There is a reason there are over 14,000 CrossFit-affiliated gyms worldwide. CrossFit is adaptable to almost any fitness level, combines many different fitness styles, and can be done in as little as 15 minutes.

Thanks to the flexibility of CrossFit, setting up your own garage gym is an ideal way to train when you're unable to make it to your local gym.

If you're wondering how to build a garage CrossFit gym, keep reading for our tips, including a list of essential equipment you need to get started.

Why Should You Set Up a CrossFit Gym at Home?

Setting up a home CrossFit workout space offers several benefits if you want to stay healthy and active with a busy lifestyle.

Don't have time to drive twenty minutes to your local gym? Try shorter sessions using your at-home equipment instead.

Exercise When You Want—How You Want

What are you capable of when no one's watching?

Having a CrossFit gym in your garage allows you to train whenever you feel like it. You don't have to worry about what your wear—plus, you can train hard without worrying about making small talk or outperforming the athlete next to you.

By building a home gym, you can eliminate:

• Travel time
• Long lines for equipment
• Locker room prep (getting dressed for the gym, showering, and redressing to leave)
• Seeing your ex

Training at home allows you to build your own training program and split your workouts into abbreviated sessions, which is an excellent way to optimize your time.

Focus on Exercises You Enjoy

Your workout routine should include the exercises you enjoy most. With a home gym, you don't have to stress over whether the piece of equipment you want to use is free or what they’re programming at your box. You're making training decisions based on your fitness needs instead of what is available.

When you can pick and choose each element of your garage gym set up, you can vary your training routine however necessary to meet your goals.

Significant Long-Term Cost Savings

Did you know Americans spend $1.3 billing yearly on unused gym memberships?

Fitness centers and commercial gyms are great places to work out, but a gym membership is expensive. Plus, many require you to sign a contract before you can get started.

When you pay hundreds of dollars each year for a gym membership or over a thousand for a CrossFit gym membership, it's not hard to see how building a garage gym is financially savvy.

Must-Have Garage CrossFit Gym Equipment

There are many ways to measure physical activity, but CrossFit measures strength and performance using weight lifting, gymnastics, running or jogging, roping, swimming, biking, and other activities.

Whether you're just starting CrossFit or a seasoned athlete training for the CrossFit Games, check out this list of equipment for your garage gym.

Dumbbells

If you're looking for versatile gym equipment, you need durable, rubber dumbbells. You can perform upper body, lower body, and core movements and plyometric, strength, and bodybuilding workouts with dumbbells. These dumbbell exercises allow you to build endurance, stability, and coordination in ways you can't with a barbell.

Dumbbell training can help develop upper body strength and core strength while addressing any muscular imbalances. Adding dumbbells to your training routine is a great way to focus on one-armed (or unilateral) movements. You can purchase them one by one, in pairs, or adjustable form.

Barbells

Compound lifts such as the back squat, deadlift, press, snatch, and clean and jerk are the foundation of a CrossFit workout. You can't achieve any of these exercises without a barbell. In CrossFit, the standard men’s barbell is anthe Olympic barbell, two inches in diameter, 7.2 feet tall, and weighs 45 pounds. A women’s Olympic barbell is 6.6 feet long and weighs 35 pounds.

While shopping for a barbell, you might also consider a hex bar, which allows you to step into it for lifts. Hex (trap) bars put the weight at the center of your body, which is easier on your back during deadlifts.

If you're only planning to get a single barbell for your garage space, look for a durable, all-in-one barbell with a high-quality knurl.

Bumper Plates

Next, you need something to load onto your barbell.

In most traditional gyms, you'll find heavy-duty steel plates. These heavier plates aren't meant to be slammed on the floor. Most CrossFit workouts demand bumper plates, which are made out of rubber. These plates bounce when they hit the floor, so they're less likely to break and aren't as loud.

If you're concerned about making too much noise in your garage gym, go for recycled crumb rubber bumper plates, which offer the softest bounce. You should also consider crash pads for even more noise reduction.

The best rubber bumper plates are color-coded, so it's easy to load the bar and get to work when you're tight on time.

Consider purchasing plate storage so you can store many plates in a small space—which is critical in any garage gym setup.

Barbell Safety Collars

When practicing CrossFit—especially at home—safety is key. When loading heavy weights on either side of the barbell, it's dangerous not to use barbell collars.

Barbell collars attach to the end of your bar sleeve to prevent your weights from slipping out. Without them, your weight may migrate to the outside of your barbell, which will cause you to fall over. Safety collars come in many sizes, shapes, and colors.

Olympic spring collars have two ends that you can squeeze together to expand the clip, which keeps your weight in place. They've been an effective, essential piece of equipment for securing weight for years. Hexagon clips are made of nylon or plastic and rubber. To secure the barbell with a hexagon clop, you simply flip a latch.

Power Rack

Because CrossFit workouts often require heavy lifting, you will likely want a power rack. This type of rack is best for power lifts such as front squats, back squats, presses, rack pulls, and shoulder shrugs.

A squat rack has convenient hooks that you can place in the holes of the rack, which allows you to rack your weight in various height options. Some include a pull-up bar to perform accessory movements like muscle-ups or pull-ups between lifting sets without investing in a separate pull-up system.

Kettlebells

Kettlebells are as versatile as dumbbells in a gym space. With a center of mass that sits away from the handle, they're easier to use for explosive movements during CrossFit workouts.

The most popular kettlebell exercise is the kettlebell swing, where you hold the weight like a pendulum and use your hips to swing it up to your shoulders and back down to the floor.

While they are often constructed of steel, opt for kettlebells made of solid cast iron for the most strength and durability. If your garage has a concrete floor, pay special attention to the bases of the kettlebells you choose. They'll annoyingly wobble on your garage gym floor if they're not machined flat.

Nice-to-Have CrossFit Garage Gym Equipment

After stocking up on the garage gym essentials above, it is time to move on to jump ropes, battle ropes, boxes, and other CrossFit equipment.

Jump Ropes

Jump ropes are one of the most effective pieces of cardio equipment you can buy. Jumping rope may sound simple, but training with one offers a serious cardio workout.

Using speed ropes helps with endurance, footwork, speed, and coordination—all of which are essential to CrossFit. Many CrossFit workouts call for double-unders, when you wrap the rope around you twice between jumps.

If you're new to jumping rope, use a larger rope to find your rhythm. For double-unders, you'll need a thinner, lightweight rope.

Don't forget to consider your height when purchasing a jump rope, as the shorter you are, the shorter your rope needs to be (and vice versa).

Battle Ropes

Battle ropes are thick ropes attached to an anchor on the floor. When performing a slam exercise, you begin with the rope by your legs, raise it above your head, and bring it down hard. This simple movement trains your legs, core, and shoulders simultaneously.

While battle ropes help you build coordination and stamina, they are a great way to develop grip strength and increase your overall conditioning level.

Boxes

Another piece of equipment to add to your CrossFit garage gym is a plyo box. Plyometric exercises are explosive movements, such as clapping push-ups or box jumps.

Plyo boxes vary in material and height. When purchasing, make sure the box is something you are comfortable jumping on and off of. Many boxes are wooden, while others are soft. Soft cubes are preferred for CrossFit box jumps, so you don't scrape your skins (and miss a rep) if you fall.

Soft doesn't mean they aren't durable—look for boxes made from vinyl-covered, ultra-dense foam.

Ring Set

Wood rings and straps are versatile additions to any garage gym because they help you perform pulling and pushing movements. With varying strap lengths, you can also use gymnastic rings for ring dips, ring rows, ring muscle-ups, and more.

Sleds

CrossFit is about performance. To increase your power, you should invest in a speed sled.

A sled comes with a peg at the top, which you use to load bumper plates. Once you've weighted your sled, you can push, drag, or pull it. Sleds offer a new way to challenge your ability like nothing else—all while storing nearly flat.

Medicine Balls

Medicine Balls can be used for weight training, balance, plyometrics, wall balls, and slams. They help increase core strength and explosiveness as you exert maximum force in short time intervals.

Using a medicine ball in your workouts is also an easy way to add resistance to bodyweight exercises. You can add them to cleans, squats, presses, twists, sit-ups, and throws. This little piece of equipment is a versatile tool that can help you get in some high-intensity work at home.

Training Shoes

When performing CrossFit exercises, you should have a good pair of training shoes that help you perform various activities to the best of your ability. Cross-training shoes should offer increased midsole material, extra heel support, and a breathable outer layer. You'll need heel support when completing Olympic lifts or sprinting.

During squats and rope climbs, you'll benefit from increased midsole material that offers you more grip and support.

FAQs

What Is CrossFit?

CrossFit is high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that focuses on conditioning and strength. Instead of a set number of sets and reps, CrossFit workouts require you to complete an exercise in a specific amount of time. CrossFit workouts are more explosive than traditional weight training and are designed to build skills you can translate to everyday life.

What Equipment Do You Need for CrossFit?

To do CrossFit, you'll want a variety of equipment, including:

• Barbells
• Barbell safety collars
• Kettlebells
• Bumper weights for barbells
• Racks (with pull up bar)
• Battle ropes
• Pushing sled
• Medicine balls
• Plyo boxes

Build a Garage CrossFit Gym With Again Faster Equipment

At the end of the day, how you train is more important than where you train.

A cross-functional training approach like CrossFit enables you to level up at your own pace. You may finish the workout on your back, but you'll walk away with a sense of accomplishment when you finish—faster than last time.

Armed with quality equipment, you can become even fitter, stronger, and healthier from your garage.

Ready to build out your garage CrossFit gym? Check out our home gym packages to get started.