# Paid Gym vs Home Gym



## beardogg (Oct 10, 2011)

I'm looking into whether to stop paying for the gym and instead get myself a setup in the garage at home. What are people's opinions? I mainly do compound exercises as I play Rugby... I do my CV outdoors and at Rugby training.

Currently I pay £42 a month with Greens (convinient as they open at 6:30am & I start work at 8:00am) I don't have time to go at weekends or evenings due to work & family...

What are your views on jacking in the gym for a home setup instead? I'm guessing a Cage, Bench & Weights is pretty much what I need?


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## Fat (Jan 2, 2010)

Depends if you're new and need motivation, form help etc if not home gym is the way forward 

All you really need:

Squat Rack with pullup

Adjustable Bench

Barbell

Dumbells

Plates


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## yannyboy (Jun 20, 2009)

Swings and Roundabouts, you might not have as much equipment to train at home but the convenience means you might not miss as many workouts

I trained at home for a couple of years and still have all my equipment, still do the occasional workout at home if I'm short of time, good in the respect of training at your pace and not waiting for equipment at the gym

To have a real good set up is going to be over a grand, need to use it for a few good years to get your money back


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## mygym-mytemple (Jun 8, 2012)

Home gym! Train how you want when you want make as much noise play whatever music train for real not for an ego! Stay at home with family train under an hour no one notices your gone!

train when you feel good not because its time to go to the gym that way you get a better workout


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## doylejlw (Feb 14, 2010)

Depends how good the gym is.


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## Guest (Jun 23, 2012)

My mrs and I are getting one when we move.

Reckon about 3k all in for what we want, but we currently spend £70 a month on the gym, plus the time it takes to get there (an hour a day) if you count in the lost time - 520 hours between us per year just getting to the gym it works out pretty economical.


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## Mingster (Mar 25, 2011)

A lot depends on your mental approach. If you need external motivation a home gym is not for you. If you're happy to train alone and have the drive to get things done a home gym is the ideal set up.


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## Guest (Jun 23, 2012)

If I had the money I would love to train at home, I would be able to train whenever I wanted and not plan around what the Mrs was up to. And no waiting for the cables or bench. Got me thinking about pricing it up now


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## Fullhouse (Mar 31, 2010)

I have a home gym but I still enjoy heading down to the gym, so people you only meet there and having a bit of banter. So I have the best of both if I can't be ar5ed going to the gym I just go up stairs, plus I normally have people wanting to call at mine to use the gym and get advise too so I'm always busy lol.


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## beardogg (Oct 10, 2011)

My thinking is my gym has 1 squat rack and 1 proper bench press... then 2 smith machines and 1 incline bench press and 2 proper 20kg olympic bars (the others are about 10-12kg)... I don't like using smith machines and i have only 45 minutes in the morning so if somethings being used then i'm screwed... plus if I have to be in work early on a weights day then I have to miss it... I train alone anyway so that's not a problem...


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## yannyboy (Jun 20, 2009)

I've got the Powertec Leverage System with about 250kg of Olympic weights

Also got some Bowflex dumbells and some heavier fixed dumbells as well


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## Guest (Jun 23, 2012)

Although home gym is basically a 24 hour one. I don't think I would push myself has hard at home as I do. And also, that money you spend every month makes you want to go


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## Ninja_smurf (Jun 4, 2012)

Keep the gym membership and just get a cheap multigym, bench and dumbels, best of both worlds


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## superdazzler (Feb 13, 2012)

I train at home and apart from a squat rack i'm just about sorted.

Couple of benches, barbells, dumbbells, $hitload of plates, pull up bar, kettlebells, punchbag, skipping rope and CD player with my tunes on - sorted.


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## George-Bean (Sep 8, 2010)

I use both, I cant not go to the gym, you learn so much there, even just by watching others (but not in a creepy way) lol


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## monkeybiker (Jul 21, 2010)

yannyboy said:


> Swings and Roundabouts, you might not have as much equipment to train at home but the convenience means you might not miss as many workouts
> 
> I trained at home for a couple of years and still have all my equipment, still do the occasional workout at home if I'm short of time, good in the respect of training at your pace and not waiting for equipment at the gym
> 
> To have a real good set up is going to be over a grand, need to use it for a few good years to get your money back


The thing is you could buy all your stuff 2nd hand and you can sell it for pretty much what you paid for it so really it hasn't cost you anything.


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## Jak3D (Jan 21, 2012)

if i had the choice i would have a home gym :thumb:


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## chinup (Apr 5, 2012)

Was wondering this today at gym- £35 month and dumbells only go to 30kg.

Have pull up, chin up, dip station, squat rack, good gym quality adjustable bench, ez bar, straight bar, dumbs at 40kg- but nothing for flat/incline/decline barbell bench press or calfs and space dictates no more equipment?

Loving training at house now am stronger, I didn't like it before needed to feel inferior at gym but banging reps out now in bedroom lol

Conclusions... handed in gym notice today finish up in month- join one of cheap ones= gym,pure etc £16 month or pay as go few times a month at council gym £5 visit


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## AK-26 (May 29, 2011)

i'd pick a paid gym over a home gym.

i wouldn't feel as motivated at home as i would in the gym..... no idea why tbh


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## badly_dubbed (Nov 21, 2011)

Home gym ftw.

Wouldn't waste my cash on a commercialy gym now....idiots with Shyte form doing pish exercises in chinos talking about how big their gunz are and how much they can curl in the rack while tweeting to some tart online.

Come to my gym and all of the above is banned. Don't like it then get fukced and train else where


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## Home Physique (Jun 9, 2012)

I've been training in my Home Gym since last October. I've made some great gains, even more so than when I trained at a commercial gym. All in, I've spent about a grand, maybe more, this includes; Cost of refurbing the garage (plasterboard walls and ceiling, lighting, sockets paint, foam flooring, rubber flooring), Power Rack, FID Bench, Oly Barbell and Dumbbell set, Upright Bike, Oly plates. I now no longer pay for a gym membership which used to be £25 a month. So i've saved £200 so far, not including things like the parking I had to pay at times, or the times I've had a drinks from the vendor.

Pro's - You have the place to yourself. No waiting for gear. No stinking bast*rds that don't get washed. Play whatever music you want. A Power Rack really helps you to push yourself knowing you can fail in safety. It's always open - 24/7 and you don't have to travel to get to it.

Con's - Can get lonely. Safety bar's are great for catching a failed rep but don't help you get that last rep you could have got with a spotter. If you train in a garage, it's f*cking cold in winter - even with a heater. Unless you are minted and have unlimited space, you will never be able to have the range of equipment or quantity of compared to a commercial gym (a full range of dumbbells is far superior to a set of Oly dumbbells or adjustable dumbbells - bowflex).


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## alan1971 (Mar 30, 2012)

personally i dont think i would be so motivated if training at home, though i do train alone at the local gym which costs £25 a month.


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## Daggaz (Apr 28, 2012)

check out mark wahlbergs home gym 

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=110243601&p=792451143&highlight=mark+wahlberg#post792451143


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## Daggaz (Apr 28, 2012)

.


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## Greyphantom (Oct 23, 2003)

moved to a home set up one year as just couldnt make it to the gym... never looked back... I do occasionally visit a commercial gym from time to time to get pointers and so forth in my lifting but 99% or more is done in my garage... power rack with chin bars, dip attachments, lat pulldown/low pulley row attachment, bench bbell with sh1t load of weights is all you need...


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## samb213 (Jun 27, 2012)

always trained at home and always will i mean i do miss not been able to use certain machines but but ya can get round it at the min ive got a set of bowflex dumbells a marcy power rack about 130 kg of weight plates and some heavy duty 75kg rubber exercise bands ..does the job and like mentioned before its alot easyer than having to get your **** down to the gym i can have wat ever music i want on ,my workout log layed out infront of me knock a pre workout up and get at it within 30 mins no distractions or waiting for machines in and out within an hour and downing my post workout shake within a few mins of finishing id say the only draw back is not having air conditioning which is a biatch on hot days


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## 2H3ENCH4U (May 23, 2012)

samb213 said:


> id say the only draw back is not having air conditioning which is a biatch on hot days




If I had the money I would have a pukka set up.

There is something a bit lonely about it though, sometimes I look round the gym and check out the hottie, laugh at that geezas shi.t form, spot someone doing an excercise I aint done in a while and they might even play a song I aint heard and really like.

Plus if you train alone at home with your music on and get trapped under a barbell how long would it be before anyone notices ....


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## 6083 (Jun 21, 2007)

Trained at a commercial BB gym for 12 years, then built a home gym in a big spare room i have

Bought, Olympic Barbell set, EZ Bar, Heavy Duty Power Rack with Lat attachment, obviously a heavy duty bench aswell

I can train hard and heavy at home, can fail safetly with the powerrack on any exercise

Whole lot cost me just under a grand

BUT

I am considering going back to a comercial gym - i think if you have a good BB Gym, it helps motivate you seeing other people train, plus even though ive never been one for talking- you meet people

at home i REALLY struggle with motivation - knowing i can train anytime i want, means its easy to put it off, once you put it off its a slipper slope

plus there will always be some compromises in exercises you can do.

Ideally have BOTH pay per use commercial gym and a home setup


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## massmansteve (Apr 23, 2009)

Training at home was perfect

When I was powerlifting but I found it pretty boring on my own. I just stuck to me periodic Russian routin and got

On with it. Suited me at the time but now it's commercial

Gym everyone ,

Apart from cardio which I almost always do at home.

Give it a go if you got space , gym equipment doesn't depreciate it you pick up second hand bargains off bay


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## retro-mental (Dec 2, 2010)

I got a home gym, never been to a commercial gym. Some people have great gym setups on here but i tend to look at a home gym differnt than most. Mine looks like sh1te, I have a crap rack thats made from steel girders, Rusty plates etc etc but they weight the same and what i lack in equipment i make up for in motavation. I sometimes think it would be nice to have £2000 worth of equipment but the truth be know is free weights, rack and a bench are the main and with enough weight and determination they will get you strong or big what ever the goal

I always liked Brooks kubiks gym. Looks like a building site with rusty sh1te about and i one video theres even a dog turd on the floor but the man was strong !


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## IGotTekkers (Jun 6, 2012)

I trained st home, had s bench and a £300 multigym snd lots of freeweights, I thought it was great until I joined my sport centre. I could never go back to training at home, unless of course I had a few hundred grand to spend on awesome equipment


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## Simspin (Sep 5, 2011)

beardogg said:


> I'm looking into whether to stop paying for the gym and instead get myself a setup in the garage at home. What are people's opinions? I mainly do compound exercises as I play Rugby... I do my CV outdoors and at Rugby training.
> 
> Currently I pay £42 a month with Greens (convinient as they open at 6:30am & I start work at 8:00am) I don't have time to go at weekends or evenings due to work & family...
> 
> What are your views on jacking in the gym for a home setup instead? I'm guessing a Cage, Bench & Weights is pretty much what I need?


if i payed £42 a month for gym i would train at home too, thats a rite rip!


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## 1010AD (May 30, 2009)

As long as you can get the equipment and weight you need to progress then a home gym will always win, no fees no waiting go any time of day or night you wish but the only thing I would miss is getting to talk (not while training) to friend and new people


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## Mingster (Mar 25, 2011)

I'm with Retro on this. You don't need a state of the art home gym. Air con, music, loads of room, cleanliness etc etc don't make you grow. I have a power rack, a leg press/hack squat machine, over 500kg of Oly plates and another 200kg of standard plates that can be made up into various sized dumbbells. I have a space 16 feet by 7.5 feet that is cramped, covered in an inch of lifting chalk, has no electricity and is stifling in the summer and freezing in the winter. But I love it. Once I'm in there I'm lifting and that's what makes me happy.

I can do any exercise I need to using what I have for any body part without using state of the art machines, and I provide my own motivation which, I feel, is the single most important factor towards success. As I've said before....If you need external motivation you'll always be at the mercy of others.


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## WayneB (Feb 10, 2012)

Trained at commercial gyms for 4/5 years spending anything from £20-£35 a month for membership. Its ok at quiet times as you dont have to wait for equipment, and youve got everything you need under 1 roof. Down sides tho, waiting for equipment, travell expenses, getting all the way to the gym and ya training partner not turning up (big demotivator), training next to the guy that stinks, people not cleaning their pool of sweat off the bench when finished.:no:

Turned my garage into my home gym 6 months ago and never looked back. Got squat racks, 2 benches, lat pull down, dip station, 5 sets of adjustable dumbells, barbells and over 200kg of weight plates. Spent around £1500 but worth every penny.

Train when I want, dont have to travel, equipment always available, listen to any music I want. Train alone and always motivated as I know if I dont use it, then its alot of money spent going to waste.


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## retro-mental (Dec 2, 2010)

Mingster said:


> I'm with Retro on this. You don't need a state of the art home gym. Air con, music, loads of room, cleanliness etc etc don't make you grow. I have a power rack, a leg press/hack squat machine, over 500kg of Oly plates and another 200kg of standard plates that can be made up into various sized dumbbells. I have a space 16 feet by 7.5 feet that is cramped, covered in an inch of lifting chalk, has no electricity and is stifling in the summer and freezing in the winter. But I love it. Once I'm in there I'm lifting and that's what makes me happy.
> 
> I can do any exercise I need to using what I have for any body part without using state of the art machines, and I provide my own motivation which, I feel, is the single most important factor towards success. As I've said before....If you need external motivation you'll always be at the mercy of others.


Any dog turds on the floor ? !!


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## Mingster (Mar 25, 2011)

retro-mental said:


> Any dog turds on the floor ? !!


No there isn't, just the bones of my victims....


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## Buffout (Jun 15, 2012)

I recently bought a Powertec squat rack and bench with 200kg Olympic weights and kitted out the garage.

Thought it was great for a few weeks and missed the atmosphere of the gym so got a new membership.

Was quite an expensive way to discovering which I preferred : /


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2012)

Buffout said:


> I recently bought a Powertec squat rack and bench with 200kg Olympic weights and kitted out the garage.
> 
> Thought it was great for a few weeks and missed the atmosphere of the gym so got a new membership.
> 
> Was quite an expensive way to discovering which I preferred : /


how much u sellin em for


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## Buffout (Jun 15, 2012)

The thought did cross my mind... It just seems hard to sell something I just bought lol... hmmm


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## monkeybiker (Jul 21, 2010)

Buffout said:


> I recently bought a Powertec squat rack and bench with 200kg Olympic weights and kitted out the garage.
> 
> Thought it was great for a few weeks and missed the atmosphere of the gym so got a new membership.
> 
> Was quite an expensive way to discovering which I preferred : /


This is why you should buy the stuff 2nd hand, cos then you could have just sold it all and not lost anything.


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## IGotTekkers (Jun 6, 2012)

monkeybiker said:


> This is why you should buy the stuff 2nd hand, cos then you could have just sold it all and not lost anything.


Or better still, buy a few lumps of timber, a saw and a drill and make your own squat rack for about 2hundredth of the price


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## LIL-SCOOB-23 (Jun 16, 2012)

paid gym all the way in my opinion . everyone motivates one another and a good atomsphere to encurage to train hard . also if u need any help with stuff u dont know u can always ask someone ! thats how i learnt anyway


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## Guest (Jul 1, 2012)

IGotTekkers said:


> Or better still, buy a few lumps of timber, a saw and a drill and make your own squat rack for about 2hundredth of the price


cant see anythin i build holding 150kg lol


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## DigIt (Jun 20, 2012)

Gym. Unless you have a big enough space to fit one of everything you need

oh and money


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## badly_dubbed (Nov 21, 2011)

Not really as expensive as you think...

Mines is under £2,000 easy for:

Rack

300kg plates

Olympic bars 7ft 20kg and EZ

400kg leg press

Bike on trainer

Plate tree

Dumbells (adjustable)

Chains

Belts

Bench (incline,flat,decline)

Probably include much of the decor, fridges and mirrors into that figure also...

Some machines cost that alone...


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## gazh (Feb 22, 2008)

yannyboy said:


> I've got the Powertec Leverage System with about 250kg of Olympic weights
> 
> Also got some Bowflex dumbells and some heavier fixed dumbells as well


I've got actually the same mate powertec leverage system and Bowflex 1090's , do use ur powertec to do dead lifts mate ?

I have had gym memberships too in the past but but sacked it off as it was a year member ship and ur tied in so when I pulled a hernia I was out of training for 6 months but still had to pay 40 quid month !! Plus the travelling there and back was a pain and if it's busy u have to wait for machines etc

Home gym is the way forward if u have the space and money in my opinion !


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