My exact home gym setup (50+ friendly)

As part of my weight loss journey I decided to work out regularly and quickly developed the dream of building a home gym in my garage. Here is the exact, current list of equipment I use and what I think about it. I try to highlight gear that works for me as a 50+ year old dad with a busted kneed joint and Hallux Rigid in my right big toe. I think this is the optimal home gym setup for aging joints. Please give feedback if I am missing any equipment you love.

I update this page regularly. If something disappears I decided not to use it anymore. This page contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

If you want everything in one place here is the full setup on Amazon.

The short version for people who just want the list

If you don’t want to read the full breakdown, this is the core setup I’d rebuild tomorrow:

Strength Equipment

The core of my gym is a collection of weights and equipment for resistance training. I tried to buy decent quality but not go crazy on prices (i.e. a lot of Rep and Titan, but no Rogue or Eleiko)

  • I also got a set to individual dumbbells. This is a luxury, but since I go through a lot of different weights in a typical workout, I feel this is worthwhile… and it looks cool to have. I chose the round urethane ones from REP fitness. I love the function and look, but to be honest I do now realize why hex head ones are more popular — they don’t roll away on the rack or the floor. I didn’t buy these all at once, but had the self-imposed rule that I only would buy the next one up once I actually used that weight (on the Ironmaster). I am now up to 55lbs.
  • I always wanted a functional trainer and a barbell setup. I settled on the Fringe Sport Dane 2.0, which I love, especially at the price!
  • For my bench, I am very happy with the Titan adjustable bench. It’s extremely solid and stable. In fact I have two of them (one in the garage, another in my office)

Cardio equipment

  • These days my primary cardio equipment is a road bike on an indoor trainer. Running or even walking is just not a good choice with wonky (or just aging) joints. I picked a bike that is endurance focused, i.e. has geometry that is appropriate for a 50+ year old and is not crazy expensive (no need for aero optimization, or even a carbon frame). I ended up with the Canondale Synapse 2 from a local bike shop, which provided professional bike fitting (key with wonky joints or other limitations!). I use it on a Wahoo KICKR Core 2 (which was on sale at the time). I couldn’t be happier with the setup! It’s such a massive upgrade over my old Bowflex IC6 that is still sitting in my home office.
  • Concept 2 RowErg has been the gold standard of rowing training for a long time. I was first introduced to it in college. This is bomb proof. Make sure you get a model with the latest PM5 monitor (my old one wouldn’t take firmware updates)

Misc gear

  • I wear an Apple Watch and use it to track activities and sleep
  • I use a Polar H10 chest strap when I want to have a second reliable heart rate measurement, e.g. when I use the RowErg or other machine. I love that it is reliable and seems to be able to hold two simultaneous BT connections. A surprising number of fitness devices seem to have bad BT stack implementations. Polar has been rock solid for me.
  • The Manduka Pro Yoga mat seems to be the best mat available. It is super solid and doesn’t flake off like the cheaper mats I tried before.
  • Blood pressure monitor – Omron is the brand my doctor recommended.
  • Bryant mini-split and heat pump keep the garage comfortable even in New England winters. Most of the time I run it at 60F which is plenty to keep the wife’s car warm and me comfortable once I start working out.
  • Vornado FlyMax fitness fan. This was a great addition to the indoor cycling setup. It really helps keeping me cool and the heart rate down.
  • Sony 55″ TV with AppleTV hardwired with Gigabit Ethernet. This TV used to be mounted in my home office, but moving it to the garage was a good excuse to update the indoor TV to 75″ BRAVIA 9 – Football looks glorious!
  • Ubiquiti Unifi Wifi system

Software

  • Future was instrumental for me to establish a regular exercise routine. Some people consider it expensive, but for me it’s totally worthwhile. I get help from an experienced coach, don’t have to think about programming and get accountability from a human.
  • ErgZone is a much improved version of the Concept2 erg data app. I use it to track rowing workouts and if I ever get serious about rowing would use it for siding up for training.
  • Zwift seems to be the default app for virtual rides. It seems nice enough but I am not a huge fan of the video game aspect. Still thinking about switching to Rouvy instead.

Stuff I am still on the fence about

I love toys and data so bought a bunch of devices/services that I am still evaluating

  • Calibre Biometrics promises to measure your VO2max and resting metabolic rate at home without a lab test with an expensive metabolic cart. I need to find atime to try this out regularly.
  • OVR Velocity is a cool device that measures and logs the velocity of barbell/trap bar lifts. It’s sort of cool and I like that it predicts your one rep max without actually having to do the heavy lift 🙂 I need to try this more to decide whether it’s worth the hassle.
  • I really like TrainerRoad as a cycling training software, but currently all I am doing is Zone 2 work outs for fat loss while not affecting my strength training (via extra fatigue). Once I am leaner I think I will balance strength training and cardio fitness (VO2max/FTP) and I reckon TrainerRoad will be a valuable tool then.
  • Titan Seated Leg Extension & Hamstring Curl machine. I like the machine but I haven’t found the right space (both physically and in terms of my program)

Stuff I wouldn’t get again

  • I got an Oura Ring and enjoyed it for a while for sleep tracking, but it feels redundant (wiring a watch 24/7) and the battery life has really deteriorated. It’s just not worth a monthly subscription payment
  • I tried using a Stelo Continuous Glucose monitor. for a while. It was sort of cool, but ultimately doesn’t really give me any actionable information that justifies the recurring costs.
  • I bought a Garmin Edge 840 for my stationary bike and it interfaces well with my power meter pedals. However, I find the UI very confusing. At first I thought it was just a matter of familiarity but it has not gotten better. I also do not like how focused Garmin Connect is on running and how it seems to enjoy insulting your efforts (“unproductive”, “poor”, etc). I don’t need an algorithm to cheer me on, but this seems counter-productive.
  • My first indoor bike was a Bowflex IC6 (apparently the same as the Schwinn IC4?). This served me well for a while, but a real bike on a Wahoo KICKR is much nicer. to match the price you could find a cheap, used bike.

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