Meet Catie.
Catie is a longtime garage gym dreamer who recently turned those visions into reality. As an avid powerlifter, she has decked her gym out with high quality and specialized gear to maximize her training… and her time at home.
A shining example of home gym patience, join me as we step into Catie’s garage gym paradise.
The Journey
Catie’s journey started five years ago, at 23 years old, when she knew she wanted a garage gym to take her training to the next level. At that point, she had been lifting for several years and she had fallen in love with the sport of powerlifting. Having seen some of the specialized equipment and higher-end bars that the top level lifters were using, she knew that she wanted access to the same.
So she planned.
She planned… and visioned… for five years.
During that time, she progressed as a lifter in a commercial gym, but limited equipment made it not as enjoyable. The nearest powerlifting gym was on the other side of town and it offered limited hours and a high membership cost to boot. Because she had just started her career and she was living in an apartment, a decked out home gym wasn’t very practical for her.
But despite living in an apartment, she started accumulating some equipment by scouring Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace (check out my Craigslist tips here). She bought a glute ham raise and a reverse hyper for a great deal and stored it in her apartment, waiting for her eventual garage. She also bought a Texas Power Bar and, with permission from her gym, stored it at their facility so she could use a quality bar during training.
Fast forward to June 2018, Catie bought a house… one where she could finally turn her garage gym dreams into her reality.
And it’s seriously awesome.
Let’s take a look at her impressive assortment of equipment:
The Equipment
Catie’s garage gym offers a very well-rounded variety of equipment that includes some excellent pieces that were purchased both new and used.
When I asked her what her favorite piece was, she was pretty quick to answer the Rogue RML 690. In her words, “The rack has and always will be the centerpiece of a well put together strength focused gym…”
I can’t say I disagree.
As for the reasoning behind the RML 690, she credited its versatility, it not needing to be bolted down, and its plate storage as primary factors. She also loves the fact the rack can be used by multiple people easily with the various accessories such as the spotter arms off the front.
As she was moving into her house, she actually found a great Facebook Marketplace deal on the Rogue RML 690. It came with several extra bars, multiple attachments, and 8 stall mats… all for $1,700. Pretty strong score, in my opinion!
Side note: you need to be using Facebook Marketplace. It’s just as good, if not better than Craigslist in many cases.
Here’s the rest of Catie’s gym, piece by piece:
Rack & Bench
Catie’s rack is an absolute beast. I love six-post racks. If you’ve got the space for one, they’re highly versatile, and the added plate storage is a huge plus.
- Rogue RML 690
- Rogue AB-3 Adjustable Bench
- Rep Fitness Competition Flat Bench – My personal #1 flat bench recommendation (review here, video here)
Bars & Dumbbells
- Rogue Ohio Power Bar – Review Here
- Texas Power Bar
- EliteFTS Safety Squat Bar – Review Here
- Rep Fitness Dumbbells – 5-50 lbs
- Rogue Adjustable Dumbbell Handles
Plates
Machines
The posterior chain dynamic duo right here! If you’ve got the space for these two pieces, there’s arguably not a better combo out there to light up the posterior.
Misc.
- Rogue Adjustable Monolift
- Rogue Spotter Arms
- Spud Inc. Low/High Pulley System
- Rep Fitness Dumbbell Rack
- Matador Dip Attachment
- Triceps Attachment
- Rope Attachment
- Lat Attachment
- Row Attachment
- Band Pegs
- Landmine
- EliteFTS Band Set
- Weight Tree
- Horse Stall Mats
If there’s one thing that I want Catie’s journey to demonstrate, it’s that awesome home gyms aren’t always built overnight. Yes, she bought a lot of equipment in relatively short order once she bought a house…
…But she also started accumulating other gear, researching brands and pieces, and imagining her space for as far back as five years!
Home gyms are a journey, friends… and it’s that journey that makes it so incredible.
So if you want a home gym one day, but you’re not quite there yet, take a page out of Catie’s book… start planning and start imagining.
Your home gym will eventually manifest itself into reality.
I want to thank Catie for sharing her journey, her garage gym, and a list of her equipment with the community!
You can follow and stay in touch with Catie on Instagram.
If you want to read more about power bars or powerlifting equipment in general, check out my ultimate guide to building a powerlifting home gym.
If you would like the chance to be featured on the site, shoot me an email at Adam@garagegymlab.com.
The bar is loaded,
Adam