Garage Gym

I went to look at a bar and bumper plate set being offered by a guy on Craigslist.  Now I truly know what it means to have a garage gym.  This guy had converted his two car garage into a very functional and well equipped home gym.  He had two racks including a traditional cage and an open cage.  He had a several bars for different purposes, a bench, and at least 1000 pounds of weight.  He also had a host of accessories including about a dozen kettlebells, plyo box, 2 sets of battle ropes, 2 medicine balls, and a few dumbbells.  He even had a couple of glute ham developers (GHD), an old school one and a newer one.  Attached to the ceiling, he had a pull-up bar, gymnastics rings, and a set of hanging climbers holds.  He had also done the flooring with a dozen 4 x 6 horse stall mats.

Needless to say I was very impressed.  This guy set up everything he needs/wants and must have some solid reason why a home gym is essential (versus a commercial gym).  I am certainly not in a position to tell my wife we need to park outside so that I can spend $2,000 for equipment I can access for anywhere from $10/month (at a Globo gym) to $160/month (at a Crossfit box).   He also appeared to use all of the equipment on a regular basis.

He was only parting with some excess stuff as he did not do any Olympic lifting and the bumper plates were extra.  The bar was a similar scenario where he picked up the bar thinking it was a 28mm bar when in reality it was a 31mm bar that as a result was rarely used.  We could not make a deal on the bumper plates, but I was happy to bring home the Rogue Beater Bar.  It appears to be in reasonable shape and will certainly meet my needs as a technique bar for quite some time.

Based on our discussions he piecemealed everything together from garage sales, friends getting rid of stuff, Craigslist and used equipment distributors.  He fashioned quite a bit by himself and was very helpful in suggestions for creating my own home gym.  Going so far as to explain how he set up the ceiling joist, decided on flooring and how to inspect bumper plates if I continue to seek out used equipment (check the ring in the center and make sure it is secure to the plate without any cracks).