How to Set Up a Home Gym for Under €600, €1,000, and €2,000
The complete equipment guide — three budget tiers, exact product lists, and the right order to buy everything.
There's a moment most gym-goers eventually reach. The commute is eating into training time. The squat rack is always taken. The membership feels like paying rent on a room you only visit. And somewhere in the back of a garage or a spare bedroom, there's just enough space to do something about it.
Building a home gym is one of the best investments a strength athlete can make — not because it's glamorous, but because it removes every barrier between you and the barbell. No travel, no queues, no one hogging the equipment during your rest period. Just you, the iron, and however much time you've got.
The question is never whether to build one. It's how to do it without wasting money on the wrong things first.
This guide breaks it down into three budget tiers, each built around real equipment from Strength Shop with exact prices. Every list follows the same priority logic: buy what moves the needle first, add the rest when the budget allows. There's no filler, no gimmicks, and no equipment that looks useful in a product photo but gathers dust after week two.
Let's get into it.
Before You Buy Anything: The One Rule That Will Save You Money
Buy the barbell and plates before you buy anything else.
This sounds obvious, but it's where most people go wrong. They spend €300 on a cable machine or a set of adjustable dumbbells, train on those for three months, and then realise they need a barbell to actually progress. By that point they've used half their budget on equipment that becomes secondary the moment compound lifting takes over.
A barbell, a rack, and plates. In that order of priority. Everything else — the bench, the flooring, the accessories — fills in around that foundation. The three tiers below are built on this logic.
One more thing worth saying: a home gym only starts making financial sense once you commit to it long-term. If you're training three or more times per week for the foreseeable future, the maths works out quickly. If you're not sure yet, start smaller than you think you need. You can always add equipment. You can't easily resell a full power rack you barely used.
Tier 1: The Foundation Setup — Under €600
Who this is for: First-time home gym builders, anyone with limited space, Lifter:innen who want to train at home without committing to a full setup yet.
The honest answer to "what can I train with under €500?" is: a barbell and plates. That's it. And that's actually enough to build genuine strength for 12 to 18 months — squats (high-bar, low-bar, paused, front), deadlifts in every variation, Romanian deadlifts, bent-over rows, floor press, good mornings, overhead press if you have ceiling height, and more. The limiting factor at this stage is almost never the equipment. It's consistency.
Add the squat stand and your budget edges just over €600 — but that's the number where a real home gym starts to make sense. Here's the complete Tier 1 list.
The Equipment List
Priority 1: Bar + Plates Bundle Versatile Beginner Foundation Package — 90kg Cast Iron Plates Set & Olympic Bar €395.93
This bundle is the best single purchase a beginner can make. It includes the Original 2028 Olympic Bar — Strength Shop's best-selling barbell, a 20kg steel bar with a 28mm shaft, centre knurling, and a max suggested load of 250kg. Paired with 90kg of Riot Cast Iron plates in a smart distribution (2×5kg, 2×10kg, 4×15kg) and a pair of professional flip-lock collars. Everything in one box, at a bundled price that makes the individual components look expensive.
The 2028 bar handles every compound movement you'll do in the first year and well beyond. Cast iron plates are maintenance-free, last decades, and feel exactly like what they are: solid.
Priority 2: Squat Stand Original Squat Stand — Black €189.95
Once you're squatting with any regularity, you'll need somewhere to re-rack the bar. The Original Squat Stand handles loads up to 250kg, adjusts from 100cm to 165cm in height, and at 124cm wide gives you enough room to place a flat bench between the uprights for bench press. The dip handles are rated for bodyweight up to 125kg, so it doubles as a dip station. Compact, clean, does everything it needs to do.
Note: for safe use, either bolt the feet to the floor or place weight plates on the base — standard practice with any squat stand.
Tier 1 Budget Summary
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| 90kg Cast Iron Bundle (bar + plates + collars) | €395.93 |
| Original Squat Stand | €189.95 |
| Total | €585.88 |
What You Can Train
With this setup you can run any strength programme built around the squat, deadlift, overhead press, barbell row, and floor press. That covers Stronglifts 5×5, Starting Strength, GZCLP, and most intermediate templates. The 90kg plate capacity gives you room to grow — for a beginner, 90kg on the bar is already a meaningful squat, and the plate distribution allows fine-grained progressive overload.
What to Buy Next
The natural next addition is a flat bench — this turns floor press into proper bench press and opens up incline work with the squat stand's adjustable width. After that, rubber gym flooring protects your floor (and your plates) and makes the whole setup feel permanent. Once you're ready to move on from the squat stand and train heavier with more safety, that's when you graduate to Tier 2.
Tier 2: The Committed Home Gym — Under €1,000
Who this is for: Lifter:innen who've made the decision, intermediate athletes building a permanent setup, anyone who trains more than three times per week and wants a rack they don't have to second-guess.
At €1,000, you can build a proper home gym. A full power rack, more weight, everything you need to train the big three safely and for years. The jump from Tier 1 to Tier 2 isn't just about more equipment — it's about a more permanent commitment to training at home, and a rack system that grows with you as your lifting does.
The Equipment List
Priority 1: Power Rack Original MRR 60 | Compact Power Rack — Garage (1800mm) €489.99
This is where the Original MRR earns its place. It's part of Strength Shop's modular rack system — built from 60mm powder-coated steel with a 2mm wall thickness, rated for 350kg static load, and available in a Garage height (1800mm) that fits low ceilings. It comes with J-hooks, a pull-up bar, and laser-cut numbering on the uprights so you're not guessing your settings.
The key word is modular. Start with the compact rack now. As the budget grows, add webbing safeties, a dip horn attachment, weight storage pins, or a second crossmember. The system is designed to expand with you — you're not buying a dead end, you're buying an infrastructure.
Compared to the squat stand, the power rack gives you full safety for heavy lifting without a spotter. That's the real upgrade: the rack catches the bar if you miss a lift. For solo lifters training at home, this isn't optional once the weights get heavy.
Priority 2: Bar + Plates Bundle Entry Level Strength Foundation Package — 100kg Cast Iron Plates Set & Olympic Bar €422.31
Same reliable 2028 Olympic Bar as in Tier 1, now bundled with 100kg of Riot Cast Iron plates in a better distribution for intermediate progression: 2×5kg, 2×10kg, 2×15kg, 2×20kg. The extra 20kg plates are what make the difference — you're not stacking 15kg plates to hit heavier loads, you're loading the bar cleanly. For anyone working towards a 100kg squat or a 120kg deadlift, this plate distribution handles the job properly.
Tier 2 Budget Summary
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Original MRR Compact Rack — Garage | €489.99 |
| 100kg Cast Iron Bundle (bar + plates + collars) | €422.31 |
| Total | €912.30 |
That leaves ~€87 in the budget — enough for a pair of gym mats or the first accessory add-on for the rack.
What You Can Train
Everything from Tier 1, plus: properly supported bench press, rack pulls, pin squats, paused squats with safety catches, and anything that benefits from being able to walk away from a failed lift without worrying about where the bar ends up. The 100kg plate capacity covers the first year or two of intermediate training comfortably.
What to Buy Next
A bench is the first priority. The Original Squat Stand from Tier 1 can still be used for bench press if you already own one, but a proper utility bench gives you more angle options and a stable pad surface. Gym flooring is strongly recommended before anything else if you're training on a hard floor — the Strength Shop rubber mats protect both the floor and the plates. After that, the Original MRR's modular add-on system means you can keep building the rack out with safeties, storage, and dip attachments over time.
Tier 3: The Competition-Ready Home Gym — Under €2,000
Who this is for: Powerlifter:innen with their sights on competition, advanced home gym builders who want the best equipment and don't want to buy it twice, Athlet:innen who train hard and want their home gym to match their gym membership — or exceed it.
At €2,000 you're not compromising on anything. This tier is built around IPF-approved equipment — not because competition is the only reason to own it, but because IPF-approved gear is manufactured to the tightest tolerances in the sport. Calibrated plates that weigh exactly what they say. A power bar designed for maximum performance. A rack with 75mm uprights and Westside spacing that handles everything from recreational strength work to competition prep.
The Equipment List
Priority 1: Power Rack Riot MRR 75 | Compact Power Rack — Black / Garage (1800mm) / Branded €789.99
The Riot MRR is the top tier of Strength Shop's modular rack range, and the difference over the Original MRR is immediately apparent on paper. 75mm uprights with 3mm wall thickness versus 60mm. Westside hole spacing — 25mm centre-to-centre — for dialling in bar height and safety pin position with precision that matters when you're benching maximal weight. Rated to 500kg static load. Available in three heights, multiple colour options, and compatible with the full Riot MRR add-on ecosystem including box safeties, webbing safeties, dip horns, spotter arms, and the Riot Rig range if you want to expand to a full commercial-style setup later.
The Garage (1800mm) height keeps it accessible to anyone training in a standard-height space. If you've got the ceiling clearance, the Standard (2100mm) is an extra €50 and gives you more room overhead.
The Riot MRR comes with a lifetime guarantee on structure, materials, and craftsmanship. This is a rack you hand down to the next generation.
Priority 2: Bar + Calibrated Plates Bundle Elite Competition Bundle — 157.5kg Calibrated Plate Set & Bastard Power Bar €983.95
This bundle is the answer to "what bar and plates do actual powerlifters use?" Strength Shop's Calibrated Plate Set is IPF-approved with a weight tolerance of ±10 grams per plate — manufactured to international competition standards, colour-coded to IPF spec, slim enough to load far beyond 700kg on the bar if you ever get there. The 157.5kg set (2×1.25kg, 2×2.5kg, 2×5kg, 2×10kg, 2×15kg, 2×20kg, 2×25kg) covers every weight you'll need for serious training and competition alike.
Paired with the Bastard Power Bar: a dedicated powerlifting bar built to competition spec, with the knurl pattern, shaft stiffness, and sleeve rotation that power athletes need. Buying this as a bundle saves 14% over purchasing bar and plates separately — one of the best value propositions in the entire range.
Tier 3 Budget Summary
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Riot MRR Compact Rack — Garage | €789.99 |
| Elite Competition Bundle (157.5kg calibrated plates + Power Bar) | €983.95 |
| Total | €1,773.94 |
That leaves over €225 under budget — enough for gym flooring, the first rack add-on (webbing safeties at €184.99, or a dip horn at €159.99), or a quality lifting belt.
What You Can Train
Everything. The 157.5kg plate capacity handles elite-level competition weights in the squat, bench press, and deadlift — 4-plate deadlifts, 3-plate bench press, whatever you're chasing. The Westside spacing on the Riot MRR means you can dial in rack and safety pin heights to the millimetre, which matters both for protecting the lift-off on bench and for setting up pin squats and rack pulls at exactly the right position.
What to Buy Next
At this tier the priorities shift slightly. A bench becomes the first item on the list — the Riot Utility Bench V2 (€479.99) is built to IPF spec and integrates directly with the Riot MRR system. Then: gym flooring if not already covered, and the Riot MRR modular add-ons in whatever order fits your training — webbing safeties for heavy solo work, box safeties for competition-style setup, a dip horn for upper body accessory work.
The Questions Everyone Asks
Do I need to bolt the rack to the floor?
For the power racks: yes, ideally. Both the Original and Riot MRR have pre-drilled holes in the uprights for floor bolting, and Strength Shop recommends it for heavy lifting. If bolting isn't an option — rented flat, concrete floor — both racks can also be stabilised with the optional "small feet" add-ons at the front. The squat stand at Tier 1 is stabilised by loading weight plates onto the base.
What about flooring?
Gym flooring is not glamorous, but it matters. It protects your floor from plate impact, protects your plates from cracking on hard surfaces, reduces noise, and makes the whole setup feel intentional rather than improvised. Strength Shop sells rubber gym mats — worth adding to any tier's budget, ideally before you start dropping plates.
Do I need a bench?
For bench press: yes. The squat stand at Tier 1 can be used with a flat bench between the uprights, and the Original MRR at Tier 2 is wide enough for the same setup. The bench isn't included in any of the three tiers above because it doesn't fit cleanly within each budget ceiling — but it should be the first item you add at each level once the rack, bar, and plates are in place.
What's the difference between the Original and Riot MRR racks?
The Original MRR uses 60mm uprights with 2mm wall thickness and standard 50mm hole spacing, rated to 350kg. The Riot MRR uses 75mm uprights with 3mm wall thickness and Westside 25mm hole spacing, rated to 500kg. Both are part of the same modular system, but their components aren't interchangeable — so whichever range you start with, stick with that range for add-ons.
Can I start at Tier 1 and upgrade later?
Yes, and this is actually the smartest approach for most people. The 90kg plate set from Tier 1 doesn't become useless when you buy the 100kg set from Tier 2 — you now have 190kg of cast iron plates, which is a solid intermediate load. The 2028 bar from either bundle remains a capable training bar even if you later add a competition bar. The upgrades in this guide build on top of each other rather than replacing what came before.
The Priority Order, Summarised
If you're starting from zero and you want to know the single most important thing to buy first at each level:
Under €600: The 90kg bundle. The squat stand comes second.
Under €1,000: The Original MRR rack. The 100kg bundle comes second.
Under €2,000: The Elite Competition Bundle. The Riot MRR rack comes second. (Yes — get the bar and plates ready before the rack arrives. Deadlifts from the floor don't need a rack.)
The logic is the same at every tier: the barbell and plates are the gym. Everything else is infrastructure around them.
Final Thought
The best home gym is the one you actually use. There's no point in a €2,000 setup that intimidates you into training less frequently, and there's no shame in a €600 setup that you train on five days a week for years. Start where your budget and commitment level meet, build the habit before you build the full setup, and let the equipment catch up with the progress.
The barbell doesn't care what tier it's in. It cares whether you pick it up.
All prices listed in this article are correct at time of publication and include VAT. Check the product pages for current pricing.