Equipment Requirements

This program is designed for a minimal home gym setup. The exercise selection reflects what's available in a typical garage gym—not because free weights are inherently superior, but because they're accessible, versatile, and effective for the goals of this program.

If you train at a commercial gym with access to machines and cables, you can absolutely use those for secondary and tertiary exercises. See the FAQ for guidance on exercise substitutions.

Required Equipment Setup

• Squat/power rack (with safeties)
• Bench (w/incline)
• Pull-up bar
• Barbell & plates
• Dumbbells

Recommended Equipment

• Cable Tower: For lat pulldowns or low row. The alternative is more pullups and db row.
• EZ Bar: Preferred for comfort with barbell skull crushers and curl variations
• Chalk: Improves grip security
• Dedicated lifting straps/grips (e.g. Versa Grips) — Helpful once grip becomes limiting on rows or RDLs, but still train without them to build grip strength
• Lifting belt: Pioneer (4" 10mm with PAL V2 lever recommended)
• Weight-loadable dip/pull-up belt: For advanced lifters doing weighted pull-ups
• Abmat (firm model recommended)
• Journal: Track workouts (physical journal or app; Hevy recommended)

Home Gym-Specific Recommendations

If you're setting up a home gym or already training at home, these items will improve safety, convenience, and training effectiveness:

• Protective flooring: Avoid thin rubber tiles. They tend to shift, compress, and break down under load. Use proper flooring instead. Common option: 0.75 inch thick horse stall mats (Tractor Supply or Home Depot).
• Drop pads: Extra protection for heavy lifts like deadlifts. Can be made with rubber tile + wood board. Place on top of flooring and store when not in use. Optional depending on flooring quality.
• Bar jack: Small handheld tool that makes loading deadlifts significantly easier.
• U4C U-cups and Calf Curve system: An elegant solution to calf training in a home gym. This not only solves the issue of fitting a calf exercise apparatus in a home gym, it might just be the greatest calf apparatus there is—in my opinion, it's better than a Smith machine or a dedicated calf machine. It's expensive, but it's worth it; most alternatives are more expensive.
• Preacher pad: Space-efficient way to perform preacher curls without a full preacher bench.

Related Pages

• FAQ — Exercise substitutions and common questions
  
• Getting Started - Ready to start? Here's how.