Do you want to know how to build a CrossFit gym in your garage? It is way less complex than you might think!
As long as you know what to put into your gym, setting it up is pretty straightforward.
Read on and discover how YOU can set up the CrossFit gym of your dreams – without spending all of your savings in the process!
Contents
How to Build a CrossFit Gym in Your Garage: The Top 6 Pieces of Equipment You’ll Need
Before getting into the nitty-gritty of building a Crossfit gym, it’s vital to know what equipment you’ll need. This will help you create a budget, determine how much space you need, and start taking action.
The three most essential pieces of equipment are your barbell, bumper plates, and a pull-up bar. You can also get yourself a power rack with a built-in pull-up bar if your budget allows. This will enable you to do even more barbell-based movements.
Even with these three items, you can have fantastic and productive workouts (1). If you can spare a bit of extra money, it’s good to get a jump rope or battle rope station for conditioning, gymnastic rings for bodyweight movements, and kettlebells.
So long as you get these six items, you’ll be able to perform dozens of activities and have amazing workouts in the comfort of your home.
For example, the barbell and weight plates combo allow you to perform unique movements like the deadlift, push-press, clean, front squat, and jerk (2, 3, 4). These movements alone will do a fantastic job of strengthening your entire body, allowing you to build plenty of muscle mass and power.
On that note, it’s good to buy mostly bumper plates for Crossfit training. For one, they tend to be more affordable due to the skyrocketing competition. Second, they will help protect your floor from damage when you happen to drop a barbell from over your head.
Add a pull-up bar for your home gym, and you can do excellent movements like pull-ups, chin-ups, L-sits, and hanging knee raises (5, 6).
If you also decide to pull the trigger on rings, kettlebells, and a rope of some sort, you will significantly widen your exercise options. You will easily have the ability to perform dozens of fantastic activities.
Equipment That’s Good to Get Eventually
If you get yourself the equipment we discussed in the previous point, you’ll have more than enough options for a wide range of Crossfit workouts. The above six types of equipment will also cost you more, so keep this in mind.
In any case, should you choose to keep improving your Crossfit garage gym, here are several other items to consider:
1. Medicine Ball
Sometimes, having something to slam against the floor or a wall feels good, and a durable medicine ball is just the right item. You can have fantastic conditioning workouts that strengthen and develop your entire upper body, particularly your back, chest, shoulders, abs, and obliques.
You can also use a medicine ball for exercises like push-ups and weighted movements like the core-strengthening plank.
2. Plyometric Box
Plyometric boxes are one of those cheap items with fantastic versatility. You can use them for plyometrics (jumping), to assist you with box squats, for movements like step-ups, and much more. You can always find a fun and creative task for these boxes.
And the best part? They are cheap. If you’re on a tight budget, you can even go down the DIY route or find a woodworker who can put a few together for much less. These should be anywhere from twelve to thirty inches in height and durable, so you feel secure and avoid falling off at some point.
3. Free Bench
The free bench is the bodybuilder’s best friend, but it also offers great utility for Crossfit athletes. While certainly not the highest priority, you should set aside some money down the road and get yourself one. It doesn’t have to be high-end or adjustable. A simple budget flat bench will be more than enough.
If you have a power rack, you can use the two items together for some movements (like the bench press). You can also use it for various other activities like pullovers, dumbbell rows, skullcrushers, Crunches, and more.
For instance, you might get yourself an adjustable bench and be able to do seated shoulder pressed, and incline chest pressed. If you have a power rack, you can pair the two together and do movements like heavy seated shoulder presses.
How Much Space Do You Need For a Crossfit Gym?
The beauty of putting together a Crossfit garage gym is that you barely need any space to get started. As little as a few square feet of space will be more than enough for you to do all sorts of barbell movements like deadlifts, cleans, and jerks.
Equipment like a jump rope, a pull-up bar, kettlebells, and a plyometric box also take little space, and you can do many movements with ease. However, keep in mind that it’s good to have a slightly higher ceiling for jumping rope, especially if you’re taller.
If your schedule allows it and you want to get equipment like a power rack, bench, and battle rope station, you might need extra space. For instance, it’s good to get the dimensions of a potential power rack before getting it. You need to know it fits.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How Much Does it Cost to Build a CrossFit Garage Gym?
The price tag of your CrossFit garage gym depends on your budget. Do you have a low budget? No problem, there are a lot of second-hand exercise equipment available – or even superb DYI-solutions, to help set up a garage gym on a budget.
If you want to invest big, that is no problem either. Go bananas and buy the best of the best (even if you really do not need it)!
In the end, the total cost of your CrossFit garage gym depends on how much money you are willing to invest. But to be quite frank, a budget gym can work just as well as a premium one.
Can I Turn my Garage Into a Gym?
Turning your garage into a gym is not only super-practical but also super-achievable! Depending on the size of your garage, you might also be able to fit a car in as well! Building a garage gym does not need to cost thousands of dollars either. By using your imagination and following some good advice setting up the garage gym of your dreams can be done on a minimal budget – without too much hassle.
Is Owning a CrossFit Gym Profitable?
Owning a CrossFit gym charging a membership fee will if done properly, turn a profit. But as with all types of business, the gym will have to be managed carefully – and you will need to maintain a healthy balance between revenue and expenses.
Sure, not all CrossFit gyms earn money – but those who do not will at some point close down the business. And those who make a profit will keep open, year after year.
What Equipment do You Need for a CrossFit Home Gym?
For a CrossFit gym to be functional, you will at least need there three essential elements:
- A barbell
- bumper plates,
- and a pull-up bar
If you have the funds to add further equipment, these are the next three to implement to your gym:
- jump rope or battle rope station for conditioning,
- gymnastic rings for bodyweight movements,
- and kettlebells
With the mentioned six elements in your CrossFit home gym, you can do dozens of exercises and achieve great results.
If you are not satisfied with the basics and have the cash to spend, adding the following will make your CrossFit home gym to a CrossFit pro gym:
- Medicine ball,
- plyometrics box,
- free bench
Final Words
There you have it – your very own Crossfit gym.
How great is that?
The best part is, you don’t need to start with a grandiose set-up or significant investment. Even a single barbell with some weights can be a great start.
Over time, you can gradually save up some money and get some of the other equipment we discussed above.
Or, if you want to add even more – I have reviewed TONS of different home gym equipment over at my at-home strength-building archive. Check it out, and don’t forget to bookmark!
See you there!
Other Helpful Resources
- Best Kettlebell for the Money: Reviews and Top Picks
- Best Barbell for Home Gym Use: Reviews and Top Picks
References
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- Martín-Fuentes I, Oliva-Lozano JM, Muyor JM. Electromyographic activity in deadlift exercise and its variants. A systematic review. PLoS One. 2020;15(2):e0229507. Published 2020 Feb 27. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0229507
- Soriano MA, Suchomel TJ, Comfort P. Weightlifting Overhead Pressing Derivatives: A Review of the Literature. Sports Med. 2019;49(6):867-885. doi:10.1007/s40279-019-01096-8
- Gullett JC, Tillman MD, Gutierrez GM, Chow JW. A biomechanical comparison of back and front squats in healthy trained individuals. J Strength Cond Res. 2009 Jan;23(1):284-92. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e31818546bb. PMID: 19002072.
- Dickie JA, Faulkner JA, Barnes MJ, Lark SD. Electromyographic analysis of muscle activation during pull–up variations. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2017 Feb;32:30-36. doi: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2016.11.004. Epub 2016 Nov 28. PMID: 28011412.
- McGill S, Andersen J, Cannon J. Muscle activity and spine load during anterior chain whole body linkage exercises: the body saw, hanging leg raise and walkout from a push-up. J Sports Sci. 2015;33(4):419-26. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2014.946437. Epub 2014 Aug 11. PMID: 25111163.