Home gyms???

ciscosdad · February 2015

Is anyone haven success with run/walking and using a home gym? We had do drop our gym membership. I do have a Weider Crossbow ( kinda like a bowflex) and thanks to my new stent I feel like trying to run. Thats soooo not the old me. Just want to know if anyone else is doing it and having success this way?

tomatoey · February 2015

That's great that you're feeling good and energetic!

Yes, run/walking and home workouts with weights worked to help me lose weight in the past.

Can't run anymore due to an injury from running, though - my suggestion would be to do everything possible to protect your joints, including alternating running with another cardio activity, just to mix up the kinds of strain your feet and knees deal with. If your city has the facilities, ice skating and swimming are good alternates, and so is bike riding (if you've got the weather for that).

Liftng4Lis · February 2015

Success for what? Exercise or weight loss?

Steph_135 · February 2015

I was wondering about what type of success you were talking about too. I used to run on the treadmill. Loved it. Lost 75 lbs JUST with the home gym (weights, cardio equipment, DVDs) and good eating. Now I prefer to run outdoors though. The treadmill at the gym is boring as anything! I love my at home elliptical now.

ciscosdad · February 2015

I guess both. But I would like to use weights to help in this. I have the Crossbow but have never used it on a tegular basis. The comercials for these types of things make them look amasing. We are not able to pay for the gym at this time so I was looking for people that have lost weight and toned up using them. I also am not much of a runner, but am trying to start running as well. Trying to do the best with what I have.

0somuchbetter0 · February 2015

I've had a home gym for years and at various times it has worked well for me. Other times I need the extra motivation of a class or a trainer, but overall I love my home gym. I have a treadmill, elliptical, bench, exercise ball, and dumbbells ranging from 5 to 25 lbs. I have also followed DVD/Internet workouts like HIIT, 30 Day Shred, etc. I find treadmill running to be very boring, though, so when the weather's nice I prefer going outdoors. Since you're just starting with running, look up one of the couch-to-5K aps online and use that on your treadmill. I started running long before aps existed, and just did interval training (run 2 minutes, walk 1, run 3, walk 1, etc.) until I built up to just running.

Good luck!

JAT74 · February 2015

I have a fully equipped home gym, with several machines ie. running machine, eliptical machine and rowing machine plus vibrating plate. I also have free weights in the gym and also a multigym machine. My home gym is actually in my 2 car garage so it's quite big I suppose, though at the moment and several times in the past I have given up using the gym in favour of workout DVDs and dumbbells.

I am currently doing a 90 day workout DVD program which gets progressively harder each time and I workout with that 4 days a week. Some days I double up by using the machines in the gym for 35-45 minutes and other days I go for a long walk with my dog too.

In January I lost 5.5lbs and also half an inch off my waist and hips just by doing the above.

My other half has body fat of around 15% and is able to lift quite heavy using only our home gym, though some of the equipment we've got was a little pricey. We have built it up over time however and some of the machines were 2nd hand or relatively cheap.

jkwolly · February 2015

I took the monthly membership fees I was spending at the gym and built a kick *kitten* gym in my basement.

Having a gym at home is awesome and wouldn't do it any other way! Being able to workout whenever or multiple times a day and not worry about weights being used, it's great!

ciscosdad · February 2015

Unfortunately my budget only allows for what I have. A piece of cardio equipment is not in the card any time soon. But I am excited (unlike me) to try running outside. Got to use what you have.

ciscosdad · February 2015

I like the idea of paying myself the gym fee. I might put up a jar and charge myself a few bucks for a workout. Not much, but a little to go towards new stuff. THANKS!

JAT74 · February 2015

The only thing I'd say is be careful about running outside a lot. Some people are fine with it but a friend of mine used to cycle everywhere and then took up running because she couldn't afford gym membership. After about a year of running and cycling she developed knee problems and shin splints. She saw a physio for a while and then went and bought a 2nd hand eliptical machine she saw in a local Facebook group. She now uses that daily and has had far less problems since.

Think about DVDs too, you can get them very very cheaply on Amazon and some of them don't require weights. Depending on your goals you can choose accordingly ie. one that is cardio only or one that uses body weight exercises etc.

I_Will_End_You · February 2015

Home gyms are the best! I've never stepped foot in a commercial gym, I just use what's in my basement. Before I had an extensive home gym, I just used workout DVDs.

jkwolly · February 2015

ciscosdad wrote: »

I like the idea of paying myself the gym fee. I might put up a jar and charge myself a few bucks for a workout. Not much, but a little to go towards new stuff. THANKS!

Oh heck, running outside wins all.

I only use my deadmill during the dark cold months, and it's brutal!

jkwolly · February 2015

JAT74 wrote: »

The only thing I'd say is be careful about running outside a lot. Some people are fine with it but a friend of mine used to cycle everywhere and then took up running because she couldn't afford gym membership. After about a year of running and cycling she developed knee problems and shin splints. She saw a physio for a while and then went and bought a 2nd hand eliptical machine she saw in a local Facebook group. She now uses that daily and has had far less problems since.

I've been running outside for years, no issues.

Everyone is different.

Liftng4Lis · February 2015

Weight loss is going to start in the kitchen. For the exercise part, use whatever you have. I have a dreadmill in mine as well that I use when I have no other option (lazy butt, snow).

JAT74 · February 2015

Obviously it's very boring doing cardio on a machine indoors vs doing it outside, but running on hard surfaces such as concrete is known to cause some people problems, as my friend found out. As the previous poster has pointed out, you also have the weather to contend with.

In my case, winter is fine if I do outdoor activities after around 10 or 11am but before that it's quite cold. In spring early mornings are better but in summer it's far too hot to do anything outdoors except swimming as it can get to around 40 degrees most days between June and end September.

Ellaskat · February 2015

I think you can have success with any exercise type, as long as you use correctly. I live in the country and don't have a gym membership. Over the course of January, I lost over 12 inches - I do all body weight exercises, along with snoeshoeing, shoveling snow, etc. I also lost 7 pounds - but thats because of my calories, not my exercise:)

loulamb7 · February 2015

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

Weight loss is going to start in the kitchen. For the exercise part, use whatever you have.

All I have is an adjustable pair of dumbbells and a "Complete Gym" (cheap Total Gym knockoff) which I use as a bench and for the occasional stretch. Would like to eventually clean out half the garage and get a power cage, barbell and proper bench (Spring project).

Home gyms???

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