I Converted My Garage Into a Luxury Home Gym

This is the back of my garage. It's our little tiny little home gym setup. And frankly, it's creepy and unmotivating to be in. Well, in today's video, we're on mission to maximize and create the most efficient tiny home gym. And by the time we're done with it, it's going to be a place that not only is a vibe, but you're actually going to be motivated work out in. Let's get into it. All right, so here's what I'm thinking. Number one, this squat rack is a huge problem and it has to go. Instead, we're going to pick ourselves up something that folds and stays on the wall. That way, when the squat rack is closed, you have the most efficient use of space down here below. So, this is a squat rack here. Then, what we're going to need to do is get ourselves some mirrors to see how our gains are looking. And I want to do these giant panels going all the way to the top. Kind of gives you this kind of traditional home gym setup. What we'll do is we'll make everything backlit on it, so you have that cool accent lighting to it. For the back wall, we need to have something that has a vibe, right? So, what we'll do here and what we'll do is we'll create this accent wall that [snorts] will be all kind of like turf on it. And uh we'll put some kind of motivational uh LED lights on in the middle of it that'll maybe say like courage and sweat to get your pump on. And then we'll add some backlighting to this as well, which will free up the squat rack, which will allow for us to bring maybe put the rowing machine here. Well, that's not a color. It'll allow for us to maybe like put the rowing machine here, put our weights over there. And then at the end of the day, the most important part is free up all of this space. And on topic of creating a vibe, we'll put a lot of these wall panels all the way around this area that'll continue to really make this place look like something out of I don't know, a magazine. That's the plan and we're sticking to it. First things first, let's tear this down and get ourselves a blank canvas. What we are looking at here is $800. That's right, I said $800 of wall planking. Now, this is a really cool material. If you have not seen my golf simulator video, which is the other half of this garage, this is an MDF 3D louvred wall panel, and it's awesome. I love how modern it looks. It looks like white oak, which is so beautiful. Even Irene was like, "That's damn nice." And I was like, "It's also damn expensive." It's 15 bucks a stick, available only at Home Depot so far I found, but it is just gorgeous. And then it solves really easy. I'll show you here in a second. Okay, installing these planks super simple, and this is straight out of the instructions. I'm using a Loctite Power Grab. This stuff is awesome because the texture of it, it'll slap and hold it in place. You'll put a few brads just to let it cure, but it's pretty phenomenal. You got to drizzle it. Then, because it's got almost like a tongue and groove kind of situation here. All you do is overlap it. It's like a quarter of an inch here. And they only sell these in 8-ft sticks. So, you're going to have to kind of stagger them around. You know, short piece on top, long piece below, or vice versa. Smack that Oh! See what I'm saying? Look at that power grab just doing its thing, huh? We'll throw a few little nails just to hold it in place. Now, here's the kicker. Uh these are pin nails. They are super duper duper tiny. They're like needles almost. But, I don't really need a whole lot of grip just cuz my power grab is going to do it. So, these can kind of staple anywhere and you won't see the hole. However, if you don't have a pin nailer, which a lot of people don't, but they might have a brad nailer. No problem. You just want to shoot those nails into the slot right here that will get covered by the next panel. That's all I'll tell you. Everything else, straight as [music] she goes. What's great about building a home gym or even having a dedicated spot at home to work out is the accessibility. Now, the hard part is motivation. But, I found something that helps and that's Trainwell. It's a resource that I personally use and they're the sponsors of today's video. Trainwell is the ultimate one-on-one remote personal training. It provides real human accountability and expert personalization all through the convenience of [music] an app. >> Up first is 30 seconds of bent-over swimmer. Press start to begin. Starting a fitness habit could be very intimidating, especially when it's been a while between kids and work and all that stuff. It could be hard, but there's easier ways to approach it. With Trainwell, you'll be matched with a personal trainer that will set goals with you and create custom workout plans all through the convenience of an app. And if you're not happy with the personal trainer that you have, you could switch at any time, no questions asked. My personal trainer that I was matched with, his name is Nate and he is awesome. He saw my goals, he created a plan, and one of the things that I love with working with him is he creates me a plan A, plan B, and plan C workouts for that day. So, if I'm just not feeling that, not in the mood, maybe I woke up a little groggy, I'm able to do something that I'm a little more excited about and he creates me a backup plan in case I'm traveling and I don't have equipment readily available, he got me covered. After using my Trainwell app, I've noticed a significant increase in both mobility and core strength. Both are super vital for working with a physical kind of jobs during the day with these home renovations and building all these cool things that we do here. One of my favorite features on the Trainwell app is the ability to replace the exercises that were made for me by my coach. So, I can simply hit edit and then I can hit replace exercise. I'll scroll through, see what other kind of exercises that will work that muscle group will be beneficial for me and will get right into it. And not to mention now that I have this extra energy because I'm taking care of my health, I'm able to power through my long days far more effectively and efficiently and with a better attitude. Getting started is super easy. You just take a quick quiz, you'll be matched with a personal trainer based on your goals and your needs. You'll then sit down and get on boarded with your personal trainer. You'll actually talk to them through a video call. They'll go over the equipment you have access to, create a custom workout plan based off the equipment that you have and any kind of physical limitations [music] you might have. Not to mention maybe exercises you might not be excited about. They'll make this experience so much more fun for you. And on top of it, all the accountability you'll get. In fact, I just got a message from my trainer Nate today where he said, "Hey Alex, how's the start of this week going? Are you sore?" Getting started and taking care of your health could not be any easier. Click the link in the description below or simply scan this QR code and you'll be matched with a personal trainer and start your 14-day free trial pass with Trainwell. Now, let's get back to building this home gym. Let's go. >> Oh crap, I just forgot something. So this wall is going to have a squat rack on it. And when we throw all these panels on, I'm not going to be able to find the studs. I don't think I will because the MDF might give you like a fake reading. So I better I better mark [snorts] some stuff out. I think what I'm going to do is grab some blue tape. I can still get a bunch of it here, but I'm going to try to mark some blue tape on the ground so there if we need to mount something to the wall, and we will, we know where to find them studs. This is looking so freaking beautiful. I can only imagine how awesome it's going to look with gym equipment bolted onto it, you know, like it's going to look so sick. Now, we're still moving along. We're going to do a wall here, too. I'm not going to cover this entire wall just because I'm going to have this accent piece in the middle with a turf that I want and the LED signs. So there's really no point of spending all that money just to put that stuff behind there. So instead, I think what I'll do is I'll do a couple of feet here, a couple of feet in the bottom, top and bottom, and it'll create a little window for us to address the wall at a later time that's more suitable to our scheduling. I'm going to throw that up and then we'll do that wall as well. I'm scraping off all the Loctite. I had one extra panel. And this is the hardest part of anything I ever build or design is I don't know like the size or scale of things. So because this is going to be greenery and we'll adjust later, I'm trying to set up the section right now. And what I'm kind of getting to a conclusion is the gapping all the way around is going to be far better than just having like it even on left and right-hand side, but then a different number on top and bottom. So, essentially, I'm going to have three panels this way. I'm going to have three panels Well, the same distance is going to come on top and on the bottom, and my ADD brain is going to hit with this rush of dopamine that I'm going to look at that and be like, "That's symmetrical all the way around." And I'll be happy. We're like a week away from March, and it's snowing. This is the first time we've had snow, and it's way too late, and it's way too cold. I'm getting ready to get into spring mode, and I can't have this. But, how awesome does this look? We got everything done, and by the way, I spent way too much money on these panels that I'm not proud to even talk about. But, buy [snorts] once, cry once, it's done. It's behind us. Here's what we're going to do. This side is going to have a mirror, actually two giant mirrors. They're ordered from Home Depot, but I want them to be backlit. That's why we got this out. This part, I already told you we want our accent wall with greenery, also backlit. We'll address in a second. Here's what we have to do. In order to accommodate all the electrical, all these outlets need to be recessed in. So, I bought these little recess kits. I I I've never used them before, maybe once, a different one. Um but essentially, it's the same kit you would get for the recessed outlet for your TV, right? So, you don't see the cables coming below. I'm going to figure out how to break this off, cut into it, drop this in, therefore I can connect anything I need. So, I'm going to kill the power, get my work light on, and get to work. Hey, that came out really, really clean. Oh, I want to show you guys something actually. On [snorts] the subject of electrical, this is the builder's lot. It's our private community exclusive for the viewers of this channel. Um here's the thing, I just created workshops that I put on the private community where anytime you see me doing things like electrical and you have questions, you're like, "What's that and that and other thing?" I don't have time to address it all in the YouTube video just cuz everybody has a different skill set. However, I just created a tutorial, a workshop called Electrical 101 on the builder's lot private community. Here's a QR code, scan it or click the link in the description. Love to see you guys there. There's so much more content, behind-the-scenes stuff, and you have direct access to me with project consultations, all the crazy fun stuff. I'll see you there. It's going to be a hoot. Let's do one more side. >> So, I need to create a frame here. I already bought the greenery. They're all connected. They're going to show up on Amazon tomorrow. So, in the meantime, I need to create a box cuz they're all going to tie into them. I'll show you. It's kind of interesting how they connect. But, I'm going to take 2 by 4s, lay them flat, and connect them around. Because I have studs running here, the top and bottom pieces are going to be just fine. However, the verticals are going to be not as secure, but I'll put pocket holes on top and bottom, and I think it should be just fine. I'll do the same thing on this side, as well. So, this one's going to be a little bit different. I couldn't find one ginormous like 6-ft piece of glass. Instead, Home Depot sells 36 in by 72 in. But, what I did is I just bought two of them, and it'll make a perfect thing around. So, once it does show up, we'll put a piece down the middle, and we'll be able to sandwich them together, and [snorts] it won't look like one piece, but it'll act like a one piece. >> So, let's see if this is enough clearance here. This is going to be my power source for the lights. Boom, like that. And but say the mirror [snorts] goes on, that's perfectly concealed. And what we'll do is we'll take LED lights, wrap it around it, and I'll create that [music] outer glow. This makes it look so freaking sick. I'm so so stoked about this. Let's go pick up the glass. a great day or an absolutely horrible day. One of the two. Can't be in the middle. And it all depends if this glass is broken. Was that the one that was rattling? Yeah. That's the one. I don't see any cracks. Oh, there is an aluminum channel in the back. That's what we were hearing. That's what I was hearing. That's interesting. I've never installed mirror on something like that. Hopefully they have traditional hardware, too. Is that it? Nope, that's not traditional. >> [snorts] >> Well, that sucks cuz I might need to go I was banking on them having it, but I want those clips you have in the bathroom mirrors, you know, where they they hide behind it. I don't know. We'll see. Let's just go bring it up, do all the test fits, and then figure out about it. But, the good news is this one's not broken. Shout out to companies who are packing things like this. I would be terrified to start a mirror business and then knowing that all my products have broken along the delivery. That's good packaging. Uh-oh. Well, good news bad news. Good news is all of our mirrors are safe in transport. Bad news is we have way too much overhang right here. And that's a two-part issue. One, anybody can really really ding that sucker really quickly and that'll break. Two, by the time we wrap our LEDs around here, this won't have as much of a glow as I'd be looking for to see from the top and bottom cuz we have about an inch gap on top and the bottom. What I'm going to need to do add another piece of 2 by 4 on each side. That should get us pretty damn close. And unfortunately I'm going to have to get rid of some of this board paneling in order to fit those to be on the same plane. Not how I want to start my Monday, but it is what it is. >> Hey, that's kind of reassuring. I was worried that if push comes to shove one day somebody will need to remove these panels and there'll be a huge drywall mess, but it's not bad at all. It's literally just taking a little bit of that mud on top and the paper is still there. >> [snorts] >> It's a pretty nice surprise to me, folks. Oh, where did that come from? Can't turn your back on this, man. That [snorts] could have Man, if that hit me in my head I wouldn't be able to roll my Rs like I do today. Be honest, Kyle, did you see that coming and you didn't say anything? Just for the plot of the video. So, nothing of you went like, "No, don't." >> [laughter] >> Dude, I thought you watched my six, man. Can't trust anybody here. All right, so our new measurement is 67 and 1/2 and 72 is total, which is going to give us like what? Like 2 in on each side? Something like that. Which will be just fine. Got my cable going through here. These are LEDs that I use. I use them on so many projects. Golf simulator, back of his bed. If you haven't seen all those videos, go check them out. But, what I like is how uniform the lighting is. You don't have individual LEDs. You have a nice little strip there. Perfect glow. And, it already has a connector here. So, you already have my 24-V power here. I think it's limited to like 3 or 5 amps. And, we just plug it in as we do here. Ooh! Look at that. Look how easy that color is. It looks like Tron, right? So, and you can still cut it, by the way. So, what we're going to do now is just wrap it all the way around. Once secured, we'll start getting our hardware to see how these mirrors are going to go on. Okay, so this is mounting time. I'm not happy with this hardware at all. We'll have to figure out a way how to make it work. >> [music] >> The bottom part is kind of easy and simple. We can just screw it in like that and sit it in. We're going to put adhesive on this, um, which is great. It's going to have added support. However, the top I don't know how to secure it because I built this to have overhang. But, what I think I might just end up doing is by the time we get to the top, we might just screw it in at the side. So, you'll basically there'll be a gap in there. This will hold it from flipping over until the glue dries. Once the glue dries, we don't need the stuff up there. We don't need no freaking brackets. Wish me luck. >> Figure out a way how to mount the bottom. However, by the time the second piece of glass goes on there, I don't have anything to hold in place cuz this channel is one long piece. What I've come up with is utilizing the Power Grab Loctite, and this stuff really holds it in place. So, hopefully I smother enough of it that by the time I push the mirrors in, they'll give me some time to, you know, keep them from falling over. I can secure the [music] the top piece. I think we'll be fine. To be honest with you, this Power Grab Loctite [music] stuff works pretty damn good. Until it doesn't. >> [laughter] >> We found a solution and it's a workable solution. I'm pretty happy with it. Got little spacer blocks on the back over there. Um, it's just a little one by material. It's working perfectly. I have this tape together just to make sure the seams don't separate apart from each other. Um, making it look like one mirror. I think it should be ready tomorrow. But I love the glow. Check this out. If we were to turn these lights off, dude, how freaking sick is that? This is These shadows are kind of bothering me with the blocks there, but I might just when everything dries, I might just take them off. I don't know. I might be crazy that way, but we'll see. Irene's going to lose her mind about this. She doesn't know I'm doing this. This is going to be sick. Now, now that this is done, let's start working on this backdrop. What we have here are I don't know what they call it, evergreen wall panels or something. Literally the first time I've ever worked with this stuff and uh I don't know, kind of looking forward to it. Also very intimidating. There's so many choices and I got this on Amazon by the way. There's so many choices you're like it looks great on pictures, but what is it going to look like in real life? Um, good news is Irene saw this uh in the box and she was like, "Ooh, I like the greenery." So, maybe I chose the right stuff. We'll see. So, this stuff it's folded in, but then you you can brush it off like that. They also said if you lay it in the sun, it also starts standing up and get all bushy on us. Um grid in the back they have all these little hooks that kind of connect together like a puzzle piece. Uh all of this greenery looks like it's interchangeable. So if you don't like too much of them and you want to introduce some more I guess you can. But the idea here is to start working on these panels. I think the edge here I'm going to staple it in like that cuz I want there to be a little bit of backing to hide all of our wires that the module for the LEDs. And uh I mean I don't know it looks simple enough. How hard could this be? We'll find out in a second. >> Everything's gone pretty smoothly. Uh kind of surprised kind of therapeutic…