CrossFit DIY: Pros and Cons

It has been a little over two years since I decided to go the outdoor/garage gym route. However, as a newlywed fresh out of college, the budget was limited. But I didn’t let that stop me!

I have built just about everything in my garage to include: parallettes, power rack, weight rack, my own rings, plyometric box, wall ball, squat and bench press stands, and a prowler. I even figured out how to use a combination of these items for a reverse hyper and GHD. The only thing I didn’t let myself build was the barbell and bumper plates… but I thought about it!!

One thing you have to keep in mind, doing it all yourself comes with some pros and cons. So this week I thought I would give you a quick run down of some of those good and bad points of being a DIY CrossFit guy in case you’re planning on building your own garage gym:

Cons

Replacement Costs – I haven’t run into this one yet, but the guys at Rogue Fitness like to remind me that the replacement costs are coming.

No structured programming – DIY programming can also come with some cons. Make sure you know what you are doing before you start to program for yourself, or get someone else to do it. Sure you can do Main Site but there are times when you may need some specialized coaching for some movements.

Maintenance – Even though it is minimal, you still have to do it. Not something you would have to do if you were going to a gym.

Environment – If it is cold outside, you’re cold. If it is hot outside, you’re hot. In Texas, that means my garage can be 130 degrees on occasion…not fun!

Cleaning – Having a garage gym means you are the personal trainer, the trainee and the janitor. Its not bad but being able to walk into a box and just worry about the WOD is nice relief.

Pro

Money – This is the main appeal of being a DIY guy. You will save A LOT of money. For the price of one high-end power rack you could have an entire garage gym.

DIY programming – You can do whatever you want! No need to worry about how little or much you are doing. You can now train how you want to train.  I recently elected to become part of a team, Team RX Bound – Led by Katie Chasey, which helps me stay focused and effective.

Maintenance – The maintenance on DIY equipment is very minimal and easy to do.

Clothing – You can wear whatever you want! No joke, I have done squats in my underwear. I am not proud of that, but it has been done.

Schedule – Workout whenever you want. If you feel like you don’t have time for a rigorous training schedule, you will once you have a garage gym.

Being a DIY CrossFit guy all comes down to personal preference. Even most of the cons listed above aren’t really cons to me, because I absolutely love training in my garage and being a DIY guy.

Are you a CrossFit do it yourself guy/gal? Do you want to be? Let us know what your planning in the comments below.