Some Things You Need To Consider When Building A Home Gym

Gym memberships can sometimes be too expensive, and the service you get there might not always be the best. You’ve probably been to a gym or two and you always thought that you would be better off working out at home. Well, that’s actually possible, and you can easily make your own home gym. You don’t even have to buy all the machines and gear. There are dozens of DIY projects that can help you make your own gear and completely tailor it to fit your needs and fitness. Below are some things you need to consider when building a home gym:

Things To Consider When Building A Home Gym

Pick a Place

The first thing is to find a place for your home gym. If you have a basement that you don’t use too much, you can easily fit a home gym there. However, the air ventilation might be an issue there, so it’s not a perfect place for serious sweating. Another possibility is using that spare room you have in your house and always have a cozy and ventilated home gym. Lastly, and probably the best option could be to build your home gym in your garage. It has easy access, great ventilation and you can easily isolate the floors and walls to fit your needs and keep you safe while working out. After the place has been picked, you can start making your gear and arranging your home gym. 

Slam Ball

A slam ball is a great piece of gear that can strengthen and tone your upper body, but it can be a bit expensive if you’re looking for them at stores. However,  you can easily make your own with some silica sand and a few other cheaper supplies. 

What you need:

• Fine grit silica sand
• Sturdy, but cheap basketball
• Radial tire repair kit with an inserting needle, plug strips, and spike
• Large radial patches
• Rubber cement
• A funnel
• A large syringe or a small funnel

Start with checking the basketball for leaks. When you’re sure it’s sturdy and not damaged, puncture the ball with the spike from the tire repair kit. Stab it al the way through and rasp in and out a few times. Make sure the hole is near the valve so it says clear of sand as you’re filling. Also, keep the hole large enough for the tips of the small funnel to fit into, don’t go too large. Use the funnel to pour the sand into the ball and make sure it’s flowing into the ball smoothly. Continue filling until you have reached the desired weight. Then, push a piece of the brown radial tire repair string into the hole using the needle and push it all the way through then pull back out until you see a small tip of the string is sticking out of the ball. Then pull the sticky string off the needle and press the tip around the hole to make sure it fills and covers the whole hole. Squeeze out a bit of rubber cement, and leave a shallow pool of it around the plug; lightly shmear the surface of the ball and let the cement dry. Apply the radial patch to the cement over the plug and air up the ball if needed in order to keep it around and get slamming!

Pullup Bar

A pullup bar is something you should definitely add to your home gym. This device is great for toning your arms, shoulders, and back and you don’t need to head to the gym to do the pullups. If possible, you can simply screw in a sturdy bar into the doors, but sometimes that’s not really enough. 

What you need:

• 3/4″ Floor flange x2
• 3/4″ x 12” Straight Pipe x2
• 3/4″ Tee x2
• 3/4″ x 24” Straight Pipe x1
• 3/4″ x 6” Straight Pipe x6
• 3/4″ Iron Cross  x2
• 3/4″ 45 Degree Elbow x2
• 3/4″ 90 Degree Elbow x2
• 3/4″ x 2” Nipple x6
• Lag Screws – 3/8″ x 5” x4-6
• Carriage Bolts – 3/8″ x 5” x8
• Washers x16
• Nuts 3/8″ 8
• Racquet head protection tape 1” x25 ft

With these, you will manage to construct a very detailed and sturdy pullup bar, like in the picture below. Simply square and tighten all connections.

Sandbags

Sandbags are useful if you don’t want to spend a fortune on weights. You can easily make your own and you will only need some sand and a duffel bag to fill it and you will always have extra weight for your lunges, squats, curls, and whatnot. 

What you need:

• A duffel bag
• Duct tape
• Sturdy plastic bags
• Ziplock bags
• Rice or sand for weight

Depending on the weight you are going for here, pick a few Ziplock bags and fill them with rice or sand. However, make sure they are evenly filed and work your way up with the weight depending on how much you can lift. You can have spare Ziplock bags filled with rice or sand in the storage and add them to the bag later or for some more challenging exercises. After you’ve filled them, secure the bags with duct tape all around them. Next, put the Ziplock bags in the sturdy plastic bag and nicely arrange them in the duffel bag. Also, don’t be afraid to use some more duct tape to secure the bags more. 

Dumbbells

Dumbbells are an important accessory in any gym. However, they are pricey, but you can easily make your own. With them at hand, you can easily tone your shoulders and arms, and boost your upper body strength. Also, you can use them to make other exercises a bit more challenging by adding weight, such as lunges, squats and so on. If you don’t want to pay a fortune for a set of dumbbells, then you should definitely opt for DIY ones, made out of PVC pipes. 

What you need:

• PVC tubes and caps
• Sandpaper to smoothe PVC scraps
• PVC glue
• Wet sand

All you have to do is fill up the tubes with wet sand for the desired weight and put caps on it and glue them down. Smoothe the scraps with sandpaper and voila! Your homemade dumbbells are ready to use. 

Balance Board

If you want to work on your core and your balance, there is no better way to do it than with a balancing board. You don’t have to buy those fancy expensive ones, you can easily make your own with just a few pieces that you probably already have laying around. 

What you need:

• 12” x 6” PVC Pipe
• A wide wooden board
• Stoppers

Use a table saw to cut the board at a comfortable length. For this PVC pipe, you’re going to need a deck of 30 to 36 inches long, and make sure that it’s wider than your feet. Mark the length and cut. Next, cut the stoppers and attach them at the end of the deck. You can use 1”x1/2” board and cut two lengths that will become your stoppers. Then simply screw them into the deck using your drill and that’s it. All that’s left to do is test it out and start working on your core. 

Besides these, you can make many more accessories and gear at home for your home gym. All you need is some creativity, good tools, and sturdy materials and you can work on your body at the comfort of your home.