Have you ever considered a home gym?

Strebor123

Hi all,

How many people here go to the gym? My guess would be at least a reasonable proportion of you. For some of you your gym membership might be super cheap already and this might not be such a good idea for you in terms of absolute money saved for quite a while (though the convenience would be a big factor)

If you have a spare room or something it might be worth setting up your own home gym. Unfortunately I would be unable to help regarding cardio equipment and the like (just run outside :rotfl:) but I bought myself a power rack, 160KG of weights, flat bench and a 20KG 7 ft bar for around £600 in total. If you need rubber matting that's roughly another £80. So if you're into serious lifting this could be something to really consider.

My gym membership was £150 a year, so this investment will pay for itself after about 4.5 years but the convenience of working out whenever I want (and no waiting) was a huge plus for me. Some people pay upwards of £250 a year for something they probably don't use all that much (too far away, not much time etc.)

I started off buying a power rack off eBay (PM me if you want the link) mine was £250. You can get them for less but mine is rated to 350KG which is great as it's future proof. I live in Plymouth so second hand availability is limited to none but you might have more success in bigger cities. The power racks and the weights are just big heavy bits of metal, so other than the paintwork there's nothing wrong with buying second hand. In fact I would say this applies to pretty much all this equipment. I've heard of people grab weight plates for 50p/KG.

I had to buy most my stuff new, but if you can trawl eBay and gumtree you might well find yourself a sweet deal.

A lot of people thinking about home gyms have concerns that they'll go through the floor etc. If you're a very heavy person and you're able to deadlift 200+ KG then I would probably advise against it. However most floors are rated to at least 30lbs per square foot. Make sure you whack down some thick rubber mats (I have 2 17mm 6x4ft rubber mats and when deadlifting I put a cheap 2mm foam mat where the weights make contact with the floor)

The power rack has a very large base so that and the rubber mats underneath mean the load is well distributed.

Any questions feel free to ask. Also, any questions relating to weightlifting advice in general I am up for helping.

Regards,

Jake

DomRavioli

I prefer going to my gym thanks. I don't use weights, I use mainly the pool (which will cost a hell of a lot of money for a home one) and occasionally the low impact aerobic equipment.

Most people don't lift weights, because they end up being self obsessed idiots.

Oh and Pure Gym is £20 a month and is open 24/7, even christmas day. Way cheaper, and the selection of equipment plus maintainence and upkeep is already included.

SailorSam

I had a home-gym in the spare bedroom of my last house, but it took up the whole room and was heavy to move. I found going the gym much better with more options. I used the Council gym and it wasn't as expensive as some private ones. I think now even a Wii at home is good value.

AdventureRocks

DomRavioli wrote: »

I prefer going to my gym thanks. I don't use weights, I use mainly the pool (which will cost a hell of a lot of money for a home one) and occasionally the low impact aerobic equipment.

Most people don't lift weights, because they end up being self obsessed idiots.

Oh and Pure Gym is £20 a month and is open 24/7, even christmas day. Way cheaper, and the selection of equipment plus maintainence and upkeep is already included.

you what mate ?

AdventureRocks

I have considered it.

Although one factor which made it a no go was i like to have people near by if i get into difficulty for safety.

DD265

When I lived at my parents we'd converted the garage into a gym. The ceiling was too low for a lot of things and then the garage was needed for storage for a year.

I do a mixture of things at the gym; weights, swimming, vibration plates and I like knowing that there are other people around if I run into a spot of bother.

Admittedly at £38 per month it is not cheap - I have a membership at DW but there's a gym in my home town and one near each office (35 and 70 miles away respectively) so it works out well for me. Originally I wanted a council run gym but the opening times sucked and I'd have been tied to one location.

pointsguy

I did but I've got small space in my flat.

lessonlearned

In my last house we used our garage as a gym, it was great and I really miss it. It was so easy to just pop in there, do what I wanted to do and then have a shower.

When my husband was ill (now alas no longer with us) the carers and I used to help him into the gym and onto the equipment. He managed to stay mobile for a lot longer that way. Without his daily exercise he would have deteriorated much more quickly.

I am now a widow and currently househunting for somewhere for me. space for a gym is definitely a top priority.

As for weight lifters becoming obsessive. Well maybe some do, but then again you find obsessive people in any area of life, whether its weight lifters or Harry Potter fans.......

Resistance training Has proven health benefits building up muscle strength and helping maintain bone health, and should be an integral part of any health and exercise provramme.

In my previous home gym we hAd an exercis bike, a cross trainer, a small multi gym., yoga mat, Swiss ball and hand weights, alas no pool. I also had a long grab rail fitted for my husband to help him stand and do some stretching exercise.

The multi gym was second hand and cost £100 the rest were new. I reckon about £400 worth in total but as it was used daily by 4 adults I think it was excellent value for money.

If you google home gyms you will get lots of ideas on how to kit one out. You can Go to town and make them quite luxurious but ours wAs basic and simple but it did the job.

lessonlearned

pointsguy wrote: »

I did but I've got small space in my flat.

Yes space is problem. I currently have to make do with a corner of my very small bedroom so not a lot of scope.

My dad is 89. He lives in a small one bed apartment in a sheltered housing complex and space is at a premium. We recently lost mum and he is now trying to regain his fitness a bit after spending a lot of time looking after her. He cant get down on the floor to use a yoga mat so ive shown him some exercises he can do lying on the bed.

He uses some small hand weights and a resistance band. He also has a window cill which is just the right height to hold onto whilst doing some standing exercises.

He's been exercising now for around six weeks and I can see him getting stronger and healthier. Regular exercise is helping him work through the grievimg priocess too. Hes gone from barely tottering a few steps with a walking stick to walking quite happily without any walking aids. He can't walk very far but at least he is mobile and getting stronger all the time.

Ive just bought him a leg exerciser which you use whilst sitting down, £5 from a charity shop so,we will see how he gets on with that.

You might not have space for a gym but what about a ball or yoga mat and some hand weights and if you can afford it maybe a Wii. Some treadmills can fold up fairly easily.

stephen77

Strebor123 wrote: »

A lot of people thinking about home gyms have concerns that they'll go through the floor etc. If you're a very heavy person and you're able to deadlift 200+ KG then I would probably advise against it. However most floors are rated to at least 30lbs per square foot. Make sure you whack down some thick rubber mats (I have 2 17mm 6x4ft rubber mats and when deadlifting I put a cheap 2mm foam mat where the weights make contact with the floor)



Jake

I more worried about dumbbells hitting the floor when landing on a angle rather than flush with the ground.
Lots of weight through a small point. Just like a stiletto heel over a whole foot.

At the same time I am heavy guy who deads over 200kg so for that reason is another reason as well.

Tlg1991

i am currently moving to a new house later this year. the house has a large garage and i wont be using it for my car as there is a front drive and i dont want it wasted for storage.

i plan to scrap my £10 per month gym fee (yes its cheap which also mean its BUSY so your waiting for a looonggg time for weights and equipment.) and getting a full gym setup in the garage.

it also helps as i am a design engineer and have designed my own equipment like a squat rack with pull up bars and dip bars integrated to save on space it needed and i can get this made at work for base material cost.