Garage Gym

Chances are if you have been homeschooling for awhile you have been asked the typical questions… What about socialization? How do you know what to teach? What about physical education? I don’t know why people assume that if you homeschool you’re incapable of living a well-rounded life… Here’s to proving them wrong. Check out my homeschool garage gym to see where we get our sweat on (and you know teach physical education)!

Before

When we purchased our home about three years ago it came with a typical garage… Open rafters, plywood walls, and lots of dirt and grime! On the plus side it is huge. It is technically a 3 car garage, but because of a beautiful old oak tree in our front yard it has a smaller door. Up until recently we have been parking both of our vehicles in the garage, but now that our teenager is learning how to drive we leave the commuter car outside so he doesn’t hit my truck (ha).

Phase One…

The first thing we had to do to make this a space we could use year round was add some insulation, ridge venting, and a ceiling. It is amazing what a difference this made instantly. We have had a fairly hot summer here in Michigan, and the garage has stayed nice and cool.

Phase Two…

Next we painted EVERYTHING white… Let me tell you this was the biggest pain in the butt! We went through 7 gallons of primer and 7 gallons of paint. The ceiling is not a nice solid white like the walls, but after multiples days of painting and hundreds of dollars in paint and supplies we had enough. Even our paint sprayer couldn’t get a nice even coat on this bad boy. However, I don’t mind how we left things. It is so nice and bright in there now! (Umm… Excuse our mess up to this point. Painting and remodeling is a messy process.)

Phase Three…

Finally it was time to move our equipment and reassemble our gym. All I can say is thank goodness for teenagers. Kenten moved 80% of gym stuff back into the garage, and helped my husband put everything back together. 

Since we are no longer parking two vehicles in here we have a large open space for lifting weights in front of the mirrors. This works out nicely because there is enough room for me to stand in front of my children and lift with them while demonstrating proper form. 

All of our accessories  (such as resistance bands, jump ropes, and grips) are stored in bins on the shelves for easy access.

We also included multiple racks to hold all of our weights. There are usually 3-4 of us working out at the same time, so I wanted things spread out and super organized to keep things from getting too chaotic. 

Extras…

Ryan (my hubby) and I want our children to enjoy living a healthy lifestyle and staying fit, so we added a few features to make our space more enjoyable and keep them motivated (especially on cardio days).

Ryan mounted a tv with a computer stick, so we can watch our favorite shows and to have access to the workouts we regularly use. We also purchased an Echo, so we can easily listen to our favorite workout music! The futon that used to be in our homeschool room also found a new home out in the garage for a place to take breaks on.

 

Where to Shop…

Disclosure: “Homework and Horseplay is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”

We purchased all of our gym equipment and supplies either from Rogue Fitness or Amazon. I tried to link to all of the equipment & accessories that we regularly use.

Rogue Fitness

• Echo Bumper Plates
• Abram GHD 2.0
• Flat Utility Bench 2.0 
• Dumbbells
• Monster Lite Rack
• Women’s Bar- The Bella 2.0

Amazon

• Proform Power 1080 Treadmill (currently unavailable)
• Lifting Straps
• Foam Roller
• Barbell Pad Squat Pad
• Pull Up Assistance Bands
• Curl Bar
• Fractional Plates
• Grip Plates
• Barbell 2 in. Plate Rack
• Jump Rope
• Resistance Band Set
• Cable Attachment Package
• Bar & Bumper Plate Tree
• 3-Tier Dumbbell Rack
• Floor Mats
• Fitness Equipment Wipes
• Gym Towels
• Futon

Thank you for checking out our homeschool garage gym…

It is not perfect by any means, but I am so excited to have space for my whole family to stay active and healthy year round. In the fall we are going to add a pot belly gas fireplace to keep our garage gym warm. I would also like to add an elliptical to our space. Ours recently broke, so it will be making its way to the dump. Do you have a home gym- garage or otherwise? I would love to see where all of you get your workout on!

The post Garage Gym appeared first on Homework and Horseplay.