Home gym or gym membership?

[Andrewwf]

I haven't worked out in a while and need to get started again but i hate going to the gym because I'm small. Would it be better to get a squat rack to start off for squats/bench/incline or just get a gym membership?

[DVG93]

Everyone was small once. Trust me when I say youre the only person judging yourself. I prefer my home gym for various reasons, but Im not sure that is a valid one.

In my opinion, the commercial gyms are most valuable when youre starting out. You will learn by watching others and its easy to get someone to lend a hand or critique you.

[Andrewwf]

Yeah its definitely the better option i just hate being the small person around a bunch of jacked guys haha thank you!

[RestoringTally]

Go to Planet Fitness. Jacked guys don't normally go there.

[fingerguy]

I haven't worked out in a while and need to get started again but i hate going to the gym because I'm small. Would it be better to get a squat rack to start off for squats/bench/incline or just get a gym membership?

Either or dude. It's whatever YOU feel most comfortable with; no wrong or right answer on this one.

Why not both? I have a squat rack (used for other things) and I also have a gym membership.

[sm1ke]

Yeah its definitely the better option i just hate being the small person around a bunch of jacked guys haha thank you!

Nobody really pays attention to you unless you're not following gym ettiquette. The douchebags are too busy admiring their douche-ness in the mirrors, and the serious lifters are only concerned with their lifts and the occasional spot. If you go to a commercial gym, just be polite when you have to interact with others, try to keep the convos short, and do the work.

Otherwise get a power rack/squat stands with safety spotter arms and a bench, barbell and weight plates for home.

[fingerguy]

Go to Planet Fitness. Jacked guys don't normally go there.

HEY! I used to go there and do weighted pull-ups. Granted I used to get weird looks, but hey the eye candy there was worth it at the time; I was single then.

[Tyler2106]

I feared going to the gym when I started lifting because I didn't really know what I was doing. Only way to get over that is to keep going. Like mentioned above, as long as you aren't going against normal etiquette in the gym, no one will care you're small. The only time I judge people is if they're being idiots in the gym. Someone in the gym, small or fat, I respect when I see them working hard to better themselves.

For me going to the gym is an escape from stress and daily life which I love. Being in a gym with others working hard for the same goal of bettering themselves can be contagious when you're not feeling super motivated. With a home gym, I imagine I would not like it.

[dailob]

words

dont listen to this dude, he's a "bandwagon-er 4 lyfe"




ok seriously though going to the gym vs. having your own set up at home both have the same requirements: consistency and commitment. if you're not committed to going to the gym, what makes you committed to working out at home? i'm sure there are plenty of people who have bought infomercial items, "committed" to working out, but after the honeymoon phase is over, it's just collecting dust in a corner.

you might be better off with a place with no contract, and with the new year coming up, plenty of places offering no sign on fee, etc, maybe planet fitness if it's going to be a stepping stone and seeing if you're really committed before spending money on equipment that you may never use again.

[Andrewwf]

Thanks these all help a lot!

[C123C]

Thanks these all help a lot!

I'd honestly turn this back to you as an opportunity. You're a sharp guy...you know that you are your own obstacle. Why not face that crap head on. Accept yourself for who you are right now and get in there, put in the work and achieve your goals. Face that crap down rather than avoiding it. Honestly, overcoming this fear by giving it a giant FU in the face will do more for you in life than all the lifting ever will (and I'm a big advocate of lifting).

Kick it's ass. Go every time you can. Avoid nothing, fear nothing, no one is worth more or less than you, embrace that. While you are at it, increase your dead, squat, bench, row, military, and pullup...eat to move the scale. Problems are solved. Do that for a year and see if you still want a home gym. I'd personally respect the hell out of that.

I used to be a trainer...you know who my favorite people were (hint-not the athletes or teams or the most gifted)? The ones who were there to change their lives and joined a commercial gym as their big step to face down long-term insecurities. The obese woman who used to shop for groceries late at night because she was embarrassed and didn't want people to see her...the rail thin kid...the people who wanted to turn it around. I put a lot of time and energy into those people to make sure they succeeded and stuck with it. Reason...it was hard for them to take that first step and walk through the door but they were doing it so it made me step up and give them everything I could so that they could win for once as opposed to being defeated again.

Maybe something there resonates with you. Best of luck and if you don't own Starting Strength please pick up a copy for yourself!

[AttyGuy]

You're 18, right? Don't have much of a job, if any. Probably still live at home? Unless the bare basics (rack, bench, weight set, bar) is sufficient for you, you're not going to like working out at home and you may not have the space. Sack up and go to a gym. Consume protein, sleep eight hours or more, hydrate, and lift at a "real" gym. When you're older, get a proper home gym.

[d2mini]

I hate the hassle of having to go somewhere. Pack up, get in the car, drive there, walk in, put stuff in locker or have to carry keys/wallet/phone around, get stuff out of locker, leave and drive home all sweaty (or shower there). Way too much time and hassle for me. I prefer to roll out of bed at 5am and stumble into my home gym... workout to my own tunes or tv channel and then jump right in the shower.

As far as your size... I agree with above... no one cares. Just do your thing.

[CliveWarren]

I am hoping that being 18 years old, you are enrolled in some sort of post-secondary school education. Maybe your school has a gym that you can use for free?

[Bench905]

Sack up and go to a gym. Consume protein, sleep eight hours or more, hydrate, and lift at a "real" gym. When you're older, get a proper home gym.

Agreed. When I was younger, I went to LA Fitness...for a number of years.

[BulkMore]

If you want to get huge first find a nagging wife...then eat raw eggs, chop wood and run up a mountain in 3 feet of snow all while being followed by russian spies.

[chicagojosh]

I haven't worked out in a while and need to get started again but i hate going to the gym because I'm small. Would it be better to get a squat rack to start off for squats/bench/incline or just get a gym membership?

don't worry about "being small" and going to the gym. that said. I am WAY happier working out at home than at the gym. the machines i want are always open, the music is always on point, and through craigslist and facebook market place, you can find some amazing deals on equipment.

[Jason2459]

Home gym for sure if you have the space. Put $50 a month on the side and put that towards new equipment.

[JeffUP]

I'd honestly turn this back to you as an opportunity. You're a sharp guy...you know that you are your own obstacle. Why not face that crap head on. Accept yourself for who you are right now and get in there, put in the work and achieve your goals. Face that crap down rather than avoiding it. Honestly, overcoming this fear by giving it a giant FU in the face will do more for you in life than all the lifting ever will (and I'm a big advocate of lifting).

Kick it's ass. Go every time you can. Avoid nothing, fear nothing, no one is worth more or less than you, embrace that. While you are at it, increase your dead, squat, bench, row, military, and pullup...eat to move the scale. Problems are solved. Do that for a year and see if you still want a home gym. I'd personally respect the hell out of that.

I used to be a trainer...you know who my favorite people were (hint-not the athletes or teams or the most gifted)? The ones who were there to change their lives and joined a commercial gym as their big step to face down long-term insecurities. The obese woman who used to shop for groceries late at night because she was embarrassed and didn't want people to see her...the rail thin kid...the people who wanted to turn it around. I put a lot of time and energy into those people to make sure they succeeded and stuck with it. Reason...it was hard for them to take that first step and walk through the door but they were doing it so it made me step up and give them everything I could so that they could win for once as opposed to being defeated again.

Maybe something there resonates with you. Best of luck and if you don't own Starting Strength please pick up a copy for yourself!

Wow. Well said. I'm in the process of adding to my home gym but that talk has me thinking a bit.

[VictorIkpe]

The thread is dead but i just have to say!!!! Bro a gym membership gives you access to a wider range of equipment and classes, plus the added benefit of a supportive community. No choice here

[RashidaMuhammad]

Sorry for reviving a hundred year old thread but it's for anyone who could be interested in this info XD Don't worry about feeling small at the gym - everyone has to start somewhere and no one is judging you.

[Jpurls]

Like others have said, no one is paying attention to you at the gym. That's just in your own head so don't worry about that or try to lift more than you can. If you're just starting out, it's definitely best to go to a gym since you'll have access to more equipment than you have at your home. Personally, I like to have some equipment & weights at home to work with in case I don't have time to get to the gym and need to get a workout in. That way, you can at least get some work in without skipping a day if you're pressed for time.

[Michiganian]

There are advantages to both. I had gym memberships in the mid-to-late 80's, and again from 2005 until late last year. When my last gym closed its doors late last year I looked around, couldn't find another gym I liked, nearby, said "To heck with it," and started building my own home gym.

There's no question a home gym requires a pretty significant investment in space and money. By the time I'm done my home gym will occupy about half our 1300 sqft. home's finished basement and I'll have invested nearly $4,000. Even with that space investment I'll still have to move stuff around when I want to change between different kinds of training and, even with that cash investment, I still won't have certain equipment I'd have at a gym.

But I don't have to go out to a gym. I don't have to deal with people camping out on equipment I want to use. I don't have to be concerned with whatever is the Disease Du Jour. If I feel like knocking out a quick set of sometime at any time of the day or night I can just go downstairs and do it. Plus I'm having fun building my own gym the way I want it

It all depends upon your needs, your desires, and your resources.

[paulinkansas]

Home gym. You can control the music/video and the volume. You can also reload shotgun shells or do some welding between sets. But I'm probably the only person on this forum that reloads or welds between sets.

[BiGx5MurF]

There are jacked people at commercial gyms?

All kidding aside, IME, in most commercial gyms (outside of specialized hard core gyms) people's jaws drop if you can rep 225 on bench, or squat 315 for reps.

[Michiganian]

... IME, in most commercial gyms (outside of specialized hard core gyms) people's jaws drop if you can rep 225 on bench, or squat 315 for reps.

There were guys at my old gym that could do that. Several. Heck, there was this pretty young slip of girl there, at one time, that was DL'ing... 235, IIRC? One day there was a guy on the leg press machine, fully-loaded with 45 lb. plates, to which they added the young woman who did the cleaning to sit atop the carriage

It was a unique gym. Everything from Silver Sneakers members, to moms doing "cardio" on recumbent bikes while reading books or magazines, to cardio drumming, to kickboxing classes, to people like me (probably in the majority), to some pretty serious lifters.

I've a "black iron" gym nearby. I suppose I could've gotten used to it, but, I just plain didn't feel like switching gyms again.

[twodog]

My wife, and I, just joined a gym by us for use of the rehab pool, 25 meter pool, and the whirlpool. Rehabbing needs caused this. We go on off hours (6am) when they are mostly empty. The have a great machine room, and a weight area with three platforms, and db's up to 130lbs. The problem for me is, and always has been, that even at off hours they have shmucks in the place. So, for me, I still lift at home. Eventually I'll be better and won't need the place. But I can see my wife eventually taking water aerobics, and regular classes there.

I would never lift any where but home, as I have been doing on and off for about 45 years.

[MajorTendonitis]

I love having a home gym,but either way it works . I find if I don’t go to the gym directly after work that I would talk myself out of it .
Miss the comradery going to a commercial gym though , and I definitely find I push myself harder working out around others .
Building a home gym can become addictive , and I don’t want to know I spent . When it comes to health though ,what kind of price can you put on it .
Each to his own I say,as I know guys who’s hobbies are snowmobiling,and they’ve got 40 plus K wrapped up in that

[Samraiwise]

Home gym saves you a lot of money & time in the long run.

It also offers you more concentration while offering no excuse for you to skip workouts.

Eat, drink, listen to music whatever you like, and directly go to the post-workout shower.

I've been a home gym crew for over 40 years and while most people quit lifting long before my age I'm still here to keep lifting thanks to my home gym.



(Rocky III : Clubber Lang Training Scene)

****************

But if you like to socialize a lot, especially with girls, a home gym is never an option for you.

I love having a home gym,but either way it works . I find if I don’t go to the gym directly after work that I would talk myself out of it .
Miss the comradery going to a commercial gym though , and I definitely find I push myself harder working out around others .
Building a home gym can become addictive , and I don’t want to know I spent . When it comes to health though ,what kind of price can you put on it .
Each to his own I say,as I know guys who’s hobbies are snowmobiling,and they’ve got 40 plus K wrapped up in that

Always mirin your home gym and T-800 housemaid.

[Michiganian]

Home gym saves you a lot of money & time in the long run.

Time: Yes. Money? HA! I just totaled-up what I've spent on home gym equipment since I started this in November. Suffice it to say: I'm cuttin' myself off. Holy smokes! And, while I didn't buy much from the secondary market, rarely have I gone top-drawer on the new stuff I acquired, either.

It also offers you more concentration while offering no excuse for you to skip workouts.

True, all true.

Now, when I put in a one-hour workout, it's all workout.

But if you like to socialize a lot, especially with girls,

I do miss the socializing, but, I've my friends, family, and neighbors.