hey all,
2026 is the year i spruce up the garage a bit and make it a bit more focused. It currently houses 5 bikes (on steady racks), a spin bike, a zwift set up, tool chest, tumble dryer, freezer and various other bits and bobs. There is a fair bit of floor space that my missus uses to go gym workouts in. And i have started to dabble too.
The floor is the traditional lumpy and bumpy concrete affair. But i do have some cheap foam matting over about 80% of the usable space.
I want to replace this and cover as much of the floor as possible. I see there is a myriad of choice when googling garage flooring. The current stuff has gone out of shape where i have spilt and cleaned various brake fluids and bike lubes off it. And it lack grip when trying to do planks, push-ups etc. So do i want 'home gym' flooring, that looks to be thick and foamy. Or do i want a harder wearing 'garage floor' type tile? I want something that locks together and isn't going to shift, is hardy enough for lots of use and is grippy.
Outside of that, i want to get some additional weights to add to the very limited selection we have. A set of dumbbells and maybe a bar. are these much of a muchness? Northern Gym the same as Mirafit the same as XYZ? I like the hexagonal foam type. Any tips of recommendations are welcome. And is it worth having some kettle bells? or will a dumbbell pretty much do the same job? Any other must have equipment?
All advice is greatly received!
Regarding the flooring, I put Tufferman floor tiles in my garage last year.
This stuff: Buy Garage Floor Mats & Tiles - Hard Wearing & Spill Resistant
It is the harder, smoother, shinier stuff than 'gym flooring' but my main requirements were to cover a rough concrete floor to reduce the concrete dust that was coming off the floor & just create a nicer environment to be in when on the Zwift bike or just working on bikes in there.
It is very hard-wearing, but not sure it would be the best stuff for gym activities. It is not a high grip surface but fine with trainers on. With road shoes & spds it is very slippy, although I use rubber cleat covers which are much grippier & just take them off as I get on the bike.
Depending on the space you need for planks/pushups etc. you could just get a yoga mat to put down on the floor when doing those sorts of activities.
I have 15mm "rubber crumb" gym floor mats from Sprung. They are definitely NOT squishy and they are very grippy. They are also rated to have weights being dropped on them.
Regarding weights:
I bought Metis hex dumbells from this lot https://www.networldsports.co.uk/gym-equipment/gym-weights/dumbbells/metis-hex-dumbbell-weights.html?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=15556963164&gbraid=0AAAAADn0RBn_HfsKd76CdYzwVmiacHQxb&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9-PNBhDfARIsABHN6-3Cd5o4BiIl0EtvLm7nZToz4Oip-qfHSWdkaMgCdqP2yfGEM4Af5RAaAuEvEALw_wcB
Hexagonal Olympic plates from Mirafit https://mirafit.co.uk/mirafit-hex-olympic-weight-plates.html?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20077084302&gbraid=0AAAAADKKnjnpEDTtF-NCF70oc4Nuon4Sz&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9-PNBhDfARIsABHN6-3XeLP-6C2f5JzAP2zQ6WxZh6FgH5TXH_4CmEO6BEOPYu684_KL9qAaAt8ZEALw_wcB#446=5527
I've also added a Mirafit M3 wall mounted rack system, dumbell storage, other bars, bench etc. It's developed over a few years really. I'd buy the same again
In the house we originally had rubber stable mats,18mm thick but they did smell of rubber and it never shifted. They now live in the garage.
In the house we now have some foam tiles again 18mm thick (MMA ones I think). As we did have a rack we had the firmer ones in the centre and foamy ones round the side. So there is a slight gap which we're always finding bits of Lego down. I secured hem all with a few rolls of double sided tape.
When the boys are bigger and no longer using it, I think we may get a lower profile rack again.
We got most from powerhouse fitness and their body max range. When I called them up to check something I got a fairly decent discount. The rack / pulley machine went, but we kept the bars, plates and bench. I think powerhouse fitness have changed branding.
I put in garage gym in during COVID, which whilst not cheap (particularly during that time) but it is one of the best things I've ever spent money on, especially as my teenage sons are starting to take an interest.
It does share space, with the fridge, freezer, washing machine, bikes and various kits, which means bikes have to move before use, but compared to going to a gym, it's no hassle.
We have:
Horse stall mats - grippy pattern, have coped well with the abuse, no smell but it is the garage.
Cheap power rack - sourced from Amazon (everywhere else was sold out) and it looks remarkably similar to the cheapest Mirafit one. It's held up fine to be fair.
Rough arse laser cut plates which do the job (and are surprisingly accurate weight wise). I have recently bought some more smaller (5/2.5/1.25kg) plates from Northern Gym Equipment. The bog standard cast iron plates fine. I HATE hex plates, they're awful for deadlifting.
20kg Straight Barbell - generic Oly bar, spins nice enough, now looking beat up from the Laser Cut Plates.
25kg Safety Squat Bar - Bit of a luxury as I don't use it as much as I thought I would.
Olympic Dumbell handles - very useful but not perfect as they are quite long.
"Homemade" ebay pully system with various handles - get the biggest pulley wheel you can for smoothness.
20kg Kettlebell - for swings and pressing/rowing.
Plenty of various resistance bands - rehab/prehab/etc.
Go to Gumtree etc for 2nd hand. Plates are very expensive for cast iron. Same for a barbell, kettle bells etc. A power rack is nice if you want to squat heavy, but otherwise not worth the space it takes up and you can train legs other ways. A suspension trainer is a good addition for rows but if you have some kettlebells they're not worth the faff.
I bought a freestanding Mira powerack with various attachments including dip bars, an EZ bar and bench with preacher curl pad for £100 so I'd just keep your eye out on FB Marketplace.
Our gym is outdoors but under a shelter, we have pull up bar on the front of this.
A motley selection of dumbbells, barbells and plates, various bands and anchor points.
A ragtag collection of KB's up to 20kg.
I think if I was starting out I'd buy a decent set of those fancy adjustable dumbbells but I think as my kit lives out in the elements I'm safer with my old gear. Dumbells seem to me like they cover most things so I'd start there.
I'd agree that there are other variations that mean you don't need a squat rack but if you've room they are cheap second hand.
My most recent purchase is an cable machine so that my wife can pull down. Its a wall mounted affair but by some stroke of luck it lined up with the cross beams of our shelter.
great stuff all, giving me plenty to think about and research. Marketplace is a good shout!
If you or others will be working out solo then keep an eye on safety. For example, you are safer with dumbells than a bar for exercises like bench press.
I am a big fan of kettlebells for home workouts but guess that is partially because I do not have the room for a gym setup like the one you are planning. You don't need to go too heavy with them particularly when starting out. A 12kg is plenty heavy enough to get a great workout.
Are those adjustable kettlebell/dumbells any good? The ones where you can select the weight and I guess it locks on plates, or removes them.
I'd quite like to get a small set-up in the garage, but there isn't a great deal of room so thought that those adjustable ones would be a way to save space. In my mind, I imagine they must be a bit more clunky than just using specific weight dumbells/kettlebells.
I want to replace this and cover as much of the floor as possible. I see there is a myriad of choice when googling garage flooring. The current stuff has gone out of shape where i have spilt and cleaned various brake fluids and bike lubes off it. And it lack grip when trying to do planks, push-ups etc
My bog standard concrete floor is fine for this. And it doesn’t matter when I spill sealant, oil, brake fluid etc in it.
My bog standard concrete floor is fine for this. And it doesn’t matter when I spill sealant, oil, brake fluid etc in it.
Is it painted? Does it not get really dusty?
Our garage floor is concrete & I was forever sweeping up the dust. It was fine, but not particularly pleasant.
Since putting down the garage floor tiles it is much nicer in there - barely any dust & it's warmer underfoot. I also painted all of the walls white, which has brightened it up massively.
Are those adjustable kettlebell/dumbells any good? The ones where you can select the weight and I guess it locks on plates, or removes them.
I nearly bought some, but ended up with a cheap set from Sweatband that's just the bar and then you screw on the weights you want. Comes with quite a few so it was all I needed and half the price. They do look useful tho especially if you're short of space.
Are those adjustable kettlebell/dumbells any good? The ones where you can select the weight and I guess it locks on plates, or removes them.
I looked at those but then read some horror stories about the locking mechanisms wearing and weights starting to fall off mid work out which put me off. So as above, I got the cheaper screw on ones from Amazon
They have been fine, I also bought a second set of handles so OH could work out at same time. The newer handles have an improved lock washer on them as the original one can work loose occasionally. You get plenty of warning as the weights start to rattle long before there is any danger of them coming right off the end. The newer sets probably have the improved lock washer.
@jordan they look very similar to the ones I have. I found the lock washers did rattle a bit at the start, but the more I used them, the less of an issue it is. And as you say there's A LOT of thread there so no way weight is falling off the end,
My bog standard concrete floor is fine for this. And it doesn’t matter when I spill sealant, oil, brake fluid etc in it.
Is it painted? Does it not get really dusty?
Our garage floor is concrete & I was forever sweeping up the dust. It was fine, but not particularly pleasant.
Since putting down the garage floor tiles it is much nicer in there - barely any dust & it's warmer underfoot. I also painted all of the walls white, which has brightened it up massively.
Yes, but it’s surrounded by dirt and gravel with bikes, lawnmower etc coming in and out so it’s inevitable. At least it’s easy to sweep/blow
@stumpy01 I don't know but I imagine that up to a point, you get what you pay for with them. I saw a cheap set with variable reviews for £109 in Argos that would no doubt fail soon enough if left outside. I would hope that a decent set would last for ever.
Again, if I ever see a posh set on Marketplace I'll give them a go, till then, I'll keep adding mismatched tat to my evergrowing collection.
In a way, it's daft, as you have plenty of time between sets to swap the plates but there is something about just being able to pick up a different pair. And in my case, it's also been about encouraging my wife as she can't be arsed with things that at aren't instant or overly fussy. This has worked, she is now on it regularly and I feel way better our future as we head towards retirement in 5 or 6 years time.
This guy went full gym conversion - links to the flooring etc he used are in the descriptions:
Converting my garage into a Home Gym
I Transformed My Garage Into My Dream Gym
I couldn't be arsed with prepping & painting or levelling my garage floor so just went with solid PVC tiles from Duramat in a snazzy red-and-black chequer pattern with some cheap underlay from B&Q under it. Cost about a grand but really pleased with it (fairly large garage too at 6m x 6m) as it makes the garage into a really nice space and will probably outlast me 🤣 Also great for working on bikes etc as spills are not a problem.
You can easily makes dumbells from scaffold pipe, duct tape and cable ties. Olympic plates fit nicely. Some smaller plates with good, squeezy collars and you're good forever.
They don't look as plush as the adjustable ones, but they are hardcore AF and will never break.
If you're not making or getting a bench, just get some kkettlebells and bands.
They don't look as plush as the adjustable ones, but they are hardcore AF and will never break.
Christ how big are your hands
H put together a cheap and cheerful gym in my garage a few years back.
My ceiling was quite low so I bought the cheapest Mirafit rack and cable attachment and then cut it down by about 4 inches. Added some DIY hi/low cable crossover things too.
Hex dumbbells I got from wherever was having a sale (Argos, fitness superstore etc) and built a rack for them from wood. Weigh plates are just cheap cast iron ones and there are various bars and attachments picked up from various places.
The flooring was from an eBay seller and it's sort of in-between foam and rubber - it covers a concrete floor which seemed to be constantly producing dust.
A picture, if I can attached it:
Oh, seems I can't.
Mine's a bit niche. having done Judo for most of my life I fancied a wee dojo. Created a sprung floor with closed cell foam blocks cut to cubes and then laid 2 layers of ply and topped with some tatami. Did a 2x3m area but wish I'd gone 3x3 now. Lined the walls and covered with thin interlocking pads, hung a punch bag and a pull up bar. Separate home built rack for kettlebells, plates and other stuff.
It makes lovely area to work out and a safe place for the kids to wrestle/fight/exercise too. Grippy and comfy barefoot but tough wearing. Am contemplating replacing the rack of kettlebells etc with a multi gym bit as although I have a bench it needs to be folded away amongst the bikes etc