Has anyone gone from home gym back to commercial?

[SteveMcs]

It's a very common post on this forum "I want to set up a home gym..." but has anyone done it the other way?

Has anyone made the move back to commercial? If So, what were your reasons?

I've been working out in my home gym for 18 months now and made some gains I'm over the moon with in that time. However; I went to a commercial with a friend today as they had an offer on and a taster day was free and I have to admit, it was the best workout I have had in over a year.

The extra machines meant I could do excersises i haven't done in ages, the sheer convenience of having that many dumbbells easily to hand was awesome, the quality of equipment was in a different league to what I have at home, the atmosphere gave me a buzz as if I had taken 3 doses of preworkout..

I know all too well the downsides to commercial gyms which are why I made the move to home in the first place, but I have to admit, after today I can't see why I made that call.

Now I'm left with the problem.. I have a half decent gym at home and I don't see the point in owning a gym AND paying to go to one. So do I sell up and go back to monthlies or carry on at home? Anyone had a similar experience care to give their 2 cents?

[pbk3jg0]

It's a very common post on this forum "I want to set up a home gym..." but has anyone done it the other way?

Has anyone made the move back to commercial? If So, what were your reasons?

I've been working out in my home gym for 18 months now and made some gains I'm over the moon with in that time. However; I went to a commercial with a friend today as they had an offer on and a taster day was free and I have to admit, it was the best workout I have had in over a year.

The extra machines meant I could do excersises i haven't done in ages, the sheer convenience of having that many dumbbells easily to hand was awesome, the quality of equipment was in a different league to what I have at home, the atmosphere gave me a buzz as if I had taken 3 doses of preworkout..

I know all too well the downsides to commercial gyms which are why I made the move to home in the first place, but I have to admit, after today I can't see why I made that call.

Now I'm left with the problem.. I have a half decent gym at home and I don't see the point in owning a gym AND paying to go to one. So do I sell up and go back to monthlies or carry on at home? Anyone had a similar experience care to give their 2 cents?

I think it depends on what you like to do and what kind of equipment you have.
For me, a commercial gym wouldn't cut it because I prefer a powerlifting style of training, and there are many gyms that do not allow deadlifts, don't have enough power racks, no safeties for bench press, etc.
If you do a more bodybuilding style of training, then the variety of machines you find in a commercial gym might be nice I guess.

But I do keep both a (powerlifting) gym membership and home equipment, because I do feel a bit more excited when I go to a gym to work out.

[jdforsy]

Lol, never in a billion years. #Homegym4lyfe

[irongrandpa]

Lol, never in a billion years. #Homegym4lyfe

Amen brother!

[Fapadrol]

In a nutshell, yes, many have gone back.

Longer answer - The main issue with home gym setups is that it can become stale. Looking at the same walls, ceiling and equipment (without seeing other people) can be quite strange after a while.

People forget about how big they actually want their gym to be and how much $$$ it actually takes to build one. I have one barbell, an SSB, trap bar, countless accessories like bands, chains, cast iron plates and dumbells. The more you have, genuinely the more varied your workouts can be, which helps prevent the whole thing becoming stale.

I've had my gym for over a year now and I get more hyped every time I use it. With that said, every few months I take out a guest membership at a large commercial gym just to get a change in scenery and equipment (and see female arses). It's not expensive and it keeps me sane.

I recommend you have a think of what you really need from a gym. Think of the things you enjoyed using at the commercial and see if you can get a cheaper version for your home setup

[chadsalt]

W. T. F.

[keyboardworkout]

[AttyGuy]

I feelz ya, brah. I wish my home gym was as nice as a "real" gym....

Oh, wait! It is.

[HayZues Christi]

Home gym plus membership crew.


Need both.

[ejbassett]

I go to multiple gyms but would have a home gym if I wasn't in an apartment.
I have a 24 membership that gets me in my 3 nearby locations and I usually have a second membership elsewhere that I change up.
I get sick of the same place and seeing the same losers and atmosphere.

[thejosef]

I feelz ya, brah. I wish my home gym was as nice as a "real" gym....

Oh, wait! It is.

Lol. Yep. Even though my gym is small, the quality of bars, plates, power rack, etc. are waaaaay better than what I'd find in local gyms around here. I would NEVER go back to a commercial gym after building my home gym. Not to mention I get to play the music I want, I can roll out of bed and be in my gym in less than 2 minutes, and I don't have to worry about people getting their nasty DNA on my stuff. Lol.

[EricAtl]

I feelz ya, brah. I wish my home gym was as nice as a "real" gym....

Oh, wait! It is.

Atty, how come every time you post a pic your equipment is in exactly the same spots, like it never moves. Plus, the invisible man/ghost is still in there.
For the op: home gym wins hands down. Save up, buy better and more equipment. With that said, you are only 22, so depending upon your situation and needs a commercial gym may be better for you at this time.

[1651Naismith]

I have home gym and commercial gym membership (Lifetime). But haven’t lifted in the Lifetime gym even once. Only use it for the lap pool and occasional b-ball and rock wall with the kids.

I’d drop the membership in a heart beat if I could afford an indoor lap pool in my backyard. :-)

[louie0939]

a well equipped home gym is great but i still have a family gym membership that i use on occasion

[tanksoldier]

I haven't gone back to a membership, but I have used many commercial gyms off and on thru my life.

It depends on what you want out of your gym. If the social aspect of a commercial gym is part of what you want, then you'll never get that at the home gym no matter how good you make it

...and there's nothing wrong with that.

Given my profession I frankly dislike spending time around strangers when I'm "off stage", for many reasons. The social aspect of a commercial gym is what I'm trying to avoid.

Aside from the possibility of encountering a customer with my pants down, there is the spiritual aspect. Exercise is a form of moving meditation for me. It's difficult to stay in that zone in a populated gym space.

[jimbuick]

Sorry Opie, I can't relate.

[krlafont]

Sorry Opie, I can't relate.

You might someday when you have kids, and realize a power rack in the kitchen doesn't work anymore

[SteveMcs]

Thanks for all the responses, definitely given me some things to think about.

I seem yo be noticing a trend though. The people who are saying "don't go back to a commercial, home gym is better" have incredible home gyms than I can neither afford nor fit. Also bear in mind that you're comparing your fully insulated and probably heated basement to my uninsulated and unheated garage.

The people who are saying "maybe a commercial is for you" seem to be the people with the same kit as me - the basics - rack, 300lb oly, bench etc.

If I could afford or fit one of your incredible gyms then my decision would be instant, but I can't.

I wonder if you guys saying home gym is the way to go would say the same if your home gym looked like mine


This is a few months old and some things have changed but gives a good idea as to what i'm working with.

[PtReyesGreg]

If you can afford it why not do both? I have a great home gym and have worked out there pretty much exclusively for close to 10 years. I recently joined a local powerlifting/bodybuilding gym primarily to have access to training partners and try to hit it at least once a week. I also am lucky to live about an hour away from both Mark Bell's Super Training gym and Alan Thrall's Untamed Strength gym. Mark has open gym on Sunday mornings and Alan has open gym on Saturday mornings so I usually try to hit one of them up every other weekend. Working out at home is still my go-to for convenience and comfort...I really like using my own equipment without having to wait on others to finish. However, having access to the other gyms does give me workouts without the "extra buzz" that you mention. For me it is inspirational to work out around other like-minded lifters on occasion and also humbling to be around lifters who are so much stronger than me. Maybe you can find a similar gym in your area that either has "open gym" days or reduced cost membership for someone who just wants to use it once a week or so?

[Cleveland33]

I added a membership about a year ago and split between there and home.

I was just making fun of the member here who has, what I think is the nicest home gym yesterday for having a Planet Fitness card on his keychain.

[gym62richard]

I've spent the last 20 years putting my home gym together, there's no going back.

[C123C]

Depends totally on what YOU want/need. You don't have an elaborate setup and heat/cool/insulation from elements.

For me, I originally got a basic setup (bench, rack, bar, weight) to supplement my training as I wasn't able to get to the gym as much with work, kids, and a family illness going on. I quickly found myself never leaving and only using my own equipment to make more time for family/self. I then started adding to my equipment to give me more options. When I bought a new house recently, one of my criteria was a ample room for a gym. It's important to me so I sacrifice. I'll never have a full commercial gym setup with lines of machines but what I do have is the right equipment for me and my uses without sparing much expense. I'm also 40s with kids and had enough income to make it happen. Other caveat is that I'm a barbell and core lifts guy. I don't have use for a ton of exotic machines and place zero value on most of them for me. Heck, I don't even use dumbbells very often. Right now I have a family membership to a great athletic club with a well outfitted gym by any standard (aside of specialized PL/OL) - I never use it. Haven't even considered it really.

What I do miss is company/camaraderie and training with others. Granted I have friends over sometime but mostly it's just me. Nothing like training with a motivated crew but I have to sacrifice that for being able to train more often with greater convenience.

Only you can really answer what's right for you. You can keep what you have and add a commercial gym membership, you could gradually add/upgrade your home setup over time (Powerblocks or Ironmasters will give you dumbbell options) and see what happens. Really depends on phase of your life too and goals.

[Stasher1]

If the commercial gym you visited had better equipment than your home gym, you need to buy better equipment.

[Bench905]

I can see where people would go back. I'm ignoring the advantages of the home gym of course.

1. Other human beings/ workout partner
- in reality, it takes a decent amount of willpower to work out hard at home if you don't have a training partner to push you. I think I subconsciously work out a little harder in a commercial gym. I used to multi-task too - try to bring my laptop into the gym and get distracted.

2. Equipment/Exercise variety
- equipment costs money. For a normal home gym, you might be able to do a few exercises per muscle group if you get creative. A commercial gym will probably have a lot more and more specialized equipment.

3. Save space
- space for your home gym could be used for other purposes.

4. Elements
- if your gym is in a hot/cold garage depending on the season, it's nicer and probably more motivating to work out in a heated/AC'ed commercial gym.

I workout 6 days a week, 5 at home and 1 in a commercial gym. Our family heads to the local YMCA (which is pretty nice) - wife takes a class, kids play in the play area and I train in the fitness center.

[Domicron]

there are plenty of reasons to have a membership to a gym even with a nice setup at home:

commercial centers life lifetime offer a ton of yoga and fitness classes that some people really enjoy like pool, basketball courts, tennis courts, ping pong DAY CARE

if you don't like those things, some of the competitive lifters need a place to meet with lifting buddies to train in groups.

[pbk3jg0]

Thanks for all the responses, definitely given me some things to think about.

I seem yo be noticing a trend though. The people who are saying "don't go back to a commercial, home gym is better" have incredible home gyms than I can neither afford nor fit. Also bear in mind that you're comparing your fully insulated and probably heated basement to my uninsulated and unheated garage.

The people who are saying "maybe a commercial is for you" seem to be the people with the same kit as me - the basics - rack, 300lb oly, bench etc.

If I could afford or fit one of your incredible gyms then my decision would be instant, but I can't.

I wonder if you guys saying home gym is the way to go would say the same if your home gym looked like mine


This is a few months old and some things have changed but gives a good idea as to what i'm working with.

Yeah, I'd definitely prefer to go to a gym if I had this as my workout space. I want better bars, better weights, more accessories, somewhere I can do squats, overhead press, etc.

[EricAtl]

Having the home gym lets me spend more time with my family and avoid the annoyances of a commercial gym. When I was younger and didn’t have the space money for a home gym, I belonged to a commercial gym. Plus there was the social aspect.

[ampire]

I like working out at home. I have one of the most basic setups you can have but when I had a commercial gym membership this was all I ever used anyway after I stopped doing powerlifting: Dumbbells, adjustable bench, rower. Now I don't need to wait for sweaty idiots to finish using the equipment. And also I tend to spread my workouts out over the day. I have made various equipment such as pullup bar, parallel dip bars, grip trainers, various band setups to do anything I am missing. The one thing I wouldn't mind getting if I ever have more space would be a cable stack machine.

[AttyGuy]

Atty, how come every time you post a pic your equipment is in exactly the same spots, like it never moves. Plus, the invisible man/ghost is still in there.

My android manservant, aka man/ghost, returns all equipment to its original position after I am through with my workout. I'm looking into android cardio bunnies for the gym next.

[Greybird2]

The gym I use when I am up in Ohio has 35 different Hammer Strength machines, full line of ******n, Body Master, Cybex, Strive, and a giant free weight area. Hard to match in a home gym. Nothing to even compare to it here in S. Fla.