Cancelling the Gym Membership and turning a bedroom into a Gym room instead? - Advice wanted

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  • fittocycle
    fittocycle Posts: 827 Member
    We have a home gym. I use it 5-6 days a week, my husband not so much.
  • darlamiller
    darlamiller Posts: 27 Member
    I have what I call exercise room !! 2 ellipticals (for my husband when he joins me) treadmill ,2different bicycles, and for my weights I use the total gym (have for years) I love it less chance for injury!! I get up and start my workout first thing before I have time to think about it !! Oh I also have a tanning bed!!
    Good luck!!!
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
    My 'home gym' was a set of adjustable dumbbells, a cheap elliptical I got at an auction, and a speed jump rope.
    It was fine when I was in a crunch working 2 jobs and couldn't make it to my gym (thankfully charge month to month so i could take 2 months off) and I found that my motivation dropped. I missed my gym environment. The gym I go to has a hardcore lifting atmosphere which is super motivating to me. I see my goals everywhere. At home, not so much. I was ecstatic to finally have time to go back.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
    I don't lift weights, but I have a treadmill, a set of dumbbells, a jump rope, a step, and some dvds that I never use.

    I definitely recommend a motorized treadmill if you plan on running indoors. I spent $1500 9 years ago on a Sole treadmill from Dick's and it has been worth every penny.

  • timpatrick
    timpatrick Posts: 11 Member
    I am lucky that all of our city gyms are accessible with $100 yearly pass (love va beach)...I guess it all depends on what motivates you. For me, getting out of work and getting to the gym on the way home is a commitment I keep to myself and hard to slack off when I am there and in my gym clothes.
  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
    If I was going to start a home gym adjustable dumbbells would be my first choice.

    After that a good mat and if the floor can support it, a barbell and plates
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,211 Member
    Skimmed the posts, you have a lot of good advice there. As far as the gym goes, it really depends what your goals are. If its to just lose weight and tone up, you need far less equipment than if you are wanting to bulk up.

    I don't have a gym membership. My home gym consists of 2 x 20kg (44lb) adjustable dumbbell sets I got from K-mart (I'm in NZ) for $140NZD (Probably around $80-90 USD). I have an exercise mat. and that's it.

    I do all my exercise with fitness blender. I have followed their 8 week programs for busy people, so only around 30-35 minutes of exercise a day with a mix of strength and HIIT. And I have recently started doing yoga. There are literally hundreds of exercises you can do that don't use more than that. I've lost around 35lb since January.
  • sendtoharvey
    sendtoharvey Posts: 135 Member
    love my "PowerBlocks"... adjustable weights... pretty reasonably balance. pricey at first but there's a bunch of Craigslist usually.. think mine new were about 250? also have a galvanized pipe across a couple of sawhorses for some Australian pull ups. home gym, done.
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    Free weights, bars, bells, bench, treadmill, pully set up etc is probably going to get pricey and take up a lot of space no matter how you swing it.
    I've been checking out prices for a similar set up (I am specifically looking for- plates, bars, DBs, bench and cage, rower, glute ham bench, pully set up) and buying it all new will run me $5000+ and likely take up a good portion of the space in my garage. (You want ample room for barbell movements and loading) If I decide a home gym is what I want, I want all this equipment and I want it in good condition. (I've also been lifting a few years, and I know what I want at this point;)
    Maybe you could get lucky and find a few used pieces in good condition, but trying to find all the equipment you're looking for used/cheap is a tall order.
    For me, it makes more sense to stay at my public gym and hopefully save up so I can reconsider the garage gym in the future.
  • northdog
    northdog Posts: 43 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    Home gym here. I do have a membership to a rec center but rarely go. I mostly use it for an occasional special class and in order to get a discount on summer camp for my daughter.

    For me, the ability to use my home gym at anytime is a huge plus. I don't have to worry about the time it takes to drive to a gym or childcare issues. I can run upstairs to turn on the oven between sets. My daughter can workout with me there. I can superset as much as I want without bothering others. I can try new things and make a fool out of myself in private. It makes me think creatively when I want to do an exercise but don't have the exact right tool to do it. It's great and I love it.

    I have standard bars and plates. They max at 250 lbs, which is plenty for me. I use the same plates on the dumbbell handles I have. My other equipment includes squat stands, sawhorses I use as safeties, two benches, cinder blocks, an adjustable box, pull-up bar, various bands, an Airdyne, a very simple cable system that I use for lat pulldowns, pushdowns, face pulls, and cable rows, ab wheel, and a Swiss ball.

    This sounds a lot like my home gym set up. I love it. My favorite part is not having to get dressed in anything special. Sometimes I just workout in the morning when I'm still in my pajamas. It's easy to get down there and workout without any childcare issues or excuses. Between sets, I'll usually do the laundry.
  • juliewatkin
    juliewatkin Posts: 764 Member
    I set up my own gym in my garage and now my basement in my latest house. We have cage, bench (recently reupholstered in suede), 800(ish) lbs in plates, 2 Olympic bars, SSB bar, Olympic DB handles, bands, boxes, chalk bowl and a lifting platform. I started building it in 2009 and have spent approximately $1,000 over the years. I've had a lot of luck getting items over the years the most impressive was 700lbs in plates for $100.

    I don't know that I would have bothered if I wasn't competing. It's been great and really convenient and I love having it. At the same time I miss people watching at the gym. Sometimes we'll still go out so I can do that.

    I wouldn't set up weights in a room. I'd do it on a reinforced concrete surface with sheets of plywood and rubber matting protecting the floor.
  • mygrl4meee
    mygrl4meee Posts: 943 Member
    It sounds like your room might be too small.. i sort of want a home gym but mine would be more like a big tv with room for videos workouts. if i had space i would put a treadmill or a bike.. plus i need a rack for weights.. but i could see myself wanting a gym membership and home gym. why cant we have it all? good luck with your decision.
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    I think my home gym is so awesome that I should be charging myself a monthly membership.
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