The complete $500–$8,500 Build Guide — five fully costed setups, 1,000+ products tested, delivered as a PDF you'll actually read. No fluff. No upsells.
We split our guides two ways — because what an empty-garage beginner needs is nothing like what a lifter replacing a cheap bar needs.
I have an empty space. Tell me what to buy.
I know what I have. Show me what's better.
A 24-hour timer, a strict $1,000 budget. Here's what we actually bought — and what we'd buy again.
We've turned testing gym equipment into a full-time research project. Here's what lives on the spreadsheet.
of hands-on testing across every category of home-gym kit. Not unboxing videos, not press-release round-ups — actual lifting, measuring, re-measuring, and sending back what doesn't hold up.
If a product isn't something we'd use in our own home gyms, it doesn't make the list.
— Mike Beatty, Founder
These four pieces of kit make or break a home gym. Get them right once and you won't replace them for 10 years. Here's every one we've tested, ranked.
Tested 100+ racks across 12 criteria — bolt-down vs free-standing, uprights, hole spacing, warranty.
Flat, FID, and adjustable benches put through wobble, stability, gap-size, and pad-firmness tests.
Whip, knurl depth, tensile strength. 100+ bars compared across 120 hours of hands-on lifting.
Bounce, diameter tolerance, insert type. Why cheap plates cost you more by year two.
Every tier is built around kit we've tested. Each is a complete, no-missing-pieces setup — not a shopping list of maybes. Tap any tier to jump into the Build Guide.
The 5-tier Build Guide lives inside the free PDF — with every product tested, shop links, and a page-by-page buying order so you don't over-spend.
Skim by category — each page opens with the top pick, then the full comparison table, then individual reviews. No fluff, no filler.
45+ category-by-category comparisons. Find the one for the kit you're shopping for, get the top pick in 30 seconds, then dig into the full table if you want the why.
We're a small team on purpose. Mike writes, tests, and signs off every guide. Steve runs the in-garage stress tests. That's the whole masthead.
Sports & Exercise Science degree · Featured in Straight to the Bar, Dollarsprout, Redfin
"I built my first home gym in 2009 in a cold student room in Portsmouth. I started this site to give people the research I wished I'd had back then."
Founder of My Gym UK · Featured in Men's Health, Kymira Sport
"I've been coaching since 2004. Every piece of kit we recommend has been put through its paces — not just unboxed."
Photos sent in by readers of the Build Guide. These aren't influencer sets — they're actual home gyms in garages, lofts, basements, and backyards from Cork to Melbourne.
That's my gym on the front of the guide. Built it around the $3k list — rack, bench, plates, the lot. Trained every week since, two kids and all.
Was ready to pay for an expensive commercial gym membership. Then I found the $1.5k tier — squat rack, cable crossovers, adjustable bench. Haven't looked back.
Sent Mike seven photos when it was done. Red-and-black rack, heavy bag, plates stacked — every piece came straight off the $3k list. Best money I've ever spent.
The research depth is unreal. I've reviewed a lot of home gyms, and the Build Guide's testing criteria saved me a weekend of comparison spreadsheets.
Converted our loft in three weekends. Followed the $1k build almost to the letter — every piece fits, nothing oversized. Wife approved.
Been lifting 15 years. Finally built the rack I've always wanted — 4-post, 3×3 steel, the works. Used the $8.5k list as the blueprint and didn't regret a single pick.
Could've done a garage setup, but the weather here's too good to waste. The $500 tier gave me everything I needed — rings, bar, ropes — and the garden does the rest. Sunrise lifts are the best part of my day.
Basement setup. Got the exact plates and rack the guide recommended and I've been adding 2.5kg a week. This guide is the opposite of an affiliate sales pitch.
Spent a full year reading reviews before I found this guide. Wish I'd started here — every piece in my setup came straight off the $3k list and it's rock solid.
Five free tools — the Build Guide, training program, nutrition tracker, exercise alternatives, and 10 cheap equipment picks. The same bundle the team built their own home gyms with. All in your inbox.
Free PDF
Five complete kit-lists, $500 to $8,500. Every rack, bar, bench and plate researched, ranked and budgeted by the people who actually train at home. No filler. No upsell.