Home Gym Size?

[Dustin07]

It's time for me to get serious about a home gym. I'll have to build a structure for it as there is no place in the house. We have a 200sq ft max build size in our county before requiring a permit, but I took some measurements and I don't think a 10ft x 20ft shed would be wide enough comfortably for two racks. Ideally, it would be a small home crossfit gym with my emphasis being in this order:

a. power rack for squats, press, bench
b. oly platform for deads, cleans, snatch
c. pull up bar, ideally with space for muscle ups and rings
d. spot for wallballs (up to 10ft target)
e. 1 rower, possibly 1 bike (spin or aerodyne, I don't care)
f. kettlebells/dumbbells

That would probably be enough to get the ball rolling. that would be enough room I'd think to add in jump roping and we have places outside to hang ropes seasonally.

The problem is the local CF gyms have moved up to $200/month (for myself and my girl, that's $400!). Plus most xfit gyms have lame 'class' schedules you have to maintain. I coached for years but we ran an open gym so my strength training always came first. true crossfit gyms tend to suck as you're stuck to someone else's ambiguous programming. The lower power lifting gym is now so crazy full that I have not been able to get into a squat rack for 2 weeks. the local globo-gyms are not close enough to home for my lady to be able to go, they're closer to my office, an hour from home.


So I'm curious what you guys have been able to make and what you have found to be the reasonable minimum size for a 2 person gym that is based around strength and metcons. We'd like to put an outdoor heater in there during the winter as we are in the pacific northwest and have been sitting around 30F degrees for the past 3+ months... we have 4 kids that would likely use it as well, but mostly its for she and I to get back into crossfit and true strength training...

any help?

I may just need to build a full size garage but I'm not quite ready to dump that much money into the project yet.

 

[Dustin07]

nobody?
I've been taking measurements and I'm a little concerned that 10ft wide isn't enough for olympic lifting.

 

[MrKleen73]

I would say that 10 feet is plenty wide for Oly lifting. The bar is 7ft wide, and you should not have 1.5 worth of lateral movement on either side, the lifts are straight up and down. You will just have to have a 4-5 foot section of the space that has nothing against the walls.

I would check out Titan Fitness to get some of the equipment much cheaper than EliteFTS or Rogue. They have some heavy duty wall folding racks with pull up bars which will save you a lot of space. Also you can set it up so that you can tuck the rack away when it is time for Oly Lifting or anything you are moving your body through space or doing metcons that need more room. Also since your wife is more than likely not lifting that much, you can avoid a 2nd power rack and just get some squat stands with spotting arms. Most are 500lb rated. Use them for her squatting and pressing. No need to take up that space but again if you went with two folding racks it would be more expense but also more capability by having 2 chin up bars when both were out.

 

[Dustin07]

Also since your wife is more than likely not lifting that much, you can avoid a 2nd power rack and just get some squat stands with spotting arms. Most are 500lb rated. Use them for her squatting and pressing. No need to take up that space but again if you went with two folding racks it would be more expense but also more capability by having 2 chin up bars when both were out.

That's EXACTLY what we were thinking of doing. If we can make 10x20 work, the put the foldable power rack all the way down at one end, with a second lifting platform in the middle utilizing free standing squat stands. thanks!

 

[MrKleen73]

Right now I have my set up in a 2 car garage and have found out just how tight things can be and still be able to workout. The portion I do my oly lifts or overhead lifting is probably 4x8 and for a while I had stuff crammed in so tight that was literally all the space I had but it was plenty for the oly lifts.

I have a really nice commercial quality Paramount Universal set up in the garage that takes up a lot of space, then I have a power rack, and a bench / squat stand combo by Marcy that I just took apart to make room for more calisthenics and what not. I keep getting tempted to get rid of the Universal system but it has so much on it. If I get a lot more into calisthenics I will end up selling it and getting a wall rig or something.

I don't do crossfit, but am not against it. I think it would be a lot of fun but the cost for memberships is insane... However I will be adding in some serious metcons and what not as I love them. Now working on calisthenics and hoping to get good there and then I might try my hand at actual crossfit in a box.

Right now I literally cross train a lot of things though. PL stuff, some bodybuilding type stuff, calisthenics, heavy weight GPP work, and metcons, but currently I am more focused on learning some calisthenics for upper body and front squats and dead lifts for lower body.

 

[Dustin07]

My biggest concern with the width is probably just for snatch. I know that it's possible to get wonky when aiming for a PR snatch and I don't want to slam the end of the barbell into the wall if I don't have enough clearance. In theory, 10ft should be more than enough, but it's on my mind.

As far as xfit stuff goes, the foldable rack seems prefect with a oly/deadlift platform and permanent pull up bar. last night for instance I did my heavy set of deadlifts for strength, then I gave myself a metcon wod

6 rounds
5 x 135lb clean and jerk
10 x pull ups
10 x burpees.

I love doing stuff like that after I get my heavy session in (either squat/press/deadlift, or an oly day snatch/clean and jerk). So my ideal gym setup would have room for my lady and i to each be able to squat, then we could fold up the racks if needed and do a full wod like that. it doesn't take a ton of space, but I would probably try to get a higher than average ceiling for 10ft wall ball shots.

 

[toddmuelheim]

My biggest concern with the width is probably just for snatch. I know that it's possible to get wonky when aiming for a PR snatch and I don't want to slam the end of the barbell into the wall if I don't have enough clearance. In theory, 10ft should be more than enough, but it's on my mind.

As far as xfit stuff goes, the foldable rack seems prefect with a oly/deadlift platform and permanent pull up bar. last night for instance I did my heavy set of deadlifts for strength, then I gave myself a metcon wod

6 rounds
5 x 135lb clean and jerk
10 x pull ups
10 x burpees.

I love doing stuff like that after I get my heavy session in (either squat/press/deadlift, or an oly day snatch/clean and jerk). So my ideal gym setup would have room for my lady and i to each be able to squat, then we could fold up the racks if needed and do a full wod like that. it doesn't take a ton of space, but I would probably try to get a higher than average ceiling for 10ft wall ball shots.

Could always reinforce side walls with pieces of sheet metal in case snatch goes bad

 

[Dustin07]

Could always reinforce side walls with pieces of sheet metal in case snatch goes bad

Good point. we were thinking of doing some of the interior in like a shiplap/reclaimed wood theme so that would be fine.

 

[MrKleen73]

Could always reinforce side walls with pieces of sheet metal in case snatch goes bad

Yeah that or reinforce the wall with plywood from top to bottom. Then you can put little handles and stuff on it for climbing, or toss a peg board up to do peg climbs. Always try and think of double uses for anything you might have to customize. The peg board or whatever would be cool especially with a 10-12 ft ceiling.

 

[Dustin07]

we were thinking something along those lines, or the bouldering / indoor rock climbing type holds possibly in the gym or in the surrounding cedar trees since we live in the woods.

 

[MrKleen73]

we were thinking something along those lines, or the bouldering / indoor rock climbing type holds possibly in the gym or in the surrounding cedar trees since we live in the woods.

Yeah those are the others I was thinking about but didn't know what to call them. Man that would be cool in the woods... I have a BIG ASH tree in my yard and may just have to get some of those and do some climbing on it... Isn't it cool when sharing ideas with others and someone shares something you had never considered doing and it is like "What a cool idea!"

 

[Dustin07]

Yeah those are the others I was thinking about but didn't know what to call them. Man that would be cool in the woods... I have a BIG ASH tree in my yard and may just have to get some of those and do some climbing on it... Isn't it cool when sharing ideas with others and someone shares something you had never considered doing and it is like "What a cool idea!"

absolutely! we have a huge cedar about 15 ft from a huge madrona. we are thinking of stringing up two ropes between them for rope climbs.

 

[Power-Lift]

My garage gym is 21 x 13,and you can see the amount of stuff that can fit.
Though I train more old school bodybuilding and powerlifting, so my only overhead stuff is mainly press from rack, militaries, etc.
Also note, I'm only 5' 6", and I use my 35 lb. plates on the bar, so it works out well in my case. Taller people will need a higher ceiling.

I think the size you are looking at will work, or course in a year you'll say "we should have went bigger". Anyways, good luck with it...

 

[MrKleen73]

My garage gym is 21 x 13,and you can see the amount of stuff that can fit.
Though I train more old school bodybuilding and powerlifting, so my only overhead stuff is mainly press from rack, militaries, etc.
Also note, I'm only 5' 6", and I use my 35 lb. plates on the bar, so it works out well in my case. Taller people will need a higher ceiling.

I think the size you are looking at will work, or course in a year you'll say "we should have went bigger". Anyways, good luck with it...

Thats a nice set up. Is that a single car garage? Looks like you also have a cieling there. My garage doesn't have a ceiling just goes up into the rafters so I can overhead press okay as long as I am not near the braces. Makes it a challenge for positioning things but other than that it works.

Only issue I have with doing the stuff in the closed in space like that is it can take a good bit of pre-planning for your workouts. Making sure you can easily access the things you need for the workout. I often end up moving things around since I do multiple body parts and planes of movement during all of my workouts now. Some of which I need to kind of pre-stage so I don't cool down in the middle of the workout trying to make adjustments.

If you are following more of a PL style lifting you probably don't experience that part quite as much.

 

[Dustin07]

My garage gym is 21 x 13,and you can see the amount of stuff that can fit.
Though I train more old school bodybuilding and powerlifting, so my only overhead stuff is mainly press from rack, militaries, etc.
Also note, I'm only 5' 6", and I use my 35 lb. plates on the bar, so it works out well in my case. Taller people will need a higher ceiling.

I think the size you are looking at will work, or course in a year you'll say "we should have went bigger". Anyways, good luck with it...

Well.. See that's the issue. the max building size without a permit is 200sq feet. The house is a gorgeous place on an amazing plot of land, with no garage, she inherited it. So long term I plan to build a really nice garage there but I'm not there financially yet.

so the catch 22 is that I want to build a nice home gym/shed for now but if it ends up going over 200sq ft (20 x 10) then once you figure in the permitting and the cost of the structure you start to get close to just building a garage... and I don't want multiple large structures on the land... so....

I like your set up a lot, you've really managed to get a lot of gear in there.

 

[kl1234]

I say go for it. Obviously not ideal- but you will make it work. I turned my basement office into a gym last year... and it has made a huge impact on training frequency. With 3 kids and a business it was easy to miss a session beforehand. Now- I can train 6 days a week. My rack area is just a bit wider than 10’ and it works for everything. A bit tighter than I would like... but it works.

 

[Dustin07]

I say go for it. Obviously not ideal- but you will make it work. I turned my basement office into a gym last year... and it has made a huge impact on training frequency. With 3 kids and a business it was easy to miss a session beforehand. Now- I can train 6 days a week. My rack area is just a bit wider than 10’ and it works for everything. A bit tighter than I would like... but it works. View attachment 161420

so right where I see your barbell, that's 10ft from wall to wall? with only a few inches to spare? It looks fine for the main power lifts but I think for my scenario I'll have to rotate and put the dumbbells where you have the squat rack and put the barbell where you have the dumbells if I'm going to snatch etc. Still could work with how long your room is though. That setup is so clean and nice looking. You've done a great job utilizing that space!!

 

[kl1234]

Just measured... actually 9’6”. So- you would have a bit more room. Pic is a bit deceiving- I could snatch in that area. I have lost a couple plates and put a few dents in the wall. I collar everything now- and haven’t had an issue since.

Thanks. I would like to add a few things... but definitely gets the job done.

 

[MrKleen73]

Could do something like this...



Then since you are building it you build the reinforced lifting platforms into the floor so it is not raised which allows you to do more exercises that require you to move across space without feeling too crowded.

In the drawing each line is a foot, the folding racks are at 4ft wide which is probably just under how wide one would actually be, but not of consequence because the room is set up for barbell clearance so the racks will fit regardless. The barbells are drawn to show how far out they would go to the side of the racks. I put rings from the ceiling in the middle, and the wall ball targets on the wall by the DB/KB storage. You could easily do a little storage on the walls for band and barbells. However that covers everything you wanted and give you both plenty room to workout at the same time.

 

[Dustin07]

Could do something like this...

View attachment 161422

Then since you are building it you build the reinforced lifting platforms into the floor so it is not raised which allows you to do more exercises that require you to move across space without feeling too crowded.

In the drawing each line is a foot, the folding racks are at 4ft wide which is probably just under how wide one would actually be, but not of consequence because the room is set up for barbell clearance so the racks will fit regardless. The barbells are drawn to show how far out they would go to the side of the racks. I put rings from the ceiling in the middle, and the wall ball targets on the wall by the DB/KB storage. You could easily do a little storage on the walls for band and barbells. However that covers everything you wanted and give you both plenty room to workout at the same time.

That's just about perfect I think. and wallballs can be stored feasibly on the wall above the kb/db rack on shelf, or in the bottom right corner since we'd only need 2-4 balls max. I love your idea for the wall ball targets BEHIND the platforms. and if the rings were hung there above the platforms sorta, you could actually put a hook off to the side and pull them safely out of the way when not in use. In a pinch, I could get the lower end folding racks from rogue or even two of the free standing squat sets (although I like the idea of one real squat rack.

either way this idea is awesome. I'm sending your draft to the lady boss. thanks for the cool idea!

 

[MrKleen73]

That's just about perfect I think. and wallballs can be stored feasibly on the wall above the kb/db rack on shelf, or in the bottom right corner since we'd only need 2-4 balls max. I love your idea for the wall ball targets BEHIND the platforms. and if the rings were hung there above the platforms sorta, you could actually put a hook off to the side and pull them safely out of the way when not in use. In a pinch, I could get the lower end folding racks from rogue or even two of the free standing squat sets (although I like the idea of one real squat rack.

either way this idea is awesome. I'm sending your draft to the lady boss. thanks for the cool idea!

Yeah you can go with Rogue if you want too. You end up paying for the name, and a little better finishing. To me Titan Fitness is the way to go now. They have improved their finishing, and the weight limits and everything are comparable or better than both Rogue and EliteFTS. I know you are probably into Rogue due to their association with CroosFit but if you haven't given Titan Fitness a look in the last year or two you might be surprised at the quality for half the price. In reviews the only things mentioned are that some of the welds look cleaner on the rogue anf Elite ones but that has improved quite a bit also. I have a Titan multigrip bar with a 1900+ max weight, their prowler type sled too, and when I upgrade my rack it will be from there as well. I can't justify spending twice as much for something that might be a little prettier.

Check it out https://www.titan.fitness/cages-and-racks/t-3-racks/41-inch-deep-folding-wall-mount-rack.html
$369 with 1000lb max weight limit, and this is the most expensive one they have.... they also have spotter arms and a dip attachment that you can add on. also you can add band pins and all that jazz too.

Compare to Rogue https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-rml-3wc-fold-back-wall-mount-rack-custom-color-edition
$670 for the 41 inch model.

Now it looks cooler and all, but other than that I don't see a justification for the extra $300. The supports on the back are nice but typically people put a 2x8 or 2x10 back there for that. Can look cool if you paint it first. Hell for another $69 you would have 2 of the Titans... for the cost of two of the rogues you could have every attachment that goes with the Titan.

Oh yeah and everything ships free from Titan. Just keep that in mind.

No I am not a rep, I just like to try to save people money.

 

[Dustin07]

ah looking at them side by side, that Titan one was the one I had in mind.

PRX also has some pretty cool ones that still have the pull-up bar extended when the rack is folded up.but for the price difference a person could easily do something different:

https://prxperformance.com/products/2x3-profile-kip?gcl****CjwKCAiA24PVBRBvEiwAyBxf-dAaB8pL64HHX-3oqvaq22qXWg-brwELd0ZpkvBIIsX--oHXFzTlbxoCpaQQAvD_BwE

 

[MrKleen73]

ah looking at them side by side, that Titan one was the one I had in mind.

PRX also has some pretty cool ones that still have the pull-up bar extended when the rack is folded up.but for the price difference a person could easily do something different:

https://prxperformance.com/products/2x3-profile-kip?gcl****CjwKCAiA24PVBRBvEiwAyBxf-dAaB8pL64HHX-3oqvaq22qXWg-brwELd0ZpkvBIIsX--oHXFzTlbxoCpaQQAvD_BwE

Yeah agreed plus when i was looking I took into account you might want to do muscle ups and you need more clearance from the wall with that so I went with the 41 incher. Not sure how well a shallow one would do with muscle ups or even kipping pull ups for that matter.