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Create The Ultimate Home Gym (and save big $$$!)

Copyright © 2006, Joe Stankowski - All rights reserved. Smart Way Enterprises, LLC. PO Box 7194 Wilmington, DE 19803

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You always knew there’d come a day when you’d outgrow your concrete filled plastic

weights and that old coffee table just wouldn’t work as a bench anymore. Or maybe

you thought soup cans and milk cartons would be the best home gym equipment you

could afford?

I’ll be the first to admit, training at home is not for everybody – some people thrive on

the grunts and groans and the rhythmic clanging of iron you can only find in a crowded

gym. But when opportunities for exercise are as convenient as your own home, you’ll

be much less likely to come up with excuses for missing workouts. Your gym is always

open – even on holidays – and you get the final call on what music is played (if any at

all). A well-equipped home gym could be just the thing to throw your fitness program

into high gear.

Enjoy!

Joe Stankowski

The Legal Stuff:

Neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions or

contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein.

You have permission to post, print or email this guide as long as you don’t sell it

or make changes to its content and/or digital layout.




You’re about to learn how you can save hundreds of dollars (literally!) setting up your own private, 24-hour

fitness facility that is every bit as effective as any 25,000 square foot commercial health club. PLUS you’ll save

thousands more because you’ll never have to pay another gym membership fee.

Some of the best equipment purchases I ever made were previously owned. Seriously, what’s the difference

between a used weight and a new one? Gravity doesn’t affect them any differently. If you don’t like a little rust,

a wire brush and a can of spray paint will make ‘em good as new.

FREE WEIGHTS

A foundation of many home and commercial gyms alike, your two options are standard or Olympic weights - the

main difference being the diameter of bar they’re made for. Standard plates have a 1-1/8” hole and Olympic

weights have a 2” diameter opening. I prefer the Olympic variety, but either way a pound is still a pound.

I have no control over any market prices mentioned in this report and all are subject to change. When

comparing prices on weights, forget about the ergonomic grips, foam covered handles and any other marketing

gimmicks. Price per pound is generally the best way to compare apples to apples. Typically, new weights can

cost $.69/lb and higher but if you keep reading, you’ll learn how I find weights for as little as $.29/lb!

There are also those plastic weights filled w/concrete, or the turquoise foam covered dumbbells you can find at

Target or Wal-Mart, but if you’re investing in a results-oriented home gym, you gotta think about what’s going

to be useful for a lifetime.

VERSATILITY

If you’re starting your home gym from scratch, it makes sense to start with the pieces that’ll give you the most

options. If nothing else, every home in America should have a set of adjustable dumbbells. As a rough guide, I’d

suggest women start with weights that go up to 20lbs or so; men should at least double that amount – I highly

recommend the PowerBlock SportBlock® and Personal PowerBlock®, respectively. An adjustable bench would

be next on the list, but to keep costs down, a $25 stability ball can work just as well while you’re building the

perfect home gym. They may look like toys, but heavy duty stability balls are burst resistant up to 800lbs – I’m

always finding new exercises to do with the ball! By contrast, the ab-machine on the late night infomercial isn’t

versatile at all, unless you consider a “clothes rack” or “yard sale item” an additional use.

Unless you’re opening a health club or are a high level strength athlete, you probably won’t need nearly as much

equipment as I have - I own about 2000lbs of weight plus many other bits and pieces. So even though I’ll explain

the ways I find low cost training tools, don’t get the impression that you need to buy everything (or anything for

that matter) I discuss – get whatever is most appropriate for your goals, abilities and interests. Also, keep in

mind I’m in the fitness business so in addition to my own training needs, I need to maintain a variety of

equipment to use with my clients. Start only with what you need – you can always get more along the way.

I can’t possibly tell you what you need, but I will certainly show you how to save money (and maybe even have a

little fun in the process!) on the equipment you want.

Wishing you the very best of health and fitness! -JS-




SECTION 1

CHOOSING A LOCATION – Setting the foundation for success.

There are 2 main considerations when creating your home gym: Safety and Space.

Safety could include any number of things and I won’t even attempt to list them all because I’d surely

miss something. Some of the more obvious things you’ll want to avoid in your workout area include

irreplaceable/fragile family heirlooms, low hanging light fixtures, anxious pets/children that want to

get involved with the workout or anything else that prevents you from moving freely.

As far as minimum space requirements, rather than suggest “X” number of square feet, I’ve come up

with a much simpler guideline - stand tall on the balls of your feet, reach up as high as you can and if

you can’t touch the ceiling, you have enough vertical space. Depending on the specific exercises and

equipment you use, you may also need to consider additional clearance for weights.

Next, lay face up on the floor and make a “snow-angel” with your arms and legs. If you can do this

without ramming into furniture or walls, you’ve got plenty of floor space. You can add bigger pieces of

equipment as long as you still have enough room to move in all directions.

Sometimes you might have to work diagonally in a small space to get a full range for a particular

exercise, but as long as there’s a will, there’s always a

way.

Hmmm, now that makes scents…

There is another thing I should probably mention – If you’re gonna work out, you’d better expect to

sweat. Unless you want your house to smell like old gym socks, when it’s time to train you might want

to roll the Oriental rug out of the way and plug in a fan to help you stay cool. A simple exercise mat

might be all you need to keep a carpet from retaining an aromatic reminder of all your past workouts

“There are two main considerations

when creating your home gym:

Safety and Space.”




but be sure to check out section 5 of this guide – cost-effective flooring options – for my preferred

floor covering.

ONE MORE NOTE ON SAFETY

The #1 benefit to training in a commercial gym is that there is almost always someone available to spot

you during a challenging exercise. But there are ways you can train just as intensely at home. Whether

you’re training for maximum muscle or are more interested in the health and longevity aspects of

fitness training, there will be a time you find yourself between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

Pushing yourself beyond your present ability is not an option if you want to make progress, so you

need to have a way to prevent life-threatening situations. If you just can’t squeak out that final rep on

a bench press, where’s the bar going to go? I won’t get too graphic, but if you were a fan of the 1978

horror/documentary, “Faces of Death” you could probably imagine just how ugly this scene can get.

A power-rack is designed to save you from being crushed by a barbell, but if space is limited, what can

you do? This is one of the reasons I’m a fan of dumbbells being part of every home gym. If you’re

training solo and in a jam, your floor might not like it but you can always drop the weights to your side

and live to train another day. If you’re going to train with a barbell, it really is critical to have some

sort of power-rack/cage system. It’ll allow you to safely push yourself to a level you wouldn’t

otherwise be able to. And NEVER circumvent the safety rails – they only work if you use ‘em.

Now that I’ve probably scared the bejeezus out of you with some worse-case-scenarios, let’s move on

to a much happier topic – how you can get great home fitness equipment that’s easy on your wallet.




SECTION 2

USED EQUIPMENT – Get the absolute best deals on weights, benches and more.

Recently, my brother-in-law moved 2/3 of the way across the country and did some calculations before the

movers packed everything. He learned it was more cost-effective to sell his weight set in Seattle and purchase a

new one in Michigan than it would’ve been to ship all the weight along with the rest of his stuff. If you’re just

moving across town you might as well keep what you already have. But even if you plan on staying right where

you are, you shouldn’t overlook the following resources – you can get some amazing deals on used equipment.

Resale shops are great! Find a local one and save on shipping costs. On a heavy or bulky piece of

equipment, shipping costs could add more than half the price of the purchase.

• Play It Again Sports – This national chain buys and sells used sports and fitness equipment. Looking for

ice skates? Need a batter’s helmet? Oh yeah, there’s likely to be a selection of weights, benches and

other home gym necessities, too.

• Fitness Exchange – I just discovered this store in the Philadelphia suburb of Conshohocken. They sell

new and used fitness equipment. I found out about the Fitness Exchange thru CraigsList (more on this

site later). Normally, their used Olympic weights sell for only $.35/lb but by mentioning the CraigsList

ad, I got an even better deal - $.29/lb. Six cents may not sound like much, but I bought eight 45lb Ivanko

plates and saved almost $20 more on an already great deal.

• Military Surplus – Governments invest a lot of money in their military, so it makes sense to keep their

personnel strong and healthy. I’ve purchased a $50 medicine ball for the equivalent of $10 at an army

surplus store in the Netherlands. (and I wasn’t even looking for training equipment!). The message to

take away from this story is to always be on the lookout. Bargains really are everywhere.

• Thrift/Charity Shops – I picked up the home-gym deal of a lifetime a few years ago when I spotted a

disassembled Body Solid Power Rack on the floor of one of these stores. It was in brand new condition,

including assembly instructions and all hardware (actually, I think I did have to purchase one flat

washer). The unit normally sells for more than $700 – I paid $50. Not a typo – that is F-I-F-T-Y dollars

for a $700+ piece of equipment. Charity begins at the home gym.

Classified Ads

• Local newspaper – Once I purchased my power rack, I needed an Olympic bar and some weights to go

with it. It took a week or two to find exactly what I was looking for but I found a guy who was moving

out of the area and had TWO complete Olympic sets AND a weight tree for $150! To give you an idea of

the kind of deal this is, it’s typical to find a brand new Olympic set for $90-$100 on sale, but with no rack

to store your weights. Between my weights and my rack, I got over $1000 worth of equipment for a

measly 200 bucks! (Would you believe me if I said I almost felt guilty about it?)




• CraigsList – This classified-ad website is a diamond mine in the rough. Find your state or nearest major

city and do a search for “fitness”. There are all kinds of deals to be had. Some people have equipment

they want to get rid of so badly, they’ll give it away for free if you’ll just come take it out of their house!

I suggest checking this site once or twice a week ‘til you find what you’re looking for.

→TIP: Don’t overlook a used bench just because it has a torn or worn out pad. As long as the frame is intact,

it’s much less expensive to re-upholster an old bench than it is to purchase a new one. ←

• Yard Sales – A summertime tradition where I grew up… Cardboard signs stapled to all the wooden

telephone poles within a 5 mile radius; folding tables covered with 1970s era clothing and the obligatory

metal lock box full of quarters and dimes. If you were really lucky, there’d even be the entrepreneurial

kid with a lemonade stand. Personally, I‘ve never found yard sales to be a very productive source of

fitness equipment. Unless you’re looking for a thigh-master or a broken Nordic trac for an art project,

don’t expect to find much. But I have to admit, I was able to find some mirrors for my basement/gym

walls.

Colleges and Universities – Out with the old, in with the new.

If you happen to live near a university with a competitive sports program, ask around and find out what they do

with their old equipment when new stuff comes in. Many schools are more than happy to sell to the public. In

the university setting, “old” might only be a year or two and this might be one of best kept secrets in finding

used fitness equipment at a low price. (Now you know why college tuition is so high!)

Auctions - Going once. Going twice. Sold!

It’s always distressing to see a gym go out of business, but when one goes under, you gain an opportunity to pick

up some incredible bargains. I already had some adjustable dumbbells up to 60lbs but wanted some bigger

ones. I finally got a great deal on pairs of 80s, 100s and 120s when a local gym decided to sell their property to a

residential developer. You can find these auctions if you keep an eye on the newspaper or you can search online

for upcoming gym liquidations. Try “gym liquidation auctioneer” and the name of your state as a search term

and you’re likely to find one near you. You will be going up against gym owners who live to see their

competition go under so the prices can sometimes get up there. But you never know what you’ll find until you

get there. Like any auction, know what you’re willing to pay BEFORE the auction begins. And don’t forget to

factor in the buyer’s premium before you bid.

eBay is not necessarily the first place I’d look, but it can be good for those hard to find or collectable pieces you

just can’t find anywhere else –I got a great deal on a Reebok Core Board through eBay.




► BONUS: SUPER SAVINGS TIP!

There is one more way to pick up fitness equipment in an auction with few (maybe even zero!) competitive

bidders.

You know those self-storage facilities usually found just off the highway exit near an airport or in old

warehouses? Well, sometimes people don’t pay their storage locker bills for one reason or another so

eventually the contents of the entire locker gets auctioned off. Call around to find out which day the unpaid

locker auctions are held (usually near the end of the month). You might get lucky and be the only one who

shows up. There could be a reserve/minimum bid (to cover the cost of the unpaid bill) and you never know

what’s in the locker until they open the door just before bidding – but the storage company is usually happy just

to cut their losses and not have to worry about it any longer.

You’re also not allowed to open any sealed boxes until you have the winning bid, but you could potentially walk

away with the home gym of your dreams for a steal (along with a pile of old records and boxes of baby clothes).

Most people wouldn’t pack large fitness equipment in unidentifiable boxes, so you could make a fairly educated

guess if you’re bidding on something that has half a chance of being what you want. Keep in mind that when

you buy a locker, you win the contents of the entire locker – not individual items/boxes. So have a truck ready

or be prepared to pay for your own storage locker until you figure out how to get everything home.

Public Storage, Extra Space and ShurGard have online locators or check your yellow pages for “self storage”.




“New or used? Either way, it’s gonna be heavy…”




SECTION 3 NEW EQUIPMENT – There are those times when it will make more sense to buy new. Training tools such as

stability balls, elastic bands, and heart rate monitors are more susceptible to wear and tear and therefore have a

limited life span. But if you take care of ‘em, they will last a long time (I have a couple stability balls that are

over 8 yrs old and going strong).

RETAIL SHOPS – If you know what you’re looking for, you can find some good deals.

• Big box/department stores – such as Sports Authority, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Sears all carry weight

sets, treadmills and the like. If you’re buying something small (weight belt, gloves) they’re as good as

anybody else. But the ONLY time I would ever think of buying a new home gym or other large purchase

from these types of stores is when they’re having a major sale AND I’m able to save an additional chunk

of change by opening a credit line at the store.

• Local/Regional fitness specialty stores – eg: Key2Fitness, Leisure Fitness – Stores like this always have a

lot more available than what you’ll see on the showroom floor. Be sure to ask about any deals they

have on closeouts/returned items/scratch & dent items in their warehouse. They gotta sell it sometime

to make room for new products and are often willing to negotiate a deal even lower than the prices they

have on paper. If they sense they won’t be able to sell you the top-dollar equipment on the floor, they

might even pull out this warehouse list before you ask.

ONLINE – There are obviously a ton of websites to choose from, but these are my favorites!

• Fit Buy – competitive prices on supplements, videos, clothing, training equipment and more.

• Perform Better – This is where many of the top fitness experts and college and professional sports

teams shop. They have all the “functional” equipment you could ever want. If they don’t have it, you

probably don’t need it. They always have great stuff on sale too!

• New York Barbells – GREAT deals on equipment and a huge selection, but unless you’re passing thru

Elmira, NY, the shipping costs might put the bigger items out of reach. But here’s a tip: Print out the

page(s) of the equipment you like from this site and take it to your local retail shop. A lot of smaller

stores will have access to the same (or very similar) equipment. They might even purchase through

NYbarbells. Since they have their own trucks and would most likely collect several pieces at one time,

you might be able to save money by sharing the shipping costs with other customers. Just get it in

writing up front.




• Powerblocks – These are far and away the best dumbbells for a home gym. I’ve used these for years

and most of my clients even end up buying a set or two. They’re great because they take up very little

space. They’re simple to adjust. And they look sharp, too! If you’re a fitness-pro who hasn’t already

taken advantage of a one-time discount I suggest you join their personal trainer program and save a

bundle (see their website for details). Otherwise, it’s unlikely you’ll get these for less than the suggested

retail price. Even so, these are the best value for the money. You can request a free brochure at their

website or if you have any questions, just call (800-446-5215) or email Jay at PowerBlock and tell him I

sent you.

Pound for pound, dollar for dollar – the best value for any home gym.

• Elastic bands – these under-rated training tools are extremely versatile and great for travel. You can

purchase a low cost basic band/tubing from just about anywhere. If you’re willing to pay more for the

best quality, Jump-Stretch raised the standard with their “Flex Bands”. Iron Woody Fitness Equipment

offers essentially the same product (albeit a strangely flesh-toned version) for 20-25% lower price.




SECTION 4

CARDIO

1) Depending on your goals and the way you do your resistance training, it’s entirely possible you won’t

even need to do a separate cardio workout. If you’re working on a tight budget, don’t buy what you

don’t really need.

2) Salespeople will often try to sell you whatever is best for them so it’s important to know what you need

before you step foot in the store.

The equipment

A well trained salesperson can do a great job explaining all the reasons why you must have “the latest and

greatest piece” they carry. I don’t want to tell you what you should or shouldn’t spend your money on, but the

bottom line in cardio is getting your heart rate elevated for a certain length of time. A $5.00 jump rope can do

that every bit as well as the $3000 cross trainer and you don’t have to worry about breakdowns and repair costs.

But if you won’t/can’t use the jump rope but will exercise on a cross-trainer, the three grand might be worth

every penny.

Do you really need to know how many calories you’re burning per hour? The digital display only gives you an

estimate anyway. Challenge yourself and you’ll know it. You don’t need computer readouts to tell you you’re

sweating profusely.

I often use this analogy when helping a client determine the “best” piece of cardio equipment:

When you drive your car with your right foot on the accelerator let’s assume you get 18mpg. But if you use your

left foot, you still get 18mpg, right? Guess what happens if you use a mop handle or a toilet plunger to push on

the gas pedal – yep, still the same 18mpg. “Cardio” training is simply accelerating your heart rate. It doesn’t

matter how you rev your blood pumping engine - the only thing that makes a particular piece of equipment

“good” is your ability to use it.

The warranty

I know it sounds good to hear you’re getting a “commercial quality piece of equipment along with the

commercial warranty”, but think about it for a second. Commercial gyms are usually open from 14 to 24 hours

each day. Hundreds of members potentially use a piece of equipment in any given week. That’s a lot of wear-

and-tear! Now think how many people are going to use your “consumer grade” equipment in your home. I’m




going to assume there’s you – that’s one. Maybe even a spouse or a friend. Even if you have a big family and

everybody is a fitness buff, you’re not going to put nearly the abuse on your equipment that hundreds of

gym members can dish out. Generally speaking, unless you’re running the NFL training combine out of your

garage, commercial equipment/warranties are a waste of money. If you’re still in doubt, ask the salesperson

how long the warranty period runs and what it covers. Ultimately, as long as you’re happy with the terms, it’s a

good deal.




SECTION 5

Flooring

You might want to pay big bucks for the very best in specialized rubber flooring (available at places like Perform

Better) or you can just go to a warehouse store (like Costco, BJ’s or Sam’s Club) and get an 8-pack or two of 2’x2’

interlocking squares for about $12-$20 a pack. They usually come in one color – black – which has a certain

gym-like feel to it. If you need more color in your life, just go to a toy store and you should be able to find the

same thing in pack of red, yellow, blue and green.

The downside to the budget flooring is that they will take a permanent imprint if you leave a weight in the

middle of the floor overnight. As long as you put your weights away at the end of your workout, your floor

should last for years. I’ve also heard that sometimes they’ll buckle and pop up – I’ve never had the problem, but

I’d think some heavy-duty double sided tape would be enough to keep ‘em down if this does happen.

On the plus-side, they’re ever-so-simple to put together if you can do a jigsaw puzzle. They’re easy to trim with a

utility knife if you want a really clean fit against the walls. They’re a breeze to clean, water resistant and

inexpensive to replace in the case of a mishap.

NOTE: while most brands look similar, not all will work together.

Be sure to check the interlocking edge pattern before combining different brands.




SECTION 6

MISCELLANEOUS RESOURCES

UsedGymEquipment.com sells commercial quality equipment which I wouldn’t necessarily recommend for a

home gym, but the site does have useful information such as maintenance/repair tips and users manuals for

many different cardio machines.

Fitness Infomercial Review – Before you pick up the phone and place that impulse order at 2am, don’t rely on

30 minutes of televised testimonials to tell you the truth - get real user feedback from this site. From exercise

equipment to supplements to videos to pain relief, it’s all here. Yes, there’s even a review for “Yoga Booty

Ballet”. If you already purchased a fitness product from an infomercial, love it or hate it, leave your feedback on

the site. Your honest report of the experience may help someone else make an informed decision.

Quack Watch – While we’re on the subject of review sites, this one doesn’t address exercise equipment, per se,

but it does offer reliable evaluation of various diets, supplements, books and “alternative treatments” for a

variety of conditions. You can find investigative reports, lawsuit information, and any enforcement actions.

Basically, QuackWatch.org is like the Better Business Bureau for the health and wellness industries.

[UPDATE: I just learned Quack Watch is creating a companion-site called “infomercialwatch.org” to keep a

watchful eye on health-related infomercial products]

Precision Nutrition – Fitness is all about “eat right and exercise” so I thought this report would be incomplete if I

failed to let you know about Dr. John Berardi’s incredible nutrition system. JB’s “rules” are easy to follow. He

even teaches you how to save time shopping and preparing your food. I recommend it to all my clients because

it works. Don’t take my word for it – check it out!

There ya’ have it! Use one tip or use ‘em all. If you still have any questions about creating your home

gym (or have additional money saving tips to share), please contact me through my main website,

JoeStankowski.com. Even with a limited budget, all you need is a little patience and the right

resources – soon you’ll be enjoying your own 24/7 personal fitness center!

Joe Stankowski

IDEA Master Trainer

Men’s Fitness training adviser

Co-Author of “The Power of Champions”

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