10 Garage Gym Favorites
Written by Nate Palin
My current garage gym setup is fairly lean but it’s damn sure effective.
What Matters Most
The hierarchy of what matters for driving training outcomes, in my professional opinion, is:
Consistency of Activity - I’m not even willing to talk about principles, let alone equipment, when someone isn’t even moving his body consistency yet
Application of Principles - Applying these general, well founded guidelines to activity starts to move the needle more effectively;
Overload - You need to expand your comfort zone if you want to upgrade your physicality
Progression - Overload should be applied in an escalating manner over time
Individuality - Your physiology and mentality influence what approaches are more or less appropriate and effective for moving the needle
Variety - The spice of life can stave off boredom (it doesn’t take much equipment to achieve variety)
Specificity - Ideally, physical training is relevant and transferable to how you want to apply your physicality in the real world, whether it’s catching eyes at the beach or hiking through the mountains
Assignment of Variables - Exercises are lifeless without execution based on the variables that make them dance.
Movement - Squat, Hinge, Step/Lunge, Push, Pull, Rotate, Locomotion (walk, run, crawl, climb, shuffle, swim, etc.)
Output - Resistance, Velocity, Degree of Effort
Capacity - Distance, Duration, Tempo, Repetitions
Rest - Time between Efforts (and how you spend it)
Organization through a System - How you organize your training to align with principles while striving for efficiency, within a day, week, month, and longer periods when possible. A system can house many methods
Use of Methods - This narrow approach to training typically involves a fairly rigid assignment of variables, often centering around one or only a few modalities or implements. These are often named or even branded (P90X, 5/3/1, Starting Strength, HIIT, The Bar Method, Weightlifting (ish), the earlier days of CrossFit).
Support of Modalities & Implements - The specific tools you use to facilitate the application of physical stress
Why did I just spend the equivalent of an 8.5” x 11” page talking about Activity > Principles > Systems > Methods > Modalities & Implements? Because I don’t want you to confuse my equipment suggestions with “essentials” or “must haves” or even “bests.”
The fittest I’ve ever been - not necessarily the strongest or the fastest but the most versatile with regard to strength, power, speed, body composition, movement competency, and endurance - was during the pandemic when I only had access to a TRX, 24kg kettlebell, resistance bands, a playground, and the open road / trails. More importantly, I trained consistently and had access to great coaching (shout out to Hunter Schurrer) that systematically and effectively assigned variables based on principles despite the limited implements at my disposal.
Garage Gym Favorites
The list below includes some of my personal favorites and the reason I value them from the standpoint of both an any given day athlete and a coach. Each piece of equipment has its advantages and limitations.
If you’re considering starting or expanding your own garage gym setup, consider your own abilities, preferences, and budget. You might not get much use out of a pull-up bar if you’re limited overhead or too weak at pulling. You might hate resistance bands because you snapped one once and it left a welt just below your eye. You might throw up in your mouth when you look at the price of a squat rack, barbells, and bumper plates.
Garage Gym Equipment List
These are in no particular order.
Pull-Up Bar
Suspension Trainer
Resistance Bands
Plyo Box
Bench
Kettlebell
Medicine Ball
Barbell w/ Weight Plates
Squat Rack/Stands
Landmine
Dumbbells
Sandbag
Stationary Conditioning Equipment (Fan Bike, Row Erg, Versa Climber, Curve, Treadmill)
Yes, there are 13 items on my list of 10… What can I say, I’m a Big Ten sports fan and there are a bunch more than 10 teams in that conference.
Pull-Up Bar
Even if you can’t perform pull-ups, a bar is useful for attaching bands and a suspension training device, not to mention hanging from to perform grip work, ab work, and assisted vertical pulling exercises to progress you toward an unassisted pull-up.
My bar sits atop my low profile squat rack that’s attached to the wall. I don’t love this. I plan to invest in a disconnected pull-up bar that hangs further from the wall to allow more space for activities. My brother attached iron piping to a stud in his garage ceiling and that seems to be working extremely well as an inexpensive option.
Suspension Trainer
Think gymnastic rings, TRX, and the Jungle Gym. Suspension trainers open up an endless world of body weight resisted exercise options. They also travel absurdly well and are reasonably priced. Most warfighters could use more horizontal pulling in their lives and suspension trainers accommodate that well.
The beauty of the TRX is the single anchor point; however, my issue with the TRX is also that same single anchor point! Push-up like exercises cause the straps to rub on the wrists and forearms and it’s absurdly uncomfortable. I rather my exercise discomfort come from other variables… Still, it’s a phenomenal tool that’s easy to set up and adjust, and better for bridges and hamstring curl type exercises than rings are (Jungle Gym might be the best for these because it has an additional strap for the heels.
Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are an extremely inexpensive way to add multiplanar diversity to your garage gym exercise library. They’re easy to anchor to a rack, a pole, a pull-up bar, or beneath your feet. Like the suspension trainer, bands travel well to provide options on the road.
The strength and weakness of resistance bands is their application of variable resistance. This can either accommodate your changing strength through a given range of motion (while resisting or assisting) or it can make some parts of an exercise too easy and other parts too difficult.
Plyo Box
I need to buy one of these. In fact, I’ve had one sitting in my Amazon cart for over a year now… I keep getting away with using a bench, the front steps, and stacking rubber plates. This is why I get along so well with Marines - They excel at doing more with less.
Plyo boxes are more diverse than we likely give them credit for, especially now that they come in three sizes in one. Not only can you step and jump up and down to and from them, you can squat to them or from them, and you can use them to make push-ups easier (love this for explosive push-ups) or harder (love the feet elevated option for rows too).
Sizing is tough but I lean toward 16/20/24” (triple-sized) or 20/24/30” (also triple-sized). I’m also not opposed to a 12/14/16” box. I am, however, opposed to those stupid iron ones that taper toward the top and I highly recommend you buy a cube shaped box with solid sides. If space and money permit, purchase both a 12/14/16” and a 20/24/30” to maximize your options.
Medicine Ball
Who doesn’t like to throw and slam stuff? Medicine balls are an awesome option for achieving a rapid projection of force to develop the speed end of the strength-speed continuum. I typically use medicine balls for low rep high output power work or higher rep power endurance work. Heavy med balls can also serve as odd implements to pick up and maneuver.
There are countless sizes and weights to choose from, not to mention some bounce and some don’t, so it can be difficult to choose which ball is best for you. For many, a ball in the 5 to 10% bodyweight range is most useful. Many people try to perform power work with a ball that’s too heavy and they fail to move it explosively enough to display power. I recommend having three medicine balls; 5%, 7.5%, and 10% of bodyweight. At 175, that means the best three for me are 9ish, 13ish, and 17ish pounds. I have an 8, a 12, and a 20 pound ball and they serve me well.
Kettlebell
I am probably as far from an implement absolutist as you can find. If I had to choose a single form of resistance, it’d be bodyweight. That said, I do think that a single kettlebell of an appropriate size could do a lot for enhancing output (strength and power) and capacity (conditioning) for most warfighters.
Kettlebells can be carried in various ways, pushed, pulled, swung, snatched, cleaned, and even thrown. Choose a weight that you can manipulate for a variety of exercises, so it’s a little heavy but doable for some and a little light but still challenging with enough reps for others. Typically, the suggestion is 16kg for females and 24kg for males as a guide on where to start.
Bench
I’m not convinced that a bench even belongs on this list. I use a bench more as a plyo box (which is not good for the bench) than anything. A flat bench has limited uses and adjustable benches are expensive. They also take up space and I find myself moving it out of the way more often than putting it into use. Then again, maybe that’s why my chest isn’t bigger.
In all seriousness, a lot of warfighters love horizontal pressing movements. If that’s you, buy a bench so you’re motivated to train. Just be sure to find other ways to justify its existence in your garage gym arsenal.
Barbell w/ Weight Plates
I made this a package deal because a barbell without weight is fairly limited and weight plates without a barbell are also limited. Make no mistake, we use these implements to build maximum strength in a way that’s difficult (not impossible) to replicate with other means.
Squat/Lunge, Press, Row, Deadlift, and all their variations can generally be loaded heavily with a barbell. I highly suggest bumper plates so you can safely add weightlifting (Snatch, Clean & Jerk) exercises and their variations into your training.
Squat Rack/Stands
Having a squat rack or stands is essential for maximizing the capabilities of a barbell so this quickly becomes a significant monetary investment. Keep in mind the space these remove from your garage floor and the money they remove from your bank account before rushing to purchase something extravagant.
Think through all the ways you’d like to use your rack prior to purchasing. Search used options on Facebook Marketplace and Craig’s List, etc. I bought a low profile rack (close to the wall) and I regret it. I should have bought something more mobile to accommodate my preferences.
Landmine
The landmine device is an inexpensive way to add several more options to your barbell training. I want to emphasize how such a simple piece of equipment transforms a fairly linear and sagittal training implement (the barbell) into a more multi directionally friendly mode of resistance.
I’ve got an old version my buddy welded that sticks through the center of a weight plate but I’ve heard great things about the new ones that are basically just a nonslip bulb that covers one end of your barbell. Of note, my grippers have been getting smoked by doing a Staggered Stance 1-Arm Landmine Deadlift with a fairly light load for sets of 7 to 11 reps.
Dumbbells
For some reason, I just love dumbbells. Always have. I’ll take a DB Bench Press anyday over its barbell brother.
The problem with dumbbells is that they’re expensive and take up a lot of space. Even used ones are not cheap. Selectorized options have a smaller footprint and are robust enough to handle most exercises, especially if you only need up to 50 pounds. The heavier (100 pound) Powerblocks are actually decent but stupid expensive. My recommendation is to purchase a pair of selectorized 5-50 pound dumbbells and add heavier used pairs as availability and your bank account permit.
Sandbag
The right sandbag is durable, versatile, and travels well. I’ll admit, my sandbag training experience is fairly minimal. I need to purchase one and further explore its capabilities within my own training.
Seek out a sandbag that has a variety of grip options, to include handles on the ends. Many sandbags have smaller bags within them that allow you to easily adjust the weight. I prefer those for their versatility but they can also be a little more difficult to maneuver (which is sometimes the point of using a sandbag anyway).
Cyclical Conditioning Equipment
(Fan Bike, Row Erg, Versa Climber, Curved Self Propelled Treadmill, Motorized Treadmill)
Preference, price point, and footprint likely determine which piece of stationary cyclical conditioning equipment makes the most sense for you. Personally, I can run up and down the street and am not bothered by inclement weather so I lean toward the fan bike because it provides a different stimulus that can elevate my heart rate by a whole lot of beats in very little time. I also like that I can easily roll it around to get it out of the way or get it into the sunshine for s shirtless summer sesh.
Honorable Mentions
Cable - a brief search will yield you tons of inexpensive ways to create a cable contraption. If you’re really into body building or too weak at vertical pulling to use pull-ups, a cable solution is likely a wise investment for your garage gym
Trap Bar - I happen to have a trap bar so I make an effort to find uses for it. I’ve learned it can do more than just the ACFT style deadlift. Speaking of the ACFT, do not purchase one of those ridiculously oversized and overpriced options. Get the simple, smaller one that has both low and high handles and weighs 45 pounds.
Spotter Arms - If you have a rack or robust squat stands, spotter arms not only help with safety if you’re training alone but they also provide the option to perform squatting, hinging, and pressing movements from a dead stop.
Physio Ball - Some call this a swiss ball or a yoga ball. This simple and inexpensive item can help diversify your ab exercise options plus provide some simple bridge and hamstring curl exercises. Just promise me you won’t back squat on it.
Sliders - I like these for my travel bag. Hint: Furniture movers are the same damn thing at half the price. You can also use a towel as a slider on tile or hardwood.
Sled - I’ve got one buddy that drags his sled around his neighborhood and another that rolls out carpet on his slightly inclined driveway.
Whatever else - Options are endless and I’m certain I’m leaving some cool things off this list.
Endex
There are no “must have” pieces of training equipment other than your own body.
A little imagination and some idea of training principles can help achieve enjoyment and progress, two things proven to contribute to consistency. It’s less about what you have and more about what you do with it. Some people have $10k treadmills for drying clothes while they listen to a motivating playlist in their AirPods while other people get after it with one set of rusted dumbbells and only their inner demons to provide a soundtrack.
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