Heavy lifting at home vs Gym membership

luckyshilling
luckyshilling Posts: 229
in Fitness and Exercise
Brief break down of my sitch. Formerly very fit, hit a rough patch in life (All good now, hey *kitten* happens) and gained weight. Now have 50lbs to lose and looking to get back into heavy lifting. Before I had a gym membership and did my lifting there. Sadly, that gym has closed, I was Norm from Cheers there:(.
At this point in my life I can afford to get another gym membership (so far no place I have looked has had the wonderful charm of my old hole in the wall lifting oriented one) or I can buy all the basics for home. By basics I mean bench, bars, weights, racks, not a system of pulleys or anything like that.
I want to lift heavy and I have a designated spotter (husband) who is happy to go whichever way I choose in regard to home or gym membership. I am leaning toward home gym, but I don't know if that is because I am very shy and it took me so long to get comfortable at my first gym, but I don't want to miss out on anything I can ONLY get at a gym. Definately don't want to buy all that stuff and say "Dang, I really need a gym":grumble:

Has anyone had both? Which did you prefer? Any and all input welcome from you heavy lifters out there (boys & girls alike).
Thanks in advance guys:wink:

Replies

  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    The advantages to a home gym are pretty much that you can do what you want as there are no rules. You can lift barefoot, use chalk, drop your weights, grunt like a demon, and lift in your PJs.

    For me, I like going to a gym though as it gets me out and focused on the task at hand rather than being distracted by kids, the TV, and things like that.
  • bigphatcat
    bigphatcat Posts: 7,843 Member
    I have had both and I prefer the home gym. I am have two active children who take up alot of time after work. A lot of my workouts are at 10 O'Clock at night after they go to bed. I also don't have to wait to use the bench or the curling bar or stuff like that. For cardio I prefer to be outside anyways so I run or bike outside....Not always fun in New England, but I cant stay still and do cardio.
  • YEAHSHAY
    YEAHSHAY Posts: 10
    It sounds as if you miss the camaraderie from gong into the gym? While, you might workout well with your husband spotting you, will you keep up the routine t home? Only, you can decide. Good luck.
  • kbam17
    kbam17 Posts: 14 Member
    We are slowly building a home gym which works better for us than going to an official gym. A huge deterrent for me is the actual time commitment needed to get ready for and go to the gym. Even if the building's nearby, it's easily half an hour to pack all your gear, get dressed, and drive/walk/bike there. I find it more motivational to know I can work out any time I find an hour or feel inspired. I can also try out something new when the inclination strikes instead of having to plan it into my day. Regardless, good luck!
  • kjcross11
    kjcross11 Posts: 3 Member
    I'll put my .02 in!

    I started heavy/olympic lifting in a gym to learn the proper form. Like you, I loved the people who ran it. It was definitely "Cheers" as a gym :)

    But we moved away and faced the same dilemma. We decide to buy our own gym, and dedicated half of our garage to it. For me, it was the best decision we ever made.

    We bought (over time, of course. Some of it we found on craigslist, other stuff we found online for cheap after a lot of research, through different companies) bumper plates and a rack, two 40 lbs bars. a squat rack, a rower, a GHD machine, a dip bar and a pull up bar that mounts from the ceiling. I had to get bands because I can't do pull ups on my own. A box was pretty easy to construct, and it has different heights of 12, 18 and 24 inches. We already had rings, and a set of 12, 25, 35 and 50 pound dumbbells.

    The reason we love it is the sheer flexibility. My husband had a crazy day, so he worked out at midnight last night. At times it's harder to get motivated on your own, but it sounds like that's not a problem for you. We use military athlete/crossfit- esque programming, and we have the programming from the gym we went to before, so I use that to workout and keep track of my own progress.

    I would recommend it. It's a great investment. If you take care of it, you'll have that stuff for the rest of your life.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    At the gym you get the social aspect, or just enjoy being in a like minded environment.

    At home you don't have to wait to use the equipment or have anyone elses sweat all over your bench. Also at home you can work out whatever time you want, your gym may be limited in its opening times.

    My local gym doesn't even have a squat rack, so really no point in me joining that one! The others mean travelling further and I have time constraints to consider with working full time and being a mum of three. Working out at home it was works for me right now.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    I prefer the home setup. Just be certain that you have a good non-compressing floor platform that is LEVEL for squats/deads. When I first set up my stuff in my garage, I failed to realize that the floor has a pretty pronounced grade, and I had some leg imbalances when squatting that almost caused me hip issues before a friend caught it on a form check vid.
  • luckyshilling
    luckyshilling Posts: 229
    Thanks for all the informative and well thought out answers everyone. Really helped a lot. I definately feel more confident to make a descision now. :happy:

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