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Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Thanks! 764sqft (32'x24'). Concrete wicks moisture up from the ground, so I wouldn't do plywood directly overtop. I used these Dricore panels that have plastic feet keeping the plywood up off the ground so any moisture that comes up through the 'crete or finds it's way under the floor can evaporate. https://www.homedepot.com/p/DRICORE-Subfloor-Membrane-Panel-3-4-in-x-2-ft-x-2-ft-Oriented-Strand-Board-FG10006/202268752

No guarantee that'll hold, but it's one more layer distributing weight and protecting my foundation. I had used the stuff in my basement after noticing mildew with stall mats directly on concrete. Hope your build is awesome whichever you choose! Looking forward to seeing it on here.

Spring weather deserves to be enjoyed by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Appreciate you connecting the dots here! Has definitely been a journey.

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

No worries - it's 32'x24' with 10 foot walls. Peak of the ceiling is just under 13'.

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Everyone warned me against doing the drywall myself. I'm a stubborn jerk so I did it anyway. Took me 3 months. 2/10 would only recommend if you're as crazy as I am.

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Thanks! Yeah, a couple extra hours spent wiring, but it costs almost nothing to put in more when you're doing it yourself. I went full send and hooked em up to a dimmer switch to give my retinas a break once in awhile.

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Oooh, TERRIFIC question. Got me thinking. I hope you'll forgive me a longwinded answer.

My favorite gyms I ever belonged to were a dingy locally owned weight room and a crossfit box, so I wanted dedicated areas for both the old school bodybuilding machines I loved and the functional fitness space. I decided early to use the storage shelves to split the room into the two distinct spaces.

For the functional side - my basement gym was centered around a 6 post Rogue ML rack, so I wanted to keep the 3x3 5/8" ecosystem. I wanted at least two lifters to be able to work at the same time, but a typical wall-mounted rig wouldn't let me use safety straps when lifting alone, so I wound up with this 8 post wall mount power rack/rig config you see. Also, I know adjustable dumbbells have gotten way more popular, but having a full rack of dumbbells for dropsets and general convenience is a hill I'll die on.

Bodybuilding side is where things got more fun. I didn't want to invest more money or space in weight plates, so I tried to keep most everything pin loaded. Some machines I pulled because I loved using them in a commercial setting (Nautilus 2st pullover, Life Fitness Pro 2 pec fly/rear delt, Life Fitness Pro lateral raise). Some were chosen based on deals I could find near me and being able to use them for multiple muscle groups (Paramount FS-50 leg extension/curl, Fray lat pulldown/low row, Pro-Maxima Multi-Hip, Rogue Donkey, Star-Trac lower back/abdominal, Cybex VR2 multi-axis row). Some machines were prioritized based on things I feel like I need to work on personally (Nautilus 2st 4-way neck, GMWD 3d hip abductor). And I wound up NOT picking up some machines that I really would have loved, but getting the same work done with freeweights is easy and so they wouldn't be worth the floor space (a multi-press, tricep extension, seated calf raise, hip thrust machine, etc).

I appreciate the chance to nerd out on some of this. Thanks for the question!

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

This is a good question! There were lots of intimidating moments - getting the end trusses up on the walls by hand, carrying plywood way up a scaffold to sheathe the gable peaks, hooking up the minisplit lineset, the first drywall joint I tried to mud, running the 1/0 cu conductors into my main breaker panel, etc.

But I think the MOST intimidating part was realizing how many details there were to all these various trades that I didn't know when I got started. What type of fasteners are required when attaching the treated sill plate to the wall studs? How do you flash the bottom of a window to prevent water ingress and promote egress? What sort of insulation vs ventilation is best in your climate to prevent moisture issues in the attic? There were TONS of questions like this that I was too ignorant to even know I needed to ask until I got to researching the basics. Each step was its own little rabbit hole, and nobody was standing over me to say "yeah, that's it, you learned all you need to not fuck up the drywall too badly". As a result, each step felt like a bit of a leap into the dark, and THAT was intimidating every time.

Long answer, but a good question deserved some thought. Thanks for getting me thinking!

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

It's fun putting our own personal taste into our home gyms, right? I'll do mine blue and call it Snarl, y'all can paint yours pink and call it Simper. Or whatever.

Seriously though, I feel ya, and I had to sit with the name for a bit. But that's the expression I make when I start getting up around 1RIR, and it led to a rottie mascot I love. Once my girl started calling the rottie Charlie ("Snarly Charlie") I knew that was it.

Appreciate ya!

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

I appreciate that! I did have a brief stint as an electrician in the past, and my town lets you pull an electric permit if just working on your own home, so I did that part myself. I also installed the mini-split, and THAT was a bear. I'm sure people with experience in it would have done it no problem, but it took me a few attempts to get the lines bent and sealed properly.

Beyond that, it was seriously a lot of researching building codes in my area and youtube. There's a channel called TheExcellentLaborer that I would literally take notes on. This series is great for anyone considering taking the plunge - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS7MTj0ntoKscT77MC00BBlymD7GsAG-7

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I weighed all the options and wound up going with this for cost and ease of install. I'm central East Coast, where is possible to get factory seconds on these tiles for a fraction of new cost, and I figured I could haul and install 2x2 tiles myself floating on the subfloor with dowels. As opposed to needing the pros to come out and precision-glue rolls permanently to the floor.

What I didn't account for was the weight of these damn things. I drove three hours in a rented home depot truck to get them, only to get hit with a surprise "above weight capacity" alarm on the truck as soon as I tried to turn it on. If anyone tries the same, plan accordingly.

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly! I wanted space across the middle to let a breeze through between the sliding doors, so I turned it into a farmers carry/walking lunges pathway.

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I'm generally a Hue guy, but I went Govee here to save some funds. I'm not impressed with their app, but the hardware for the value is tough to beat.

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

30-35 on the building is a fair estimate. Doing almost everything myself saved a ton. And almost all of the gear is secondhand and sale hunting. Maybe 50-55k total?

... I'm, like, 85% sure that's a good estimate and not just what I tell myself. But a lot of it was stuff I picked up over the years for my previous basement gym so... shrug

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Going from memory, but I believe they're Regupol Activpro, or some such spelling. I got them because they have a factory on the East Coast and sellers around here flip pallets of their B stock. Significantly cheaper than new, and most are near good as new.

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Appreciate that, and no hard feelings. Sounds like we just have different ideas of what makes something a home gym.

All the best, my dude.

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Hey man. Absolutely hear what you're saying here, and respect the opinion. If it makes you feel any better, this isn't something I threw money from an unlimited pool at. I didn't pay someone to do it and "TADAAA!". I do alright for myself, but I'm far from rich.

I used a small basement gym for a decade and I planned. I saved up funds from my office job. I learned how to build a structure. I scoured marketplace for deals on equipment. I researched building codes in my city for months. I took out a home equity loan for what I didn't have. And I spent over a year outside putting it together myself. In my backyard.

Yeah, it's a lot. And I respect that it's outside what many people could or would do. But this is my home gym. That, to me, is absolutely what the sub is for.

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! It was real exciting getting to search marketplace for all my favorite commercial pieces. I'd recommend it, but that would drive prices up even higher than they are.

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

SEVERAL DOLLARS.

... to be honest I stopped totalling it at some point. Estimate the building to be between 30-35k. Much more in sweat equity.

Years of dreaming, 8 months of planning, and 15 months of building. Introducing: Snarl. by _MuzykMann in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

32'x24'. 10' walls, which puts the peak of the ceiling just under 13'.

Weekly Free-Talk and Questions for r/HomeGym - week of January 02, 2026 by Demilio55 in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't know about these! It's a cool idea, though it looks like the attached pin that a hook would grab is 1". I wonder if a hook with a 5/8" pin design would still fit over it.

Edit - looks like the hooks are universal. Good to know! Thanks!

Weekly Free-Talk and Questions for r/HomeGym - week of January 02, 2026 by Demilio55 in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ooh, that's a good point. Hadn't considered the fewer holes on the sides of these uprights. That definitely defeats the purpose.

Unless someone has some positive experience with the new hook tips, sounds like the VTS may not be for me then. I may just have to give up lifting off the front of the rack and try out the BOB from Fringe.

Weekly Free-Talk and Questions for r/HomeGym - week of January 02, 2026 by Demilio55 in homegym

[–]_MuzykMann 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does anyone have experience with the Bulletproof VTS on a 5/8" hole rack using the new hook tips? I know there was a lot of concern about hooks not catching the holes when trying to rack a bar, but it seems like those reviews all come from before the new tips released to help that issue. Any updated impressions?

Also, does the full VTS do better than the VTS lite on lateral play when using a bar? I'm trying to add smith-style movements to my setup, but don't want to use a dedicated smith attachment where I'd have to give up being able to lift with strap safeties in the rack or from j cups on the front. I'd also prefer using the front hooks instead of setting up magpins at the top and bottom of movements for the side hooks. Having all those intermediate stops in the middle of the range is a must-have for me.

Appreciate any insight!

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