home gyms are they worth it?

since I'm now geting it to my routine I'm trying deicid if I want to join a gym or buy more equipment
like a good home gym so questions I have what should I look for in a "home gym" I know a bit about this
like I would love a squat rack and a pull down bar and a vertical bench seting for the mil press and a
better leg extension set the nI one I have now.

I own Body Solid's Powerline Smith Home Gym, and it was the best home gym investment I've ever made.  I opted for the Smith over a standard power cage, because I workout alone, and it's nice not having to worry about dropping a loaded barbell on my neck -or worse, through the floor of my apartment

I traded up from an early Wieder brand piece of selectorized garbage that was all cables and really piss-poor linkage and hinging.  I swear, you blew almost half of the range of motion on any exercise just taking the slack out of the cables.

That said, the only advice I can tender is to steer clear of consumer-grade cable-based systems.  The Body Solid unit I mentioned above is probably the closest thing to professional-grade gym equipment you can buy before you break the $2,000 barrier, and it's worth every penny.  Simple high & low cables with about 5' of pull each, and optional pec-deck (I haven't gone for that yet -it's tought to find one that isn't all sloppy and can be adjusted for the length of your arms).

My home away from DBB

I've got one of Wieder's chep bench's with the narrow up rights but it was free so I'm not complaining(much), I need to kind of do this on the chep
I'm shipping(army) out in a few months so spending alot of money a bit of a waste and I dont have much space to put the thing where I have my bench now the barbell has about 3" on
each side before it hit's something.

Ive have looked into home gyms but for the price of the quality equipment I could have a gym membership at Golds for 5 years, and I would still not have the equipment to do half of my workouts

I've used home gyms for about 2 years on and off, and here's a list of pros and cons I came up with..
 
Pros:

1.time convienient.
2.you don't have to pay ongoing gym membership fees. Pay once and its yours for life.
3.you can do it in the comfort of your own home
4.more hygienic
5.no restrictions on what times you can workout. you can train any time any day you want. (don't have to worry about public holidays, etc)
6.don't have to wait for someone to finish using equipment/machine
7. ideal if you're just wanting to get cut or using it for maintainance
8.no interuptions which means less delays = less time messing around, more quality time training
9.you can train however you like - noone can tell you off! freedom!
10.you can wear whatever you want (train in your pj's or just go naked, whatever! lol)

Cons:

1.limited exercises/machines you can do/use. That can mean in less- productive/limited routines.
2.weight restrictions.
3.you don't have that social scene so it can often get quite lonely
4.noone to correct you if you aren't doing the exercise properly. poor form goes unnoticed. (which could also mean it's unsafe for you to do)
5.can start to get repetitive and boring
6.noone can give you advive - you're on your own
7.if an injury occurs, you may not be able to get help.
8.if you find yourself needing assistance (eg. those "unsuccessful benchpress" incidents where you are unable to lift the bar onto the rack holder and so then you are stuck with a huge weight on your chest! (that means of alot of trouble and pain! lol)
9.if you are trying to bulk, the weight you're using may not be sufficient/heavy enough for you to do so.
10.can be very expensive if you're wanting add-ons (equipement, weight plates etc). the cost of weight plates alone can almost make you go broke. they are NOT cheap!)
11.not having other people around you, as you would at a public gym, you may be less motivated to train.
12.there is no showing off...  You don't have women to use as motivation (though if you're desperate - try your mom)
13.perving sessions are non-exisitant. (This part is damn hard to live with!)
14.the inconvienience of having to change the weights. (eg having to always unscrew the spinlocks). (this is in relation to dumbell and barbell exercises)

I agree with most of what Dimyd says here.  But, since I blew my college tuition on a olympic freeweight system with more weight than I'll likely use in the near future, the only thing I'm really missing is the spotter.  As for exercise options, I have so many to choose from with this setup that the hard part is keeping my wrokouts brief.  Like I've said before, a Smith system is nice if you want to go to failure without a spotter and you don't want to drop a barbell on yourself, but it would be nice once in a while to have someone push me past failure.

Beyond that, I love working out at home -I can crank my music as loud as I want (and get to pick which music is actually playing, he he he), and my kitchen is only a couple of yards away...  Then there's all the other stuff, not the least of which is sanitation and never having to wait for a piece of equipment.  I wouldn't trade it for a thousand gym memberships

As for ogling the lycra-clad ladies, I do miss that... hmmmm... I guess I'll have to invite some over, LOL

My home away from DBB

ORIGINAL: veggeep

I agree with most of what Dimyd says here.  But, since I blew my college tuition on a olympic freeweight system with more weight than I'll likely use in the near future, the only thing I'm really missing is the spotter.  As for exercise options, I have so many to choose from with this setup that the hard part is keeping my wrokouts brief.  Like I've said before, a Smith system is nice if you want to go to failure without a spotter and you don't want to drop a barbell on yourself, but it would be nice once in a while to have someone push me past failure.

Beyond that, I love working out at home -I can crank my music as loud as I want (and get to pick which music is actually playing, he he he), and my kitchen is only a couple of yards away...  Then there's all the other stuff, not the least of which is sanitation and never having to wait for a piece of equipment.  I wouldn't trade it for a thousand gym memberships

As for ogling the lycra-clad ladies, I do miss that... hmmmm... I guess I'll have to invite some over, LOL

this say's it all.

I love working out at home -I can crank my music as loud as I want (and get to pick which music is actually playing, he he he

 
LOL!..The best part!

If I was going to have a home gym...It would go a little something like this:

--dumbells ranging from 10 kgs to 50kgs in intervals of 5kgs (10, 10.5, 11 etc..)

--A bench

--An olympic bar

--weight plates for every combination I would personally need

--A mat for dead lifts, and a rack for squats

--treadmill, bike, and rower.

That would be my perfect home gym, and I will have it some day! lol No seriously I will.

--Nitro Tech, Cell Tech, Nitrix, Tribulus Terrestris--

"Lift heavy or go home!"

"OBSESSED is a word used by the lazy to describe the DISCIPLINED"

Weight: 266lbs. 19 Stone 119-120kilograms
Height: 6'2"

I prefer a gym to a home gym. I have to have people around me to lift...or else I just feel weird.
 
I like my school gym, its free and people I know will lift with me.
 
A good powerlifting gym is hard to find. And in my book my school is pretty god for it. Except for reverse hyper extensions 

If I could get about 200,000 bucks and someone to build it for me I would like my gmy to look like this.
 
70 by 40.
 
Mats all over the floor.
 
Dumbells and rack to hold them up to 150
 
2 squat racks
 
2 bench racks
 
3000 lbs of weight
 
5+ bars
 
pully extsion system
 
Lat pull down and row machine
 
stair master and treadmill.
 
I wouldnt want this unless I had 2 or more other people that I could count on to lift with me every day i lift.
 
 

I think you and I should run this powerlifting gym together, and not only fulfill our dreams but help others fulfill theirs!!! lol

--Nitro Tech, Cell Tech, Nitrix, Tribulus Terrestris--

"Lift heavy or go home!"

"OBSESSED is a word used by the lazy to describe the DISCIPLINED"

Weight: 266lbs. 19 Stone 119-120kilograms
Height: 6'2"

thats a very useful post i think and really sums it up.

all you got to do is weigh up the pros and cons compared to your personal situation and go from there

ORIGINAL: dimyd

I've used home gyms for about 2 years on and off, and here's a list of pros and cons I came up with..
 
Pros:

1.time convienient.
2.you don't have to pay ongoing gym membership fees. Pay once and its yours for life.
3.you can do it in the comfort of your own home
4.more hygienic
5.no restrictions on what times you can workout. you can train any time any day you want. (don't have to worry about public holidays, etc)
6.don't have to wait for someone to finish using equipment/machine
7. ideal if you're just wanting to get cut or using it for maintainance
8.no interuptions which means less delays = less time messing around, more quality time training
9.you can train however you like - noone can tell you off! freedom!
10.you can wear whatever you want (train in your pj's or just go naked, whatever! lol)

Cons:

1.limited exercises/machines you can do/use. That can mean in less- productive/limited routines.
2.weight restrictions.
3.you don't have that social scene so it can often get quite lonely
4.noone to correct you if you aren't doing the exercise properly. poor form goes unnoticed. (which could also mean it's unsafe for you to do)
5.can start to get repetitive and boring
6.noone can give you advive - you're on your own
7.if an injury occurs, you may not be able to get help.
8.if you find yourself needing assistance (eg. those "unsuccessful benchpress" incidents where you are unable to lift the bar onto the rack holder and so then you are stuck with a huge weight on your chest! (that means of alot of trouble and pain! lol)
9.if you are trying to bulk, the weight you're using may not be sufficient/heavy enough for you to do so.
10.can be very expensive if you're wanting add-ons (equipement, weight plates etc). the cost of weight plates alone can almost make you go broke. they are NOT cheap!)
11.not having other people around you, as you would at a public gym, you may be less motivated to train.
12.there is no showing off...  You don't have women to use as motivation (though if you're desperate - try your mom)
13.perving sessions are non-exisitant. (This part is damn hard to live with!)
14.the inconvienience of having to change the weights. (eg having to always unscrew the spinlocks). (this is in relation to dumbell and barbell exercises)

Construct a home gym within 7 days that produces real results at www.basementbodybuilding.com

Take a look at the Powerline Smith Machine and tell me what you think. I always work out at a professional gym myself, but it is good to know what people like to have in their homes too. You guys all give me great ideas for what people want to buy and how much it should cost. I could add more home gyms from Multisports and Bodycraft. Soon I will add Body Craft's Power Cage to my website since someone here mentioned it. You can get it with a cable crossover machine attached to it, which is very different. It seems that CAP Barbell's Xodus Line of equipment is most in demand to me, but that is not strictly a "home gym." It is really commercial, fitness equipment for the price of a home gym.
 
My personal advice would be to do both if you can. Join a gym with a cheap membership fee and have some inexpensive equipment in the home. Sometimes you just do not feel like driving to the gym. If I had an extra room, I would definitely get a home gym. Weight plates a multi-purpose and last a long, so it is money well spent, if you have a place to put them. I am waiting for the Ultimate Burn Machine to come out. That would be awesome! 

Attached Image(s)

Jeremy Ulrich
Owner
http://bodybuilderfitness.com

that is a good approach to consider.
 
train at the gym when you can, and on the days you cant get there, use your home gym.
 
Alternatively, you could train most body parts from your home gym, then train your legs at the local gym where it is likely they have a wider range of equipment specifically for this.

Construct a home gym within 7 days that produces real results at www.basementbodybuilding.com

Personally, i think home gyms are brilliant i popped up the courage to spend about £1600's about three years ago on equiptment and can honestly say its the best investment i evermade!!!
 
plus cos theres only me using it, not some badass throwing stuff about, it all looks pretty new!
 
bonus, however if you are serious about training but cant afford to get most of the following, your probly better off just hittin your local gym.
 
heres my setup;
 
powetec olympic bench (decline-upright)
 
marcy bench flat- incline.
 
life fitness smiths machine, with low/high pulley attachment and all different attachments (lat pulldown, triceps, v-bar, row etc.(brilliant piece of equipment)
 
cast iron dumbells (5 -50 kg)
 
240kg of olympic weights
 
powetec free squat rack, with deadlift rails.
 
 

woodmeister

age: 24 as of 02/07

weight: 170

bench max: 8 @ 270

leg press: 8 @ 450

Squat: 5 @ 315

i have a gym in my garage. i have a smith which has a weight maximum of 700lbs, plenty of olympic weights, an olympic barbell, and dumbells. im gonna buy some of those dumbells where you click to the weight you want and lift it off the pallet when i have enough money for them. i also have a total body worker which uses my own body weight as resistance, and an exercise bike.
 
i love it, its convenient, i can do it in my own time, whenever i want, and listen to what i want (most gyms dont play jeff buckley or radiohead!!)
 
i dont get distracted by other people, i purely concentrate on my next lift, and when im done, i go take a shower and settle down in front of the tv with a banana and a glass of milk!

the post about pro's and cons was good but you gotta look at some things. if you can get a friend like i have to workout out with you that solves yoour spotter/max weigth problem, and also i looked in the paper and found a nearly new squat rack for about 50 bucks with a bar and olympic weights, and then my weights and bench and 2 extra bars came to a total of about 200 bucks. honestly a gym memebrship here in canada to a descent gym is about 600 bucks a year so for me it was alright, and i've made some huge strength gains.

you have to sweat to achieve your goals.

I would say they are definately worth it. Just consider the amount of money you will shell out on gym fees, and time spent going back and forth.

Save time and money (if you have the space to) and get weight training equipment

I researched york and got mines from the factory outlet which is cheaper than argos.

i have a home gym myself...i have a Fitness Gear bench(incline, flat,decline) That i bought @ dick's sporting goods ,pracher curl pad, and a lat pull (cable) extention. i have a 15. lb. barbell, and a 25 lb. barbell for bench pressing, and squats.
Have  a set of 25 lb. dumbells, 10 lb. dumbells, and a slew of steel weights that were given to me, and some that i bought.Also have dumbell bars to slide weights on (2 sets).
also have an ez curl bar.
 
I am limited in what i can do..but this helps me to be creative. This totally works 4 me, because time is a very important thing 4 me with a wife, and a 3 yr. old.  I can always up grade, and buy more weights when i want.just my opinion though.

Hey there I thought I'd add my two cents here.
 
I've recently bought a power cage with an flat/incline bench with an olympic bar and weights set.
 
While I agree the gym is hands down the best place to work out due to superior equipment etc, I find it really inconvenient going there everyday. I go to the gym at my university and it is constantly packed at the times I can go so i cant use the equipment I need, which as you can imagine annoys the hell out of me.
 
Also when it is exam time I'm finding myself totally immersed in the books and find it hard to escape from the desk due to my big work load (studying law sucks sometimes). When I was living at my old house, my house mate had a home gym setup he let me use and when exams were on it was absolutely invaluable. I could just duck down the hallway, spend 45 mins working out and then hit the books again, rather than spending 2 hours in the gym (1 hour of that waiting for equipment) and then battling traffic on the way home.
 
I still plan on going to the gym once a week probably to do my back (no pulldown cables on my new thing) but I'll be doing the bulk at home. I've attached a pic of it hope it works.
 


[image]local://13046/3CDFDCB8C4F9456F9D311DC8D30AFA5D.jpg[/image]

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this is what i'm saving up for top complete my home gym


http://dsp.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/p3575000dt.jpg

Current Stack: HDROL,Celltech,Superpump 250, Glutamine,Beta alanine,Whey protein.

Thats a sweet set-up. Good luck with that, man

Having a home gym is definitely worth it, but only if you are really passionate about working out.  Considering the price of gas nowadays, you'd probably save a lot on that alone.  The only two major factor in having a decent home gym is money and space.  One thing I hate most about commercial gyms is that all the hardcore gym with dumbbells up to 200 lbs are disappearing and getting replaced with foo-foo gyms with dumbbells only up to 100-125 lbs.  My home gym has dumbbells up to 160 lbs, a pair of 100 lb plate, cambered bar, safety squat bar, glute ham raise, texas power bar, power rack, 6 ft curl bar, chalk, and other stuff you can't find at your local gym. 
 
It has a lot to do with making sacrifices too.  I sacrificed getting a new car so I could set up a gym in one of the spear bedroom. 
 
 


[image]local://17868/22561A1C1C374E4E826A22CBC68B2B98.jpg[/image]

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Wow thats an incredible set up. You better make sure your floor boards dont give out under the weight of all those plates and dumbbells!
 
 

I do believe home gyms are worth it....I feel that if you have the right mind-set and motivation, you will be able to work out at home rather than going to a gym.  I do believe though that gyms in which you sign up to have more or possibly better equipment, but you could still have a great work out at home and get great results.

Wendy

Hey I have had my power rack, bench and weights (as above) for about a month now an I have to say it's the best money i've spent in a long time. I can do just about everything I did at the gym except for lat pulldowns, but this has forced me to strengthen up on the pullups, an exercise I was weak on before hand. I am focusing on basic heavy compound movements as the guts of my routine, which I feel is giving me brilliant strength gains.
 
I have added a set of heavy adjustable dumbbells into the mix and I'm really happy. I can close the door to my study slash weights room and turn the music up and get into it. I can do whatever I want without having to wait. And having the weights under my nose makes me wanna lift.
 
Basically investing in a home gym if you have the cash is a really good idea, especially if you dislike rush hour at your local gym.
 
 

My wife and I have our home gym set up in our bedroom.  I work days, and she works late-week mids.  We also have two kiddos... one in 1st grade, and one in pre-school.  Plus, the closest gym (where my wife use to be a member) is about 26 miles away.  Add to all that, I am a reserve police officer and usually work a few shifts a week AFTER I get home from my paying job. 

So even thinking about going to a gym on a regular basis is pretty much out of the question.

So, our setup consists of a Fitness Gear Smith Machine (just got it, and LOVE it!) that includes an incline/decline bench with a preacher pad and a leg curl attachment.  I has a very high quality cable system on it that is very smooth that includes high and low cables, plus two cables on the front uprights that can be adjusted from top to bottom in 4" incrememnts.  Besides having the Smith machine (which we like because often times we work out alone since the other might be at work), there is also an area where you can use an Olympic bar free-style.  We also have an Olympic bar w/300# of weight, a Power Tower (pull-ups and dips), a set of BowFlex SelectTech dumbbells (5# to 52.5#), a Body Solid leg press sled, and a treadmill.  I keep looking for a few pairs of cast dumbbells over 55#, or I might just get a couple of bars to add my own weights to.

Here is our complete setup:

[image]local://21181/57CC96D46B954D52AA6490DFF82A7982.JPG[/image]

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ORIGINAL: veggeep

I own Body Solid's Powerline Smith Home Gym, and it was the best home gym investment I've ever made.  I opted for the Smith over a standard power cage, because I workout alone, and it's nice not having to worry about dropping a loaded barbell on my neck -or worse, through the floor of my apartment

I traded up from an early Wieder brand piece of selectorized garbage that was all cables and really piss-poor linkage and hinging.  I swear, you blew almost half of the range of motion on any exercise just taking the slack out of the cables.

That said, the only advice I can tender is to steer clear of consumer-grade cable-based systems.  The Body Solid unit I mentioned above is probably the closest thing to professional-grade gym equipment you can buy before you break the $2,000 barrier, and it's worth every penny.  Simple high & low cables with about 5' of pull each, and optional pec-deck (I haven't gone for that yet -it's tought to find one that isn't all sloppy and can be adjusted for the length of your arms).

Wow are you kidding me?  a smith machine?

Power racks have safety bars.

Now I notice a lot of you use smith machines... I just lost respect for a lot of people.  Moves to Sherdog.com

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I always trained at home, I find it much better since I put my own songs on, concentrate on the workout and finish it as soon as possible.
 
I have enough equipment and weights to workout all muscles.
 
I also invent ways to perform some exercises, like hanging from my inbuilt wardrobe for chinups.... haha

Motivation comes by itself when improvement is seen!