Home Gym DIY Tips

Happy New Year everyone!  My name is Ben and I am the husband of the famous Jess of Flipping Unbelievable.  Jess has graciously let me guest blog today to talk about one of the few areas left in the house that hasn’t been magically transformed into an HGTV-ready set-piece.  I would like to share with you tips and tricks for changing the nether region of your basement into a guy home-gym.

We already had most of the equipment shown in these photographs but they were spread haphazardly across the basement and were seldom used because it was not a pleasant environment to work out.  The first step was cleaning and organizing the basement so that we could rip out a whole wall of shelves. The first picture is the finished main area.  The second picture above is a secondary space but you get a good sense of the before and after.  I added additional lighting as well so it didn't look like a dank basement of despair.

We used the remaining wood shelving brackets to mount mirrors.  Mirrors are key, they help you perfect your form and see your results from working out, which is why professional gyms have them everywhere.   Mirrors can be found on the curb, on Craigslist, or they can be leftovers when you wife remodels every bathroom in the house.

Rubber floors are also crucial. There is nothing worse than the sound of metal weights hitting concrete in the middle of a deadlift.  This was the most expensive component of the home gym (about $2.80 per SF) but is totally necessary.  Although expensive, they are readily available at any improvement store and come in interlocking squares.  Skill level:  Literally Toddler.   My 4-year son put the flooring in with me, he thought it was a puzzle.

I can’t say enough about these cup holders.  Jess complained about her water bottle rattling in the treadmill cupholder so I was going to build a nice platform to put stuff on.  I wandered around Menards for an hour and then I had an epiphany.  These cupholders can be found in the automotive section and were like a buck apiece.  And duct tape is basically free so this was a very cost effective solution to our problem.   I recommend adding cup holders to every pole in your house.  Not only are they practical but they look great!

The entertainment center includes a power strip, bluetooth speaker, and cable TV.  I mounted the TV on a swivel bracket so you can watch it on the treadmill or in the weight room section.  Having a TV is a must-have luxury, it creates the same ambiance as a professional gym.  The beauty of the home gym is that there are no retirees forcing you to watch Fox News while you get your sweat on.

Finally, you have to name your gym. Naming your home gym is quite easy.  Feel free to experiment with the following Mad-Libs, any combination from each column will work.

Column 1                                         Column 2      Column 3

            Your First Name                               Iron                 Works       

            Your Last Name                               Pain                Station

            Your Street Name                            Sweat             Zone

            Your City Name                               Muscle           Factory

            Mascot of Your Alma Mater             Meat               Castle

Jess offered to make me a sign to christen the new gym space.  I told her to make me a sign that looks like it was forged in the fiery pits of Mordor.  This included not using some lame font.  

She understood exactly what I was looking for. We got some excess metal at Re-Store.  Then she sprayed black letters using a block font stencil and added fake rivets.  It looks pretty good.

So there you have it.  A DIY guide for creating the perfect space to plan on performing squats on a routine basis but ultimately doing a few bicep curls before hitting the beach in the summer time.  Enjoy!