Best Budget Home Gym Set Up
By César Michel | May 28, 2023
Did you have a gym membership before the pandemic? I know my wife and I did. We like going to the gym but then when everything shut down we were like, uh… what do we do now? How do we work out? Nothing was open except grocery stores. We wanted to work out and I was eager more than ever to spark my weight loss journey with a goal to be in My Best Healthy Shape.
With the anticipation of the stimi (stimulus) money coming we got the perfect idea to set up our own home gym. We started to do a little bit of research on what was the best way to set up the home gym in the backyard. In April 2021, we decided on a squat rack, treadmill, and some essential accessories to get us started.
The squad rat we purchased is the Fitness Reality Squat Rack Power Cage. We also got the Lat pulldown and Leg Hold down Attachment options. When we purchased the FR squat rack it was $449 before taxes. At the time of writing this blog post, it’s $460.94 which is still a great deal, and under $500.
- Supports up to 800 lbs
- Get full body workout
- 2×2 Steel Frame
- Comes with 2 23″ long chrome safety bars
- 2 chrome safety locks for olympic bar(sold seperately)
- Easy to Assemble
- Minimal space to put in with following dimensions 50.5″ L x 46.5″ W x 83.5″ H
- Compatible with standard size attachments
It is perfect and nothing crazy to get a full body workout. If you want to hit different body parts this is the machine. As time goes by and you get better you have the option to add on attachments to expand your workout routines.
The FR squat rack by itself is $249 before taxes. You can get started with that and later buy the Lat Pulldown option. Buying them separate or together is only about $1-2 difference so you don’t lose out much in savings.
If you have a credit card or the Amazon Card with the 5% cashback use it. Pay off the balance before the end of the billing cycle. Don’t go into debt, we are team financial freedom over here. Save up if you have to.
With the cash back you get you can then use it to buy Prosource Fit Puzzle Exercise workout mats to place squat rack in. Looks really nice and gives you comfort to work out with or without shoes. I like to work out in socks but keep my Crocs and Nike running shoes to alternate them depending on the workout. It’s also easy to maintain. All you need is to mop it once a month to keep it nice and clean with soapy water.
It’s also going to pair nicely with the bench. The one we recommend for the price is the Fitness Gear Pro Utility Bench from Dick’s Sporting Goods. At the moment it’s on sale for $179.98.
It’s a heavy-duty sturdy bench that holds up to 300 lbs. It has an adjustable seat and bench. Seat has 3 levels of adjustments and the bench has 8 levels for flat, incline, and decline workouts.
The padding is nice and comfortable, comparable to the more expensive benches. You don’t have to break the bank with this one and it’s not flimsy as the other Amazon’s choice ones. It’s also easy to move around since it has wheels and a handlebar.
The next thing you need to complete the best budget home gym is the treadmill. You have to have cardio in your workout regime after all. There is a lot of treadmills from a lot of price ranges. The best bang for your buck is the NordicTrack Commercial 2450 Treadmill.
It was on sale at the time for $2,000 at Dick’s Sporting Goods with 3x Scorecard rewards points promotion. A month later we got $240 dollars in cashback which we then used to buy the Weider 300 lbs. Cast Iron Weight Set. That was $300 minus $240 cashback we used for a total of $60 plus taxes.
We love the Nordic Track treadmill. The 14-inch HD screen, bluetooth speakers to blast music and we also enjoy the iFit subscription. You feel like you are running in Costa Rica, Vietnam, or wherever training destination takes place. The trainer is there with you pushing you on.
iFit subscription is a bonus but not a must have. Made sense since we didn’t have a monthly membership fee anymore. With a 20% discount I got it averages to $26.10 a month with the IFIT Family 2 year plan. Gives you up to 4 more users that create their own profile to track their workouts.
If you want to save some real cash you can buy it used in Facebook Marketplace or Offer Up for $1,400-$1,500 OBO (Or Best Offer). It’s a great deal alone with some wiggle room to negotiate the price. Make sure to inspect everything on the treadmill. You want to make sure bluetooth speakers, touch screen, buttons and the belt is running well.
Let’s go over the total numbers. Now friendly reminder Total Amounts can vary depending on price fluctuation, deals, and if you negotiated price. Example 1 will be buying just the Squat Rack with weights and bench. Example 2 will be Squat Rack with weights, bench and buying NordicTrack Treadmill new. Example 3 will be Squat Rack with weights, bench and buying NordicTrack Treadmill used.
| Best Budget Home Gym Set Up | Cost Estimate | * Total Amount $ |
| Example 1. FR Squat Rack with Lat Pull Down Option, weights and bench | FR SR LPD $460.94 + $300 Weights + $179.98 Bench | $940.92 |
| Example 2. FR Squat Rack with Lat Pull Down Option, weights, bench and Treadmill New | FR SR LPD $460.94 + $300 Weights + $179.98 Bench + $3,000 | $3,939.98 |
| Example 3. FR Squat Rack with Lat Pull Down Option, weights, bench, and Treadmill Used | FR SR LPD $460.94 + $300 Weights + $179.98 Bench + $1,400 | $2,340.92 |
| *Total Amount is an estimate. Does not include taxes or price fluctuation or deals you can find or negotiate online, Facebook Marketplace an Offer Up |
Budget Gym Set Up Complete! Save time and have more efficient workouts. No more commuting, waiting, or machines breaking down. It will be good to go from the comfort of your home. Now imagine if you find deals buying everything used?! I think it’s possible and what do you think total amount would be?
Check out the links and home gym accessories blog post coming soon.
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