What would you have to do to make the gym obsolete?

contingencyplan

To those of you who go to a gym to work out because doing a basic at-home program like P90X or something else doesn't cut the mustard:

What equipment would YOU have to purchase for your home in order to obsolete your gym membership? I was thinking long and hard about it myself and I realized that, the way I use a gym, I could completely obsolete it by purchasing the following equipment:

Bench
Adjustable dumbbells
Kettlebells

And that's it.

waldo56

Well I don't use a gym at all.

Equipment I consider must have:
Pullup Bar
Mat

Equipment that I consider beneficial but not critical:
Parallettes
2 solid chairs (for dips)
Some dumbells (for some assistance exercises)
Resistance bands (for rehab/prehab/mobility exercises)
Treadmill / other cardio machine (warmup/cooldown, and for days when it is too ___ to run outside)

Bobby_Clerici

For me it is.
I do body weight exercises, calisthenics and outdoor cardio.
LOVE IT!

SergeiKay

Squat rack
adjustable bench (combined with squat rack, makes a bench press)
pull-up / dip station
DBs (going from 20 to 110 lbs, heh)

Vailara

The big expense would be a reinforced floor for my weight training. It's not something I think I could ever afford. Then I'd need a power cage, bench and weights.

JNick77

To those of you who go to a gym to work out because doing a basic at-home program like P90X or something else doesn't cut the mustard:

What equipment would YOU have to purchase for your home in order to obsolete your gym membership? I was thinking long and hard about it myself and I realized that, the way I use a gym, I could completely obsolete it by purchasing the following equipment:

Bench
Adjustable dumbbells
Kettlebells

And that's it.

Stuff that I don't already have that I would need...

1. Full Power rack with adjustable pegs
2. Two full-sized olympic bars
3. A nice set of bumper plates
4. Adjustable inclining & declining bench, probably 2 benches
5. Adjustable plate loaded pulley system
6. Chin-up & Dip station
7. Adjustable dumbbells, up to 150lbs
8. 45-degree support for back hyper extensions
9. Glute-ham raise machine
10. Rubber mats to protect the floor
11. Stairmill or a good elliptical would be really nice for when it's too hot or cold for outdoor cardio

That would be my dream home gym and I would never have to set foot in a commercial gym again. Unfortunately I think my dream gym would cost me about $10k. Of course I could some of it cheaper but if we're talking "dream" then I'm thinking best of the best, EliteFTS, Eleiko, etc.

rose313

The entire Nautilus circuit. I don't know how to work out at home without it. I know about kettle bells and resistance bands, but I still just don't think it would be the same.

runnercheryl

I'm not strictly the right person to answer, but here are my thoughts:

I've never been a 'gym' person. I've always purchased what I've wanted and done workouts that involve little or no equipment. Over the past month, I've been looking into the gym for my winter runs. I've really got into running, and it's become my 'thing'. I don't have space for a treadmill at home, so I was weighing up gym membership to allow me to run on very cold and icy days.

Then, my fiance got into racquet sports. He's asked if I'll get involved a bit, and so far we've played tennis in a public outdoor court and have played squash at our local leisure centre. I've also been saying for a year or two that I'd love to get into swimming, but didn't want to go alone. This week, we went for the first time and both really enjoyed it.

So, I've got a new schedule in place. Three days of running, one day of 30DS, two days of swimming and one day doing whatever my fiance wants to do (usually a racquet sport). I'm going to pay for the swimming pool and squash courts as needed all year, and in winter I'll take out a joint membership for the pool and gym. The gym will only be used for the treadmill.

DavPul

To those of you who go to a gym to work out because doing a basic at-home program like P90X or something else doesn't cut the mustard:

What equipment would YOU have to purchase for your home in order to obsolete your gym membership? I was thinking long and hard about it myself and I realized that, the way I use a gym, I could completely obsolete it by purchasing the following equipment:

Bench
Adjustable dumbbells
Kettlebells

And that's it.

Good list. I'd have to add a couple things to it to make it work for me.

No power rack? That's my number 1 add
Chinup bar
Padded open floor space, about the size of a car.
Top half of a set of dumbbells. The adjustables get way too obzonky for my taste.
Loud *kitten* speakers. Connected to a big *kitten* TV. That's got the DirecTv NFL package
And I'd swap out your kettlebells with a sandbag.

That's pretty much it.

edited to add a full size spinning bike. That's not a dealbreaker, but it would be nice to have cardio option while watching football for 9 hours on Sunday

darkheart

An elliptical, a bench and some dumb bells, really. I used to really be into the spin classes, but now my work schedule conflicts with them... otherwise, I'd need those stands for a regular ike to make it stationary. I know I could do without the gym, but I find the elliptical the best way to torch a bunch of calories.

sjohnny

I don't go to the gym. I have an adjustable bench (separate from the rack), a rack that'll go high enough for squats, an olympic bar, a bunch of plates, two dumbbell handles, a bunch of standard plates. I can get more plates pretty cheap either on craigslist or Play it Again Sports when I get to the top of what I have now. All that stuff is on my back porch. We're supposed to move in a couple of weeks and all that stuff will go in the garage and I'd like to get a power rack at some point as I don't know how much weight I can put on the rack that I have - it will go in the garage at the new house. Cardio happens on the street or trail.

Running and weightlifting - that's all I need to do for now.

MassiveDelta

Move a more moderate climate.

contingencyplan

I didn't add a power rack/squat rack or olympic barbell to my list due to space reasons. I do not have room to devote to any exercise equipment that can't be simply folded up and stored in a closet when not in use. Plus I don't feel I need them with DBs in the right weight.

Wonderob

Too much, I need the variety of lots of weights/benches/machines/cardio

I also need the change in scene to motivate me and someone to spot helps too - tried the home gym in front of a TV and it doesnt work for me

kimad

This is kind of not answering the question, but for me its not that the home programs don't cut the mustard.. it's more the fact I just won't do it at home. I would always have an excuse. I have had no problem using my gym membership 2-4x a week since last October...

LindaCWy

To those of you who go to a gym to work out because doing a basic at-home program like P90X or something else doesn't cut the mustard:

What equipment would YOU have to purchase for your home in order to obsolete your gym membership? I was thinking long and hard about it myself and I realized that, the way I use a gym, I could completely obsolete it by purchasing the following equipment:

Bench
Adjustable dumbbells
Kettlebells

And that's it.

I have one of those all in one dealios, you can do the leg extensions and the fly extensions etc etc. I got it one sale at walmart for 150. I use it, but I use my freeweights (with adjustable plates), barbells and bench more.

JNick77

Too much, I need the variety of lots of weights/benches/machines/cardio

When you're talking "dream" gym it really starts to add-up doesn't it? I didn't even mention getting a Trap/Hex bar and heavy medicine balls.

frillypantz

treadmill..... if only i had the space

1WorkoutAtATime

Precor Crossramp

shamr0ck

What would i absolutely HAVE to have? Probably nothing.

What would i want? Dumbbells from 5-50 lbs. Plates @ 5, 10, 25 and 45lbs, for a total of about 600lbs. A squat cage. A captain's chair with chin-up/pull-up grips and dip bars (got this on order). A full range of cable pulls. A heavy duty incline/decline bench. A couple of olympic bars.

With what i already have, that would probably make me okay with not going to the gym.

Edit to add: what i already have - treadmill, skier, lightweight bench, light dumbbells, weighted jump rope, weighted hoop, 2 mats, 4 stability balls of various size, a BOSU, military press, biceps curl machine, seated chess press, abductor/adductor machine.

Di3012

To those of you who go to a gym to work out because doing a basic at-home program like P90X or something else doesn't cut the mustard:

What equipment would YOU have to purchase for your home in order to obsolete your gym membership? I was thinking long and hard about it myself and I realized that, the way I use a gym, I could completely obsolete it by purchasing the following equipment:

Bench
Adjustable dumbbells
Kettlebells

And that's it.

I did obsolete it by purchasing a commercial treadmill and a resistance machine, that uses one's own bodyweight.

Now, however, even my treadmill is taking a backseat at the moment as I run outside :oD

Jersey_Devil

squat rack, flat bench, incline bench, olympic bar, olympic weights, dumbells, jump rope

AngryDiet

Necessary:

Power Rack
Olympic bar and plates
Bench
Mat

Nice:

dumbbells (bars, weights)
Elliptical machine (or some other way to get a bit of cardio in the winter)

And that's what I did a number of years ago. And now I'm finally using it! (Except the nice to have stuff, but I expect I will sooner or later).

neverstray

A farm

yoovie

what you said and Id want my own barbell.

Wonderob

Too much, I need the variety of lots of weights/benches/machines/cardio

When you're talking "dream" gym it really starts to add-up doesn't it? I didn't even mention getting a Trap/Hex bar and heavy medicine balls.

It sure does. It's also unlikely that Beyonce and Megan Fox are going to want to wait around spotting me

sjohnny

A farm

More trouble than it's worth. I'm selling mine and moving back into town.