the US made ones, as the Chinese ones weren't strong enough. That was just for farmer's walk and yoke, anyway, nothing really bouncing around too bad, but they worked well on deadlifts. Log press/Inch press was a bulldog clamp.

Horse mats will work well, depending on what you're doing. I smashed up a foundation lifting stones on one. (Admittedly, my coach got irritated with a neighbor and had me lifting a stone for reps, and dropping it.)

If you are competing in powerlifting/O Lifts, you'll need the wood. We usually used two different designs. One was a metal frame, filled with 3 layers of 3/4" plywood, running alternate ways - didn't last forever, but took quite a bit.

For myself/for O lifts, if you aren't competing in it, I built a platform backed with a 4x8 sheet of 1", framed w. 2x8s, with 2x4s in the middle, then 2 or 3 layers of plywood on top, with grit in the varnish, and the sides holding the heaviest grade of carpet foam I could find, topped with horse mat. Worked well. The weights wouldn't sink, at least, not noticeably, and it absorbed a great deal of impact, so there was far less noise and vibration - let me lift in my apartment in law school.

Bench press is pointless, and unhealthy, and will do nothing beneficial that over head press won't do a better job of, other than puff ego.

Frankly, a handstand pushup will do more for most folks.

Find some local powerlifters/olympic lifters/strongman competitors, if there still are any. (Google NASS for strongman, USAPL for powerlifting) and see who's making racks locally. Its often cheaper. and better made than the name brand.

I bought a York competition grade barbell, but we mostly used Texas Power barbells in competition. Not quite as nice, but 2/3 the price, with great knurling, and built to take competitive lifting. Elekios are for folks with institutional budgets/world level lifters.

Oh, and a power rack MUST be bolted down. I had studs in my base - and if you're in central TX/feel like driving there, you're welcome to it.
BDK
Posts: 1698
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 11:14 pm

Re: The Garage Gym Thread

Post by BDK »

I looked up the T3 rack. How heavy do you plan to lift?

That "1000# capacity" is highly questionable on a rack of that weight steel, I think.

Also, use at least grade V hardware - we used grade 8, as it didn't seem worth worrying about the cost.

My stuff was made by Texas Strength Systems or local structural machine shops for strongman gear.

Ironmind instructions on a pretty simple O-lift platform
User avatar
blackeagle603
Posts: 9770
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 4:13 am

Re: The Garage Gym Thread

Post by blackeagle603 »

If its just "being healthy", I think far more folks are better off doing calisthenics than lifting. (AKA, Gymnasts are pretty well considered in superb shape, and they don't lift.)

Hand balances, dips, pull ups, etc. More of the "physical culture" stuff, before body building abandoned actually being strong/functional.

Sounds like he's already into it and just bringing the gear setup to home, but, yeah... preach it. Mobility and ability to move/lift your body around is where it's at!
Dear wife at 55 is a wonder from all the bodyweight stuff she does faithfully. She works at it hard though -- 20-30 minutes a few times a week. "Sweats the bulkheads" in Navy terms. She got a hankering to try out Crossfit and is going through an intro now. She needs the training and to have her horizon's expanded to some of the big basic strength moves. Just going overhead with a light empty bar is a bit of a freak out thing for her.

Myself had after a minor stroke 05FEB16, came home 07 FEB started reading Mark Sisson's "Primal Blueprint". It's about simple "real food" eating, movement, mindset, daily life rhythms. The caveman thing makes me roll my eyes at times but I've stuck with it and gotten results like nothing else. The movement thing is simple, move a lot all day slowly every day, lift heavy things 2x week (pushups, pullups, planks, squat), sprint 1x every 7 - 10 days.

Goal is for any male to be able to do min of 50 pushups, 50 free squats, 2 minute plank 45sec side planks, 12 pullups.
After my balance recovered and leg strengthen the squats came fast.
Planks took several months to work up to that duration.
Pushups were almost a no-go at first, Right shoulder was hinky, could barely get out 5. Would finish my 50 against the wall or a counter. Best effort on floor is up to 44 now. Was only able to get 35 today after my planks (and shoveling several yards of DG out of trailer and wheeling it to the yard).
Pullups? Hah! I could _just_ hang onto the bar and hold for a 10 count at first, Could barely break my elbow at the bottom. 12 seems a long way off still. Did 2 reps by New Years and can almost pull 3 now. Rubber bands and negatives are your friend.

Remarkable the changes in my body.
Thick as I've ever been in the chest, shoulders and arms.
Abs more fully developed than ever from just doing planks faithfully a couple times a week.
"The Guncounter: More fun than a barrel of tattooed knife-fighting chain-smoking monkey butlers with drinking problems and excessive gambling debts!"

"The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of a republic;" Justice Story
MarkD
Posts: 3969
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:59 pm

Re: The Garage Gym Thread

Post by MarkD »

Ok,.I'll try to get everything.

If the garage floor is level, the platform will just be a.couple/three layers of 3/4 plywood with horse stall mats.on top, to protect the concrete from, say, a dropped deadlift. If not level the platform will also need to provide a level surface. It will also provide a.place.to.attach the rack.

I've tried body weight workouts, but I keep getting back under the barbell. Better a.workout I'll actually DO than one I won't.

As.for the rack I doubt it'll ever hold more than half that rating. It's basically a.clone of the Rogue rack at half the price, largely because it's.painted and not powder coated. I know Mark Rippetoe speaks highly of the Titan rack.
rightisright
Posts: 4286
Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 9:41 pm

Re: The Garage Gym Thread

Post by rightisright »

Might it not be simpler to find out how/why the water is getting into the garage and fix the drainage issue? May be a lot cheaper than buying all that plywood.
Post Reply