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Lockdown may be easing and gyms may be reopening, but the renewed popularity of home workouts is surely here to stay – and with it, a healthy dose of "home gym envy". Recent months have had most of us eyeing up our gardens, garages and odd corners of our living rooms, wondering just how much space we'd need to install a squat rack. But where to start?
To serve up a little inspiration, we spoke to four men who made their fantasies a reality and assembled their ideal gyms at home. Whether you're an aspiring strongman or a bodyweight purist, a busy dad or a flexible worker, there's something here for you. Draw up your wish list – then start building.
The Functional Jungle Gym
Built by Andy Torbet – Author, TV presenter and stuntman
Andy Torbet's body is his business. A professional skydiver and underwater explorer, he recently completed an eight-month stint as a stuntman on the new James Bond film.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Torbet's home gym reflects this: complete with a climbing rig and ground mats, the space has been purpose built for jumping, scrambling, hanging, swinging, hitting, pulling and pretty much everything else that you might expect from a gnarly 007 fight scene.
But Torbet's motivation for building his personal playground was far more grounded. At the age of 44, he is a freelance worker with an ever-changing schedule and two young children at home. By eliminating the need to spend precious time travelling to and from a gym, he is now better able to maximise his working week.
His home gym is situated in an outbuilding at the back of his garden, which also houses his kit store, workshop and home office. "I do what's called 'fitness snacking'," he explains. "If I'm editing videos or writing articles, I set an alarm to go off every 20 minutes. Then I'll have a monkey about on the bars, do some press-ups, and move about a bit."
There is a conspicuous absence of cardio equipment here. Torbet prefers fast-paced bodyweight training – though he did recently invest in a SkiErg. The floor is kept free for gymnastics and martial arts, and the gym also doubles up as a playground for his sons, who are aged three and five. They like to swing on the ropes and play on the crash mats. "It makes us all happier," he says.
The Garden Shed HIIT Studio
Built by Alex Dodman – NHS worker with the East of England Ambulance Service
"I've always been pretty handy," says Alex Dodman, whose enthusiasm for DIY projects has earned him a solid social media following (@alexdodman). His current project? A swimming pool, no less.
Dodman constructed his home gym on a patch of unused land at the back of his garden. It took him three months to complete over the course of the summer, working weekends and evenings after coming home from his day job with the NHS.
"I ended up building the whole gym without any help," he says. "Even when I was lifting the roof beams."
When it came to buying equipment, Dodman was pragmatic. "I did a search on Facebook Marketplace and set up notifications," he says. He picked up a second-hand treadmill and bike, and managed to track down a surplus weight rack at a nearby gym – Farm Fitness, in Essex. He acquired a SkiErg and rower from another local training spot, which was closing down.
Dodman's wood-panelled home training space has since become something of a social hub, too. Three evenings per week, his mates come over to run through a routine together. "It's good fun!" says Dodman.
The Garage CrossFit Box
Built by Faisal Abdalla – Fitness consultant, influencer and author
When Faisal Abdalla was house hunting three years ago, there was one thing on his wish list: "I wanted a garage, so I could turn it into a gym," he says. "I knew exactly how I'd do it. Something minimalist – no weight machines or anything like that, because that's not how I train." For Abdalla, functional strength takes precedence over muscle for muscle's sake. "Being able to squat, to do overhead presses, deadlifts – it's those everyday, lifestyle movements that matter, particularly now that I've got a 15kg two-year-old."
First, he gutted, plastered and painted the garage. Then he got in touch with equipment manufacturers Blk Box, who fitted it out in a single day. The biggest benefit, he says, has been increased time with his family. "To commute to the gym, do your workout, shower, then commute home can end up being a three-hour round trip," he says. "It's been a joy to be at home more."
The set-up caters to his programme of Olympic lifting, gymnastics, metabolic conditioning and HIIT training. A large LED interval timer helps with the latter. "Well, that and keeping track of time, so I don't spend too long in here."
The Strongman's Proving Ground
Built by Nick Taylor – PT and former Royal Marines Commando
"When people hear the words 'home gym', they usually picture a few dumbbells in some guy's garage," says PT Nick Taylor (@ntpt.co.uk). This heavy-duty training space is most certainly not that.
After he left the Royal Marines, Taylor bounced from job to job, including taking work as a personal trainer and a stint doing private armed security in Somalia. That was how he eventually managed to save up the money he needed to build his dream gym. Now, Taylor uses it to train his clients at home, as well as to hone his own physique.
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To start, Taylor consulted an architect friend to draw up the plans for the building, but he did much of the labouring himself. The impressive array of training equipment was collected over time. "I picked up a lot of Rogue Fitness stuff," says Taylor, "because their equipment is built to last."
A significant portion of his kit is hung on the gym walls, in order to maximise space. For this purpose, Taylor uses Rogue hangers, as well as simple hooks that he bought at B&Q.
When the sun is out (and sometimes when it's not), the gym spills out into his garden, where Taylor has built a 16m-long rubberised track that's covered with AstroTurf, giving him ample room to practise sled pushes and weighed carries. And there's a set of monkey bars, too: "The military side of me can't resist an assault course!" he says.
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Source: https://www.menshealth.com/uk/gym-wear/a33271435/best-home-gyms/