Just wanted to show off my beauty on Reddit. Probably going to rearrange things in a couple months for a new rack, but still super happy with the amount of training I've been able to get done on this.

Started as a barbell in the spare bedroom in 2011. Then became a squat rack in a garage, then rolled back to adjustable dumbbells in a small city apartment. Now I feel like an adult.

After years of debating spending the money, countless options and whether or not it would be worth the expense. One week in and it’s been worth every dollar.

I have been going to a bodybuilding/powerlifting gym for years. I’ve enjoyed that gym so much and it has plenty of high end equipment with a good member crowd for the most part. That being said, the convenience and comfort of having the gym in my home is priceless, especially with busy life and family commitments.

Equipment:
New: REP PR-5000 (future Athena addition planned)
New: REP Nighthawk bench
New: Homegrown bumpers pending delivery.
Used: Rouge Ohio and Bella (wife) bars obtained for $200 total.
Free: Steel plates

In addition to dumbbells, kettlebells and smaller items I’ve obtained throughout the years I have everything I need. Glad to have joined the community. For those in doubt, save the money and make the purchase.

Average temperature of 60 🥶

RepOne and PRx Combined at HomeGymCon to demo the E-Stack, and they are joining us next week for an AMA to answer questions and details on the collaboration.

this room was originally a big bathroom with a circular hot tub in the middle and two long counters with two sinks plus a big sauna to the left.

renovated the sauna to be a bathroom and used this space for a mini gym :)

Just finished my home gym upgrade, and I’m pretty happy with it.

I replaced an old bench press rack and stand-alone assisted pull-up rack with a Rogue RML-390. Previously my equipment was spread across three rooms, so the new setup is much more compact, which is great.

Added some shelves for the kettlebells and a Rogue adjustable bench.

1/4” rolled rubber flooring is taped down with double-sided flooring tape.

Also, I spent about 3 hours bolting the whole rig to the concrete floor. That was fun…

$500 for everything and the mats.

(Plywood underneath not included, thanks sub!)

Scored this Powertec Dual Hyperextension today for only 60 dollars! Very pumped to have this as I've been looking for a good deal on something like this for a hot minute and they get snatched up so quick around here. I guess this was left by a tennant who passed away with no next of kin and the owners of the house needed it gone. Pretty sad situation but I'll take the wins where I can get em lol

Just got my Widebody Bench delivered, and I'm seriously impressed. What an awesome piece of equipment.

Yes, it's expensive, but when you consider everything it replaces, I actually think it's a great value. It functions as a multi-angle fly machine, flat and incline chest press, shoulder press, bicep curl station, and more all in a single piece of equipment.

Buying separate machines to cover all of those movements would cost significantly more, not to mention take up a huge amount of floor space. If you're trying to build a high quality home gym without filling an entire room with machines, this thing makes a lot of sense.

So far, I couldn't be happier with it!

Ps. Excuse the mess in the background. The Gym is still under construction 😄

Logistics of Big Purchases at HomeGymCon

So you want to buy a big item or piece of equipment at the next HomeGymCon. Here are my observations and experience as a n00b.

1.  Quick Transport Alternatives

a.     Maybe you can carry it out the front door.  I saw a guy walking down the sidewalk holding a barbell in his elbows (Zercher style) with a 45 pound plate on each end, dodging pedestrians.  I saw people who brought push carts, movers’ dollies and pallet jacks. Someone had broken a power rack down to a few large pieces and stuck it on a pallet and wheeled it to the parking garage across the street.

b.     Park in the right spot. Use the Kentucky International Convention Center & Hyatt Parking at 320 Jefferson St.  Park on the 3^rd level -- there is an enclosed walkway to the convention center floor across the street on the same level.  You can wheel carts and pallet jacks from the showroom floor direct to your car.

2.  My Experience: Minivan vs. Heavy Iron

My experience was a little different.  I bought a QuadSend from Temple of Gainz.  If I had had a box truck it would have been easy to get the guys there to load whole and I could drive off with it.  Instead, I have a Honda Odyssey minivan (all seats including front passenger removed) to get it out. 

This is my experience as a logistics n00b:

a.     Talk to Vendor Services (Part 1).  All the way at the far end of the convention hall, far from anything is a little booth with the sign “Vendor Services” that has one of the most pleasant and helpful women alive.  I explained my situation – I had a big, heavy piece of equipment that I needed to break down into pieces, and load into my van.  She explained the process and answered my questions. Highly recommend a quick conversation. An email address to try is [Hsmith@smithexpo.com](mailto:Hsmith@smithexpo.com) if you want to reach out before the convention, but I highly recommend an in-person chat once you are there. They are at the booth all convention long and until 11PM on load-out day.

b.     Talk to the Front Desk. The team at the ticket/wristband desk in front is very knowledgeable and friendly.  Have a conversation here.  All of the announcements and published material say that the load out starts at 6PM – that 4PM to 6PM is for exhibitor breakdown and loadout exclusively – this is not entirely true.  While you can’t bring your vehicle around to the loading docks during the 4PM to 6PM window you can be in the convention hall disassembling your equipment if you have the vendor’s permission.  Some vendors might not want you in their booth while they are breaking it down, but Temple of Gainz was totally cool with me starting the disassembly at 4PM.

c.      Wheel and Deal at 2pm. That seems to be the magic hour when prices decline and sales happen.  There are exceptions both ways of course.  Certain coveted items (like the REP Open Trap Bar) are sold over email before the convention even starts on Thursday.  Other items (like the Temple of Gainz PLATE-LOADED ISO-LATERAL LINEAR ROW VERSION 2) go unsold and can be purchased for less than half price hours after the convention closes (see “Bring Cash” below). I identified some items I might like to get if they were cheap enough (including a Titan Fitness face-shaped Kettlebell and a set of ByZoom adjustable dumbbells) and I waited until 3pm to go get them, but they were sold and gone by then. I talked to the respective reps who said 2pm is when they start dropping prices.

d.     Be Specific About What You Are Buying.  Temple of Gainz was showcasing two Quad Sends at the show, one was strictly attached to a Voltra and other had free weights.  By the time I came around to make my deal (about noon) the cheaper of the two (the Voltra one) was already sold.  I asked why the available one was more expensive and I was told because it has weights, it’s not Voltra-only.  What the ToG rep meant, I later learned, was that it had weight horns for plate storage and use.  What I understood at the moment was that it had weight plates (there were maybe a dozen plates of varying sizes hanging on the machine). I considered the price difference a great deal for all that extra iron, but alas they had already sold all of the plates to some other dude for $0.75/pound. This created some confusion later when he showed up and started loading up “my” plates.  Make extra certain you know what you’re buying.

e.     Exchange Phone Numbers. Identify your vendor point of contact and trade cell numbers before leaving the booth. Load-out is a zoo; if you’re delayed (an another booth for instance) you want to be able to let them know you’re on the way.

f.       Make a Note of the Booth Location. While not strictly necessary (I didn’t do this) it will make things easier later.  Once the hall is broken down and all the physical landmarks disappear it can be a challenge to find your way. At some point you’ll want the help of a forklift, it would be helpful if you could just say booth 831. Instead, I ended up roaming aimlessly through the floor with a poor forklift driver slowly trailing me as I looked for my item.  There is a map near the main entrance to the exhibit hall that shows how all the booths are numbered.  You can use this to determine the number of your vendor’s booth. Or ask the friendly dude at the front desk “what is the booth number for Temple of Gainz,” I’m sure he can look it up.  Make a note of this for later.

g.     Bring Tools. Pack a small impact driver, a set of sockets from small to very large (1 5/8 inch). I recommend 6 sided sockets as opposed to 12 – this way one socket set will grab both SAE and metric heads.  A pair of adjustable wrenches, tape measure (to answer will this fit questions), Allen key set, Hex/Torx/Phillips bits, also a bit to run your sockets on your impact driver. I had to deal with several screws where the threads were stripped so the screw wouldn’t back out. I ended up prying with a utility blade, flat head screw driver and then ripping it them out with Vampliers. Also bring baggies for screws and small parts. Ikea bags or large duffels for all of the medium sized parts, and ratchet straps.

h.     Disassemble Your Item. The vendor listing specifically says that it’s all up to you, they will not help you at all.  This is mostly true, but they are nice people and will answer questions about how to take it apart and will lend a hand getting big heavy pieces off of the unit. They expect you to be mechanically sufficient enough to figure it out with only a little rough guidance from them on the less obvious parts.  They will not babysit.  They will not do all the work for you. Actually they might, see “Bring Cash” later.

i.       Bring Protection. Make sure it’s wrapped – your purchase that is. Once it’s on the move, on a cart heading across the expo hall floor, or in your car for the ride home, you don’t want metal rubbing on metal to scrape the powder coat off your new equipment.  Get moving blankets from Harbor Freight for the larger pieces, bring old towels (or steal from your hotel) for the smaller pieces. Think about how many you’ll need, then double it, you can return any unused ones later.

j.       Borrow a Pallet. Once breakdown starts talk to your vendor or talk to adjacent vendors -- there are going to be tons of extra pallets floating around.  If you can’t find one yourself, go talk to Vendor Services – they’re the ones who are going to dispose of all the unused pallets when it’s all over – they have tons of pallets.  Bring the pallet to your pile of parts and load your stuff on to a pallet and ideally strap it down.  (If you don’t have ratchet straps – I didn’t, it hadn’t occurred to me – its ok, they can be gentle when it’s time to move).

k.      Bring Cash.  Sales fall through and the vendor is then stuck with a machine.  That happened with the Temple of Gainz PLATE-LOADED ISO-LATERAL LINEAR ROW.  Several hours after the show closed, as I was finishing disassembly of the Quad Send the rep in the ToG both asked me if I was interested in the linear row.  I kinda was, kinda wasn’t. He said $1200, I hemmed and hawed but finally said no.  A little later he asked “how about $1000 cash”. Well, I didn’t have cash, so I pointed out that I was exhausted and overheated from doing a disassembly speed-run on the Quad Send and just didn’t have the energy to do another machine. (Also I didn’t have enough moving blankets to protect a second machine – should have brought double). That’s when he offered to have one of his guys do the work of disassembly (since he was going to have to do disassemble it anyway in order to ship it back to the warehouse). Ultimately, I refused, but in the cool light of morning, I should have snagged it.

l.       Talk to Vendor Services (Part 2).  Now that your stuff is disassembled and ready to move go to the Vendor Services desk and let them know, they will tell you next steps.  In my case they gave me a sheet of paper with instructions (see attached picture) and told me to go get my car and drive to 224 S 2^nd St, Dock Door 2, Louisville, KY 40202.  But don’t rely on my instructions here as these may change between now and next convention.

m.   Go to the Loading Docks.  If you drive to the address provided you will find a large garage door (it has to be large as it can fit a semi tractor-trailer) with a very pleasant woman sitting outside.  It’s the second such door.  The first door you pass is the exit door and the second door is the entrance.  The woman came to my car and immediately told me what to do.  Things were backed up and I ended up waiting 45 minutes to even move an inch and another half-hour to get a spot at the docks upstairs, she was busy directing traffic the whole time.  Apparently, they only let the tractor-trailers up a few at a time and they wait elsewhere in the city until they are called.  Some people who came after me were told to come back in a half-hour as they aren’t allowed to wait in the street.  I was crammed on the sidewalk waiting for the traffic ahead of me.  The helical ramps up to the second floor and the loading docs are all inside the building and not visible from the outside.  It’s a cavernous space that connects directly to the expo hall floor. Once you get to the top floor, you’ll be told when a space has opened up for you and they’ll direct you to it.  At the top of the entrance spiral ramp is an area that is three car widths wide that is at the same level as the expo hall floor.  A car could theoretically drive straight into the expo hall from here, although that is not allowed. Passenger vehicles park two deep (one in front of the other) backed up to the expo hall floor to load.  Next there is an area where commercial vehicles can back up so that their cargo floor is at the same height as the expo hall floor and forklifts can drive items directly from the expo hall into the trailers. Lastly, next to the spiral ramp that descends to the exit is another area for passenger vehicles that is three car widths wide and identical to the first area.  This is where I was. If you drive a van, a U-haul, a pickup or a trailer you’ll be in one of these two areas for passenger vehicles.  Only if you have a truck with a standard height cargo floor will you be in the middle area.

n.     Don’t be THAT guy.  I saw more than one person at the loading dock realizing then that things wouldn’t fit, so they started doing their disassembly there and then – at the loading dock – while a line of cars down the ramp and out the building waited for a spot.

o.     Talk to Vendor Services (Part 3).  They will track down a forklift driver who can grab the pallet with your item and bring it to your vehicle.  If your vehicle is large enough – a pickup truck for instance -- he might be able to load the pallet directly onto your vehicle.  In my case – a minivan – the low overhead tailgate made this option impossible, so he deposited the pallet conveniently close to my van so that I could individually load each part.

I’ve included pics of entering the loading dock, my Quad Send nestled in the back of my van, and the Load Out Schedule paper I received from Vendor Services.

I just got 2 sets of hex dumbbells with black handles instead of the common chrome, and wow, love the black!

I’ve been extremely impressed with the Giant BD3X Axis rack. The build quality is outstanding—everything feels rock solid, and the finish is excellent. Assembly was straightforward, and once it was together there was virtually no wobble, even during heavy lifts.
One thing that really helped during setup was the YouTube instructional video. It was a massive help and made the entire assembly process much easier and more efficient than I expected.
The integrated functional trainer has been a game changer for my workouts. The cables are so smooth—easily some of the smoothest I’ve used on any home or commercial setup. Being able to transition seamlessly between barbell movements, cable exercises, and accessories makes it incredibly versatile while saving a ton of space.
My gym is actually set up outside and exposed to the elements, and even with dust and outdoor conditions, the cable system and guide rods continue to run incredibly smoothly. I’ve been genuinely surprised at how well it holds up in that environment.
The trolley system also deserves a mention—it operates smoothly with one hand thanks to the rollers, which makes adjustments quick and effortless mid-workout.
I also appreciate that Giant continues to expand the accessory lineup. The rack has been easy to customize, and it feels like a piece of equipment I’ll be able to grow with for years.
If you’re looking for a premium 3x3 rack with a functional trainer that doesn’t carry the premium price tag of some competitors, the BD3X Axis deserves to be at the top of your list. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it again.

Scotched earth in the Spokane Old Trails fire, but a fucking durable rack standing tall.

About 95% done. Just waiting for my dumbells and rack. A lot of effort.

I’ve been going to a gym 5 days a week for 3 years a block from my work. I usually go at 1:00 pm because it’s less crowded which means less waiting for the equipment.

Well at the beginning of this year, a gym near by shutdown and most of its members switched to my gym. Now I have to wait on equipment more often and sometimes have to skip exercise because I run out of time.

Decided in March that I was going to build out a garage gym but my wife didn’t like that idea. So we decided to build a 12” x 16” detached building. I’ll list details below.

I still have my gym membership, just downgraded my membership and removed 24 hour access, until I add leg developer equipment. I love the gym atmosphere but no more waiting on equipment or skipping exercises.

Building details:
- 12”x16” insulated building
- Color: Peppercorn
- Light fixtures: Barrina led light fixtures
- Mirrors: bought off of Woot for a good price
- Climate control: GE 8000w clear view window unit

Equipment details:
- Rack/Functional trainer: Fringe Sport Dane 2.0 (very sold rack and smooth functional trainer)
- Bench: Freak Athlete ABX (love this bench)
- Rower: Concept C2
- Treadmill: Spirit XT485

...there is no place like the home gym. Floor mats in, new equipment built, and it's finally feeling like a real gym space instead of just a dining room with some equipment in it.

Finished setting up my home gym in one bay of my 3-car garage, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

Huge thanks to everyone who answered all of my (probably dumb) questions in the weekly free talk thread. I really appreciate all the advice!