Will a garage gym ever be enough?

[dwallner]

I'm considering investing in some hex dumb bells but have this nagging feeling in my gut that if I ever really want to take it to a serious level I will need a commercial gym.

Right now I am just starting. I have a rack with a pully system and it's working, but I know once I graduate from doing only barbell compounds I am going to have to make the choice in how I invest. Gym or dumb bells?

I love not having to go to gym but part of that is self esteem. I'm a little guy carrying fat and it doesnt feel to cool watching a guy warm up with your one rep max. LOL. Anyway, is it any more difficult to get sculpted without having the isolation machines and such at the gym?

[cgc]

but have this nagging feeling in my gut that if I ever really want to take it to a serious level.....

What do you mean "take it to a serious level"?

I think you can do very well with a home gym setup (obviously, I'm bias)....but I mean, what are you talking about a "serious level"?

[Wildtim]

Every one of those machines was made to duplicate a barbell or dumbbell movement. It might not be as simple as dropping your but in the seat and puming the machines arm but there is no isolation that they do that you can't match.

You might want to take a look at some of the home gym pictures in the picture thread too you can fit a lot in a small space especially sonce you don't have to share it.

Besides for about $600-700 bucks you can have the dumbbells you want new. Whats that? 10-11 months in a common chain gym?

[Wildtim]

Meet Earl H

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/im...713372orig.bmp

His gym:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpo...1&postcount=81

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpo...1&postcount=82

[brownieST]

I'm going to say from my own personal experience no. Its not enough to take it to a serious level. Personally i'm lucky enough to have a home gym and a membership at a commercial gym. The home gym could only take me to a certain level, then i knew it was time to go to a proper gym and train with the big dogs. By training with and around really experienced guys you pick up a thing or two, it also motivates you to lift more when you see the meat heads using insane weights with remarkable ease. Being around guys with great physiques keeps you hungry, its a carrot infront of your nose.

Another thing to consider is the financial side, if you want to take it to a "serious level" then your going to have to buy some pretty ****ing heavy dumbells to facilitate your needs in keeping strength gains going. The gym I train at has dumbells upto 60k, and i wont be reaching that anytime soon, but its there if i need it. I dread to think how much you'd have to fork out to buy weights from 40-60kg!

In my own experience I find it best to mix and match with free weight movements and machine work. If your sticking to just the one then your body is soon going to get used to that. You'll need to mix it up, not the easiest thing to do in a home gym i'm sure youve found.

[dwallner]

Every one of those machines was made to duplicate a barbell or dumbbell movement. It might not be as simple as dropping your but in the seat and puming the machines arm but there is no isolation that they do that you can't match.

You might want to take a look at some of the home gym pictures in the picture thread too you can fit a lot in a small space especially sonce you don't have to share it.

Besides for about $600-700 bucks you can have the dumbbells you want new. Whats that? 10-11 months in a common chain gym?

I was looking through that thread just now. Realistically my space will be limited to half of my garage. So a rack and dumbbells is about it. Looks like you can get pretty creative with the rack though.

[Wildtim]

I've got an area in my basement its about 15 feet by 9 feet and I shre it with two fridges a gun safe and a fiftyfive gallon aquarium on it's stand.

I still have a cage with FID bench Lat/Low row machine, beack extension bench a Upright stationary bike, and adjustable dumbbells that go to 80 pounds.

If I had a whole half of a two car garage I'd have room to add a leg press, a reverse hyper, and upgrade my back extension to a GHR.

[desslok]

Anyway, is it any more difficult to get sculpted without having the isolation machines and such at the gym?

More about knowledge of exercises and routines and diet, and by diet, i mean diet in enormous red letters.

[tsg2513]

I've been a competitive bodybuilding for over 30 years and haven't trained in a commercial gym for the last 20 years. Granted, my home gym has about 10 grand worth of equipment.

[4MEandThem]

Equip has nothing to do with it.
Drive and motivation is the key.

That being said I find that a home gym and my own equip and the persute of it helps keep me motivated.A new piece of equip or a little change in the routine is what works for me. I still struggle to stay at it habitualy.Find what works for You. A partner,a team,a commercial gym,Home gym,boxing ring,sports team,whatever.We are all different with different goals.

[tjp15785]

I can understand the point of picking up ideas and exercises when you are younger and just starting out.

But personally for me after 15 years of working out in a commercial gym, the home transition works best. Having a young family, nothing beats having your gym at home. With space and money there's nothing you can't do at home that you can do at a gym.

[Wildtim]

I've been a competitive bodybuilding for over 30 years and haven't trained in a commercial gym for the last 20 years. Granted, my home gym has about 10 grand worth of equipment.

You should have driven that home with a picture:

Here's a thousand words supporting the home gym

[wendyreddinger]

There is a lot that you can do with your own body weight let alone using other equipment. I have a home gym and it is wonderful. You can do a lot with what you have----just be creative with your exercises. If you ever need any home gym equipment check out: http://www.buckeyefitness.com/

[urbanlifter]

There is a lot that you can do with your own body weight let alone using other equipment. I have a home gym and it is wonderful. You can do a lot with what you have----just be creative with your exercises. If you ever need any home gym equipment check out: http://www.buckeyefitness.com/

Strong marketing skills, i'm assuming you have some special interest there


Anyway, I think its possible to get serious about lifting with a home gym with a few key pieces of equipment. I have done the commercial gym for two years solid, and have been doing the home gym for about two years now. I have seen better improvements since I have been forced to get more creative with the equipment I have. Also, when you go to a gym you are more likely to focus on the glamour muscles because everyone is watching and let other parts lag behind (in my case upper vs lower). It forces you to do the traditional lifts that people would substitute with a fancy machine at the gym. Not that the gym is all that bad, I could see myself having a membership and home gym when I can afford the monthly payment. The atmosphere and motivation is the only thing that is hard to duplicate with a home gym.

[ira_est_a_donum]

More about knowledge of exercises and routines and diet, and by diet, i mean diet in enormous red letters.

this for the win^

by diet he means eating plan... or the style of diet your choose...

you can get HUGE, RIPPED, or whatever you want if you eat right and do heavy compound lifts and recover properly.... the isolation exercises are just a little icing on the cake here and there...

as for the home gym.. it is what you make it... you can do it all with a rack that has a pulley and pull up and dip station with an FID bench and some adjustable dumbbells and olympic weight set... get as big or as ripped as you dedication and appetite will take you...

the only 2 benefits a commercial gym has over a home gym is variety of machines and if you live where its hot or cold and your gym is in the garage it sometimes sux to workout when its hot and humid or below freezing...

i can remember when i worked out at a commercial gym...sometimes I was lazy and just did some machine work... no free weights... so in that sense it can be better bc at home I have no choice...its free weights or dont lift...sadly every so often i choose not to lift...but I know if I was a member of the local gym I would would go through the motions with an all machine workout... so maybe thats 3 things... you can be lazy and still workout at the commercial gym...LOL

[dwallner]

Thanks for all the input, it's much appreciated.

[jfindon]

I'm going to say from my own personal experience no. Its not enough to take it to a serious level. Personally i'm lucky enough to have a home gym and a membership at a commercial gym. The home gym could only take me to a certain level, then i knew it was time to go to a proper gym and train with the big dogs. By training with and around really experienced guys you pick up a thing or two, it also motivates you to lift more when you see the meat heads using insane weights with remarkable ease.

Another thing to consider is the financial side, if you want to take it to a "serious level" then your going to have to buy some pretty ****ing heavy dumbells to facilitate your needs in keeping strength gains going. The gym I train at has dumbells upto 60k, and i wont be reaching that anytime soon, but its there if i need it. I dread to think how much you'd have to fork out to buy weights from 40-60kg!

In my own experience I find it best to mix and match with free weight movements and machine work. If your sticking to just the one then your body is soon going to get used to that. You'll need to mix it up, not the easiest thing to do in a home gym i'm sure youve found.

What does your "home gym" consist of, a standard bench and hollow 6ft barbell?

Being around guys with great physiques keeps you hungry, its a carrot infront of your nose.

Know what else does that? A mirror.

[Wildtim]

I dread to think how much you'd have to fork out to buy weights from 40-60kg!

With adjustable handles, as little as $150.

My handles only hold about 80 pounds each for a total of 85 per hand but I can go from as little as the five pounds with the handles only up to as much as 85 total in one pound increments. No gym can offer that. Heck both of the most popular in this town only have Db's up to 65 pounds.

I have Db's a hig low cable machine and a barbell with a rack, that means I have at leas three basic ways and hundreds of variations to work every muscle in my body with variable resistance, I'll never want for variety in my home gym.

[keyboardworkout]

Matt Kroczaleski works out in his unheated garage. Maybe if he worked out in a commercial gym he could take it to the next level.

[Accutron]

Work out in a gym if you prefer, everyone is different.

I suppose some people like leaving the house, prefer a gym atmosphere, or they don't have a large enough gym area, cant concentrate at home, etc.

Myself all I need is a rack, bar, bench, and weights, so a home gym is great for me, and really convenient.

[Kodokan]

A gym is nice if you want to have other people to choke, but if you just want to lift weights you can do that at home.

[pearldrummer]

I am jealous of everyone that has a home gym. I used to have a home gym in the dinning room of my old apartment. Now I live in Hawaii with a little tiny house and a wife and a son on the way. I don't have a garage or any extra space. Good thing is I live on an army post so there are gyms everywhere.

I was able to do everything I wanted to. At the gym I use now, I don't use any of the fancy machines or anything anyways. It is nice working out with other people around but most of the time they just get in the way. I used to work out in the middle of the day with a million people everywhere. Now I work out in the middle of the night and have the gym to myself. It is awesome. I am in Iraq right now and our gym is small.

[keyboardworkout]

Doesn't everyone have 300 pound dumbbells in their garage gym?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9deKLEkk7oU

[AtomikStrongman]

Don't know what your goals are, but every strongman gets strong in a garage gym somewhere. You can't do it in a commercial gym.

I started training w/ a group at another guys garage gym, slowly accumulating my own stuff. When I moved, I had guys over to train at my place, all the while still building the gym. When my garage gym got too full, I rented 4000sq. ft. of warehouse space with a couple of friends (a fighter and a crossfitter), moved in a ton of strongman and weightlifting gear from my place, mats and fight gear from one of my buddy's place and a bunch of crossfit stuff from my other buddy's place. When we realized what we had, we began a selective membership drive and started charging membership. We run an elite mma gym, crossfit gym and extreme weight training gym out of the same place. I have my best friends, family and some of the strongest and baddest people around training there now. Only the people we like and want to train w/ us, and it doesn't cost us a dime

Bottom line is, it doesn't happen overnight, but eventually, yeah, you can get everything you want out of a garage gym. Make smart acquisitions, manage your space, cut out the useless fluff, be dedicated and train smart w/ other likeminded people.

I still have a badass home gym that I use all the time, btw. It's just one of those things that you've got to have.

[animalfan]

Don't know what your goals are, but every strongman gets strong in a garage gym somewhere. You can't do it in a commercial gym.

I started training w/ a group at another guys garage gym, slowly accumulating my own stuff. When I moved, I had guys over to train at my place, all the while still building the gym. When my garage gym got too full, I rented 4000sq. ft. of warehouse space with a couple of friends (a fighter and a crossfitter), moved in a ton of strongman and weightlifting gear from my place, mats and fight gear from one of my buddy's place and a bunch of crossfit stuff from my other buddy's place. When we realized what we had, we began a selective membership drive and started charging membership. We run an elite mma gym, crossfit gym and extreme weight training gym out of the same place. I have my best friends, family and some of the strongest and baddest people around training there now. Only the people we like and want to train w/ us, and it doesn't cost us a dime

Bottom line is, it doesn't happen overnight, but eventually, yeah, you can get everything you want out of a garage gym. Make smart acquisitions, manage your space, cut out the useless fluff, be dedicated and train smart w/ other likeminded people.

I still have a badass home gym that I use all the time, btw. It's just one of those things that you've got to have.

that is freakin' awesome, atomik.

[Wildtim]

Don't know what your goals are, but every strongman gets strong in a garage gym somewhere. You can't do it in a commercial gym.

I started training w/ a group at another guys garage gym, slowly accumulating my own stuff. When I moved, I had guys over to train at my place, all the while still building the gym. When my garage gym got too full, I rented 4000sq. ft. of warehouse space with a couple of friends (a fighter and a crossfitter), moved in a ton of strongman and weightlifting gear from my place, mats and fight gear from one of my buddy's place and a bunch of crossfit stuff from my other buddy's place. When we realized what we had, we began a selective membership drive and started charging membership. We run an elite mma gym, crossfit gym and extreme weight training gym out of the same place. I have my best friends, family and some of the strongest and baddest people around training there now. Only the people we like and want to train w/ us, and it doesn't cost us a dime

Bottom line is, it doesn't happen overnight, but eventually, yeah, you can get everything you want out of a garage gym. Make smart acquisitions, manage your space, cut out the useless fluff, be dedicated and train smart w/ other likeminded people.

I still have a badass home gym that I use all the time, btw. It's just one of those things that you've got to have.

Talk about living a dream. way cool.

[thedickus]

Don't know what your goals are, but every strongman gets strong in a garage gym somewhere. You can't do it in a commercial gym.

I started training w/ a group at another guys garage gym, slowly accumulating my own stuff. When I moved, I had guys over to train at my place, all the while still building the gym. When my garage gym got too full, I rented 4000sq. ft. of warehouse space with a couple of friends (a fighter and a crossfitter), moved in a ton of strongman and weightlifting gear from my place, mats and fight gear from one of my buddy's place and a bunch of crossfit stuff from my other buddy's place. When we realized what we had, we began a selective membership drive and started charging membership. We run an elite mma gym, crossfit gym and extreme weight training gym out of the same place. I have my best friends, family and some of the strongest and baddest people around training there now. Only the people we like and want to train w/ us, and it doesn't cost us a dime

Bottom line is, it doesn't happen overnight, but eventually, yeah, you can get everything you want out of a garage gym. Make smart acquisitions, manage your space, cut out the useless fluff, be dedicated and train smart w/ other likeminded people.

I still have a badass home gym that I use all the time, btw. It's just one of those things that you've got to have.

Why do I have the feeling that you don't let fat ugly women join...LOL

[buffbrown21]

Don't know what your goals are, but every strongman gets strong in a garage gym somewhere. You can't do it in a commercial gym.

I started training w/ a group at another guys garage gym, slowly accumulating my own stuff. When I moved, I had guys over to train at my place, all the while still building the gym. When my garage gym got too full, I rented 4000sq. ft. of warehouse space with a couple of friends (a fighter and a crossfitter), moved in a ton of strongman and weightlifting gear from my place, mats and fight gear from one of my buddy's place and a bunch of crossfit stuff from my other buddy's place. When we realized what we had, we began a selective membership drive and started charging membership. We run an elite mma gym, crossfit gym and extreme weight training gym out of the same place. I have my best friends, family and some of the strongest and baddest people around training there now. Only the people we like and want to train w/ us, and it doesn't cost us a dime

Bottom line is, it doesn't happen overnight, but eventually, yeah, you can get everything you want out of a garage gym. Make smart acquisitions, manage your space, cut out the useless fluff, be dedicated and train smart w/ other likeminded people.

I still have a badass home gym that I use all the time, btw. It's just one of those things that you've got to have.

pics or website link??

[NorthTexasBB]

Garage gyms > globo gyms....I hate the gym I go to and cant wait to start investing in my setup


The ones who invest in garage gyms are usually the ones making better progress because they're not afraid to go heavy and fail since no one else is watching.

[IEatPowerRacks]

If you have a bench, rack, bar, pull-up bar, and dumbbells, I don't see why you would get any benefit from going to the gym.