For the last couple of years, I’ve been entertaining the thought of a home gym. But it wasn’t until the last few months that I’ve gotten serious about it. So surely but slowly I’ve been building out my home gym in my garage. It’s got everything I would ever need in a gym: grappling mats, a treadmill, an elliptical, a Bowflex machine, a squat/deadlift rack, a punching bag, speed bags, a bench, dumbbells, battle ropes, medicine balls, and resistance bands. I’m really proud of it. I absolutely love having my own home gym and feel that it has a lot of benefits over paying for a gym membership. I think everyone should try to invest some money into a home gym; here’s why.
Cheaper in the Long Run
Believe it or not, getting your own home gym is cheaper than membership at the gym. A year’s membership at the gym costs anywhere from $300 to $600, depending on the gym. That’s just membership for one year. Having your own home gym will pay for itself after just a year, depending on how big you want your gym to be. Resistance bands cost about $25, 100 pounds worth of dumbbell weights cost less than $100, and a basic treadmill will cost around $200. The total cost of resistance bands, dumbbells, and a treadmill will equal one year’s worth of membership (or less). Of course if your gym is a little bigger with more equipment, it will cost a little more. And if you want to save money on your equipment, you can always go on Craigslist.
Time and Convenience
Think about all the time you spend getting to and back from the gym and all the time waiting for your treadmill. Although exercising is great for the body and the mind, quite a bit of time can be wasted just getting to and from the gym.
In addition to saving time, having a home gym is convenient. If you want to just work out for a short 5-10 minutes during your break, you can do that. If you want to have one workout a day, you can. If you want to have 6-7 short workouts a day, you can. It doesn’t make a difference in terms of convenience, because your gym is right there in your own house.
More Likely to Commit to Exercising
Having a home gym means that you don’t have nearly as many excuses to skip your workout. Going to the gym can sometimes be a drag and conflict with your schedule. And if you don’t want to go to the gym, your mind will come up with all kinds of excuses, like :
“It’s too cold”
“I have to work late tonight”
“There’s a lot of traffic on the way to the gym”
“It’s too far of a drive”
“It’s too late”
“I don’t have transportation to the gym”
All these excuses are now invalid because you have a home gym. Having your own home gym gives you all kinds of opportunities to work out and ultimately puts 100% of the responsibility of getting fit and staying fit in your hands. There is no excuses for not working out anymore.
Additionally, when you spend a lot of money to buying something up front, you are more likely to use it because you know how much it cost you. Gyms on the other hand, although in totality is more expensive than a home gym, it is broken down to small payments that are passively taken out of your account.
Don’t Feel Self-Conscious
A lot of people who are first starting out at the gym will feel extremely self-conscious. Beginners feel that everyone at the gym is judging them and feel uneasy because of their current level of fitness. Of course, these worries are often in the head because the vast majority of the people who go to the gym do not care what you do with your time at the gym. But with a home gym, you don’t even have to worry about it.
Freedom
When you have your own home gym, you can do whatever you want. You don’t have to follow silly gym rules like 20 minutes max on the treadmill during peak hours or no deadlifting. You get to do whatever you want, however you want, whenever you want. There is no one around telling you what you can and can’t do.
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I’ve had my home gym set up for a few months now and I honestly love it. I can go down to my basement anytime and do some quick cardio or weight training to get my blood pumping. I don’t have to waste time driving back and forth to the gym. I’ve set up grappling mats in my home gym now so that I don’t even have to leave my house to practice martial arts anymore.
Remember, you can start small and gradually build up your home gym. You can start with just a treadmill, a set of weights, foam rollers, or jump ropes. Start with the thing you would use the most. And your home gym doesn’t need to be in a separate room. You can even have your own home gym in a corner in your bedroom. Your home gym doesn’t have to be expensive or big; it just has to fit your needs. So whatever your needs are, build your home gym around it. If you need to gain muscle, concentrate on getting a lot of weight training equipment. If your goal is cardio, start with a jump rope, elliptical, or a treadmill.
I’m in the middle of rearranging my home gym around, so when the moving around is complete I’ll record a quick video of my home gym to post up on the site. Until then, get your ass moving!
I have been toying with the idea of converting our spare room into a home gym. But before I commit to anything, I want to know if this is a good idea or if I should just get a gym membership. I like how you pointed out that if I have a home gym, then I don’t have a lot of excuses for why I can’t work out. Without being able to put if off then I will then probably will work out more, hopefully. Thanks for all the insight!