Building a Home Gym?

Question

Hello, My name is Matthew and i am a college student who will be getting his degree in the spring. Following my graduation i am enlisting in the US Military. I have a DESIRE and WILL to train in a few Martial Arts Styles or MMA for the next few months so i can kick some butt in Basic, One Unit Training, and through my career in the Military and After.

Never The Less, i need advice on how to build my gym in my house, I have two 13x10 rooms located next to each other that i would like to renovate and continue.

One i was thinking i may make a lifting room and the other a cardio/sparing room(with speed bag, Heavy Bag, TV for videos, Mirrors, pull up bar)

If there are brands or sets of things you could recomend, Items that i SHOULD NOT buy for workouts, items that i SHOULD BUY that are not listed, or a complete list of what i should purcchase please list them.

In general i am looking for someone to build me on paper their ideal gym for $2000 or less(which i hope can be done through craigs list or buyouts). TELL ME WHAT YOU WOULD WANT AND WHAT I WOULD NEED TO GET THIS THING UP AND RUNNING!

Answer 1

I never thought I'd ever ever ever recommend MMA, but because of the short amount of time you have I guess I have no choice. Just join an MMA gym. They'll have all of the equipment you could possibly need to train with and they will probably teach you a mixture of Muay Thai, Boxing, Brazilian Jujitsu, and Wrestling. If you want to be a real killer then I'd recommend Ninjutsu, but you don't have that kind of time. MMA will teach you a little bit about martial arts in a short period of time. Again, they will most likely have equipment at the MMA gym and you won't need to spend all of that money building you own. Be sure to join the ARMY! HOOAH! An Army of one (Because every other branch sucks).

Answer 2

You could join a good quality health club for for 9 months for a lot less than $2000.  It seems kind of silly to invest that much money and work into a home gym when you will be leaving for the military so soon - you won't be home often enough to make it worth it!  And doesn't your college have a gym / weight room that students can use for free?  

Sorry for not really answering your question.  

Answer 3

I think your idea is fine - but I would change the goals a little. You won't really learn any martial art in 6-8 months. You CAN get in really good fighting shape (cardio, toning, and strength, as well as balance and speed).

Weight room, with presumably a multi-gym of some sort (find a used one - you can get great deals locally since people buy them and don't use them). You COULD do a complete set of free-weights, but I'd do the multi-gym because you really need a partner to do free weights safely. I would also get a small set of dumbbells or kettlebells since you can get a more rounded workout with those (and do it safely).

For the "sparring" room I would do something like this : Heavy Bag, Double-End bag (my favorite), mirror wall, mats, medicine balls, jumprope, TV/DVD, and a CD player. Mount the heavy bag and double end bag in a position that you can move all the way around them without bumping into a wall. I use quick-clips to make them totally removable and I spar in the same area. Be careful of the bottom bracket of the double-end bag - you'll need a cover over it when it's not in use.

A few minor things - get good quality equipment - bag gloves, hand wraps, and bags all take a lot of abuse. Invest in a good brand - Fairtex, Twins, RevGear, Title, Throwdown, Combat Sport are all brands I really like. You can find good bags used, but buy new gloves - old gloves are nasty, sweaty, smelly, and the padding gets compacted.

I usually hate recommending "training by DVD" but for what you are doing I'd make an exception. The Bas Rutten DVD/CD workout will show you some basics for boxing, Muay Thai, and All Around Fighting. You can do the CD's progressively in your "sparring" room, and I promise if you do them correctly you'll get in fighting shape before you go to basic training. He actually incorporates weights, sprawl, pushups, weights, boxing, and kicking into the later workouts. It's a cardio and endurance monster, and will give you a fantastic foundation for other arts. Since you only have 6-8 months that's what I'd do. Do it right and you should be ready for basic (physically - they'll still beat you up mentally).

If you want to study a martial art without going to a gym/school it will be tough. I'd stick with simple boxing for footwork and strikes. That way you won't mess up any training you get later.

I hope that's clear enough to be helpful. Good Luck.

Answer 4

Hm, that's a little much, why waste money when you can just go to a gym.... for stuff at home, maybe get an exercise ball because it's a little embarassing as a guy to go to the gym and use one but it's worth it. Get a heavy bag, any will do, really, and a speed bag, simply because at every gym I go to, there are always idiots at the heavy bag using improper technique and it's too crowded around there. For weights, the gym works but you could get some at home if you really want it. Lastly, for home, get a captain's chair, very helpful, instead of using money buying equipment for home, invest in martial arts, you'll be learning plenty of striking in the army so go to a BJJ/Judo/Shuai Jiao/Wrestling school near and learn about grappling instead of focusing too hard on your muscles, they help, but muscles can't trump eclecticism and technique.