Home gym or gym membership

2

Replies

  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,489 Member
    edited May 2016
    Turned my 4th bedroom into a total gym! Love love it. The perks, I can be a meathead in my own home, no commute, no standing in lines to use equipment, shower and fridge are right up the hallway, oh and I don't have to wipe down or pick up weights others used that are nasty and sweaty..

    I managed to get an elliptical and treadmill (elliptical is my husbands), EZ curl bar, long bar, tons of dumbbells, squat rack, bench and all the plates the plate racks would hold.

    Getting my workout done in the a.m. so I can move on to other life's events, I choose at home all the way!

    Personal preference and depends on how much investment you want to make!
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    I live one mile from the gym and have a key but only run past it in the mornings. In the fall when ski season is coming I stop by on my runs for a quick Nautilus set
  • kmbrooks15
    kmbrooks15 Posts: 941 Member
    thetexasone wrote: »
    Well I priced the cheapest gym around me and it is $65 couple rate and is usually packed even after hours

    That's definitely a consideration. If it's packed all the time to the point you can't use any of the equipment, it's probably worth setting up something at home if space and finances allow it. Where do you live? $65 is a lot, even for a couple. I'm in SC and my Gold's membership is $20 (for just me) and allows me to use any Gold's anywhere and gives me access to all classes and equipment.
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
    Depends. I personally like working out at home over a gym.

    Pros for me:
    1) I can go straight home, into my workout clothes, watch my dogs, and get my workout in. They get more out of kennel time with me working out at home. I have my garage set-up that they can be out in the garage with me while I'm working out so they get to play while I lift.
    2) It's more cost effective for me. I bought everything I needed in one go. It cost about a year's worth of gym memberships, but I've been working out for about a year at home so now it's paid for itself.
    3) I don't have to wait on equipment. The only person using my equipment is me.
    4) If I wanna curl in the squat rack, I can (lol)!
    5) I got the equipment I wanted. I wanted bumper plates instead of the coated steel plates, so that's what I bought.

    Cons:
    1) If something breaks, it's on me to fix/replace.
    2) I'm limited by space on what I can/can't have. (Example: I only have free weights, no machines.)
    3) Nobody else is around to push you. If you like the social aspect of working out, it may not work for you to workout at home.
    4) It can get expensive buying what you want depending on what you're wanting.
  • pcpop7
    pcpop7 Posts: 161 Member
    I find going to the gym much more motivational. Seeing the other folk working out and progressing motivates me to push harder. It also opens up variations on excercises when you see other people doing them: YouTube is great but seeing a real live person squat atg lets you do a little form check.

    Also I enjoy my home space as home. I quite like keeping things separate in my head.

  • JustinAnimal
    JustinAnimal Posts: 1,335 Member
    This is really hard to answer. Personally, as the father of a one-year-old, and a teacher (which means I'll be watching him all summer and my only moments to lift will be when he's asleep and I'm at home), I'm going to be investing in a tiny home gym and rely on running or indoor HIIT stuff for cardio. Depends how cheaply you can do it and how certain you are that you'll be lifting the rest of your life... which you should!
  • JeffS435
    JeffS435 Posts: 133 Member
    I think in most cases gym memberships are a waste of money. You can do a lot with just body weight or some dumbbells.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Gym for me. Love me the squat rack/cage
  • thetexasone
    thetexasone Posts: 24 Member
    kmbrooks15 wrote: »
    thetexasone wrote: »
    Well I priced the cheapest gym around me and it is $65 couple rate and is usually packed even after hours

    That's definitely a consideration. If it's packed all the time to the point you can't use any of the equipment, it's probably worth setting up something at home if space and finances allow it. Where do you live? $65 is a lot, even for a couple. I'm in SC and my Gold's membership is $20 (for just me) and allows me to use any Gold's anywhere and gives me access to all classes and equipment.

    I live in central Texas, I'm a rail coordinator for the rail road so I put in about 160 hrs on the average every 2 weeks. So I'm starting to lean more toward home work out
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,469 Member
    The psychology of this thread is quite fascinating to me. I see a lot of people admitting they find too many excuses not to work out at home, so they go to the gym. That's totally fair. For me, however, I can find excuses not to go to the gym (it's raining, they will close soon, too crowded), but I have zero excuses if I have everything at home! I've even done rows in my PJs because I got ready for bed and then remembered I hadn't done them. :smiley:
  • pcpop7
    pcpop7 Posts: 161 Member
    Mouse_Potato wrote: »
    The psychology of this thread is quite fascinating to me. I see a lot of people admitting they find too many excuses not to work out at home, so they go to the gym. That's totally fair. For me, however, I can find excuses not to go to the gym (it's raining, they will close soon, too crowded), but I have zero excuses if I have everything at home! I've even done rows in my PJs because I got ready for bed and then remembered I hadn't done them. :smiley:


    Lol. See that would be a problem for me the other way. I want an intense 90 minute workout and be done. If it was always available to me it would be 5 mins here and 5 mins there through the day and I would not have the same focus.
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,469 Member
    pcpop7 wrote: »
    Mouse_Potato wrote: »
    The psychology of this thread is quite fascinating to me. I see a lot of people admitting they find too many excuses not to work out at home, so they go to the gym. That's totally fair. For me, however, I can find excuses not to go to the gym (it's raining, they will close soon, too crowded), but I have zero excuses if I have everything at home! I've even done rows in my PJs because I got ready for bed and then remembered I hadn't done them. :smiley:


    Lol. See that would be a problem for me the other way. I want an intense 90 minute workout and be done. If it was always available to me it would be 5 mins here and 5 mins there through the day and I would not have the same focus.

    Yeah, it's a compromise. See, I don't have quite enough time to do my workout over lunch (my preferred time), but I don't have all the equipment I need at home, so I split up my workout. It's not ideal, but we do what works for us! ;)
  • kmbrooks15
    kmbrooks15 Posts: 941 Member
    Mouse_Potato wrote: »
    The psychology of this thread is quite fascinating to me. I see a lot of people admitting they find too many excuses not to work out at home, so they go to the gym. That's totally fair. For me, however, I can find excuses not to go to the gym (it's raining, they will close soon, too crowded), but I have zero excuses if I have everything at home! I've even done rows in my PJs because I got ready for bed and then remembered I hadn't done them. :smiley:

    It is interesting to see how differently people are motivated. My hat goes off to you that you can be that motivated at home--I have trouble at home because there are too many other things to do there (like sit on the couch and eat cookies!).
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    OP as long as there is no contract (usually an option) you can try the gym, see if you like it, or if you particularly prefer certain equipment, and then decide.

    It may be that you and your wife even prefer different things. If her schedule isn't as demanding as yours she may find classes and such that she likes to go to that don't interest you, or don't fit your schedule.

    My DH has really no interest in a gym membership...doesn't feel he would use it enough. But I have a membership and really wouldn't want to give it up.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,534 Member
    That depends on you. It's a non starter for me because I have no place to put a power rack, bench, an Oly platform, and all of the plates and bumper plates I would need. Even if I did have a home gym, it would cost me tens of thousands of dollars to have the equipment I have access to at my gym, not to mention the experience and expertise of my trainer. On top of that, while we don't just sit around talking and hanging out, there is a social aspect to going to the gym and picking each others brains, etc.

    Conversely, it can be somewhat difficult to find a gym that you like and are comfortable with. I do not enjoy being in a large commercial gym. Prior to my current gym, my favorite gym was this local place that was 24/7 and not too big, but not too small and not overly crowded. I stopped going there when my trainer stopped renting space there and started his own place...it is awesome because it's not open to the general public...it's a small studio gym and maybe 3 or 4 other people might be working out at the same time I am...sometimes nobody...so it's kind of like having my own gym.
  • chad23jl
    chad23jl Posts: 54 Member
    If I had the equipment had home....I would totally work out at home...but I don't and since I am in the Army and active duty I get into the post gyms for free. I actually work out at the gym I have inside the hospital I work in and its great.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    Personally, I do better with a gym membership. It isn't expensive for me, but paying means I have to use it. It also eliminates all my excuses. "It's too hot/cold, I am not exercising in front of my family" et cetera. It really depends on your mindset. I know a lot of people with VERY dusty home equipment. I know some who use it every day faithfully.
  • thetexasone
    thetexasone Posts: 24 Member
    I found this locally
  • thetexasone
    thetexasone Posts: 24 Member
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  • carlapendergrass
    carlapendergrass Posts: 42 Member
    Cost and space are all valid considerations, but the most important one is "Will I really work out at home?" It doesn't matter how much you save or how convenient it is if you won't actually DO it.

    For me, the answer is "No." There are too many distractions at home.

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