Home Gym Considerations

I get a lot of questions about setting up a home gym, especially over the last 6 months.

 
With the Covid situation it seems there are many more people getting a home gym set up and they aren’t sure what they need.
The truth is you don’t need much to get a decent home gym going that will allow you to make steady progress. Sure, it may not have all of the toys a place like TPS has, but with some imagination and creativity you can get it done.

 
One thing people squawk about a lot is the price of equipment.
Really?
You’re saying that to me?
I’ve got over $200,00 in in equipment here at my gym. I know what it costs.

Now on this note, one thing to keep in mind is that quality counts.
And MADE IN USA counts even more, especially now.

Made in USA is more expensive, but you are doing a few very important things when you purchase USA made goods.
First, USA made goods are typically of a much higher quality than the majority of imported goods.
And yes I know a few keyboard warriors will chime in with “What about Eleiko?
Well, the bulk of imported shit is nowhere near the quality of Eleiko. Most of it is junk.
Believe me, when I first started out I skimped and bought some equipment on price instead of quality.
The one that comes to mind the most is a GHR I bought that was half the price of an EliteFTS one.

We broke it within a week. After three or four trips to the welder for repeated breakages I was into this hunk of trash for more than an EliteFTS one.
And the barbells.
Oh, the barbells.
I bought a few from a pretty well known company in New York that sold REALLY inexpensive stuff.
Sometimes inexpensive does not equal cheap. In this case it did. All of the bars I bought were made of hard butter.
I learned a lesson over 20 years ago that you cannot buy on price or it will bite you in the ass later.
If you can’t afford high quality Made in USA equipment, don’t buy.
Save up for it.
You’ll thank me later as it will outlast you.
Second, when buy Made in USA you are supporting OUR economy and putting Americans to work.
This was always an incredibly important concept, but, at least in my lifetime, never more important than now.
We all know someone out of work.
We all know people struggling.
Buying American stimulates the economy and keeps people working, even if you don’t know them.
Buying American also keeps more people working than just the manufacturer. There are supply chain companies, trucking/shipping, local businesses that the manufacturers employees shop at and much more. You truly are doing something good when you buy American products (not just strength training stuff).
Do a quick Google search before you buy something next time and add “Made in USA” into the description. There are plenty out there, it might take an extra second to find them. It’s worth it.

What Do You NEED for a Home Gym?

This is an easy question to answer.
You don’t need a lot.
A rack, a barbell, a bench and some plates are really all you need.
You can add a platform that is easily built yourself with some mats and 4x8 plywood too.
Before you rush out and buy off brand stuff, consider what I said above.
Quality counts.
Choose what you need, not what you want. Buy what  WANT    after.
After you get the items listed above, there are a few things that will depend on space. After all, most people don’t have a 4 car garage to set up a home gym right?
Consider getting bands, a set of Blast Straps,
and a Spud Inc. ECONO TRICEPS LAT AND LOW PULLEY COMBO,  and probably a Long Ab strap.
The amount of exercises you can do with this set up is limitless.
Rows, pulldowns, triceps, hamstring curls, face pulls, you name it.
Of course if you have the space you can add dumbells, a GHR and much more.
But, to get started, this is really all you need.
And every product I listed today is Made in USA.

You are supporting all of the employees of EliteFTS, Spud Inc and all of their distribution and supply chains. You are keeping Americans working.
That’s a big deal to me.
Below, I’ll list a few budget friendly, high quality pieces that are on the NEED list.
I hope this article hit home for you.
Everything on this list will be passed down to your kids and probably their kids too.
If you’ve got more to spend, consider getting an upgraded rack from the one I listed below.
And then maybe a specialty bar. Like the EliteFTS Yoke
Bar.

Home Gym Need List:

Garage Line Rack

ELITEFTS™ GARAGE LINE DUMBBELL 0-90 BENCH

SPUD ECONO TRICEP AND LAT PULLEY BLACK (Lower cost alternative to the one above)

Barbells:
ELITEFTS IRON COWBOY POWER BAR

ELITEFTS™ POWER BAR (I’ve got a bunch of these in the gym. They are bullet proof.)

Don’t forget, tomorrow is a very solemn day in American history.
Take a moment and reflect on it.

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Vincere vel mori

C.J. Murphy

September 10, 2020