I created a bodybuilder’s gym in my garage

By Stephanie McNeal

The gym was my second home. I had my basic garage gym set up and a bike for cardio, but I do bodybuilding-style workouts. Machines are important for isolation, and I was leaving my home every day to drive to a gym. When the Air Force dictated that it was our time to move (again), I decided to look for a home based mostly on my ability to build my dream gym. And I did just that. We were lucky to end up back in our home state of Georgia, and I found a home with the perfect detached garage. My She-Shed, as my husband jokingly refers to it. This garage was screaming my name! It was unfinished upstairs and downstairs, with a fully finished bathroom right inside of the garage so it was perfect for potential clients! Once we put in an offer on that house, I started slowly accumulating my equipment.

Remember that bodybuilders are NOT powerlifters! Mind to muscle is everything. As an example, I only have a leg extension/leg curl combo machine for hamstrings, but as a bikini competitor, my glute-ham tie in is important to dial in. I use the seated leg extension to stand at and do standing leg curls. I use the plate loaded cable machine with ankle straps for lying leg curls. I saw great growth in my glutes with a donkey kick machine at the gym, but I can do a single leg press lying slightly on my side in order to get that same movement and perfect isolation. Smith Machine Linda Squats are some of my favorite, but without a Smith Machine, I can use my Landmine and lean backwards against the plates that I load onto the barbell, allowing for the same movement and glute activation. I went with plate-loaded everything because it saved space and money. For example, I got my leg extension/curl machine and my lat pulldown from Amazon for less than $200 each.

Bumps in The Road

When I was in the beginning phases of building my gym, I saw a Stairmaster for sale for $800 just down the road from my new home. There was nothing I could do to get it. I was in the process of moving and I do not use our family money for gym purchases. I knew it was a fantastic deal, it looked to be in great shape, but I simply could not make the purchase. Months later I ended up finding one for $1,000, the condition was not as good, and it was a 2-hour drive from me. I learned my lesson there, and once the garage gym was open for business, I stockpiled cash, watched Facebook marketplace, and scored over 1100lbs in pro style dumbbells for under $300 simply because I was prepared for a purchase like that. I knew I needed heavier dumbbells and I was ready to buy them.

Buyer’s Remorse

No matter what amount of research you do, you may come across something that you just have to have. I wanted a commercial squat rack. Our rack was just from a sports store, and while it performed well, I wanted something more heavy duty. A local gym was selling one and I LOVE old school equipment, so I jumped at the chance to get it! Unfortunately my old squat rack had weight storage; this one did not.

My old one had a pull-up bar, this one did not. My old one was on the ground and allowed for bench press inside of it, this one was on a platform and does not allow for safe bench pressing. The holes were bigger on the commercial one, it’s a BodyMasters so accessories are hard to find, and it wasn’t exactly the best deal. I sold my squat rack for the same price I bought this one for, but it cost me so much more in the extras I had to buy.

Planning properly and having patience will allow you to think through all of the potential issues, but if you happen to make a poor purchase like I did, then you can fix it! Just find that patience you lacked in the first place! For now, I have bought everything I need in order to still do bench, pull-ups, and something to hold my weights. One bonus is that my new squat rack isn’t as wide as the old, so I have more space that I quickly filled with the extras I needed. My future plan is to sell the BodyMasters and purchase a Rogue rack that will allow for a lot of work using attachments. That will save even more room in the future. My original plan was to keep garage floors and add stall mats where needed, but I got lucky in Charleston and found a fitness studio selling their barely used rubber flooring. That Charleston trip was my most productive in terms of equipment. I met some likeminded people and ended up with a free commercial elliptical, treadmill, 325 lb. tire, (great for box jumps, belt squats, and general heavy flipping) and many accessories, like battle rope and heavy-duty resistance bands.

My favorite road trip was when my husband and I headed down to Pensacola, FL to pick up a leg press/ hack squat machine. We gained a high-end piece of equipment for pennies on the dollar, plus visited friends and went to the beach! I was on a mission to spend the least amount of money possible and create the best space that I could. I believe that I have done just that.

My husband and I did the walls and ceiling thereby saving ourselves thousands. It’s not perfect, but it works well for us. We recently finished the upstairs for group fitness, and while we hired out the drywall work, we did vinyl plank hardwoods ourselves. I moved into this home late May 2019, and by Feb. 2020 I had over 40 clients training here. overhead, I am able to lower my prices for training and take on clients who may not otherwise put their training as a priority. I found some amazing deals, made mistakes along the way, but worked hard to create an inviting space. I am currently training bodybuilders and lifestyle clients from my little slice of heaven in middle Georgia. My next garage gym adventure: replacing some home gym equipment with pin loaded commercial equipment!

Wrapping it up

Creating this garage gym has changed the lives of my family and my clients. I am able to keep overhead very low when it comes to business expenses Plus, I am home more. My family can use the equipment or just hang out and because I don’t have much

BE WILLING TO TRAVEL

Unless you live in the mecca of home gym bodybuilders you will not find the greatest deals in your local area. Expand your search for equipment, be willing to travel a couple of hours. This can allow you to have a nice road trip with a friend or family member and give you a weekend away from the grind. It can also save you some major moolah on good pieces of equipment! When I visit friends, I look in their areas. I went to Charleston, SC to help a friend move. While I was there, I got some of the best deals and FREE equipment. I ended up having to rent a U-Haul to bring everything back.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF BUDGET

Money isn’t your biggest asset to budget. It’s your space. Typical garages are not designed to hold all 15 machines you want to use to create a monstrous back. You can’t have one machine per muscle. This doesn’t mean that you can’t isolate each muscle individually, however, it just means that you will need pieces that have multiple purposes. My favorite is a landmine. You can work back, shoulders, legs, glutes, chest, etc. with one piece of equipment that will cost under $30. When you are dealing with space issues and fewer pieces of equipment to train you’ll also need to keep an open mind. Remember that bodybuilders ARE NOT powerlifters! All you need is weights and the mind to muscle connection is everything. Your comfort levels may be different from your clients, so make sure that you are giving them the best workout you can! I can work out in cold or heat, however many of my clients prefer a comfortable temperature. To provide that at a low cost I turned to portable heating and air conditioning, as well as fans to help with air circulation.

BUY WHAT WORKS FOR YOU AND YOUR CLIENTS

I am not claiming to be a bodybuilder. I am a bikini competitor, and I require less weight in my gym than a 300lb bodybuilder. Nonetheless, I have bigger men who come in and have no issues getting a good workout by using the smaller pieces like leg extension/curl machine and the lat pulldown for hypertrophy only. I believe that my set up would work well for anyone in bodybuilding, however you will want to buy more heavy-duty equipment in order to lift heavier weights safely. If used commercial equipment is out of your budget then I would suggest getting your heavy compound lifts in and using your machines for hypertrophy work.

ALWAYS KEEP CASH ON HAND

Good deals come and go quickly. If you are serious about growing your basic gym into one that allows you to isolate muscles then you’ll need to have the cash on hand to do so. Don’t rush into a purchase but know what you are looking for and have the cash ready to go when you find it.

Stephanie McNeal

Stephanie is a personal trainer, bodybuilding specialist, and Global Bodybuilding professional athlete who trains both online and from her garage gym. Stephanie is an Air Force spouse and mom to teens along with being an avid dog lover. She finds pleasure in and wants to further inspire people to find balance within their lives, careers, family, marriage, and personal health. You can find her on Instagram @stephaniemcneal