Home Gym Questions

I have my own gym area with a nice few weights and a bench, the essentials really but to be honest I hardly ever use it because it's just so boring there training on my own. I prefer the atmosphere in the gym, not that I go there to talk and mess around but I just for some reason find it much harder to train at home. Don't really know why it is, I think it maybe because I am do used to training in a gym environment.

Proper gym in a shed out back.

I prefer listening to my music at my preferred volume, training with a friend or on my own as I like.

Train at any time, even if only for a short time.

Weights will be where I left them.

No distractions/reasons to doss.

Can use little tiny weights when I'm knackered without being embarassed

Try something new and make a tit of myself with no witnessess.

No-one waiting on me to finish curling in the rack.

Biggest gain for me is time spent going to and from gym. I can nip out the back, train and be back in the shower in less time than it takes to drive to the gym and get changed. Also, with kids now I am technically still at home if they need something...but it had better be an emergency!

I've a power rack, bench, barbell + plates, e-z bar and 2 x dumbbell handles. The rack has bars for wide grip pull ups and chin ups. The bench can decline too. Essentially I have everything I need for a decent workout and you can always improvise to replace machines which are available at the gym. It's just in a corner in a room, just need space for 7 foot barbell; most things can be done in the rack or just in front of the rack.

Pros:
-Train any time, any weather
-Time saved from travelling, petrol also saved
-Cheaper (spent €1k on the above, gym membership locally is ~€400/year - the €1k I spent will probably last me decades)
-Can try out new exercises without looking like a knob and can spend time perfecting them without slowing down other people who might want to use the equipment
-Never have to wait for any equipment
-Can watch my own tv channels, listen to my own music and take phone calls/respond to e-mails between sets while I workout (i.e. I MAKE THE RULES!!)
-Can bring the weights outside if it's a good day, even if just the barbell + dumbbell handles and a few plates; makes for an enjoyable workout albeit somewhat limited.
-Can bring the plates anywhere e.g. the beach
-I can use as much chalk as I want, can make as much noise I want; basically I can be an arsehole and not infringe on anyone elses experience

Cons:
-It's easy to fart around and go on the laptop between sets; it requires more mental discipline than going to the gym because when you make the effort to travel to the gym you generally make the effort to work out. It can be easy to go through the motions at home.
-Limited amount of equipment (I don't find this impacts my training but you obviously don't have all the equipment at home that you have in a commercial gym so it's still a con)
-People can call to your door when working out and might disturb your workout even if just momentarily
-You have to put the plates on the dumbbells, this can be a pain in the arse as in gyms you can just pick them up usually in 2kg increments which is dead handy


TL;DR:
I prefer the home gym. No waiting times, less travel, no fuel costs, no annual fees. Spend big once and you can be sorted for decades and you can always continue adding things to your collection if you feel you need them. My motivation is the same as in a commercial gym, it does require more discipline to not get distracted during a workout at home though and some things are unavoidable distractions.

I'd agree with a lot of the pros that jive said. Except I'd never be on the phone or using a laptop in between sets or anything like that.

I've a proper brick shed the width of my back yard. Lots of space in it. I've a power rack, 2 benches that incline, 2 oly barbells, 2 dumbbell bars, ez bar, hammer curl bar, a few kettlebells, pull up/dip station, platforms for box jumps, heavy bag, speed ball, tractor tire, heavy sledge hammer, prowler sledge, Bulgarian bag, treadmill and cross trainer.

I've been building it up for years and finally have everything I need now. A lot of It was bought second hand which kept costs down. Even got some of it for free such as the tractor tire, treadmill, some plates, a bench and I made the prowler and Bulgarian bag myself. I just tried buy and sell and outlets like that which have a free section. Also got stuff for cheap from a local gym that were upgrading items. The power rack and heavy plates were the only real big expense. All in all it was around 1200 and I've broken even in terms of paying gym fees and petrol etc. Only thing liable to break is the treadmill and cross trainer. Which I only use when the weather is bad anyways.

I find a gym at home highly motivates me. Maybe it's because I have to leave my house so it feels like I'm going to a gym. I can train when I want, split sessions into morning and night, never have to worry about waiting for something and I can pose. After reading Arnold Schwarzenegger's book I decided to install a full length mirror and pose in between sets. I think it has helped in making my muscles look more separated. Only real con I have is not spotter if I wanna push it on the bench or with squats. But even that is easily sorted as I let mates come and go as they please so could get someone if I wanted to.

Deise Musashi wrote: »

Proper gym in a shed out back.

I prefer listening to my music at my preferred volume, training with a friend or on my own as I like.

Train at any time, even if only for a short time.

Weights will be where I left them.

No distractions/reasons to doss.

Can use little tiny weights when I'm knackered without being embarassed

Try something new and make a tit of myself with no witnessess.

No-one waiting on me to finish curling in the rack.

Biggest gain for me is time spent going to and from gym. I can nip out the back, train and be back in the shower in less time than it takes to drive to the gym and get changed. Also, with kids now I am technically still at home if they need something...but it had better be an emergency!

dont forget working out naked.

brianblaze wrote: »

Sorry to resurrect an old thread. Can anyone point me in the direction of a decent (read cheap) supplier of home gym equipment. (Power Rack, Bench, Bar, Plates etc)

I got my Oly weight kit from myhomefitness.ie, they have a reasonably priced rubber coated weight set.

Got my power rack and bench from powerhouse-fitness.co.uk, it's well-priced and solid, I have the cf475 with the lat pulldown and no complaints so far. A friend picked up a power rack from irish lifting and is equally happy, they sell TDS racks. You can go to the new york barbell site to see what kind of accessories are available.

brianblaze wrote: »

How much am I looking at for all the essentials, in your experience? Looking around is really putting the frighteners on me for Bars and plates, never mind bench and racks!

Well that depends on what your goals are. If it's day zero then second hand standard weights from adverts.ie along with a decent bench and squat rack is probably all you need for the first 6 months to a year. That's the route I went for the first six months, once I was convinced I was invested I splashed out on the rest.

Search for the CF415, I can't post links because my account doesn't have enough posts, on powerhouse fitness. It's the squat rack that I started out with, you'll need an oly bar to get the most benefits, or a 7ft standard bar at least. It gives you spotter catchers so you don't cave your chest in but it's a lot cheaper than a full rack.

A 140kg set of oly weights, a solid bench and a power rack would be 1k+ for decent equipment. If you cheap out you could pay the price down the road. If you go the route of second hand standard weights you'll find they keep their price , you'll be able to sell them again for the same price you paid when you outgrow them.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B009R0QKJ4/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?ref_=pe_385721_37038051_TE_3p_dp_1

Heres a link to a 500kg rated bench for about 70quid delivered (using parcel motel)iv ordered this myself but haven't got my hands on it yet . If you can get better for cheaper id be surprised. If you want olympic plates or bars pm me , I have a ton literally.

Jarren wrote: »

Boxed-product Weight: 8 Kg

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Barbell-Dumbbell-Lifting-Fitness-Workout/dp/B009R0QKJ4

8 KG boxed weight and 500 kg capacity , what is this bench made of ?

Considering a long thin olympic bar that weighs 20kg can handle serious weight im not too sure id be worried about overloading it .Whats even your pretty strong lifter gonna total load it with 250kg ? As I said havent seen it but reviews say its a solid bit of kit.

mdwexford wrote: »

Lol at that bench.

8kg, I'd say it's about as solid as a wet cardboard box.

Cf475 cage has about 10 times the steel and only weighs 69kg . Suppose thats a wet cardboard box aswell. Fyi its made of 1.5m (think most power cages) q195 steel( think structural or scaffolding). Hardly a wet cardboard box.

brianblaze wrote: »

Thanks everyone!

I'm a regular gym rat, but have recently moved back down the country from Dublin. (Looking for a place with a garage for Motorbike and for gym set up) Have explained to herself that will be cheaper long term to build my own gym, and she can use it too. My essentials are:

Power Rack (Preferably with Pull up bar inbuilt)
Oly Bar
Oly Plates - to 200KG to start
Bench
Dumbells (10's, 15's, 20's, 25's, 30's, 40's)

Might have missed something!

Get oly dumbell handles . Fixed dumbells wil cost you an arm and a leg. Adverts.ie I think about 50 quid delivered.

Home Gym Buyers Guide: Choosing Dumbbells: http://youtu.be/cdF4SL5ZI28

This guy works out at home and has an entire playlist on buying home equipment, reviews and stuff . Great channel especially if your training at home.

dor843088 wrote: »

Cf475 cage has about 10 times the steel and only weighs 69kg . Suppose thats a wet cardboard box aswell. Fyi its made of 1.5m (think most power cages) q195 steel( think structural or scaffolding). Hardly a wet cardboard box.

I would not trust a bench that weighs 8kg anyway, never mind claiming that it will hold 500kg.

Mine weighs 4 times that and is still not a commercial bench or claims to hold that much weight.

That bench is a piece of crap if it weighs that much.

brianblaze wrote: »

I'll be looking to get the big plates though, and bumper plates for the smaller weights. (Easier Deadlifting and herself is interested in getting into it, so will have her doing a tonne of squats... Mwhahaha) Could get Oly Dumbells and smaller weights as well I suppose!

Olympic Dumbbells are very long and awkward.

If you can afford Powerblocks/Ironmasters maybe go for those.
If not spinlocks and standard plates are a decent cheaper option.

dor843088 wrote: »

I can see you are a man who makes ill informed snap judgements. Take the jack out of the boot of your car , how much does it weigh? 2kg ? How much can it handle ? 1ton ? And it would have lots of stress points and moving parts. If all you base your " piece of crap " judgement on is weight then its an ignorant view at best.

You clearly have no idea about quality gym equipment if you think a bench that weighs that much and costs that much is going to be good quality.

Stop comparing it to jacks and scaffolding because it's got nothing to do with it.