Building the gym...Part 1

I forgot to take a photo of the beginning of this project, but here we are in the beginning phases of building the gym in our garage. We have very tall ceilings in the garage, which is good for a Crossfit-type gym.

We began with the lifting platform. That was easy. We used 4 3/4" sheets of plywood for the base, and then one sheet of 3/4" oak for the top. We bought horse stall mats for the outer parts. Cutting the mats proved to be an issue; the proper way would have been to use a retractable knife, but that proved way too slow and arduous. Instead, we opted for the retractable saw! Much easier to cut, but it vibrates like all get-out!






We measured the mats and ran a chalk line before cutting, but that proved to be not nearly as helpful as we'd have wished because The Husband could not actually see the chalk line when he was cutting!









We screwed the mats down in place...








and, voila! A lifting platform is born.






No good gym is complete without a stereo system. This is what we have set up. We have DirecTv, so we have XM through the TV. The Husband has some favorite lifting stations. No doubt, they are not my favorites! The workbench will, in time, be moved out of here and into the larger garage we plan to build out back.





Over here, we plan to build a loft. It will be about 7 or 8 feet high so there is easy access to both the circuit breakers and the water heater (until we get the tankless water heater we both want).




It will provide much needed storage as well as a perfect spot for the pull-up bars.

The weights have already been ordered and should be here early next week. The rings are somewhere and we already have many other components for the gym. It's just a matter of putting it all together and making it functional.

One of the goals of this gym, by the way, is for me to actually USE it. Mostly, it is for The Husband and The Kids, but I need to get off my bum and use it too!

I'll let you know how THAT works out...