The Garage Gym

Last updated 07:52, Sunday, 11 May 2008

THERE is no better place to put your car than in a garage, and the same can be said about putting your own home gym in there too.

I have recently read about this one chap who decided to convert his garage into a gym, he spent megabucks kitting the garage out and it looked like an A-Z of fitness names.

Life Fitness, Body Solid, York, Joe Weider the list was endless. It made me think how can this guy get all that equipment in there, then when I saw his garage, which was about the size of a fitness hall, I knew this guy was American.

The garages over there are massive, unfortunately our double garages are still small compared to theirs.

I will give the Americans credit though when it comes to fitness they know what to do and how to do it.

Crossfit has a good article on their website which tells you what equipment is essential for a garage gym.

In fact, the equipment they mention is generally quite cheap and allows you to work the body in different ways.

Garage gyms are becoming more popular over in the UK now, with the cost of living increasing and gym memberships becoming higher we are looking for alternative ways to train.

Whether it’s a single garage or double garage use the space you have to create your very own gym.

If you are unlucky enough not to have a gym then use the spare room in the house. When you think that gym membership costs between £300-£600 and in some cases in the south of England £1,000 you can understand why more and more people are taking up running as their main fitness interest. It costs nothing.

A garage can be turned into anything you want it to be.

If you are looking just to gain strength and muscle then it can be your own powerhouse centre.

If you want to condition and lose weight then create your own aerobic centre.

A garage generally costs very little, if you are lucky enough to have electric then you are obviously paying for that but you won’t pay much for an hour each night.

A garage is private and for everyone who hates gyms is perfect to train in.

You can place whatever equipment you like in a garage whereas when you go to a gym you might find there isn’t what you need.

You could go for a run in the outdoors and when you get back enter the garage for a touch of strength training, nothing more perfect than that.

The biggest advantage is you can train at anytime of the day.

It’s important to make it look right and for everything to be in the correct place.

Your training development is only going to be as good as when you take care of the environment you train in.

For example if you have a treadmill and rowing machine there is no point having a treadmill in one corner and the rowing machine in the other.

Have them together so you can alternate between machines for an intense workout. Keep your strength equipment together and ensure you have some mats down in case you drop the weights.

Always try and leave space in the middle of the garage as you will need that at some point.

Mirrors are a possibility and they are always good for the vain people out there.

It’s important to have a balance early on in your training.

A treadmill would be ideal especially if you don’t like running on the roads. However the first bit of equipment you should buy is a rowing machine as it is a brilliant cardio machine that gives you that added strength factor.

Buy a medicine ball, a kettlebell and a set of dumbells. A bench is a must and if you are feeling flush then an abdominal bench is ideal. The cost of all this depends on the name, Concept 2 rowing machines are considered the best on the market but come with a price.

Medicine balls, kettlebells and dumbells can be cheap so please shop around.

Here is my top three websites for fitness equipment.

www.ebay.co.uk

www.newitts.com

www.fitness-superstore.co.uk

I would either have one or the other.

In my opinion if I had a garage I would always set a gym up in there and never go to the gym again. It’s a matter of choice, you will always find the young lad hammering the dumbells in the gym to get big but you place that young lad into a garage and say train they wouldn’t be comfortable in that environment.

If you are after something completely different then buy gymnast rings.

Attach them to something sturdy and ensure you can just about touch them when on your tip toes. There is an exercise called a muscle up, now I used to perform these on a straight bar and I have to admit were very hard.

The rings give you greater depth which means added advantage to physique.

A muscle up basically starts as a pull up then you gradually move into a dip.