This is my home gym on the south side of Evanston near Chute Middle school that I have used for the past 6 years to get in the best shape of my life at 39 years old. Every piece of equipment has been selected for its versatility, functionality, and simplicity. I’ve worked out in many gyms in my life, and I am proud to say that this is my favorite.

My gym has everything that I’ve needed to get to where I am today and every piece of equipment was selected for its usefulness and effectiveness.

Probably he heart of the gym, the power rack, Olympic barbell, Elite FTS Safety Squat Bar, Landmine, EZ curl bar, and the Trap Bar provide the vast majority of what anyone needs to get strong. The Rack provides a pullup bar and dip attachment.

I have a wide variety of cable attachments for a wide variety of variations on different movements. I also have a collection of Captains of Crush grippers, a dip belt, and a specific peg to hold my wedding ring which will otherwise get lost.

Shown here are my adjustable dumbells (from 1-4lbs then from 5 to 52.5), weighted vests (40lb and 20lb) and a leg curl/extension machine. I love the dumbells and many of my beginning clients can get an amazing workout using only the dumbells. I use the weighted vests for everything from pull-ups to running. Finally, The leg machine allows me to target my legs in a way that normal compound movements can’t.

What gym would be complete without cardio equipment? Between the treadmill and Assault Bike, I can provide anything from a light warmup to a full throttle anaerobic session.

The Powertech Cable Tower gives me a multitude of options to train various muscle groups and movement patterns. Horizontal rows, vertical rows, tricep isolation exercises, bicep isolation exercise, and even core movements.

Heavier Dumbells, plates (including half-pound plates) and various recovery/mobility tools. The recovery tools include foam rollers, lacrosse balls, and TheraBand bars. This is also where I store things like liquid chalk, ankle weights, and athletic tape.

The Leg Press. I love squats and I usually center leg workouts around a squat variation, but when people fail at squats, it is usually not because of true muscular failure. It is because their fatigue contributes to a breakdown in form which cascades. Leg Presses allow me to take my muscles to actual failure. This particular machine also has a calf bar for calf raises.