The majority of the equipment featured in this post was supplied by Again Faster Equipment. As always, the opinions expressed are honest and all my own.
Last Friday, Mal and I received a very special delivery to our house: a CrossFit home gym from Again Faster! It was nearly 700 pounds worth of equipment!
Unpacking all of the different equipment was like Christmas morning, and Mal and I were geeking-out hardcore.
And, of course, we had to “play” with all of the equipment as we unwrapped it!
The 30-pound slam ball is almost the exact same size and weight as my baby bump!
Driveway WOD? Dumbbell Thrusters!
Kettlebell swings! Yep, Mal and I definitely had a fun time trying out the new equipment!
Eventually, we got serious and moved everything downstairs into our basement where our home gym will be.
Introducing our home gym!
A couple of details about the space:
- It’s small. The space measures just 12′ X 12′, which is actually more like 12′ x 9′ because there’s a huge vent attached to the ceiling that makes about 3 of those feet unusable for working out. We can store equipment in that space, but you can’t stand up and work out there. For this reason, only one person can exercise at a time in our home gym. Maybe, depending on the workout, Mal and I could both use the gym at the same time, but for the most part, it’s a one-person-at-a-time home gym.
- The ceilings are low. Our basement ceiling measures 6.5 feet, so we can’t do any overhead movements, which is somewhat limiting, but we picked some really awesome equipment from Again Faster, and I know we’ll still be able to get in some great workouts!
(Of course, I ran out to buy a whiteboard as soon as we got our home gym set up! It’s a CrossFit necessity!)
With the help and recommendations of Again Faster, here’s what we picked for our home gym (not including the BOSU and 10-pound dumbbells):
- Again Faster Kettlebell 20-kg
- Again Faster Kettlebell 32-kg
- Rubber Coated Hexhead Dumbbell 25-lb (pair)
- Slam Ball 15-lb
- Slam Ball 30-lb
- AbMat
- Again Faster Squat Stand 2.5
- 20-kg Again Faster Team Barbell
- Again Faster Rubber Bumper Plate Set (260-lb)
- Again Faster Flat Bench
- Spring Collars (pair)
Some notes about what we picked:
- Kettlebells: Mal and I both went up in weight on the kettlebells we selected, compared to what we usually use at CrossFit. Since we can’t do regular (overhead) swings, we figured the heavier weight would be better for movements like Russian Kettlebell Swings, Kettlebell Deadlifts, Sumo Deadlift High Pulls, etc. He went with a 32-kg (70.5 pounds) kettlebell, and I went with a 20-kg (44 pounds) kettlebell, but I’m sure we’ll end up using both sizes for various workouts.
- Dumbbells: The 25-pound dumbbells were a suggestion from Again Faster, and they’ve already gotten a ton of use. They’re so versatile! Just some of the movements we’ve used them for so far: Thrusters, Shoulder Press, Chest Press, Lunges, and “Man Makers.”
- Slam Balls: These were another recommendation from Again Faster and, honestly, they’re probably the piece of equipment that I am most excited about because I wasn’t even sure if I even wanted them at first. Now, I realize how awesome these things are for getting your heart rate up. We don’t have a lot of room in our basement to do a lot of cardio, but slam balls get you huffing and puffing in a matter of minutes. A set of ball slams instantly turns a regular workout into a really tough workout! I highly recommend at least one for a home gym. We have two slam balls (30 pounds and 15 pounds). I use the 15-pounder for straight-up cardio and then the 30-pounder for more strength-based moves like Cleans.
- Barbell: Again Faster has three options for their barbells: 20 kg (44 pounds), 15 kg (33 pounds), and training (15 pounds). Mal and I went with the 20 kg because it’s the bar we use most often at CrossFit and we get a little extra weight with it!
- Rubber Bumper Plate Set (260-lb): We picked Rubber Bumper Plates over cast iron plates, so we could drop the bar in our basement and do CrossFit-style workouts. We figured 260 pounds was probably enough weight for us to start. I don’t see us doing any 1 rep maxes or anything like that in our basement (we’ll save those for 781). The purpose of our home gym is more to fit in a workout when we’re short on time or can’t get to a CrossFit class.
So, that’s a summary of our new home gym and, in the coming weeks and months, you’ll probably see a lot more of it on CNC. I have all sorts of fun stuff planned, including workouts, product reviews, and giveaways from Again Faster. And, of course, our home gym will be part of my post-baby shape-up, so I hope it’ll give you guys, especially the moms, some great ideas for working out at home!
Questions of the Day
Do you have a gym at home? If so, what do you consider your essential pieces of equipment? If not, what equipment would you absolutely love to have in your dream home gym?Β
CrossFit peeps: What would the essential equipment be in your home gym?Β
83 Comments
Wow this awesome!! What a cool opportunity.
I have a mini home gym! I have a treadmill, some dumbbells, some resistance bands, and two sizes of stability balls. It’s small, but enough for some good workouts.
lol my home gym is a jump rope, a matt, and two 5 lb dumbells. I mostly do high rep low weight stuff with tons of jumping rope, running, etc. and bodyweight moves.
I would love to have a home gym. Haha it’s basically impossible in a NYC studio apartment, but if I ever decide to move somewhere with more space, I’m all over it. So excited for you!
I need a pull-up bar! I just barely learned how to kip and now I need to practice at home. I would also love a 35# kettlebell and a med ball.
I love our little home gym. We have a treadmill, GHD sit-up machine, kettle bells, wall balls, jump box, all the equipment for squats (bar, rack, weights) and a few others. Its the best incentive to workout because we literally have no excuses with all that in our basement. The next thing on our wish list is a row-machine.
Love ball slams. I do them at my Personal Trainers. Read my blog about Ball slams:
http://fabinyour40s.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/ball-slammers/
Wow! How lucky are you guys! I have a treadmill at home, but I really don’t like it for running. It’s not the best quality and it makes my stride feel weird. I do walk on it to warm up for an at home workout.
So cool! My home gym includes 5 pound weights and Jillian Michaels on youtube! That’s going to be so great when you have the baby!
This is so awesome! I don’t have a home gym but at my apartment we have a gym that no one uses so I always feel like it is my home gym! haha
We have a treadmill, elliptical, cycling bike, resistance bands, a bunch of weights, and punching bag. I like all the cardio stuff, but for the simplest thing, the resistance bands are nice. I can take them anywhere, they work in a small space, and for cardio, I can just go outside and run.
That really looks like a lot of fun to get all those things to set up a home gym π
My home gym is P90X3 in our dvd player with resistant bands, door anchor and 2, 5, 8, 10, 15 lb dumb bells! π
When I was living at home my dad got a free treadmill from a co-worker. The belt itself was about 3 ft long and 1.5 ft wide, it was tiny. You’d have to find a point of focus in front of you when you ran to keep from straying off the belt. However it did manage to throw my sister and I off a couple times. It broke this winter when I was on it and the belt snapped and threw me into the ping pong table. Not super sad to see it go!
that’s so awesome! we have a treadmill, some free weights, an exercise ball, and yoga mat – it works for us and we also live a mile and a half from our gym π
I’d love a kettlebell and some free weights!
I used toβΒ¦.I had a treadmill and weights. That was all I needed. I think if I were to ever have a home gym again, I’d want those two items plus an elliptical maybe. I guess I’m simple. π
this is awesome!
We have almost the exact same equipment as you guys from Again Faster Equipment it has been the best money we have ever spent!! We also have the pull up bar and some bands and we recently as a anniversary gift to ourselves (12 years!! woot) go a a rower and we love love love it!
Nice!!! Γ°ΕΈΛβ
We have an awesome home gym! We have a dip bar/ pull up bar, two benches, one with the bench press bar, a heavy bag, adjustable dumbbell set and then free weights and kettle bells. We also have 3 different sized jump boxes, a tire and sledgehammer, cinderblocks and a rugged hill to do hill sprints! We have our gym in the garage so we are able to be pretty spread out! It’s totally awesome! Love your gym setup too!
I have a treadmill, elliptical, Pilates reformer, free weights and a weighted body bar. I used to have a recumbent bike but I got rid of it. I also have a gym membership!
I have a 15 lb medicine ball that I ‘ Slam’ down over and over or play bounce back and forth with my husband outside in the driveway. the best cardio is to walk/ run down the street while bouncing the ball like a basketball. great core work.
Woohoo!! You have an awesome set up! We do have a home gym and we keep adding equipment, piece by piece! We have a squat rack, Bella bar from Rogue, 270 pounds in bumper plates, rings, a rower, rings and a 20lb med ball. In the winter we have our gym in our basement and have the same low ceilings as you guys. In the summer we move it all out to the garage and use the backyard, too.
I think a TRX is essential! Next I want to add some heavier weights like you have…with the bar and rubber plate set. And I have 2 kettlebells but I feel like more diversity is needed. And Space! haha if only i could devote an entire room to fitness I would be in heaven. π
I have a mini home gym: treadmill, some dumbbells, a kettlebell, jump rope, pull up bar, and yoga mat. It gets the job done π
We have a basement crossfit gym and my husband and I are down there almost every morning. We have pull up bars, squat rack, 1 ghd, boxes for jumps, and splurged on 2 rowers which we love for warm up, cool down, and wods. Jump ropes, abmats, and slam balls are all a must! We have many kettlebells as that was how we started at the beginning and added equipment through Again Faster, Rogue, and GetRxd
That is so exciting. I’d love to set up something similar in the garage! What’s ballpark cost for a setup like yours? If you don’t mind me asking?