Build a Dream Home Gym for $10,000: The Tori-Centred Setup

Last updated: April 2026 — A complete guide to building a premium home gym around VERVE's Tori Functional Trainer Rack for roughly $10,000-$11,000.

Why the Tori Rack Is the Centrepiece

Most home gym builds start with a power rack and then struggle to fit a cable machine into the remaining floor space. The VERVE Tori Functional Trainer Rack ($5,249, was $5,999) solves that problem outright by combining a full power rack with dual cable stacks in one unit.

Here is what you get in the Tori alone: 75x75x3mm steel uprights with Westside hole spacing (25mm in the bench zone), dual 150kg weight stacks with a 2:1 pulley ratio giving 75kg of working resistance per side, sandwich J-hooks, a multi-grip pull-up bar, a 1080mm logo crossbeam, cable handles, weight stack covers, and spring-loaded cable height adjustment pins. The uprights sit at 2316mm high, the unit is 1230mm wide and 853mm deep.

Because the Tori shares VERVE's universal 75x75mm upright system, every attachment in the range — dip handles, lever arms, safety straps, plate storage — bolts straight on. You buy one piece of equipment and gain access to an entire ecosystem of upgrades over time.

The Loaded Home Gym Bundle: Every Piece Explained

The Loaded Home Gym Bundle ($11,005, was $11,099) includes the following items. Let's break down each piece and why it earns its place.

1. Tori Functional Trainer Rack — $5,249

The core of the setup. Squat, bench press, overhead press, pull-ups, and every cable exercise you can think of — all in a footprint that's 1230mm wide by 853mm deep. The dual cable stacks replace the need for a separate functional trainer, lat pulldown, or cable crossover. For a home gym, this consolidation is everything.

2. Commercial FID Bench V2 — $565

Seven backrest angles and four seat positions, from decline through to 80-degree upright. The 400kg weight rating means you'll never outgrow it. At 44kg and built on a 3mm steel frame (1525mm x 610mm x 447mm), it's stable under heavy loads and won't slide on rubber flooring. Lifetime frame warranty for home use.

3. Elite Olympic Barbell 20kg — $499

28mm shaft, 210,000 PSI tensile strength, 10 needle bearings for smooth spin, and a 453.5kg (1,000lb) capacity. This is not a starter barbell — it's a lifetime barbell. Comes with a lifetime no-bend warranty for both home and commercial use. Available in black zinc, hard chrome, red polymer, or dazzle camo finishes.

4. Colour Bumper Plates — Various Weights

IWF-standard 450mm diameter, 100% rubber with stainless steel inserts. Colour-coded by weight for quick identification. The bundle includes enough weight for most home trainers — and you can always add individual pairs later. Five-year home warranty (excluding 5kg plates).

5. Premium Hex Dumbbells 5-25kg

Commercial-grade rubber hex dumbbells with friction-welded heads and deep-cut knurling. The hex shape stops them rolling, making them easy to store and safe on the floor. The 5-25kg range in 2.5kg increments covers most accessory and isolation work.

6. Competition Kettlebells 8-24kg

High-density metal, colour-coded handles, and identical external dimensions regardless of weight. That last detail matters: your swing technique stays consistent whether you're using 8kg or 24kg. The 32-34mm handle diameter fits comfortably for high-rep work. Lifetime warranty on both home and commercial use.

7. Resistance Bands

For accommodating resistance work (banding squats and bench press), warm-ups, and rehab. The Tori rack has band pegs built into the base, making banded barbell work straightforward.

8. Storage Solutions

Plate storage horns and dumbbell organisation keep the gym floor clear. A cluttered gym is a dangerous gym — and an annoying one.

What Can You Actually Train With This Setup?

Everything. That's not marketing speak — here's the breakdown by movement pattern:

Squat Patterns

Back squat, front squat, overhead squat (barbell in the rack), goblet squat (kettlebells or dumbbells), cable-assisted pistol squats, banded squats using the Tori's band pegs.

Hinge Patterns

Conventional and sumo deadlifts (barbell), Romanian deadlifts (barbell or dumbbells), kettlebell swings, kettlebell cleans, cable pull-throughs using the Tori's low pulley position.

Press Patterns

Flat bench press, incline bench press, decline bench press, overhead press (all barbell), dumbbell press at every angle on the FID bench, cable flyes at any height, cable crossovers, kettlebell press.

Pull Patterns

Pull-ups and chin-ups on the multi-grip bar, barbell rows, dumbbell rows, cable rows (seated and standing), lat pulldowns using the high cable position, face pulls, cable curls.

Conditioning

Kettlebell complexes (swings, cleans, snatches, Turkish get-ups), dumbbell circuits, banded cardio work, cable woodchops, and Pallof presses for rotational conditioning.

Optional Upgrades to Consider

The bundle covers the essentials, but here are worthwhile additions if your budget stretches past $11,000:

Floor Space Requirements

The Tori Functional Trainer Rack itself occupies a 1230mm x 853mm footprint. However, you need working space around it. Plan for at least a 3m x 4m area (12 square metres) for the rack, bench, and barbell movements. If you're adding dumbbells and kettlebells on a rack nearby, budget another 1-2 square metres for storage.

A standard single-car garage (3m x 6m) fits this entire setup comfortably with room to spare. A double garage gives you enough space to add cardio equipment and a dedicated stretching area.

Ceiling Height

The standard Tori stands 2316mm tall. Most Australian garages have 2.4m ceilings, which works with minimal clearance. If your ceiling is under 2.3m, the Tori Short ($5,099) at 1950mm is the solution — same specs, just shorter uprights.

Why This Setup Beats a Gym Membership

At $11,005, this investment pays for itself faster than most people think. A mid-range gym membership in Australia runs $50-$80 per week. That's $2,600-$4,160 per year. Within three to four years, the home gym has paid for itself — and the equipment carries warranties measured in years and decades, not months.

More importantly: no commute, no waiting for equipment, no peak-hour crowds, and you train whenever you want. The Tori rack alone replaces equipment that would cost a commercial gym tens of thousands of dollars.

Bundle vs. Buying Individually

The bundle price of $11,005 represents a saving off the individual retail prices ($11,099 if purchased separately). The saving is modest, but you also get the convenience of a single order, single delivery, and guaranteed compatibility between every item.

If you want to shave the total closer to $10,000, you could substitute the colour bumper plates for black bumper plates (starting from $99 per pair) and reduce the dumbbell or kettlebell range. But honestly, the few hundred dollars saved rarely justifies the gaps in your training options.

Warranty Coverage

One of the underappreciated advantages of buying a complete setup from a single brand is unified warranty support. Here's what you get:

Frequently Asked Questions