Optimize with Jacqueline

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It all started during the first week of Covid lockdown. Like many, I had a few basics at home—resistance bands, a couple of dumbbells, and the floor (because if you’ve ever done a plank, you know you don’t need much for a killer workout).

Then, in week two, my Peloton arrived—and I haven’t stepped foot in a commercial gym since.

As my little at-home setup grew, I added a weight set in hopes of getting my husband on board with canceling his gym membership too. Honestly, gyms can be gross. All it takes is a handful of rude people in an overpacked space to ruin the experience. I just wanted to move my body for my health. I want to be mobile at 80, and for me, this is a lifelong investment.

From Condo Corners to Garage Goals

When we moved from our condo to our house, my Peloton initially lived in my sewing room, while the rest of my workout gear was stashed in our guest bedroom/office/gym hybrid. By then, I had upgraded to include:

• An exercise ball
• A foldable bench
• A BOSU ball
• Heavy-duty bands anchored in the door frame

By August 2024, I was deep into the 75 Hard challenge and working out daily. But my workouts started impacting my husband’s sleep, and that finally pushed him to get on board with building a garage gym.

At first, we thought we could just convert a small portion of the back of the garage while still parking both cars. I tried it with my compact equipment setup—and quickly realized it wasn’t enough. I needed space. We used floor planner software to visualize the layout and realized: half the garage had to go. I volunteered my garage parking spot, and just like that, the garage gym plan was real.

Planning + Prep = A Total Home Reset

Once we agreed on the layout, my husband dove into months of YouTube research. We decided on equipment from Rep Fitness, which is conveniently located in Moreno Valley. (Bonus: they offer 10% off if you pick up your gear in person.)

Before any equipment came in, the real work began. We had storage cabinets on all three garage walls—plus a small workbench area. I had to:

• Sort through everything
• Condense and reorganize all three walls into just one

This triggered a full-blown house-wide decluttering mission. I optimized every closet in our house:

• Hallway closet
• Laundry area above the washer/dryer
• Sewing room closet
• Office closet
• Both bedroom closets

It’s wild—we moved from an 875 sq ft condo with a one-car garage to a 1,600 sq ft house with a two-car garage. I remember thinking, “How will I ever fill all this space?” Answer: You expand. (#Consumerism) We even added three outdoor storage cabinets for backyard and garden supplies.

Building the Gym

Once cleared, we installed rubber gym flooring from a warehouse in Santa Ana. We originally planned to only do half the garage but ended up covering the whole thing for a clean, cohesive look. We taped the seams with black duct tape, and it came out super sleek.

Next steps:

• Patched the walls (goodbye weird holes and mystery electrical outlets)
• Swapped the outlet covers to black
• Replaced the broken wooden attic ladder with a sturdy metal one
• Painted the walls—my husband even added a black racing stripe for fun (and it looks awesome)

The Equipment Haul

We shopped at the Rep Fitness showroom and took full advantage of the clearance section. Our equipment haul included:

• Ares Functional Trainer (my absolute favorite—worth every penny)
• Adjustable bench
• Barbell and plates
• Dumbbell rack (with adjustable dumbbells stored underneath)
• 3-in-1 Soft Plyo Box (discounted and easily my most-used item)

It took a weekend to assemble everything, and then we focused on the finishing touches:

• Wall-mounted storage systems
• Shelving
• Mirrors
• Mounted TV (we got a deal on a new one for the bedroom, so we moved the old one to the gym)

Our First Summer

We finished the garage gym last November/early December, and now we’re about to head into our first full summer. The temps have been great from October to June, but summer will be the real test—might need a fan or AC unit if it gets too hot.

Best part? My husband finally canceled his gym membership—and now we have a long-term investment that I hope lasts the next 40 years.

Final Thoughts

This project didn’t just give us a gym—it forced me to organize our entire home and reexamine my relationship with consumerism. Owning something means storing it, caring for it, and using energy to maintain it. I donated and threw away so much stuff I regretted buying in the first place. (Blog post on that coming soon.)

This home gym remodel is easily one of my favorite projects. It was so fun to do with my husband, and the final result? AMAZING. I use the space way more than he does, and I’m thrilled with every purchase decision we made.

If you’re thinking about building your own home gym—do it. It makes working out fun and totally accessible, especially for introverts. You can roll out of bed, work out in your undies, and finish before your body knows what’s happening. That’s a win in my book.