Must haves for a home gym?

[A1phaeus]

Just moved into my new place and i dont have much space...was considering building a bench out in the garage or just getting one of these in the bonus room...what do you use and how much have you spent on dumbells/equipment..i honestly dont think home gyms are worth it since i still have a gym membership ($15) PER MONTH the only real reason i need one of these is for convenience since i work 40 hours per week..what has worked best for you?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B001AS697O

[daniel327]

..home gyms suck unless you have big $$$ to dish out

Ignorance is bliss.

[StephanBB]

^^^ what he said ^^^

Good quality rack, weights plates, dumbbells, bars for a decent home gym will set you back a couple of grand.

You won't find many Bowflex recommendations on this forum.

What it came down to for me was convenience. With 3 kids and a busy work schedule it makes all the sense in the world to create a home gym. In terms of cost comparison. At $15 a month the break even point would be 20+ years.

[KeithTheSnake]

Just go to the gym...home gyms suck unless you have big $$$ to dish out

That's a load of horse crap!

You can build yourself a nice home gym for a very nominal cost. I'm actually in the black on my gym. It's nice to have a $15/month gym membership -- as long as you can actually train there. But, for the price of about a year or a year and a half of membership you could have a nice basic setup. I'd stay away from the multi-gym set up, and I'd stick with the following: Power rack, olympic set, and a sturdy bench to fit inside the rack. Thereafter, you can add dumbbells, various barbells as you find them at a fair price.

I'd recommend you buy everything off of craigslist, used; and that you buy the very sturdiest stuff you can find. A used power rack might cost you a couple hundred bucks. A used olympic set might cost you as little as seventy five or a hundred bucks. A sturdy enough bench might cost you fifty or a hundred bucks. Stay the heck away from anything that says Weider, Marcy, Powerhouse, or just about anything that you can find at your local department store -- it's made of tin foil.

Bottom line: For a few hundred bucks you can have a pretty decent setup. Garage sale and craigslist goes a long, long way to a happy life with a swell gym. I often will buy somebody's lot of stuff to get a piece I want and craigslist the rest. Flipping and flipping some more will yield a very nice gym for very little.

[AttyGuy]

Just go to the gym...home gyms suck unless you have big $$$ to dish out

Back to the misc with you!

[StephanBB]

Bottom line: For a few hundred bucks you can have a pretty decent setup. Garage sale and craigslist goes a long, long way to a happy life with a swell gym. I often will buy somebody's lot of stuff to get a piece I want and craigslist the rest. Flipping and flipping some more will yield a very nice gym for very little.

Great point... CL can be your best friend. I decided to go new on some of the key items (adding to the cost DRASTICALLY). Lot's of good info on the board for both new and used gear. Be sure you build an area that's conducive to working out and will keep you motivated.

[DamonB82]

After all was said and done, it was like someone gave me money to have my home gym.... Factor in price of gas, your time to drive, the actual time you are there not only training, but waiting on equipment etc, child care if you have kids....... The months where you lose motivation but still pay membership and child care at the gym......

It all comes down to your situation, for me, my home gym is the only reason I still workout.

[2bPuMp3d]

Kijiji and garage sales are your best friend dude. You can get a boat load of weights and equipment at bargaining prices seriously. There are so many people that go crazy buying equipment and then months or few years later they never want to touch the stuff so its thrown out or put up on these sites for dirt cheap.

[jackbravo]

There are actually two negative aspects of a home gym that I can think of, that are not often discussed with newbies:

1) The initial outlay is never the final outlay. Putting together a home gym is addictive, and after the initial purchase, there's a constant search for additional pieces of equipment or upgrades to existing equipment. In truth, I've already spent something on the order of 5 years of a gym membership, and I'm still not done (damn it).....the caveat is that when you want to get out of the home gym business, you can get a minimum of 50% of your money back, up to 90% if you shopped wisely in the first place (i.e. CL).

2) The undergraduate scenery potential at a local college gym is not available in your garage (unless you happen to be a magician). There are some members here though whose significant others appear to make up for that lack.

[Stasher1]

There are actually two negative aspects of a home gym that I can think of, that are not often discussed with newbies:

1) The initial outlay is never the final outlay. Putting together a home gym is addictive, and after the initial purchase, there's a constant search for additional pieces of equipment or upgrades to existing equipment. In truth, I've already spent something on the order of 5 years of a gym membership, and I'm still not done (damn it).....the caveat is that when you want to get out of the home gym business, you can get a minimum of 50% of your money back, up to 90% if you shopped wisely in the first place (i.e. CL).

2) The undergraduate scenery potential at a local college gym is not available in your garage (unless you happen to be a magician). There are some members here though whose significant others appear to make up for that lack.

I'm in the same boat, but it keeps me from getting bored with my home gym. I was shelling out $30 a month to work out at a local 24 hour gym, where the equipment never changed, nobody wiped their sweat off the machines when they were done, and the music sucked.

For the cost of five years of membership, I have a quality rack, a couple benches, lat machine/low row, commercial preacher curl bench, three 7' oly bars, trap bar, curl bar, Powerblocks, 1100+ lbs of plates, seated calf machine, etc. that will outlast me. The only sweat on the equipment is mine, the music is always good, I'm guaranteed a good parking spot, no waiting on equipment, no old creepy naked dudes wandering around in my bathroom, and no teenagers hanging around trying to score.

It was worth every penny, and then some.

[daniel327]

There are actually two negative aspects of a home gym that I can think of, that are not often discussed with newbies:

1) The initial outlay is never the final outlay. Putting together a home gym is addictive, and after the initial purchase, there's a constant search for additional pieces of equipment or upgrades to existing equipment ....................

I don't see that as a negative.

What's the alternative? Spending your money on hookers and blow?

Also, researching, reviewing and purchasing equipment is an enjoyable pastime, and the cost involved is quite reasonable relative to most other hobbies.

[Brosynthesis]

Dumbells. Iron gym, perfect push-ups and a punching bag or something to lie down on for anything a bench is needed on like db presses and stuff.

That's all I use. Been working out at home only, in my bedroom.

[recoil7]

Nothing beats training and kicking ass in your own ****ing gym where you can do what you want, when you want and how you want - away from idiots and douchebags who just end up getting in your way or breaking your concentration. Most of these people just go to the gym to hang out and socialize, show off or somehow think that women will somehow be impressed by their presence.

Seriously, the only reason I would see someone wanting to go out to a gym over their own home gym would be due to either space constraints, money, experience or discipline.

Excluding the reasons above, If both gyms being equal, would you rather leave your home and work out or just take a couple steps from your living room?

[Jetigen]

There are actually two negative aspects of a home gym that I can think of, that are not often discussed with newbies:.....

To me the two biggest negatives of a home gym are 1) the space it takes up and 2) mobility (changing residences)

And the biggest advantage is a custom set-up that fits me and only me in terms of equipment selection. I have to be careful as I age and some old injuries manifest themselves from time to time. I don't have to go by what the neighborhood commercial gym has and not be able to do training routines I want to put myself through. I have a habit of visiting gyms to check on their machines. So far, I haven't seen a single gym that meets all my needs.

I think another benefit is a chance to pass my gym and knowledge on to some young individual in the future as my machines will outlive me. So, I see myself as a custodian as well.

[jmmainvi]

^^^ what he said ^^^

Good quality rack, weights plates, dumbbells, bars for a decent home gym will set you back a couple of grand.

You won't find many Bowflex recommendations on this forum.

What it came down to for me was convenience. With 3 kids and a busy work schedule it makes all the sense in the world to create a home gym. In terms of cost comparison. At $15 a month the break even point would be 20+ years.

Sure, at $15 a month.

Now assume that it's a 15 minute drive to the gym, a 15 minute drive home, and that your time is worth $20/hr. If you go to the gym 3 days a week. That averages to 13 visits per month, meaning we're now at $145/month - at this point, the break-even is just a year or two, and that's with conservative estimates. Add the fifteen minutes you spend at the gym most days waiting for equipment tobe open, and we're over $200 per month. Plus you're spending on gasoline. Plus a home gym is more comfortable. Plus the money you put in to a home gym can be (partially) returned if you sell; a membership is gone forever.

Just because the costs aren't apparent doesn't mean they are't there. It just depends on what your time is worth to you.

[SQ76]

I'm in the same boat, but it keeps me from getting bored with my home gym. I was shelling out $30 a month to work out at a local 24 hour gym, where the equipment never changed, nobody wiped their sweat off the machines when they were done, and the music sucked.

For the cost of five years of membership, I have a quality rack, a couple benches, lat machine/low row, commercial preacher curl bench, three 7' oly bars, trap bar, curl bar, Powerblocks, 1100+ lbs of plates, seated calf machine, etc. that will outlast me. The only sweat on the equipment is mine, the music is always good, I'm guaranteed a good parking spot, no waiting on equipment, no old creepy naked dudes wandering around in my bathroom, and no teenagers hanging around trying to score

It was worth every penny, and then some.

These are some of the reasons why I set up my home gym; it's still a work in progress and I'm off to shop for more stuff today... at the moment I have a powertec work bench, olympic dumb bells & EZ bar and 70kg of weight... the only disadvantage for me is a low ceiling, so I can't have some of the equipment that I'd like.

I go to a local gym and pay for a day pass once a week for a legs work out as I haven't got the right equipment/ weight at home; I work long hours so having a home gym really has made the difference.

[Akebane710]

40 hours a week? I wish. I'm working 72 right now and am in desperate need of moving and making myself a home gym. Leg day I'll have to go to the gym but do you guys think 4k would buy me enough dumbells, flat bench, barbells maybe a dip machine? What else am I missing? hmm...can't think. :P

[StephanBB]

Sure, at $15 a month.

Now assume that it's a 15 minute drive to the gym, a 15 minute drive home, and that your time is worth $20/hr. If you go to the gym 3 days a week. That averages to 13 visits per month, meaning we're now at $145/month - at this point, the break-even is just a year or two, and that's with conservative estimates. Add the fifteen minutes you spend at the gym most days waiting for equipment tobe open, and we're over $200 per month. Plus you're spending on gasoline. Plus a home gym is more comfortable. Plus the money you put in to a home gym can be (partially) returned if you sell; a membership is gone forever.

Just because the costs aren't apparent doesn't mean they are't there. It just depends on what your time is worth to you.

Great point and definitely worth consideration when determining how much to invest based on what your fitness goals are.

[ironwill2008]

..what has worked best for you?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B001AS697O

Certainly not ^^^^ this POS. If that's what you're considering buying, don't bother; just keep your gym membership and forget about a home gym.

[AttyGuy]

40 hours a week? I wish. I'm working 72 right now and am in desperate need of moving and making myself a home gym. Leg day I'll have to go to the gym but do you guys think 4k would buy me enough dumbells, flat bench, barbells maybe a dip machine? What else am I missing? hmm...can't think. :P

If you buy used, or look for good deals from dealers in Canada, you can have a really, really nice home gym. You will need a rack. You don't really need more than one barbell, unless you're setting up a dedicated DL station and/or a t-bar row station.

[A1phaeus]

do you guys get more motivated working out at a home gym or in a fitness center? or does it not make a difference?

i feel like my lifts are alot better at home because a) i dont have to wait in lines for machines b) i have a loud sound system I play c) i dont care how loud i yell/grunt/sweat

the only real advantage to a fitness center is the women and the variety of machines, plus i love being able to choose any dumbell weight i want, a big disadvantage to a home gym would be lack of dumbells because they are fuarking expensive!

[owasM]

do you guys get more motivated working out at a home gym or in a fitness center? or does it not make a difference?

i feel like my lifts are alot better at home because a) i dont have to wait in lines for machines b) i have a loud sound system I play c) i dont care how loud i yell/grunt/sweat

the only real advantage to a fitness center is the women and the variety of machines, plus i love being able to choose any dumbell weight i want, a big disadvantage to a home gym would be lack of dumbells because they are fuarking expensive!

i've only ever lifted twice in two different gyms (other than my home gym) and i hated it.

first was a 24 hour fitness style gym, horrible equipment, one squat rack that was being used for about half an hour to ohp in by about 3 diff groups.
about 700lbs total oly plates, 1 barbell and dumbells up to 35kg (bear in mind i have about 450lbs and of plates and will continue to but 45lbers and enough dumbell plates to make 2x80kg(175lbs) at home.

the second was a hardcore gym with plates everywhere , only dumbells up to 45kg though, but most the people there seem to want to pay to go in and stand around, occasionly punch the bag, bench the bar and stare in the mirror, which when the gym is full off them, gets rather annoying.

conclousion, i hate gyms (even with addequette equipment) and love my small gym and outdoor strongman set up.

[-aesop-]

The gym I go to - not[ a fitness center. Of course, i work out with the owners and we've all got a good dynamic going on, deciding workouts and help push one another (plus loading weight). I like fitness centers because, good lord, some hot little sloots in there. Generally really clean and has showers.

I had my home setup once and I hated it. Bo-ring. It may be different now, but only if I had the setup I wanted. Call me vain, but having all matching equipment (Eleiko, or York, Ivanko, Pendlay, rogue, etc.) would be sweet. I'd be more pumped to work out then, tbh.

[ironwill2008]

do you guys get more motivated working out at a home gym or in a fitness center? or does it not make a difference?

It varies among individuals. I'll be the first long-term home gym owner to tell you that a home gym is certainly not for everyone. If it were, craigslist wouldn't be the rich source of unused weight lifting equipment that it is.




It depends on your goal, and your individual drive and determination to get there, and that's balanced by what you perceive to be the main roadblocks to getting to that goal.


For myself, the roadblocks to my ability to train as I needed became too much to deal with. Trying to train effectively in the commercial gyms in my market area was holding me back.


I've been doing this (bodybuilding) a long time. In all that time, I've seen a lot of guys come and go from this sport. The ones who stuck with it, and have had some measure of success all share one trait in common; they are, to a man, internally motivated.

[granttttt]

I agree with the guy above, it depends on the individual, also it depends what stage you are at life.

But motivation shouldn't be too strongly effected by your environment.

[morebarbell]

Just moved into my new place and i dont have much space...was considering building a bench out in the garage or just getting one of these in the bonus room...what do you use and how much have you spent on dumbells/equipment..i honestly dont think home gyms are worth it since i still have a gym membership ($15) PER MONTH the only real reason i need one of these is for convenience since i work 40 hours per week..what has worked best for you?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B001AS697O

What gym is only $15 per month?? Even the YMCA costs more per month.

[cgc]

What gym is only $15 per month?? Even the YMCA costs more per month.

The gym I go to now, is free (no, not in my garage).

[moneyb4gs]

What gym is only $15 per month?? Even the YMCA costs more per month.

lots of 24 hour gyms are $15 per month...i go to one called Workout Anytime

[morebarbell]

Thank you, moneyb4gs. Repped. There's not a Workout Anytime in this area. Here the gyms cost around $35-60 per month. Most are $50 to $60. Golds and the Y are on the upper end of that range. Some of the fitness chains cost as much as Golds. The least expensive I found was $35 per month (not including initial sign up fee) but they have mostly machines and cardio. Most of the fitness chains have very little free weight equipment. Only one rack and only one dumbbell bench.

[xephonics]

given enough craigslist searching time, you can find some REALLY good deals.

I've bought a hammer strength multi-rack for $500 (was about a $2.1k rack new) and a legend fitness 3133 rack for $240 (it was ~$1200 new). Bumps and scraps don't really mean much on a power rack

Home gyms can rock, for not much money, but you have to be patient (or in leu of patience you need a lot of luck)

It depends on the person, but I can easily find the motivation to workout alone, mostly because I HATE waiting on others to finish with the equip I need.