Ok y’all (I’m in the south I can say that) so COVID 19 really sucked. Not only was there a terrifying pandemic on the horizon but normal life as we all know it came to a screeching halt. For those of us gym rats and fitness gurus this meant NO GYM! FOR MONTHS! In light of the horror of the pandemic not being able to use the gym is one of the least of our troubles caused by COVID-19. Yet, for those of us who use physical exercise in the form of lifting heavy weights to combat stress and anxiety this took us to a new level of stress. “ How do I workout now?” If you’re anything like me exercise it’s not just to better your health, fitness and appearance it’s also the medication of choice to relieve anxiety and calm fragile nerves. The pandemic, certainly a terrifying event out there, and not even having the gym to go to to reset the mental health button. Wherever you are at in your health and fitness journey whether it’s managing stress, getting chiseled, losing body fat or just starting out, the shut down now just put a big fat roadblock to your health goals.

For some of you as soon as the closure started you ran to the nearest sporting goods store, including Walmart and bought up anything they sold in attempt to maintain your health and fitness at home. personally, by the time I realized what was going on I was too late. I only found a 30 pound kettlebell and some booty bands and bought them immediately attempting to do some no weight calisthenics (I started watching this girl on YouTube). Unfortunately, while they provided a moderate to mediocre work out, the calisthenics failed to maintain and build muscle strength and tone I was looking for from heavy lifting, not to mention the stress buster. Slow the gyms opened up again and we were happily pumping away getting back to our former selves.

Although we had use of public gyms with limited contact, I still felt this uneasy feeling like Covid was creeping all around us. Did the person before me clean off the machine well enough? Am I going to get sick just because I like going to the gym? All of this made me realize how much I more relieved I’d be if I had a home gym! I started doing some basic research for how much money and effort it would take to set up a small home/garage gym. I’ll talk more about that in a minute.

An amazing perk with having your own gym is that you never have to worry about child care! Hello parents! (I have 3 so this is a big perk) While some gyms have daycare available, there are many that don’t. Gyms with day care are more costly and often don’t have hours all day. You have to schedule your workout around their childcare availability. There’s always the worry that someone brought their sick little one in and yours will bring home some crud that will knock every one out of the game for a week or more. With your own home gym you never have to worry about that. You have the freedom and flexibility to work out whenever you want while your little one can watch tv or play in his crib.

Ok, you say, these are great thoughts, but even if I wanted to build my own home gym I don’t know idea where to start. Let me show you what you need to simply get a great full body workout. You can always add more equipment later.

For starters you’ll need a bench and a barbell. I recommend getting a bench with the leg attachments included so that you can also hit quads and hams. You will need an assortment of weights from 2.5 pounds to 45 pounds. The amount you need is dependent on how much you want for starters I recommend 4 to 6 2.5 pound plates, 4 to 6 5 pound plates, 4 10 pound plates, 2 25 pound plates, 2 35 pound plates and 2 45 pound plates. Seem like a lot? If you’re not lifting heavy you can skip the 45s for now, but trust me you’ll want the others, so you can build on it and make gains. A few dumbbells are also a must, but wait, you don’t need to rush out and buy an assortment of dumbbells in every size. Just buy the bars and clips and attach the weights as you desire. This will save you space and money.

This will be enough to get you a good home work out without going to the gym, but it doesn’t have everything. If you want to take it to the next level you can add an abdominal bench, squat bar or smith machine and cable system… But this will take money in space so be aware of that.

Now you’re excited thanking yes! I want to do it! But Jim equipment is SO EXPENSIVE!! You got that right! But who said it had to be brand new? If your plates or dumbbells have a little rust are they still as heavy?! Yes! If you’re having sticker shock look for you stuff locally on Facebook marketplace or craigslist. I found all my stuff there. Just know you’ll need a truck and some muscle to pick it up! But rusty or not, if you’re on a budget it all builds muscle the same way!

Let’s get to the next problem. Where on earth will you put it? Let’s say you don’t have a garage or you do but it’s filled up. Your home gym doesn’t have to be massive… Is there a room in your house that you could clear a little space? Even just a corner in your garage will do. Do you have a piece of furniture or some stuff that you don’t use? Clean out a small space, the size of a twin bed and you got your gym!

Lastly, it’s all about what you want. If this is something you dreamed about to simplify your routine then use those creative juices and you will find a way to make it work!