Why You Should Have a TV in Your Garage Gym

Having a gym in your garage is awesome. If you’re here reading this then I think we can easily agree.

But, do you need a TV in your garage gym?

The answer is one thousand percent yes. Having a TV in your garage gym is one of those things that you didn’t know you needed and then once you have one, you can’t live without it.

So why, exactly, do you need a TV for your garage gym? A few reasons. One, a TV makes your garage look and sound like a legit weight room. Two, it will help keep you focused on your lift by giving you some visual stimulus that will help keep you out of your phone. 

Finally, it’s also a great look for your garage gym that you can get set up pretty cheap.

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Reason 1: It Makes Your Garage Really Feel Like a Gym

I love lifting in my garage. Whether it’s a Saturday morning or a Tuesday afternoon after work, having a gym in your garage can come in clutch. However, when you’re lifting by yourself at home it’s easy to get bored or lost in your phone between sets and unfocused. It’s amazing how a TV fills a room with both visual and auditory stimuli.

One of the best things about lifting in a regular weight room is just the background noises of plates clanging, bumpers hitting the floor and the occasional yell. I personally like to throw up YouTube playlists of other people lifting. (I recommend Feats of Strength or old-school Cal Strength playlists) It’s a great motivational tool to see people moving big weight.

Turns out it doesn’t really matter if you’re actually in the same weight room as that person or if they’re up on a screen, the effect is relatively the same. I’ve also found that just having the sounds of a weight room – plates banging, bars dropping – makes for great background noise.

Lastly, the TV will help keep you out of your phone. When you’re waiting a minute or longer between sets is when it’s easiest to get bored and distracted.

Next thing you know you realize you’re scrolling through Twitter for no apparent reason. Instead, you can hit your set, watch a couple of sets on the TV and then jump in for your next set.

Reason 2: It’s a Multimedia Multi-Tool

If you’re not into putting up YouTube videos of other people lifting while you lift, congratulations, you’re probably not a psychopath.

However, a TV can have a ton of great uses. Maybe you’d rather throw on the game or put on SportsCenter for background noise. Need a timer for your workout? Throw it on the TV.

It also eliminates the need to go out and buy any kind of stereo system. (Not that a stereo system is necessary anymore. A good Bluetooth speaker is all you really need.) Put Pandora or Spotify right on your TV and you’re done. Or go back to YouTube and throw on a Metallica playlist.

Finally, if you’re into workout videos, yoga, etc. then being able to stream them right to your TV is super convenient.

Reason 3: It Looks Awesome

Let’s face it, a TV in your garage gym looks awesome. I don’t need things in my gym to be fancy, after all my DIY Squat Rack cost me about $50. But, a TV is the cheapest and easiest way I know to give your garage gym a really cool look. And sometimes it’s okay to do things just cause they look cool.

What is the Best TV For Your Garage?

Let’s be honest here. You’re probably not going to be watching the next Avengers movie in your garage. You don’t really need the newest premium super HD, 4k whatever TV. You need something that is going to be a decent size and, quite frankly, cheap is okay.

Something like a TCL 32″ Smart TV is perfect. It’s a good size and already comes ready to be added to your wifi and it’s a just a little over $100. A smart TV is important unless you have cable running to your garage (assuming you still even have cable).

Want more TV recommendations? Check out my article where I go over my Top 5 Picks for a Garage Gym TV.

What if you already have a TV you want to throw in your garage and it’s not a Smart TV? No worries, my TV was an extra I had after upgrading the one in our living room. Being a decade old, it wasn’t too smart. I also have a 1st Gen Apple TV box that I just hang over the top. Not the sleekest look, but it works for me.

If I were to buy something, it’d be a Roku Stick so I could plug it into the HDMI port and you wouldn’t be able to see it and it doesn’t need to be plugged into an outlet.

While we’re talking about what TV to get, I need to make this point as well. A wall mount is a must. A wall mount will keep your TV up out of the way and away from dropping weights. Also, floor space is usually always at a premium in the garage.

Challenges to Putting a TV in the Garage

A couple of things to keep in mind when you’re prepping to put in your garage gym TV.

First, depending on your garage, outlets may be few and far between. I have two outlets in my garage. One is in the closet in the back of my garage and the other is on the opposite side where my wife’s car still resides. I ended up running an extension cord from the closet down the side wall to get it hooked up.

Outlets are another reason to go with a smart TV or a streaming stick. The fewer cords you have coming off your TV and the fewer things you need to be plugged in, the better. Plus, things like fans and space heaters are also going to take up outlet real estate during certain times of the year.

Final Thoughts

Most of the things you’re going to put in your garage gym are going to be expensive. Bars, plates, dumbbells, boxes, etc are all not cheap.

There are some things you can build yourself to save some money and we cover a lot of them on Garage Gym DIY. Not that I’ve tried, but I’m assuming it’s pretty hard to build a TV.

But, considering the functional and aesthetic qualities that a TV can bring to your gym, it is one of the best investments you can make.

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