Tired of shelling out big bucks for a gym membership? Want to get in shape in the comfort of your own garage? We've got you covered!
Check out these 5 must-know exercises for a killer garage gym workout that will save you money and provide an effective sweat session.
Say goodbye to membership fees and hello to quick gains!
What is The Best Garage Gym Home Workout Muscle Group Exercise?
Want to know the ultimate move for a killer garage gym workout? Let me introduce the Shoulder Press.
#1 How to Nail the Shoulder Press | Explode your Shoulders
The Shoulder Press is a serious strength-building exercise that zeroes in on your shoulders, triceps, and upper back muscles.
This move is absolutely essential for your garage gym workout because it helps develop upper body strength, stability, and mobility.
Plus, it does wonders for your posture and helps prevent pain and injuries.
- Plant your feet shoulder-width apart and grab a barbell at shoulder height.
- Extend your arms fully as you press the barbell overhead.
- Bring the barbell back down to shoulder height.
- Do 3 sets of 8-12 reps.
#2 How to Crush Box Jumps
If you want to add some explosive power and lower body strength to your garage gym workout, Box Jumps are just the thing for you.
This bodyweight training targets your glutes, quads, and calves while also helping with coordination and balance.
- Stand in front of a sturdy box or bench.
- Jump onto the box, landing with both feet.
- Jump back down to the starting position.
- Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
One of my favorite exercises when I am doing bodyweight training. I usually mix box jumps with high-intensity interval training to get those sweet gains and get some sweat out simultaneously.
How to master the Reverse Lunge Bicep Curl?
For a full-body workout that targets your quads, glutes, hamstrings, biceps, and forearms, try Reverse Lunge Bicep Curls.
This exercise helps build strength, balance, and coordination in the lower body while also building strength and definition in the upper body.
#3 Reverse Lunge Bicep Curls
- Hold dumbbells at your sides.
- Step back with your right foot and lunge down.
- Curl the dumbbells up to your shoulders as you lunge.
- Return to the starting position and repeat on the other leg.
- Do 3 sets of 8-10 reps on each leg.
My Take on the Reverse Lunge Bicep Curls
As a lover of challenges, I think the Reverse Lunge Bicep Curls are like hitting the jackpot because it works so many muscles at once. This exercise has turned my noodle arms into shredded guns and has given my chicken legs some beasty power.
I don't know about you, but I'd rather do one exercise that hits multiple muscle groups than do a bunch of exercises per training sessions that only target one.
That's just being efficient with my laziness.
#4 Pull-ups
For a killer upper body workout that targets your back, shoulders, and biceps, there's nothing quite like Pull-ups. This bodyweight exercise helps improve strength, endurance, and muscle definition.
And as a bonus, pull-ups are also a great foundation for doing more advanced exercises like muscle-ups, hanging knee raises, or if you got a few reps under your belt maybe even a front lever.
How to do a pull-up?
- Hang from a pull-up bar with your hands shoulder-width apart.
- Engage your core as you pull your body up towards the bar.
- Lower your body back down to the starting position.
- Do 3 sets of as many reps as possible.
My Two Cents on the Pull-up
Ugh, pull-ups used to be the bane of my existence. Three sets of five reps felt like I was climbing Mount Everest.
But I finally bit the bullet and got myself a pull-up bar to mount over my kitchen door. Now, every time I walk through the door to grab a bite, I bust out five reps. Don't worry, I'm still eating - I'm not trying to starve myself. But I gotta say, my pull-up game has gone from zero to hero, and my back is looking like a sculpted work of art.
#5 Back Squat
So you want to work those legs and glute muscles? Meet my favorite exercises: The Back Squat!
This compound exercise is like the superhero of your garage fitness training session, targeting your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles.
Not only does it improve lower body strength, muscle mass, and bone density, but it also helps with overall athletic performance and posture.
Basically, it's a squatload of benefits.
How to do a back squat?
- Grab a barbell and rest it on your shoulders behind your neck.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes slightly pointing outwards.
- Keep your chest up and your back straight as you lower your body by bending your knees and hips.
- Keep descending until your hips are slightly below your knees, then push back up to the starting position.
- Do 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps, and feel the burn!
How to Start with Garage Gym Workouts?
If you want to be the buffest version of yourself but don't know where to start following these three steps will help you achieve your fitness goals.
It's all about dividing your training program into different phases...
Start with a foundational phase, doing simple exercises that will make you a little less flabby and more resilient.
I suggest you leave the weights for now and start varying a bunch of push-ups. Think about incline and decline push-ups, tricep push-ups, spider push-ups, diamond push-ups, typewriter push-ups, and shoulder push-ups.
Then move onto a hypertrophy phase, adding muscle mass and leaving the weaklings behind. This is where you lift heavy things. Start doing some shoulder presses, deadlifts, and other exercises that require weights and equipment.
Finally, wrap it up with a peaking phase, where you'll fine-tune your skills and prepare for whatever you try to achieve. If you want to bulk up go for heavier weights and if you want to build strength try increasing your reps and going more for explosive power.
If you follow these steps, you'll be flexing in the mirror in no time.
What Is The Best Garage Gym Exercise for Strength?
If you want to be the strongest person in your garage (and let's be honest, who doesn't? I suggest you put in some deadlifts.
This compound exercise works those glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and traps like nobody's business.
Not only does it help with functional strength and power, but it's also super adaptable to any fitness level and requires minimal equipment.
It's deadliftin' good.
How to Stay Motivated During Your Garage Gym Sweat Sessions
I feel you, bro (or sis, or non-binary pal). Working out solo can be a real drag sometimes. But fear not, my friend, for I have a few tricks up my sleeve to help you stay pumped and ready to crush those gains, even when you're feeling less than motivated.
- Set realistic goals and track your progress.
- Create a workout program that you enjoy and that fits your schedule.
- Find a workout buddy or community for some friendly competition and accountability.
- Add some tunes, podcasts, or other forms of entertainment to keep it fun.
- Keep it fresh and challenging by mixing up your workouts.
- Treat yourself to some rewards for reaching your fitness milestones.
- Garage gyms can be full and nobody wants to pump iron in a junkyard. Keeping it clean will make you more eager to workout and ensures you have enough space as well.
- Remember how good exercise makes you feel and the benefits it brings to your body and mind.
Equipment You Need for a Garage Gym Workout
You don't need a room full of machines to get a serious training session in. The exercises in this post require a handful of versatile pieces that cover the majority of what a well-rounded strength program needs.
Start with a barbell and weight plates. These cover the shoulder press, back squat, and deadlift in one purchase, and a quality set scales with you as you get stronger. Fringe Sport's bumper plate sets are built specifically for home gym use and hold up to years of heavy training. Pair that with a squat rack so you can safely load and unrack a barbell for squats and pressing movements. A basic half rack takes up minimal floor space and handles both.
For the reverse lunge bicep curl, you'll need a pair of dumbbells. Adjustable dumbbells or a small fixed set covers most rep ranges without taking up much space. A wall-mounted or door-frame pull-up bar handles the pull-up section and doubles as an anchor for hanging core work as your training evolves. Round it out with a sturdy plyo box in the 20 to 24 inch range for box jumps, and you've got everything the workouts in this post require.
As you build out the setup, rubber flooring to protect your floor and reduce noise is worth prioritizing early. Fractional plates for small weight jumps become useful once you're moving heavier loads consistently.
How to Deadlift
The deadlift is one of the most effective strength exercises you can do, full stop. It trains your glutes, hamstrings, lower back, traps, and grip in a single movement, and it requires nothing more than a barbell and plates.
How to do it:
- Load the barbell and set it on the floor. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes under the bar, shins close to it.
- Hinge at the hips and bend your knees until your hands reach the bar. Grip just outside your legs, either double overhand or mixed grip.
- Take a breath into your belly, brace your core hard, and pull your chest up. Your back should be flat, not rounded.
- Drive through the floor with your legs as you pull the bar up. Keep it close to your body the entire way. Hips and shoulders should rise together, not hips first.
- Stand tall at the top with hips fully extended. Don't hyperextend your lower back at lockout.
- Lower the bar back to the floor with control and reset before the next rep.
- Start with 3 sets of 5 reps at a weight that challenges you without breaking your form.
The most common mistakes to watch for: rounding the lower back under load (brace harder and reduce weight if this happens), jerking the bar off the floor instead of applying smooth tension, letting the bar drift away from your body on the way up, and hyperextending at lockout. Fix those four things and the deadlift becomes one of the safest and most productive movements in your program.
Wrapping Up
Ta-da! You've made it to the end of our guide! With these five essential workouts, you'll be flexing those gains in no time.
Don't forget to include the shoulder press in your workout because it's one of the most effective exercises out there.
Consistency is key in building muscle, so make sure to keep yourself motivated with the tips we've provided.
Now, let's get pumping!