Low Budget Garage Gym Build
Now that all the gyms are closed more people than ever are working out at home. The problem? All the home gym distributors and manufacturers are sold out of most equipment. Also, a lot of that equipment is expensive and people are on tight budgets. Especially nowadays. Well, I’m here to help. I’ve had a garage gym for about four years now and I’ve got some pretty decent experience with some affordable and multifaceted equipment. And it just so happens all the items in this gym build are still in stock at the time of this writing. We’re going to go old school and work out like Rocky in Rocky IV. I’m also going to assume that you only got $200.00 max to build this out so let’s do this!
1) Sandbag: I checked both Repfitness and Rogue Fitness websites and as of the time of this writing all sizes were still in stock. Sand bags are cheap and they come in a large variety of sizes. All you do is go online to the Home Depot website and buy some sand to fill it. These things are so versatile. I own a Rep Fitness sandbag and I use it all the time. Here are some of the things you can do with it: squat, deadlift, suitcase carry, bear hug carry, toss it, clean it, curl it, row it, lunge it. You can do pretty much anything with a sandbag. We’re going to go with a 100lbs bag for $64.99. (If 100 lbs is to heavy, then go lighter. Rep makes sand bags as light as 25 lbs.) Rogue sand bags are a little more expensive, but are made in the US. I’ve included the link to both below:
https://www.repfitness.com/in-stock-items/rep-sandbags
https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-sandbags
And two 50lbs bags of play sand for $4.20 each.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Quikrete-50-lb-Play-Sand-111351/100318476
2) Speed Rope: We’re going to need some conditioning and Concept 2 rowers are expensive and sold out anyways. Speed ropes are $10. You can do intervals, low intensity cardio, and supersets with your sandbag work.
https://www.repfitness.com/conditioning/ropes/jump-ropes/rep-speed-cable-jump-rope
3) Resistance Bands: overhead press, kick backs, curls, squats, strap it over you while doing push ups, and you can do tons of mobility and stretching. We’ll get the Green Band for $19.99 and a Black Band for $8.00.
https://www.repfitness.com/in-stock-items/rep-pull-up-bands
4) Sledge Hammer: While you’re shopping online at Home Depot pick one of these up as well. Swing it and hammer some inanimate object with it until you're tired. Be careful with this one! Let’s go for the Husky 10lbs sledge hammer for $32.98.
All of the above items total up to $144.36. That should leave enough money left over for taxes and shipping.
That’s it you have a functional gym for less than $200 dollars. Now you can get out in the yard or garage and do some super sets, tabata, intervals, or whatever you want. You’ll stay old school strong and in good cardiovascular condition. If you have more money and you can actually find some gym equipment in stock, then go for it. However, if you’re on a limited budget and need something now then this will keep you going for a few months. Also, if you’re really strapped for cash you can always buy a 50lbs bag of sand and wrap it in duct tape. It won’t last long term but will hold up for a few weeks, and for about $10 you got a sandbag. I hope this helps some of you out there get a garage gym going so you can stay in shape at home during these difficult times. Stay safe, and thanks for reading!
