Home Gym
When you live 40 minutes from the nearest city having your own gym equipment is critical to maintaining your fitness and sanity, and goodness do I ever love having a home gym!
eSport Fitness
The eSport Fitness warehouse located on Sexsmith Rd. in Kelowna is a fitness enthusiast’s paradise with every conceivable piece of gym equipment needed to stock a commercial or home gym. What a blessing it’s been to be able to pick up commercial quality gym equipment locally and meet the owner Jerry Jiricny, who has always been gracious to provide a tour of his new, affordable creations.
Item: 290lb Virgin Rubber Super Olympic Set
Price: $595.00
This is the first eSport Fitness product I scooped up after finding an ad on Castanet, a local classified website. The bundle is brand new and includes a standard size olympic barbell (7 feet long, 44lb with a shaft diameter of 32mm), quick lock collars and of course the set of 45lb, 35lb, 25lb, 10lb, 5lb and 2.5lb interlocking virgin rubber weight plates. The stainless steel center insert makes for easy loading and unloading onto the standard 2″ diameter barbell sleeves and the weights didn’t have that strong recycled rubber smell nobody is fond of.
Item: Iron Bull 300 Squat Rack
Price: $1,395.00
A staple of any home gym and a rock solid half squat rack for the space conscious. Built with beefy 3×3″ 11-gauge steel tubing, oversize 1″ hardware and laser cut location numbers spanning the entire 94″ height, which is perfect for spaces that only have 8′ ceilings. The Iron Bull series uses the same 1″ hole size as other popular brands like the Rogue Monster Rack which opens it up to a vast array of attachments like the included plate storage pins, j-cups, spotter arms and bar storage covered with UHMW plastic plastic to protect barbells and optional accessories like dip bars and landmines.
Item: Barbell Holder
Price: $99.95
If something has useful accessories I’m probably buying them. This 3 barbell holder from eSport has UHMW (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) to protect your investments and vertically stores barbells on any rack with 1″ holes spaced 2″ on center. Powder coated black.
Item: Iron Bull Landmine
Price: $85.00
Fun way to add variation to workouts while engaging core muscles to stabilize your body. Landmine attachments provide a stable and controlled pivot point for dynamic exercises like landmine squats, bent over rows, standing presses, Russian twists and other functional strength exercises. This one’s always on the rack.
Item: Iron Bull Dip Station
Price: $125.00
eSport Fitness modifies and ships its products from China so I was quick to pick up all of their rack mount accessories like this super stable dip bar that’s always attached to the side of the cage.
Item: Iron Bull Weight Plate Storage
Price: $79.95 x 3
Big fan of being able to store every denomination of weight plate on it’s own peg or horn as eSport Fitness calls them. Picked up extra sets for additional equipment storage for straps, dip belts and battle ropes. As a bonus, when you mount a few on the back of a rack they can double as monkey bars or a place to do neutral grip pull-ups.
Item: Flat or Incline Bench
Price: $595.00
Heavy duty adjustable gym bench from flat to 90°. Rolls smooth with a solid transport handle and made with commercial quality, 2×4″ 11-gauge steel. Absolutely love this thing and use it every gym session.
Item: Adjustable Decline Bench
Price: $695.00
Spring assisted decline adjustments from 8 to 33 degrees with an extra long back pad. Solid construction and necessary for decline bench press and sit-ups although my least favorite eSport Fitness product because the ankle roller pad assembly was welded crooked which puts you at a noticeable angle. The transport wheels also aren’t large enough to clear the wide, and otherwise incredibly stable, bench feet which drag on gym mats.
Item: Super Grip Adjustable Handles
Price: $39.95
Durable plastic with 3″ wide, 1.5″ thick handles. 3 positions for varying heights of cable assisted curls and arm extensions. Often hang these from the squat rack pull-up bar for quick pulling variations.
Item: 5lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $40
When I saw these urethane dumbbells in the eSport Fitness warehouse Jerry tried to talk me out of them in favor of their less expensive, and arguably nicest rubber hex dumbbells I have ever seen, but the look of these sold me instantly.
Item: 10lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $80
Urethane weights are used in commercial gyms around the world for their harder and more resilient protection, plus vibrant colors. Having access to a complete set of dumbbells has been a blessing and makes exercise accessible to everyone.
Item: 15lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $120
These eSport dumbbell pairs are available individually, which is really nice when building out a home gym at your own pace. 15lb dumbbells are great for lateral raises, especially on shoulder day.
Item: 20lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $140
Useful for bicep curl and tricep extension dropsets, it’s always nice to have options in the gym. The handle diameter is 29mm for bells from 5 up to 25lb, which is great for smaller hands.
Item: 1/2 Size Commercial Dumbbells
Price: $420.00
Half size dumbells are so important for progressive training and I wish eSport carried them all the way up to 47.5lb because the difference between 45lb and 50lb curls is extreme. Perfect for chest flyes.
Item: 25lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $175.00
It’s important to start with lighter weights to ensure proper form is prioritized to avoid injury. As you gain strength and confidence, you can always gradually increase the weights to continue challenging yourself.
Item: 30lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $210.00
You know those days you’re just spent but still go to the gym anyways because healthy habits are everything? Enter 30lb dumbbells. Or, perhaps for standing dumbbell calf raises.
Item: 35lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $245.00
Great for overhead tricep extensions and dropsets. 30lb to 50lb eSport Fitness dumbbells have a handle diameter of 32mm.
Item: 40lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $280.00
This was the first dumbbell I picked up from eSport because 45lbs, my favorite weight, was in transit. The knurling on these isn’t stellar and varies quite a bit from batch to batch but they still make me so happy. Excellent for dumbbell hammer curls.
Item: 45lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $315.00
Perfect for curls, dumbbell lunges, skull crushers, shoulder presses and rows. Actually, just perfect. The cost of both dumbbells is less than a single dumbbell from most competitors which isn’t even taking the free Canada-wide shipping into consideration.
Item: 50lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $350.00
Going for a bicep curl PR? Enter 50lb bells. Love using these for tricep extensions, Romanian deadlifts, free weight squats and incline or decline dumbbell presses.
Item: 55lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $385.00
You know what’s better than a standard set of 5lb to 50lb dumbbells? You guessed it, a super set − in this case up to 80lb because those 20 pairs fit perfectly on two commercial racks.
Item: 60lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $420
Great for chest days. These eSport Fitness dumbbells aren’t perfect, with minor imperfections to the custom ES branded number molds but that doesn’t hang me up at all because the convenience of always accessible variation trumps a lot of imaginary woes.
Item: 65lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $455
My favorite weight for dumbbell bench presses, and great feeling in the hand with a 32mm handle diameter from 55lb up to 120lb. Straight 6″ hardened chrome handles and solid steel heads with black and red urethane. Fully welded as a single piece so they’ll never come loose.
Item: 70lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $490
For days you’re feeling strong. The tolerance on these is +/- 2% and usually come a little over on my digital postal scale, which I like.
Item: 75lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $525
Did I mention how thankful I am to have a complete set of dumbbells? Having a home gym isn’t something I imagined before moving out of the city and has been an incredibly motivating and exciting journey to learn and play with these instruments nearly every day.
Item: 80lb Urethane Dumbbells
Price: $560
Honestly not a weight I pick up very often except for the very occasional shrug, but incredibly happy for the opportunity to have these 20 free weights on display and ready at my beck and call. Highly recommend considering these urethane dumbbells from eSport Fitness if you’re in the market.
Item: 10 Pair Commercial Dumbbell Rack With Saddles
Price: $795.00 x 2
Weighing in at 250lb, this heavy duty dumbbell rack is constructed with 2×4″ 11-gauge steel and is finished with a Black Pearl powder coat. At 89” long, two racks can comfortably fit across a double bay garage and hold 20 dumbbell pairs. 31″ tall and 25″ deep for easy access to every option. eSport also carries a really sweet 3 tier, 15 pair rack that occupies about the same footprint as a single one of these.
Item: Commercial Gym Floor
Price: $495.00 x 3
Actually picked up straight edge 39″ x 39″ recycled rubber mats from Home Hardware because these weren’t available locally at the time but I’d absolutely recommend these 12mm black and gray flecked virgin rubber floor mat rolls instead. At 107 square feet per roll it’d take 3 rolls to cover an average double car garage and at 321bs per roll they won’t go anywhere, providing a seamless look. 10 meters long and 1 meter wide (32.8′ x 32.8″).
TuffStuff
TuffStuff equipment can be found in residential and commercial gyms around the world because of its innovative designs and full-service manufacturing since 1971. Having used many TuffStuff products in hotels and gyms across Canada and the US, it was a no-brainer to consider their light-commercial strength equipment for my home gym.
Item: Apollo 450
Price: $10,500.00
This 4-station multi gym was the first piece of equipment to be installed, which took me the better part of 2 days because what fun are instruction manuals. It has 2 weight stacks for simultaneous operation of the hip abductor / adductor or leg extension / curl stations while someone else is using the press bar / pec deck or leg press stations. Love the various cable attachment points for lat pulldowns, seated cable rows, tricep pushdowns and bicep curls. Upgraded aluminum pulleys.
DMoose
TuffStuff equipment can be found in residential and commercial gyms around the world because of its innovative designs and full-service manufacturing since 1971. Having used many TuffStuff products in hotels and gyms across Canada and the US, it was a no-brainer to consider their light-commercial strength equipment for my home gym.
Item: Dip Belt
Price: $34.94
When you pride yourself in surveying the landscape for the best (most versatile, high quality products for the price) it makes me happy looking back at these pickups knowing they were the best choices available at the time. This comfortable dip belt comes with a 36 inch heavy duty chain that can be locked off at any length. Holds up to 250 pounds, plus looks great.
Item: Hanging Ab Straps
Price: $26.99
Target your core and take weight off your wrists and shoulders. Almost too comfortable and great for L-sits, leg raises and oblique twists. Easily attaches to a chin-up bar.
Item: Cable Machine Ankle Straps
Price: $19.99
Attach these ankle straps to a cable machine to perform hip abductors, leg raises and kickbacks or attach to your wrists for movements limited by grip strength. One of the best parts of having a home gym is not having to worry about looking silly.
STG KNOTS
SGT KNOTS specializes in paracord and has gone on to carry an extensive line of rope and cable products. The company is named after the owner’s experience in the Marine Corps, where he relied on a multitude of uses for twisted strands.
Item: Battle Rope
Price: $446.50
This 2″ thick 50 foot long battle rope is a cardio beast and that’s exactly what I was looking for − the biggest, heaviest, weighted exercise rope. Made with durable Dacron Polyester known for its long lifespan and UV resistance. The red tracer line is a nice touch and its slippery which makes climbing a real challenge. 45 pounds.
Black Diamond
What better place to look for strength equipment than a company whose customers trust the products they sell with their lives. When you’re looking to beef up your cable attachment game Black Diamond’s engineered climbing equipment can do double duty in the gym.
Item: Oval Keylock Carabiner
Price: $446.50
Normal gym snap hooks have a weight capacity of 400lbs. These time-tested oval carabiners are rated for 4046lbs. Available in a discounted 3-pack and as a screwgate carabiner. Both have a snag-free design that’s great for rope and DIY cage attachments like cable pulley systems.
Fat Gripz
First saw these in the background of a strongman video and loved the idea of adding versatility to workouts we’ve been doing forever. Fat Gripz makes solid grips that are a joy to use.
Item: Fat Gripz Pro
Price: $42.99
Replicate thick bars, on any dumbbell or barbell. 2.25″ outer diameter for forearm and grip strength. This is the medium model recommended as a starting point.
Item: Fat Gripz Extreme
Price: $46.99
2.75″ outer diameter and the largest in the lineup. Add some variation to familiar exercises and blast those forearms.