A Gym in Every Garage

Physical culture is filled with examples of strength athletes who developed their incredible talents in barn, loft, basement, and garage gyms. In the 1940s, Bob Peoples, training in a basement on his Tennessee farm, achieved a 725-lb deadlift at a body weight of 181 pounds. Peoples’ mentee, Paul Anderson, trained in his father’s garage just 10 miles down the road. Anderson became one of the greatest strongmen of all time, winning a gold medal in weightlifting at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 and setting a world record in the back squat of 1,200 lb. Tommy Kono, arguably America’s greatest weightlifter, honed his skills on the dirt-floor garage of his brother’s home before dominating the sport in the 1950s. 

Historically, home gyms have been for more than just world champions. From the 1930s on, the York Barbell Company sold thousands of their 110-lb barbell and dumbbell sets to people working out at home. Somewhere along the way, however, fitness was outsourced to the local gym and the big-box franchise. Not until CrossFit burst on the scene and touted the merits of garage gyms over commercial facilities did home gyms make a significant comeback. 

The pandemic underscored the importance of having our own home gym, whether it’s a converted guest room, a corner of a patio, or a fully equipped dream garage. This wasn’t just a response to a global crisis but a step toward taking control of our health. Having a space at home where we can work out anytime and train with our friends and family is not just ideal — it can be life-changing. 

Our Own Space

Training at a CrossFit affiliate is an ideal scenario. Here, we have all the necessary equipment and a built-in community of friends, supporters, and coaches dedicated to our success. But even if we go to a great affiliate, that doesn’t mean we need to forgo our own gym. With a workout area at home, we can work on the many movements included in CrossFit programming any time we want. Knocking out a few pull-ups or muscle-up transition drills while watching our favorite TV show is a great strategy to improve our pull-ups or muscle-ups. Every morning or evening is an opportunity to do some mobility work and practice air squats, thrusters, handstands, or any other skill we want to master. 

With a garage gym, we never have to skip a workout if caught late at work and miss class at the box. How great is it to change into our workout clothes when we get home and walk straight into a gym? Anyone who works from home has the luxury of taking 10- to 15-minute breaks every couple of hours to move and shake off the unnatural, hunched-over position we inevitably assume as we type away at our keyboards. Sundays, when many CrossFit gyms are closed, are an excellent opportunity for us to catch up on any work we missed during the week, tinker with some new programming ideas for the family workout, or have friends over for a Hero workout and BBQ. Finally, let’s not leave out those of us who live in small towns or rural areas and don’t have access to a CrossFit affiliate. With all the information CrossFit provides online, nothing stops us from achieving elite fitness levels in our home gym.

For Our Children

The prevalence of childhood obesity worldwide underscores the need to develop healthy exercise and nutrition habits early. The home gym provides a wonderful opportunity for children to spend time with their parents while they work out. The delightful play of hanging upside down from pull-up bars and rings, burpee races, box-jump competitions, and trying to pick up every piece of equipment quickly progresses to the little ones showing off their newly acquired squat, deadlift, or clean technique. It’s not long before they write their own workouts or jump into their parents’ session. When friends come over, hours of fun can be had just messing around in the gym. If playing sports enters the picture, the budding athlete who has spent time practicing and perfecting basic movement patterns at home will display enhanced strength, conditioning, motor skills, injury resistance, athleticism, and performance on the field or court. 

Building a home gym and working out with our children is a great way to teach them confidence, mental toughness, resilience, competitiveness, persistence, and pride in achievement. It’s also an ideal environment to show them how to overcome obstacles and the value of hard work. The return on such a small monetary investment can be astronomical. 

Paying It Forward

CrossFit’s mission includes preventing or reversing chronic disease’s ravages and developing the physical, mental, and social capacity to take on any challenge or adventure life puts in our path. We know our program works incredibly well. Hundreds of thousands have transformed their lives by following our workouts and nutrition recommendations. And yet, it’s still hard to get people to walk through the front door of our affiliates and get started. They may fear they’re incapable of doing the demanding things CrossFit athletes do, they need to get in shape before trying CrossFit, they can get the same results with a cheap membership at a big box gym, or worse, they don’t even know what CrossFit is! 

We can create countless articles, videos, and social media posts extolling the virtues of CrossFit, but more is often required to get someone to take that first step. 

Some of the best advocates for CrossFit are garage gym owners who invite friends, neighbors, or colleagues to “just try it.” After a few sessions, many get hooked — not only by the results but also by the pride and confidence of overcoming challenges. This newfound fitness enthusiast is soon eager to join a CrossFit affiliate and elevate their fitness. Like many of our trainers and affiliate owners who began in a garage gym, they might one day inspire others by coaching or opening their own gym. In this way, garage gyms become more than local fitness hubs — they’re vital links in a global network transforming lives and promoting health.  

Where to Start

“The Garage Gym” was the inaugural article for the CrossFit Journal 22 years ago and remains an excellent blueprint for setting up your own garage gym today. Fortunately, CrossFit has revolutionized not only the fitness industry but also the fitness equipment industry, so finding the gear required to build a top-notch home gym is easier today than it was back then. Rogue Fitness is a one-stop shop for all your equipment needs. They also have an amazing gallery of garage gym photos to give you great ideas for your own setup. Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and Play It Again Sports are all worthwhile platforms to search for inexpensive used equipment. And a few sandbags and rucksacks stored in the trunk of your car can turn any park or field into a gym. 

With a little money, research, and sweat, you can set up your workout area anywhere you have a little space. At that point, nothing will stop you from achieving your fitness goals.  

Tell Us About Your Garage Gym!

1. Do you have a garage gym or regularly go to one? What’s the best part about the gym?
2. If you could build your perfect garage gym, what’s the first piece of equipment you’d buy?

About the Author

Stephane Rochet is a Senior Content Writer for CrossFit. He has worked as a Flowmaster on the CrossFit Seminar Staff and has over 15 years of experience as a collegiate/tactical strength and conditioning coach. He is a Certified CrossFit Trainer (CF-L3) and enjoys training athletes in his garage gym.