Over the weekend, a friend of mine invited me out to help him coach a small group of athletes at Bronc Fitness in Edinburg on the positioning and dynamics of the clean and power clean. If you’re unfamiliar with these barbell movements, check them out here and here.

Needless to say, I was pretty thrilled at the opportunity. It’s been a little more than two years since I have coached any group of athletes or ran anything Bear Stout related. Unsurprisingly, I missed being in a strength and conditioning gym and I missed having a group of athletes eager to learn a few nuggets here and there for their pursuit of a personal record.

In 2017, I brought all things strength and conditioning to an abrupt halt in order to focus and give all of my attention to replanting Storehouse McAllen and caring for my family in the midst of a new season. I really wanted to figure out a way to continue Bear Stout, but something had to give and it wasn’t going to be my family and the Lord had made it very clear to me through His word to lead our church by serving them.

Perhaps, some day in the future, the doors will open again for Bear Stout and I’ll have another small group of athletes that I’ll be privileged to coach. I love seeing the light bulb turn on for an athlete or seeing them achieve their goals—big or small. I love the grunt work the barbell forces upon a person and the spin on a good bar is one of the most pleasant sounds to my ear.

Nowadays, I get to satisfy my coaching itch when friends come over and workout with me in my garage gym which is one of my favorite places. It also seems as if the trend of a garage gym is gaining more popularity and I’m often asked what should be the “must have” pieces of equipment. So, in honor of this weekend’s clinic. Here are my top 5 pieces of equipment you must have in your garage gym:

GARAGE GYM ESSENTIALS

1. SQUAT RACK

In my opinion, the best kind of squat rack you can purchase is a yoke. A yoke is going to be one of the most, if not the most, versatile pieces of equipment you can get. On a yoke, here are some of the things you can accomplish:

Carries (you’re looking at 3-4 variations);
Squats, Bench (any press, really) and Deads: The yoke can be setup for your squatting preference, variations of the bench press, and rack deadlifts;
Sled: The yoke already has ski’s at the bottom so you can push or pull it like a sled;
Pull Ups: depending on your height and the height of the yoke, you can bust out some nasty fat-bar pull ups;
Accessories: You’ll need to purchase j-cups for squatting or pressing (not expensive), but you can always add rings to the yoke to get ring dips or rows in;
Storage: If you’re limited on space (or cash), it’s a great piece of equipment that can store your bumpers;

If you have the cash or can save a little extra, I would seriously consider buying a yoke. A general squat rack is great, but you may be limited on what you can do.

2. BUMPERS

I love the sound of metal plates clanging and banging, but for some they’re not as optimal because you’re going to drop some good money and the last thing you want to do is drop some metal plates from the overhead position and see them crack. Additionally and depending on the brand, metal plates can rust. So, in my opinion, you should purchase a set of bumper plates.

There’s so much competition out there that you can find some really good deals off of places like Fringe Sport or Titan Fitness. Further, bumpers were made to be dropped and they may (depending on the brand) last you longer.

3. A GOOD BARBELL

Because you’re keeping it simple, you’re going to want to purchase a good bar. You want a bar that can take a hit, spins well, and is designed for a variety of lifts and lifting styles. One of the very first bars I bought was the Wonder Bar from Fringe Sport and I love it. It’s one of the more economic bars, but it does such a great job and is a versatile bar. A good barbell is going to run you a little over $200, but if this garage gym is going to be your jam, then you want to load it with good equipment.

I’m not saying everything in your gym needs to be top of the line, but there must be a few pieces of equipment that are special buys and a good barbell is definitely one of them.

4. STRENGTH BANDS

Strength bands are amazing because like everything else I’ve listed, they’re versatile. Strength bands help you with everything from assistance exercises, accessory movements, dynamic warm-ups, therapy, and mobility. Go buy some.

5. ACCESSORY ESSENTIALS

I actually struggled to think of the 5th essential because the yoke takes care of so many of your needs. However, here are a couple of accessory pieces of equipment I would consider:

J-Cups: You’re going to need these for setting up your squats or presses on a yoke;
Rings: Buy wooden rings (they’ll last longer); rings can hang from your pull-up bar and serve a multitude of exercises;
Pull-Up Bar: If you’re unable to purchase a yoke, then be sure to get a good pull-up bar;
Dumbells or Kettle Bells A good pair of dumbells can go a long way;
Chalk: Don’t be the person that doesn’t have good chalk in their gym;
Sleeves: Knee sleeves, elbow sleeves, etc.
Mobility Equipment: If you’re mobility sucks, invest in some good rollers

There are a ton of accessories that you can purchase, it just depends what you’re going for and how simple you’d like to start off.

COST

If all of this is intimidating and sounds pretty expensive, that’s because it is. BUT in the long run, you’re actually saving a great deal of money. And since I love data, here’s an infographic from Garage Gym Reviews to help give you a rough breakdown of owning a garage gym verses paying for a monthly membership at a local gym:

A garage gym, I think, is the best way to go especially if you have that busy life-style. It’s really convenient and best of all, it’s yours. You make whatever you want out of it with the music set at “11.” I hope this helps you with your strength and conditioning needs. And one last thing I would encourage: be diligent in your research; don’t just listen to what I’ve written here or even the infographic. Find out what you want to do and what’s going to work for your goals.

And if you have any questions on the garage gym life, I’d love to chat. If you need help with a couple of recommendations on equipment, then I’d love to chat there too.

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