3 ms·

Slightly off-topic, but a home gym pays back in no-time (if you only use weights and some simple equipment like a bench and a pullup rack, that is).

Gareth321 3y ago
With a little creativity it can work well. The essentials include an olympic bar and weights, barbells, squat rack, and bench. The upfront cost isn't too bad (maybe a few years worth of gym membership). The space requirements can be prohibitive. Setup can also be annoying with limited space because it can mean dragging all the equipment to another location to use, then back again to pack it up.
- rambambram 3y ago
  True. I purchased my weights before covid and was very happy the moment the lockdowns started here. Ultimately, I started my home gym because this way I have no excuses to not train. It's next to my computer and everytime I feel the urge to train I can do that immediately (not on a training scheme right now). Put on some nice music (without ads) and defy gravity, usually without changing to gym clothing (yes, they go in the laundry afterwards). Depending on what you pay for a gym membership of course, I think I started saving money after 1,5 to 2 years (cheap gym membership compared to relatively cheap equipment at home).
jerrre 3y ago
This assumes you have the space
- zemvpferreira 3y ago
  I prefer public gyms by far but you can build a very capable home gym that fits under half a bed. Forget squats, deadlifts and bench presses and bring in unilateral variations at higher rep counts and you won't need much more than a handle and a pair of 45's for years.
- rambambram 3y ago
  I just measured the footprint of my home gym (only weights, a small bench and a pullup rack) and it's like 2 (two!) square meters. Take another 2 square meters for exercising and lifting, and I'm good to go. Caveat, I parked my bench inside my pullup rack (don't have to move it before training though).
Saanti 3y ago
This. Plus doing your cardio work outside, running/cycling/hiking through nature and fresh air
gosub100 3y ago
On a 1-10 scale of "difficulty to workout", I'm an 8 or 9. Most of my problems are psychological, motivational, ADHD/executive function related. Buying home gym equipment would do absolutely nothing for me because I would just stare at it and procrastinate. I just started doing personal training, which is terribly expensive but it's one of the only things that motivates me to go. The other thing that helps is being around other people who are exercising, and in a brightly-lit space. Finally, I wanted to share that doing personal training, we spend 70% of the time doing calisthenic-type exercises that require basically no equipment at all. So if someone has the motivation, do your squats, stair-steps, stretches, running, and maybe all you need to buy is a set or 2 of free weights (by "set" I mean literally two weights of specific values, not a set of all possible weights). Other cheap and small accessories are rubber bands that go around your legs, a mat so you can crawl on the floor and not get dirty, plastic frisbee-like plates so you can do leg stretches on the carpet. I know this is all "no shit" type information for people who work out a lot, I just want to share that for someone who wants to exercise for cheap, you do NOT need a towering multi-gym set to get started. There's TONS of exercises you can do right now if you just have the motivation.
- rambambram 3y ago
  Thanks for the reply. To each their own indeed. I had to learn to like it, and that meant I had to hold back and space out the input energy over multiple days. I used to go all-in once in a while, hurt my body and than not do it for a long time. The first year of taking weight training more seriously was really nothing more than using the same light weight, doing exactly one set for one exercise each day and just getting my body used to it. A gym membership is a complete road block for me. I get distracted by women and that kind of thing. And I don't want to wait for available equipment. Besides I want to make the noises without people looking at me, or me thinking people look at me. Good luck with the personal training!

Gareth321 3y ago

With a little creativity it can work well. The essentials include an olympic bar and weights, barbells, squat rack, and bench. The upfront cost isn't too bad (maybe a few years worth of gym membership). The space requirements can be prohibitive. Setup can also be annoying with limited space because it can mean dragging all the equipment to another location to use, then back again to pack it up.

rambambram 3y ago
True. I purchased my weights before covid and was very happy the moment the lockdowns started here. Ultimately, I started my home gym because this way I have no excuses to not train. It's next to my computer and everytime I feel the urge to train I can do that immediately (not on a training scheme right now). Put on some nice music (without ads) and defy gravity, usually without changing to gym clothing (yes, they go in the laundry afterwards). Depending on what you pay for a gym membership of course, I think I started saving money after 1,5 to 2 years (cheap gym membership compared to relatively cheap equipment at home).

jerrre 3y ago

This assumes you have the space

zemvpferreira 3y ago
I prefer public gyms by far but you can build a very capable home gym that fits under half a bed. Forget squats, deadlifts and bench presses and bring in unilateral variations at higher rep counts and you won't need much more than a handle and a pair of 45's for years.
rambambram 3y ago
I just measured the footprint of my home gym (only weights, a small bench and a pullup rack) and it's like 2 (two!) square meters. Take another 2 square meters for exercising and lifting, and I'm good to go. Caveat, I parked my bench inside my pullup rack (don't have to move it before training though).

Saanti 3y ago

This. Plus doing your cardio work outside, running/cycling/hiking through nature and fresh air

gosub100 3y ago

On a 1-10 scale of "difficulty to workout", I'm an 8 or 9. Most of my problems are psychological, motivational, ADHD/executive function related. Buying home gym equipment would do absolutely nothing for me because I would just stare at it and procrastinate. I just started doing personal training, which is terribly expensive but it's one of the only things that motivates me to go. The other thing that helps is being around other people who are exercising, and in a brightly-lit space. Finally, I wanted to share that doing personal training, we spend 70% of the time doing calisthenic-type exercises that require basically no equipment at all. So if someone has the motivation, do your squats, stair-steps, stretches, running, and maybe all you need to buy is a set or 2 of free weights (by "set" I mean literally two weights of specific values, not a set of all possible weights). Other cheap and small accessories are rubber bands that go around your legs, a mat so you can crawl on the floor and not get dirty, plastic frisbee-like plates so you can do leg stretches on the carpet. I know this is all "no shit" type information for people who work out a lot, I just want to share that for someone who wants to exercise for cheap, you do NOT need a towering multi-gym set to get started. There's TONS of exercises you can do right now if you just have the motivation.

rambambram 3y ago
Thanks for the reply. To each their own indeed. I had to learn to like it, and that meant I had to hold back and space out the input energy over multiple days. I used to go all-in once in a while, hurt my body and than not do it for a long time. The first year of taking weight training more seriously was really nothing more than using the same light weight, doing exactly one set for one exercise each day and just getting my body used to it. A gym membership is a complete road block for me. I get distracted by women and that kind of thing. And I don't want to wait for available equipment. Besides I want to make the noises without people looking at me, or me thinking people look at me. Good luck with the personal training!