Anyone create their own gym at home?

I did.
I went and got the p90 dvd and a floor mat.
Got me in better shape than a gym ever did for me!

 

I have a basic weight set and punching bag but thats it. I dont really think its worth it spending much on a home gym....memberships at low end gyms can be really cheap, and you'll have access to much more equipment. Plus you wont have to waste the space in your home.

 

with the amount you spend on guns and toys,

you really should just budget for a couple nice pieces of exercise equipment,

you go rigging pulleys and paint cans, you do one wrong move, or the right move too many times and that paint can is going to fall onto your head ..

 

While our sons were still home, I turned a spare bedroom into a gym..


Olympic and Inclined Bench Press..

Squat Rack..

Seated Lat Machine..

Dumbell Rack (5 to 50 lbs)..

A couple of Olympic Plate Racks..

And a Stationary Bike for some cardio work..

Oh.. don't forget washable floor mats.. lotsa sweat..

 

You could go pretty far with just a power cage, a cheapo set of CAP barbell and plates purchased from a 2010 resolutioner on craigslist, and either one of these books...

www.StartingStrength.com

http://flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?cid=370&m=PD&pid=2976

You may also consider one of the manuals at www.RossTraining.com.

To go more spartan, a heavy sandbag, old tire and a sledgehammer. Add a rope to pull the tire with the sandbag on top, and you're good to go.

 

Yes, I had a gym / dojo built in my basement. I have a BowFlex, a ProForm treadmill, a NordicTrack, a LifeFitness Exercise Bike and free weights down there. I also belong to a fitness center, but sometimes it's just easier to head down the stairs to the basement for a workout.

 

bought a used bowflex $(200) and a Schwinn Airdyne ($75). Added a Polar heart rate monitor. Use the bike daily and the bowflex 3X a week. No gym hotties to ogle, but no poseurs either.

Lost weight, built some definition and feel better for few dollars.

Lots of this stuff available online.

 

I've got a pair of 25lb and 35lb dumbells that I mess around with. I also sprung for one of those pull up bar things that fits on the door- it's actually pretty useful. I need to get back into the gym.

 

my wife has a bike for when the weather is bad.

im trying to find a deal on a set of dumbells and a swiss ball. that will get you through just about anything.

 

I never could find the time to go to a gym, something always came up so I started buying my own equipment. I started with a multi station weight machine/gym, heavy bag and a speed bag. Over the years I've added a stationary bike, treadmill and rowing machine, along with dumb bells, jump ropes etc ... most of which I picked up at yard sales in NIB condition.

 

I live down the street from a gym chain. Huge place, always lots of people. I try to go everyday but sometimes i cant get there. I recently bought some equipment for my house. Treadmill, Elipitcal, Weight Bench, Heavy Bag. I sepnt almost $3000 and I feel it is worth it. My gf uses the stuff at home, she doesnt like going to the gym. She thinks every guy there is always checking her out.
Eyecandy at the local gym is a good thing. I get on that treadmill and next thing i know its an hour later. Only problem is I recently saw a hot girl working out with some weights. Then she gets up to leave and she is wearing the local high school cheerleading t shirt. Felt like a creep then for sure.

 

I have:
-Power rack
-Adjustable bench
-A couple Olympic bars (one bent from doing deadlift lockouts, one still straight)
-900-some pounds of plates
-Dumbbell handles and a couple hundred pounds of plates for them
-Some specialized powerlifting gear that I don't use anymore (heavy chains and rubber bands - increases resistance as the bar moves upward and leverage improves - makes you much faster)
-Glute-ham raise bench - like a hyperextension bench, but with a large rounded hip pad and large plate to drive your feet into, to allow you to do a form of leg curl
-Ironmind Captains of Crush grippers
-Ironmind neck harness
-Ironmind dip belt (yep, they're an outstanding company - their equipment is there for life - it will probably never wear out)
-Plywood spacers that fit over a pair of bars laying across the rack, to keep them stable and evenly spaced to use as dip bars

Everything but the GHR fits into a space about 10'x6' in a corner of the garage.

Practically anyone can get by with a rack, bar, plates and a bench.

 

I have a few weights at home and I am thinking about getting a very nice elliptical but the simple truth is, I work out much harder at a gym than I do at home, so I go to the gym.

 

Dick's Sporting Goods has the best prices on good quality new equipment in my area.
Try www.craigslist.com first, for good used stuff, it never wears out.

 

I bought my power rack from Bradshaw Welding near Sacramento. http://www.bwproducts.com/fitness/index.htm Top-notch equipment, and best bang for the buck. Commercial gym quality, but priced lower than most makers. Any more benches or racks I ever need will come from him.

 

One of the best additions to my home gym was this



You can also add a connecting pulley system.

Think I paid $315 for the rack and another 100 for the pulley system. I already had a bench and tons of weights though...

 

I bought a stationary bike and some weights, spent maybe $250. I'll put in an hour on the bike three times a week and do strength training for an hour twice a week. I live out in the boonies and the nearest gym is a 50 minute round trip; I had zero interest in paying someone else to make the week four hours shorter and burn more fuel in the process, so the home equipment was the only option. The cost saved on the gym membership paid for the equipment in eight months or so, and that doesn't include the cost of fuel or my time. Don't have to shower in someone else's funk or worry about the sanitation of the machines, either.

There's nothing at all wrong with a walk with your doggy or your wife.

 

What can be done with such a simple machine? This:





I use nothing but freeweights, no fancy machines. Sure, Bowflexes are nice and they do work, but they are not necessary. Working out and getting in shape is so much easier than commercials make it out to be...you don't need all kinds of gadgets, people are just lazy-asses these days and want shortcuts for everything. Here's how simple it is: Learn how to target the muscle groups you want to, don't eat sh-t all the time, and most importantly...get off your *** and do it.