Author Topic: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian  (Read 21165 times)

Kaplin261

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Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« on: January 24, 2016, 05:58:04 AM »
6 years ago I canceled my $39 a month gym membership and my wife canceled her $60 a month gym membership. It seemed like the right financial decision, we were going to take jogs together thru the neighborhood, use resistance bands and work out at home using p90x videos. Well after 110 pounds of gained body fat between the 2 of us(in her defense she had a baby in those 6 years) we find ourselves thinking about joining a gym again.

We have 2 gym options within 3 miles (biking distance) of our home.

A:) Golds Gym $19.99 a month for both of us, no contract and no upfront fees.
This gym is small it stays very busy making it difficult to get to use all of the equipment. No pool, sauna or hot tub.

B:) American Family Fitness $Unknown (maybe $99 a month) 2 year contract
This is a very large gym. It has a pool, sauna and hot tub. We like the idea of the pool because of our 2 year old son, he loves the pool and so do we. The crowd at this gym is more friendly and less muscle headed. When we called the gym to ask for a price they would not tell me and there website does not list prices either.

C:) Home Gym $350 and 140 sqft of living space
Lots of equipment on craigslist at great prices in my area. We have a dining room we never us because we prefer the smaller kitchen dining area because it is more connected to the rest of our living area. We would sell our dining room furniture and use the proceeds to buy equipment. This could reduce the value of our home if we ever go to sell our home because the room no longer would be used for the purpose of what most people would use it for.


Our goal with working out is to be healthier and improve our quality of life. We have a 6 figure annual household income and a large 6 figure savings and adding this expense does not change our FIRE date.

Retire-Canada

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2016, 06:18:13 AM »
I'm not against joining a gym. But the question I would ask is why didn't you follow through on your DIY home workout plans? Buying a gym membership doesn't do anything for you. You actually have to go there and use the facilities. Are you really going to do that or is this a New Year's guilt move to assuage bad feelings about your health.

The other point I'd make is that weight gain is mostly about what you put in your mouth. Working out has other benefits, but if you are not disciplined about what you eat it won't result in long term weight loss. Just look at calories burned at various gym activities and what they relate to in your regular diet. You can eat back calories burnt at the gym faster than you can work them off.

As you work out you'll get hungrier than normal so having a healthy diet and a good handle on portion control is important if weight loss is your goal.

If you buy gym equipment for a home setup and then later want to sell you house you just have to stage it with some borrowed/rented/cheap CL dining room furniture for the sale.

On the go to a gym vs. home gym option which are you more likely to actually use? I know a bunch of people with home exercise equipment and I always time the period between when they buy it and when it becomes an expensive towel/clothes storage rack. Nobody has ever made it a year.

« Last Edit: January 24, 2016, 06:21:47 AM by Retire-Canada »

vhalros

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2016, 06:20:51 AM »
Regarding the dining room, couldn't you just like... move all the gym stuff out if you wanted to sell the house?

Any way, it depends a little on what you want. The most useful piece of equipment most gyms offer that is difficult to have at home is a barbell/cage. They are long, the cage takes up a lot of space, and the amount of weight used can be substantial. If you don't care for them, or your house can accommodate one, I don't think there is much reason to join a gym. Some people have trouble getting into the right mental zone in their home though; I need to at least go to the back yard or something.

As far as being "mustachian", I think the simple financial benefits of (well, a higher probability of) better health from regular exercise probably justify it as a purely financial calculation. That is on top of what value you place on actually being physically fit (I would place it pretty high!).

Weight loss, of course, will require attention to diet.

vhalros

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2016, 06:26:39 AM »
Also, some effective and cheap work out ideas:

  • Jump rope. I do this in my back patio (I put down an anti-fatigue mat; concrete is hard)
  • Smash a tire with a sledge hammer. Tires are free, since you can use one that is worn.
  • Pick up something heavy and walk with it.

Abel

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2016, 06:29:47 AM »
It might help to break down the different motivations you have for joining a gym. For example, some people join a gym for the social aspect - they wouldn't push themselves hard without a class or social dynamic to motivate them. Some join for the amenities, like you mention a pool or sauna, that are hard to access at home. Maybe there's some kind of coaching or skill acquisition that you have in mind. Of course behind all of that is the motivation for getting fit in the first place - some do it just to look good.

You've got the right idea focusing on health and quality of life.

Based on what you wrote, it seems to me that the main attraction of the gym membership for you are the amenities...yet perhaps the social dynamic is also a part, since when you cancelled your prior gym memberships, the home routine was unable to keep you both accountable. If you can, try to isolate these features and figure out what's most important to you. I feel like a 2 year old could be entertained joining Mom and Dad for pretty much anything, and partying in a used kiddie pool in the backyard during your workout would be an indistinguishable party.

For me - I would never give up the convenience and price of being able to work out at home. The amount of "stuff" you need is so, so small. If you don't need a social push for motivation...a pull up bar on the wall, a plyometric box, some kettle bells and dumb bells, and a jump rope can get you really, really fit. You can always expand as needed to cover barbells and racks and such, but this might be far beyond you and your wife's needs and preferences.

As a Marine, my fitness routine often veers towards the masochistic side. I've done infinitely brutal workouts like "as many burpees as possible in ten minutes" or Tabata-everything or weighted 400m repeats that do not require any equipment whatsoever. You might not be the same personality as me - I do not need variety to stay entertained, and am very comfortable with doing solo workouts that make me want to puke. My girlfriend is the opposite - sweating is a foreign and unpleasant sensation, and classes / social fitness is where it is at. Whatever your type, you can use the same simple, functional exercises that require no equipment or home gym.

Cheaper than even a home gym, why not get to know the neighbors and start a neighborhood walking/running club? Link up a GPS to a free service like Strava, schedule weekly run times, chart your progress, and compete against your friends. Makes it easy to coordinate if you need someone to watch a bunch of kids while the adults go for a Saturday morning jog or something as well.

Curious what you decide to do!




Kaplin261

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2016, 06:50:40 AM »
Buying a gym membership doesn't do anything for you. You actually have to go there and use the facilities. Are you really going to do that or is this a New Year's guilt move to assuage bad feelings about your health.

The other point I'd make is that weight gain is mostly about what you put in your mouth. Working out has other benefits, but if you are not disciplined about what you eat it won't result in long term weight loss. Just look at calories burned at various gym activities and what they relate to in your regular diet. You can eat back calories burnt at the gym faster than you can work them off.

Yes we both used our memberships before and had fantastic fitness levels. On average we went 5 days a week burning off 500 calories each workout, 50 weeks a year.

So for the two of us our work outs  added up to 250k calories a year, so if 3,500 calories equals a pound then we were  burning off 71 pounds of fat a year. So I don't think our diet would conflict with the weight loss as long as we do what we were doing before and not taking it easy in the pool with our son every day.

JoshuaSpodek

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2016, 06:53:52 AM »
First, "110 pounds of gained body fat" is from eating far more than lack of exercise.

As for gyms, I quit my gym years ago, never went back, and am as fit as ever. How? I exercise every day. About four years ago I started doing burpees daily and haven't missed a day since. No equipment, no memberships, no concern about the weather, negligible risk of injury, etc. As my ability increased, I added a few other bodyweight exercises to work my back and abs, which burpees don't do as well and because I like definition on my abs.

I posted about it here -- http://joshuaspodek.com/js_blogseries/burpees. I link to it a bunch, but I haven't seen a workout that works so well at zero cost. If you want to build huge muscle you'll probably want weights, but for general fitness -- strength to carry heavy things up the stairs when you want, not get injured, heart and lungs to run five or ten miles when you want, etc -- and be able to do it when you travel or whatever the weather, I haven't seen better.

Retire-Canada

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2016, 07:10:31 AM »
Yes we both used our memberships before and had fantastic fitness levels. On average we went 5 days a week burning off 500 calories each workout, 50 weeks a year.

To average 5 days a week you'd be going to the gym 6+ days a week most weeks to make up for times when you missed due to sickness/work/vacation/etc...that's pretty disciplined.

So I'd still like to understand:

1. why you didn't follow through on the DIY home based exercise options you planned to do?
2. why did you start to over eat?

It's these underlying issues that will determine if you'll be successful...not buying a membership or owning some equipment.

First, "110 pounds of gained body fat" is from eating far more than lack of exercise.

Agreed. Which is why going to the gym alone doesn't solve your problems. Working out will make you more hungry which will amplify bad eating habits.

drawn

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #8 on: January 24, 2016, 08:09:59 AM »
I would say a home gym is a better investment in the long run. Getting yourself some dumbbells, bar, weights and a jump rope is really all you need to get a good workout. You can also get creative with your workouts and use other objects that can help you exercise. I've seen dude's on YouTube lifting bricks, rocks, gallons of water, etc. No need to pay to use a treadmill at a local gym either. Instead, go to the park and get your run there for free. Play with your calories and food intake depending on whether you want to lose weight or gain weight. Want to lose weight? Eat less calories. Gain weight? Eat more calories.

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #9 on: January 24, 2016, 08:56:15 AM »
Having the equipment to workout is extremely important to me since I literally workout every single day. I was a member of a gym for about 4 years and then recently decided to quit my gym and build my own gym. I didn't need much because the majority of my workouts are body weight workouts. My entire home is 5000 sq ft. so our space is very limited. We got a small bench and free weights ranging from 5lbs-30lbs. Some were give-aways so all in all we spend 50 bucks. My gym membership was 19.95 a month so my home gym has already paid for itself.

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #10 on: January 24, 2016, 09:01:20 AM »
Price (to a limit) is irrelevant. The best option is the one that you will USE.

Diet is also very important but I definitely have healthier cravings and eating habits when I exercise.

seemsright

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #11 on: January 24, 2016, 09:20:30 AM »
I have found that having a home gym does not make me workout. But having a gym membership to a gym that I enjoy going to allows me to workout and enjoy the time.

I do not want to workout in my cold garage. I built a home gym with a bench, a heavy bag, and a rower. It was awesome. I never used it. Over the years most of it has been sold.

This has nothing to do with motivation or lack of dedication. I like the act of going to the gym. Going to the gym to workout has become so routine that I view it like brushing my teeth...I just go.

I am also prone to weight gain when life gets stressful even if my food and workouts do not change.

Look the hardcore MMM people wont agree with me but I say spend the cash on the better gym that you will enjoy going to.

kpd905

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #12 on: January 24, 2016, 10:21:34 AM »
I have a set of adjustable Bowflex dumbbells that go from 5-52.5 pounds each.  I think the set was about $200.  You can do a huge variety of exercises with them, and they take about 5 seconds to switch the weight.

I think when we get a house I might build myself a squat rack and buy a bar and some weights, and maybe a bench pressing bench.

That plus hiking and running should keep me in solid shape.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #13 on: January 24, 2016, 01:39:50 PM »
I have never been very successful at making myself work out at home. I also have young children and I find that gym with childcare is the way to go for me. Because either the kids are home, and then they get in the way... or they're at school, and I'm not going to use THOSE precious hours exercising when I could be making another cup of tea instead! YMMV, but I have personally been much more successful at exercising when it comes as bonus me time.

ltt

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #14 on: January 24, 2016, 03:42:23 PM »
I'm very much for not paying for a membership to exercise or to have to drive somewhere to exercise, but would pay for exercise equipment in our home.  I have a small recumbent bike that I love and use several times a week.  It was very difficult to exercise for many years with elementary-aged children, but am getting back into the routine and watching the carbs.  It probably will boil down to what works best in terms of time---is it easier to drive to a gym and have child care at the gym, or is it easier to work out at home (possibly while your child is napping)??

Oh, and probably not a good idea to go to a gym with a contract that doesn't list their prices.

drachma

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #15 on: January 25, 2016, 09:26:31 AM »
Exercising is very mustachian. It can improve your quality of life and reduce health care costs. Plus, it's really cheap entertainment!

Physical training is a priority for me so I might have spent a bit more than your average mustachian. I am also a huge believer in simple, compound movements (squats, deadlifts, pullups, dips, standing press) and their variations to produce great results training. You don't need 100 machines! One barbell and a rack will do.

I have done both routes. Let me explain the pros/cons of each.

1. Home Gym

It is very easy and cost-effective to build a home gym. By purchasing used Olympic weight materials on craigslist, I was able to build a gym including a Squat Rack, Flat Bench, Olympic bar, almost 600 lbs of weight, and some plywood and rubber floor protection for about $700. I also purchased a used Concept II rowing machine for $300, an absolute steal. This is enough equipment to train strength and conditioning in almost any capacity you could ever need.

Compared to a gym membership, ~$1000 / (24 months) = $41/month. Very competitive with many gym memberships. Of course, the equipment will last a lot longer than just 2 years (think 20) and it will re-sell for nearly what you paid for it if you ever need to move or quit working out.

I also like DIY stuff so I did end up getting a few cheap accessories over the years. An ab roller ($10), a doorway pull-up bar ($20), a Dip Belt ($15). I made a DIY Dip station out of 2x4s for probably ~$20 and bought a pair of $20 gymnastics rings to hang from a tree branch in my yard. All of this has occupied my every exercising whim for over 3 years.

There are a few nice gym "toys" I am missing; Olympic Bumper Plates for doing olympic lifts, a higher ceiling to do gymnastics stuff in the winter, Dumbbells, kettlebells, etc. They are nice but I have being making plenty of great progress with what I have.

2. Gym Membership.

I got a membership to a nice little powerlifting gym for $23/month. Why, when I have a nice home gym? Well,

- I got sick of always training alone in my dingy basement.
- I wanted to train around other successful lifters to gain the knowledge and learn how to lift better. (this has been successful. Gotten plenty of great tips that have actually helped. I read everything i can, but you can't replace having more experienced people watch you and give tips).
- I wanted some of those cool gym toys, although I barely end up using them.
- I don't plan on going forever, and my home gym will always be there.

Cons:

- I have to drive there, its a little out of the way but doesn't add too much to my already-short car commute.
- The cost, while small, is still a cost I *could* be saving.
- You might have to wait for equipment (has never an issue at my gym)
- That's about it... for me...

If training and progressing is important to you, stints at a Real Gym could definitely be worth the cost. If you just want to stay generally fit, a home gym could easily suit you for many, many years.

big_owl

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #16 on: January 25, 2016, 09:35:09 AM »
110lbs is a lot of fat.  I'd get to the gym ASAP.

YK-Phil

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #17 on: January 25, 2016, 09:51:16 AM »
First, "110 pounds of gained body fat" is from eating far more than lack of exercise.

As for gyms, I quit my gym years ago, never went back, and am as fit as ever. How? I exercise every day. About four years ago I started doing burpees daily and haven't missed a day since. No equipment, no memberships, no concern about the weather, negligible risk of injury, etc. As my ability increased, I added a few other bodyweight exercises to work my back and abs, which burpees don't do as well and because I like definition on my abs.

I posted about it here -- http://joshuaspodek.com/js_blogseries/burpees. I link to it a bunch, but I haven't seen a workout that works so well at zero cost. If you want to build huge muscle you'll probably want weights, but for general fitness -- strength to carry heavy things up the stairs when you want, not get injured, heart and lungs to run five or ten miles when you want, etc -- and be able to do it when you travel or whatever the weather, I haven't seen better.

Agree 100% about the burpees. I went from going to the gym practically every day for twenty years -mostly because it was free as part of my hotel stays when I was traveling on business and later while working for an airline, to doing bodyweight exercises (30-40 minutes of HIIT from FitnessBlender) 6-7 days a week. I will never go back to a gym. At almost 58, I have never felt so fit in my life, cardio and strength-wise. Coupled with proper diet and an active lifestyle that includes walking, biking, hiking and whatever outdoor activity you want to add, you will see results in a few months. And the bonus is that no equipment, special clothing, monthly fees or dedicated space in the home is required, whether I am home, at work or traveling.
« Last Edit: January 25, 2016, 10:02:54 AM by yyc-phil »

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #18 on: January 25, 2016, 09:57:47 AM »
Price (to a limit) is irrelevant. The best option is the one that you will USE.

Diet is also very important but I definitely have healthier cravings and eating habits when I exercise.

+1.

For me, I use our home gym WAY more than I used my gym membership. I can get very self-conscious, particularly if I'm learning a new movement pattern. And I don't want to worry about "exposing" too much of my body at a gym if I'm overheating. At home I don't care, sports bra and tight shirts ahoy.

But your answer might be different. What will you actually DO?

I do agree though that food is a key part. For me though, the biggest component to me eating well is me sleeping well. I lack all will power when tired, and will eat whatever is close to me. So try and determine your underlying triggers. "Eat Less" is never a sustainable goal without addressing the psychology of why you started "Eating More". (Although I personally think "Eat Better" is a much better goal, but Calories In vs Calories Out people tend to be very dogmatic, so I'm not here to challenge any dearly held beliefs... do what works for you).

big_owl

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #19 on: January 25, 2016, 10:01:21 AM »

+1.

For me, I use our home gym WAY more than I used my gym membership. I can get very self-conscious, particularly if I'm learning a new movement pattern. And I don't want to worry about "exposing" too much of my body at a gym if I'm overheating. At home I don't care, sports bra and tight shirts ahoy.

I hear you, though for a slightly different reason.  I can't wait to get my basement gym finished with huge mirrors on the wall so I can finally work out topless.  That's one thing I hate about the gym, I'm always covered up so I can't really enjoy "the pump".  At home...all bets are off, as will be most clothing as well...

mm1970

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #20 on: January 25, 2016, 11:16:48 AM »
Buying a gym membership doesn't do anything for you. You actually have to go there and use the facilities. Are you really going to do that or is this a New Year's guilt move to assuage bad feelings about your health.

The other point I'd make is that weight gain is mostly about what you put in your mouth. Working out has other benefits, but if you are not disciplined about what you eat it won't result in long term weight loss. Just look at calories burned at various gym activities and what they relate to in your regular diet. You can eat back calories burnt at the gym faster than you can work them off.

Yes we both used our memberships before and had fantastic fitness levels. On average we went 5 days a week burning off 500 calories each workout, 50 weeks a year.

So for the two of us our work outs  added up to 250k calories a year, so if 3,500 calories equals a pound then we were  burning off 71 pounds of fat a year. So I don't think our diet would conflict with the weight loss as long as we do what we were doing before and not taking it easy in the pool with our son every day.
There are a couple of things that might be going on here, in my experience.

Pre-kid, for sure, my husband and I went to the gym more.  We went together.  I'd say we went to the gym 2-3 days a week, together.  I went on the other work days by myself.  He biked to work 2-3 days a week.  I biked once or twice.

Kids change that a lot.  For sure, the 110 pounds gained - some of that is what you eat, but a lot of that is the kid - pregnancy, for your wife, plus stress, plus lack of sleep.  Even if you kept everything the same - activity levels and food intake, but cut your sleep?  You'd gain weight.

So...
Working out at home is great, if you do it.  It can be super duper hard with kids.  I really can't do it if my toddler is awake.  He will not let me.  This morning, he woke up 5 minutes after I did.  Also, it's super easy for the "lazy" parent/ spouse to make it hard on the other spouse.  If my  husband doesn't get up on his workout day, then I can't just get up, turn on the lights, grab my clothes, and work out.

I am personally a social animal, and an anti-social animal.  I have a gym membership (two actually).  We joined the YMCA when my older son was 5 for the pool.  I'd gotten injured running and started swimming.  In a good month, I swim 6-8x a month.  In a bad month, 2x a month.  In a good month, we take our kids 4x.  In a bad month, 0.  The pool is really really great for kids, as is the YMCA in general.  I highly recommend it. But I don't know if I get my $102 worth.  (In December and January, we went 2 times each month.  However there are months we use it a lot more.)

I personally found the second child made it harder.  When we had just one, we'd go to the pool mid-week one night and one weekend day.  Especially helpful while pregnant.  After the second one, there was a while where we just didn't go (water too cold for the baby). Then of course, we are one-to-one parent-to-kid, so it's fun for the kids but not exactly exercise for us anymore.  And now our older son is in baseball, so there are time conflicts.

I would say that if you were regular gym goers before, and you find it hard to stay motivated to work out at home - then I would join a gym.  Sometimes, not being able to work out at home is because you are lazy.  And sometimes, you aren't "broken", you are just someone who requires external motivation.  I wish I could be motivated to work out at home 100% of the time, but I'm not.  I have a bunch of workout DVDs and equipment.  I love using them.  I like to go for walks.  I like to bike.

But I REALLY need those 45-minute stretches in the pool, to lose myself in my thoughts.  Without distractions "I'm hungry", "I want the TV", "stop working out" (or just flat out having a kid sit on you).  That's where the "anti-social" animal part comes in.

mm1970

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #21 on: January 25, 2016, 11:20:34 AM »
Having the equipment to workout is extremely important to me since I literally workout every single day. I was a member of a gym for about 4 years and then recently decided to quit my gym and build my own gym. I didn't need much because the majority of my workouts are body weight workouts. My entire home is 5000 sq ft. so our space is very limited. We got a small bench and free weights ranging from 5lbs-30lbs. Some were give-aways so all in all we spend 50 bucks. My gym membership was 19.95 a month so my home gym has already paid for itself.
Emphasis mine.

Is this a typo?  A joke?  You have a family of 10?  I only ask because my entire LOT is 5000 sf, and my house is 1100 sf.  My space is very limited.  (I stash dumbbells behind a chair).

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #22 on: January 25, 2016, 12:51:25 PM »
Having the equipment to workout is extremely important to me since I literally workout every single day. I was a member of a gym for about 4 years and then recently decided to quit my gym and build my own gym. I didn't need much because the majority of my workouts are body weight workouts. My entire home is 5000 sq ft. so our space is very limited. We got a small bench and free weights ranging from 5lbs-30lbs. Some were give-aways so all in all we spend 50 bucks. My gym membership was 19.95 a month so my home gym has already paid for itself.
Emphasis mine.

Is this a typo?  A joke?  You have a family of 10?  I only ask because my entire LOT is 5000 sf, and my house is 1100 sf.  My space is very limited.  (I stash dumbbells behind a chair).

We're 3 adults and 2 dogs in 1025sq ft. We store our 7' tall barbell upright in the corner of our laundry room and our weights in the carport where we work out. Even when it was 2 adults in 500sqft, we had a kettlebell tucked in beside the couch, and resistance bands on the back of our closet door.

If you can't manage a home gym in 5,000sq ft, that seems pretty crazy.

GuitarStv

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #23 on: January 25, 2016, 01:12:44 PM »
I have gone to gyms, but not in years.  I workout four days a week in my home gym, every week, after work.  This has been going on for five years since we bought our house.

Reasons to go with a home gym:
- You can use it any time of day and you don't need to worry about getting there/getting home.
- You control the music.
- You can use frigging chalk for lifting.
- You don't have to listen to idiots talking about their stupidity.
- You don't have to subject yourself to idiots trying to squat on medicine balls, kipping pullups, 1/4 squats with four times the weight that they can actually handle, spotters who pull the weight up on every rep, spotters who don't help you when you're failing a rep, people telling you that you're squatting too low, etc.
- Your weights are always neatly stored in the right location.
- Your squat rack and bench are always free.
- It's far, far cheaper in the long run.


If you have a basement (or garage in warmer climates), it's simply better to workout at home.

big_owl

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #24 on: January 25, 2016, 02:21:50 PM »
I have gone to gyms, but not in years.  I workout four days a week in my home gym, every week, after work.  This has been going on for five years since we bought our house.

Reasons to go with a home gym:
- You can use it any time of day and you don't need to worry about getting there/getting home.
- You control the music.
- You can use frigging chalk for lifting.
- You don't have to listen to idiots talking about their stupidity.
- You don't have to subject yourself to idiots trying to squat on medicine balls, kipping pullups, 1/4 squats with four times the weight that they can actually handle, spotters who pull the weight up on every rep, spotters who don't help you when you're failing a rep, people telling you that you're squatting too low, etc.
- Your weights are always neatly stored in the right location.
- Your squat rack and bench are always free.
- It's far, far cheaper in the long run.


If you have a basement (or garage in warmer climates), it's simply better to workout at home.

+1  Spoken like a true weighlifter

ReadySetMillionaire

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #25 on: January 25, 2016, 03:15:27 PM »
I hope I don't derail this thread but I'm in a slightly similar situation.

My GF currently has a gym membership that is about $400/year.  I had a gym membership (Planet Fitness) that was $120 per year. I cancelled that because I hated the machines and equipment there. My GF's renewal comes up in March, and we are thinking about buying one of the following ellipticals:

ProForm Smart Strider 735: https://www.proform.com/ellipticals/smartstrider735
NordicTrack Space Saver SE7i: https://www.nordictrack.com/fitness/en/NordicTrack/Ellipticals/spacesaver-se7i

Note that we would opt for an elliptical for several reasons. First, both of us genuinely like using them and this would completely replace my GF's gym membership (meaning that the elliptical would pay for itself within two years). Second and more importantly, my GF's dad has very bad hips (he's 61 and needs both hips replaced pretty soon). My GF is similar--her hip cracks pretty loudly when she gets up from bed or from the couch. Running on the pavement, jump-roping, or using a treadmill make her very sore if she does it too consistently.

Also, we do utilize outdoors a lot when it's nice out (Ohio here). We walk around our neighborhood and go to the park a lot between March and November when it's reasonably nice out. We also have adequate free weights to supplement our workouts already.

So, despite the initial up front cost, is this kind of cardio equipment a good expense?

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #26 on: January 25, 2016, 06:04:46 PM »
So, despite the initial up front cost, is this kind of cardio equipment a good expense?

You've got a unique situation. I'll offer my $.02 of personal experience:

My parents had a similar idea once, with an unexpected windfall of $1000 and the desire to lose a gym membership, they figured that an elliptical machine would be an aging-joints-friendly-low-impact-year-round exercise machine for year round in North Dakota where winters are even more brutal than Ohio! They have probably used it a dozen times and its typical use has been to hang laundry to dry over the years. The quality machine they purchased is stable, quiet, heavy, enormous, and hard to move.

I think versatility in equipment has a lot of value. If you need to move into a new house or a smaller apartment, big stuff like a large machine is a real drag. Components of free weights, bars, etc. are much easier packed, moved, and sold. Personally, I would rather get low-impact cardio exercise from bicycling to work, or to the grocery store, or just around the neighborhood with the wind in my face. I would take that over staring at a wall any day! And it makes you $$$.

Maybe you're already avid cyclists - if so, I would say why not forget the elliptical and do more of that? If not, why not take the $$$ you'd spend on a stationary machine and buy a machine that can take you places? If you have no cycling experience, it could bring the joy of a new hobby *and* exercise that takes you places.

 

aschmidt2930

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #27 on: January 25, 2016, 08:52:18 PM »
My membership is $26/mo, and I see it as a great use of money.  Health is everything, and a majority of people who say "I'll just jog" are in horrible shape.  If you get the membership, make no excuses, get in there three times a week no matter what. 

ReadySetMillionaire

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #28 on: January 26, 2016, 08:15:12 AM »
So, despite the initial up front cost, is this kind of cardio equipment a good expense?

You've got a unique situation. I'll offer my $.02 of personal experience:

My parents had a similar idea once, with an unexpected windfall of $1000 and the desire to lose a gym membership, they figured that an elliptical machine would be an aging-joints-friendly-low-impact-year-round exercise machine for year round in North Dakota where winters are even more brutal than Ohio! They have probably used it a dozen times and its typical use has been to hang laundry to dry over the years. The quality machine they purchased is stable, quiet, heavy, enormous, and hard to move.

I think versatility in equipment has a lot of value. If you need to move into a new house or a smaller apartment, big stuff like a large machine is a real drag. Components of free weights, bars, etc. are much easier packed, moved, and sold. Personally, I would rather get low-impact cardio exercise from bicycling to work, or to the grocery store, or just around the neighborhood with the wind in my face. I would take that over staring at a wall any day! And it makes you $$$.

Maybe you're already avid cyclists - if so, I would say why not forget the elliptical and do more of that? If not, why not take the $$$ you'd spend on a stationary machine and buy a machine that can take you places? If you have no cycling experience, it could bring the joy of a new hobby *and* exercise that takes you places.

This might sound weird, but I dislike cycling because I sit on my ass all day at work (attorney here). I tried to get into it last year (and even bought an indoor exercise bike) but always found myself going on walks and hiking in the local park instead.

Furthermore, my GF is one of those people who absolutely must work out five times a week, i.e., she looks forward to it all day and gets anxious if she doesn't work out regularly. So I definitely think we would use it quite extensively.

I'm just a little concerned about the up front cost, but if it saves us money in the long run, I think we are going to go for it.

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #29 on: January 26, 2016, 10:03:36 AM »
whichever you stick to because the cost of the probably health benefits due to problems in the future will far out way the cost of your membership or home gym.

AlanStache

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #30 on: January 26, 2016, 10:38:06 AM »
Yep, whatever you stick with is best.  Somethings are more important than 20$/month.

You can get most all equipment at a very good discount on CL.

Personally I love my home gym but if I did not have the space for a rack & olympic bar I would probably join a gym.

Exercise is only part of the equation, calories intake has a huge effect, it is very hard to out run two slices of pizza.

GuitarStv

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #31 on: January 26, 2016, 12:32:21 PM »
it is very hard to out run two slices of pizza.

Not if you've been turbo-charged by the remainder of the pie!  :P

neo von retorch

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #32 on: January 26, 2016, 02:00:26 PM »
Keep in mind you have two to three root questions here:
  • What is the best financial option (in the long-term)?
  • What is the best way to get active and fit again?
  • What is the best way to lose unwanted body fat?
  • Bonus: Which option will work for parents adjusting to life with a young child?

The clear financial win is some kind of low-cost home gym; options mentioned above include body-weight, make-shift, or reasonable purchases. For example, I got lucky - my goal was to be able to do the basic (Olympic) barbell lefts at home. But I stumbled on "way too much stuff" from a retiring wrestling coach. I bought the whole lot, sold much of it, doubled my original investment and then bought a few select items I really wanted. I came out positive financially but...

Sometimes things change. I still own the home where my "home gym" lives. I just don't live there. I got married and we rent a place. Oops. For me, my best chance of fitness is a gym really close to work. I pack my bag, and I go to the gym before going home. It's so much easier for me to "decide to turn into the gym I'm driving past" then it would ever be to "leave my house to go there" or, sometimes even to just "go into the basement to do my lifts."

As several have pointed out, body composition (ratio of skeleton, muscle, fat, etc) is largely determined by diet, not fitness. You can increase muscle by a combination of training and diet. You can lose body fat by a combination of training and diet. What you'll have a really, really hard time doing is either of those without a good hard look at diet. I can't even begin to imagine the way a munchkin will consume time and strongly persuade you to take easier eating paths, so your job is to make "eating healthy an easy thing." Don't bring sugar-based things into your home. Desserts, most beverages, many snacks - the only benefit you get from eating them is a moment of flavor bliss. They are engineered to get you to give up money in exchange for (mostly) sugar. Don't buy those things. I won't decide what you buy and feed your child, but if those things include sugary things, try to get childish treats your adult self will reject :)

I cannot answer the bonus question :)

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #33 on: January 26, 2016, 03:58:52 PM »
You've already tried working out at home for 6 years, and it hasn't worked. That's OK--it doesn't work for everyone. You need to figure out *why* it doesn't work for you, and whether anything about that has changed now that you have a child. You might value the gym time even more as a way to have some adult-only time.

For me, it is way easier to get myself to go to the gym than to work out at home. There's only one decision--to go to the gym or not. Once I've decided to go, everything else just happens easily. I don't have to tear myself away from something that might be more pleasurable (hanging with the spouse or whatever), and there aren't any distractions while I'm there.

AlanStache

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #34 on: January 26, 2016, 05:17:32 PM »
it is very hard to out run two slices of pizza.

Not if you've been turbo-charged by the remainder of the pie!  :P

A pie with two slices missing will be an unbalanced turbo-it will wobble at high revs.  https://www.t-nation.com/all-articles/authors/mark-rippetoe recommends running Ho Hos, they can be eaten from the end keeping them balanced and wobble free.  :-)

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #35 on: January 26, 2016, 05:56:33 PM »
Mark's Daily Apple website has a number of free body weight exercise videos and diet/eating challenges that might be helpful as does YouTube really. I wouldn't buy equipment until you've gotten your eating on track and developed a base level of fitness from body weight exercises. Reward yourself later with more equipment or a gym membership if you want a but I guess I am suggesting this is more about the mental motivation than home v. gym.

Kaplin261

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #36 on: January 27, 2016, 07:20:23 AM »
Mark's Daily Apple website has a number of free body weight exercise videos and diet/eating challenges that might be helpful as does YouTube really. I wouldn't buy equipment until you've gotten your eating on track and developed a base level of fitness from body weight exercises. Reward yourself later with more equipment or a gym membership if you want a but I guess I am suggesting this is more about the mental motivation than home v. gym.

Wouldn't my eating already be on track if my lifestyle changed to cardio workouts that burn 2,500 calories a week?

We stopped working about about 5 years ago and accumulated a grand total of 110 pounds of body fat in that time. 110 pounds of body fat = 385,000 calories(1 pound fat=3,500 calories).. 5 years = 1,825 days.... 385,000 / 1,825 = 210.95 daily calories over consumed for the two of us or 105 calories for each of us. 735 calories a week vs the extra 2,500 calories a week in cardio.

GuitarStv

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #37 on: January 27, 2016, 07:31:13 AM »
Mark's Daily Apple website has a number of free body weight exercise videos and diet/eating challenges that might be helpful as does YouTube really. I wouldn't buy equipment until you've gotten your eating on track and developed a base level of fitness from body weight exercises. Reward yourself later with more equipment or a gym membership if you want a but I guess I am suggesting this is more about the mental motivation than home v. gym.

Wouldn't my eating already be on track if my lifestyle changed to cardio workouts that burn 2,500 calories a week?

We stopped working about about 5 years ago and accumulated a grand total of 110 pounds of body fat in that time. 110 pounds of body fat = 385,000 calories(1 pound fat=3,500 calories).. 5 years = 1,825 days.... 385,000 / 1,825 = 210.95 daily calories over consumed for the two of us or 105 calories for each of us. 735 calories a week vs the extra 2,500 calories a week in cardio.

Your diet would be on track if you started burning a ton of calories doing cardio . . . but at some point you will be injured or prevented from training for a few weeks.  Learning to control your diet depending on your activity level is how you prevent from ballooning up again in weight, so it's still good advice.  Besides, ideally you don't just jump into the exercise (much greater chance of injuring yourself or getting burned out) you work your way up by adding a little more each day, so you should probably be controlling your diet a bit at the beginning of the training.

AlanStache

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #38 on: January 27, 2016, 08:01:32 AM »
Mark's Daily Apple website has a number of free body weight exercise videos and diet/eating challenges that might be helpful as does YouTube really. I wouldn't buy equipment until you've gotten your eating on track and developed a base level of fitness from body weight exercises. Reward yourself later with more equipment or a gym membership if you want a but I guess I am suggesting this is more about the mental motivation than home v. gym.

Wouldn't my eating already be on track if my lifestyle changed to cardio workouts that burn 2,500 calories a week?

We stopped working about about 5 years ago and accumulated a grand total of 110 pounds of body fat in that time. 110 pounds of body fat = 385,000 calories(1 pound fat=3,500 calories).. 5 years = 1,825 days.... 385,000 / 1,825 = 210.95 daily calories over consumed for the two of us or 105 calories for each of us. 735 calories a week vs the extra 2,500 calories a week in cardio.

You are trying to maximize calorie differential (sort of and in a sustainable-health manner...) so why look at only the energy used side of the equation?  GS is right, you will get injured or be other wise unable to really workout at times; recent snow in VA has killed my running since last week.  Whatever exercise you do start slow and increase workload twice as slowly as you think you should, far better to take it slow then to get injured because you pushed yourself before your body was ready.

ooeei

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #39 on: January 27, 2016, 08:45:20 AM »
Mark's Daily Apple website has a number of free body weight exercise videos and diet/eating challenges that might be helpful as does YouTube really. I wouldn't buy equipment until you've gotten your eating on track and developed a base level of fitness from body weight exercises. Reward yourself later with more equipment or a gym membership if you want a but I guess I am suggesting this is more about the mental motivation than home v. gym.

Wouldn't my eating already be on track if my lifestyle changed to cardio workouts that burn 2,500 calories a week?

We stopped working about about 5 years ago and accumulated a grand total of 110 pounds of body fat in that time. 110 pounds of body fat = 385,000 calories(1 pound fat=3,500 calories).. 5 years = 1,825 days.... 385,000 / 1,825 = 210.95 daily calories over consumed for the two of us or 105 calories for each of us. 735 calories a week vs the extra 2,500 calories a week in cardio.

I'm a bit skeptical that calories really work that way.  For an extreme example, someone eating 2500 calories per day of pure sugar and someone eating 2500 calories per day of vegetables and nuts are going to have different health and weight, even though the calories are the same.  Hormones play a role in fat storage.  Ask anyone who has hypothyroidism (or hyperthyroidism).  If losing weight was as easy as restricting 210 calories per day it'd be a cinch.

In any case, I say just go to one of the gyms.  See if that family one will let you do month to month for an increased fee (most places will), and do that for 6 months or so.  If you find that you really enjoy it and go often, get the 2 year contract if it's significantly cheaper.  As great as saving money is, if going to the more expensive place motivates you to go and get healthier, DO IT (if it doesn't break your budget).  Once you're doing well and on the right track, you can experiment with other ways to workout that are cheaper (but you have the option to go back to the gym if it doesn't work out)

If you decide to do the home gym, get a pull up bar and if possible a barbell from craigslist.  Maybe a jump rope too. Racks can be made using 4x4s DIY if you're inclined, but really you only "need" the barbell for deadlifts.  Bodyweight squats, pushups, and pullups should keep you busy for awhile.
« Last Edit: January 27, 2016, 08:47:13 AM by ooeei »

ReadySetMillionaire

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #40 on: January 27, 2016, 09:25:14 AM »
Mark's Daily Apple website has a number of free body weight exercise videos and diet/eating challenges that might be helpful as does YouTube really. I wouldn't buy equipment until you've gotten your eating on track and developed a base level of fitness from body weight exercises. Reward yourself later with more equipment or a gym membership if you want a but I guess I am suggesting this is more about the mental motivation than home v. gym.

Wouldn't my eating already be on track if my lifestyle changed to cardio workouts that burn 2,500 calories a week?

We stopped working about about 5 years ago and accumulated a grand total of 110 pounds of body fat in that time. 110 pounds of body fat = 385,000 calories(1 pound fat=3,500 calories).. 5 years = 1,825 days.... 385,000 / 1,825 = 210.95 daily calories over consumed for the two of us or 105 calories for each of us. 735 calories a week vs the extra 2,500 calories a week in cardio.

I agree with the poster above that it's not as simple as "calories in, calories out." The quality of calories you're consuming matters immensely.

I say this with just a slight bit of experience, as I've been tracking my calories since last fall. I eat about 2,000 calories per day. At first, I would still eat the normal stuff at work--processed granola bars, pretzels with lunch, processed protein bars for snacks at work, a beer every other day, etc. I stayed within my calorie limit but really didn't see much weight loss.

Since New Year's I've really altered my habits. My breakfast is a Nutribullet shake (banana, strawberries, and baby spinach) and three eggs. My lunch is chicken and sweet potatoes.  I eat snacks and maybe just one granola bar a day. My dinner is something different (maybe brown rice and chicken thighs, sausage and eggs, some type of red meat, etc.). Then I have a scoop of peanut butter or something before bed.

Since changing the types of calories I'm eating, I've lost more than 5 pounds in just four weeks. I also generally feel a lot better, get out of bed easier, fall asleep easier, etc.

Bottom line lesson for me is that I don't think all calories are created equal. If you truly want to lose the 110 pounds of body fat, then you not only need to exercise, but you need to make sure you are eating quality foods.

One last point, and I hope I don't come off too harsh: your broad strokes math concerning your weight gain isn't by itself a sufficient explanation of your weight gain. You need to actually calculate calories and your nutrients, as well as your physical activities, and make sure you are eating quality calories.

GuitarStv

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #41 on: January 27, 2016, 09:44:13 AM »
I'm going to disagree with the two previous posters above and say that calories in - out are what cause weight loss/gain.  It's possible to lose weight eating chocolate chip cookies, cake, and ice cream (I've done it).  It's possible to gain weight eating massive quantities of nuts, vegetables, fruit, dairy, and meat (I've also done it).  You will feel hungry all the time, have spikes of energy/lulls of listlessness and be generally miserable during the former . . . which could lead some to have a tendency towards overeating.

That said, focusing on getting proper nutrition will leave you much healthier, generally feeling full longer, and is a far more sustainable plan.

Kaplin261

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #42 on: January 27, 2016, 09:50:47 AM »
Mark's Daily Apple website has a number of free body weight exercise videos and diet/eating challenges that might be helpful as does YouTube really. I wouldn't buy equipment until you've gotten your eating on track and developed a base level of fitness from body weight exercises. Reward yourself later with more equipment or a gym membership if you want a but I guess I am suggesting this is more about the mental motivation than home v. gym.

Wouldn't my eating already be on track if my lifestyle changed to cardio workouts that burn 2,500 calories a week?

We stopped working about about 5 years ago and accumulated a grand total of 110 pounds of body fat in that time. 110 pounds of body fat = 385,000 calories(1 pound fat=3,500 calories).. 5 years = 1,825 days.... 385,000 / 1,825 = 210.95 daily calories over consumed for the two of us or 105 calories for each of us. 735 calories a week vs the extra 2,500 calories a week in cardio.

I agree with the poster above that it's not as simple as "calories in, calories out." The quality of calories you're consuming matters immensely.

I say this with just a slight bit of experience, as I've been tracking my calories since last fall. I eat about 2,000 calories per day. At first, I would still eat the normal stuff at work--processed granola bars, pretzels with lunch, processed protein bars for snacks at work, a beer every other day, etc. I stayed within my calorie limit but really didn't see much weight loss.

Since New Year's I've really altered my habits. My breakfast is a Nutribullet shake (banana, strawberries, and baby spinach) and three eggs. My lunch is chicken and sweet potatoes.  I eat snacks and maybe just one granola bar a day. My dinner is something different (maybe brown rice and chicken thighs, sausage and eggs, some type of red meat, etc.). Then I have a scoop of peanut butter or something before bed.

Since changing the types of calories I'm eating, I've lost more than 5 pounds in just four weeks. I also generally feel a lot better, get out of bed easier, fall asleep easier, etc.

Bottom line lesson for me is that I don't think all calories are created equal. If you truly want to lose the 110 pounds of body fat, then you not only need to exercise, but you need to make sure you are eating quality foods.

One last point, and I hope I don't come off too harsh: your broad strokes math concerning your weight gain isn't by itself a sufficient explanation of your weight gain. You need to actually calculate calories and your nutrients, as well as your physical activities, and make sure you are eating quality calories.

First let me say I did not gain 110 pounds, that is the total that my wife and I both gained together and just to be fair to her I'll take ownership for 50% of those pounds.

I consider myself 50% vegan, I do not eat any cooked foods or meat before dinner. This makes things so much easier mon-fri during the work week and I don't feel guilty. I pack 2 apples,a serving of raw almonds, 2 bananas,a avocado  a small salad from the cafeteria salad bar($3). I have one cup of coffee first thing in the morning and then water the rest of the day. Dinner is always a home cooked fresh meal, the meat will be cooked sous vide and will add in a starch and some veggies. We consume alcohol 2 times a week.

ooeei

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #43 on: January 27, 2016, 10:16:04 AM »
I'm going to disagree with the two previous posters above and say that calories in - out are what cause weight loss/gain.  It's possible to lose weight eating chocolate chip cookies, cake, and ice cream (I've done it).  It's possible to gain weight eating massive quantities of nuts, vegetables, fruit, dairy, and meat (I've also done it).  You will feel hungry all the time, have spikes of energy/lulls of listlessness and be generally miserable during the former . . . which could lead some to have a tendency towards overeating.

That said, focusing on getting proper nutrition will leave you much healthier, generally feeling full longer, and is a far more sustainable plan.

This article references a study on mice looking at the exact same foods fed to them, with one being fed cooked and one raw.  The same calories acted differently based on being cooked or not.  If a cooked sweet potato causes different bodily reactions with regard to weight gain than a raw one, it's not a far stretch to conclude that a food that isn't a sweet potato will also be different.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/the-hidden-truths-about-calories/

All things being equal, lower calories will translate to more weight loss (or less weight gain).  The issue is all things usually aren't equal.  Diet and weight gain is a very complex system with all sorts of confounding factors, which is why it's so hard to study.  Is the brocolli you eat every day causing weight loss, or is it the food you're not eating because you eat the brocolli?  Or is it that you feel better and are more active because you aren't weighed down by something else?  Or does the brocolli affect your hormones or gut microbes somehow?  Rather than trying to calculate out every small piece of information based on theory, it's generally better to take steps in the right direction and adjust from there.  That's what I was trying to point out with the 210 calorie per day surplus OP talked about.  It's not as simple as fat gained/calories per fat gram/days.

AlanStache

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #44 on: January 27, 2016, 10:50:31 AM »
Will be really interesting in the near future to see if data from all the food and exercise tracker apps can answer if all calories are created equal and to find out the relative importance of each component.  What a time to be alive!  In past all people could do was eat less and exercise more without knowing the relative importance of broccoli vs HIIT.

EngineerYogi

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #45 on: January 27, 2016, 11:09:46 AM »
Diet and Nutrition aside (though I'm in agreement that it's incredibly important, I track/log my food personally), I have access to two free gyms through my work so I lift weights there. If I'm ever in a position where the free gym is no longer an option I'd likely be purchasing a membership because I've never been able to motivate myself to workout at home. For the gym that doesn't list pricing, that is because they're going to try to get you to spend as much as possible but in my experience those rates are very negotiable. You should easily be able to talk them down or negotiate the contract.
« Last Edit: January 27, 2016, 11:13:38 AM by eat.train.yoga.love »

ooeei

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #46 on: January 27, 2016, 11:13:51 AM »
First let me say I did not gain 110 pounds, that is the total that my wife and I both gained together and just to be fair to her I'll take ownership for 50% of those pounds.

I consider myself 50% vegan, I do not eat any cooked foods or meat before dinner. This makes things so much easier mon-fri during the work week and I don't feel guilty. I pack 2 apples,a serving of raw almonds, 2 bananas,a avocado  a small salad from the cafeteria salad bar($3). I have one cup of coffee first thing in the morning and then water the rest of the day. Dinner is always a home cooked fresh meal, the meat will be cooked sous vide and will add in a starch and some veggies. We consume alcohol 2 times a week.

If your diet is where you say it is, I think you may be right and the exercise is where you should be focusing.  Basically you've been gaining a pound a month, which isn't an astronomical amount, but does add up as you've found.  To go back to my first post here, I vote to see if the family gym will do a month to month plan.  If they will, just sign up and see what happens.  If they say they can't do month to month, try to talk to a manager (or if it's a local gym, the owner).  Tell them you'd love to try the place out, but need more than a 1 week or whatever trial they offer. If they absolutely won't budge on the 2 year contract requirement, that'd be a red flag for me and I'd look elsewhere. 

Will be really interesting in the near future to see if data from all the food and exercise tracker apps can answer if all calories are created equal and to find out the relative importance of each component.  What a time to be alive!  In past all people could do was eat less and exercise more without knowing the relative importance of broccoli vs HIIT.

I'm sure that will spur some very interesting research, hadn't thought of that before.

Fishindude

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #47 on: January 27, 2016, 11:17:27 AM »
I think the gym membership is the way to go.  Better equipment, more variety of equipment, somebody else takes care of equipment, equipment not taking up space in your home, etc.   Plus, it's easy to blow off using that stuff at home.   If you make the effort to go to the gym, you're going to exercise.   It can also be a good social atmosphere.

ReadySetMillionaire

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #48 on: January 27, 2016, 11:19:19 AM »
First let me say I did not gain 110 pounds, that is the total that my wife and I both gained together and just to be fair to her I'll take ownership for 50% of those pounds.

I consider myself 50% vegan, I do not eat any cooked foods or meat before dinner. This makes things so much easier mon-fri during the work week and I don't feel guilty. I pack 2 apples,a serving of raw almonds, 2 bananas,a avocado  a small salad from the cafeteria salad bar($3). I have one cup of coffee first thing in the morning and then water the rest of the day. Dinner is always a home cooked fresh meal, the meat will be cooked sous vide and will add in a starch and some veggies. We consume alcohol 2 times a week.

I know you didn't gain 110 pounds alone and that it was between the both of you. What I was trying to say was that I don't think it's logical to calculate five years worth of extra calories per day to explain your weight gain. In other words, even if you are eating healthy (which you are...nice work with that diet,), I still read your comment to mean "look at this math, we (collectively) are only 210 calories above per day." And my response to that is that you need to calculate calories more efficiently because there are just too many variables in play.

monstermonster

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Re: Gym membership or home gym? Are either of them Mustachian
« Reply #49 on: January 27, 2016, 11:20:31 AM »
Having the equipment to workout is extremely important to me since I literally workout every single day. I was a member of a gym for about 4 years and then recently decided to quit my gym and build my own gym. I didn't need much because the majority of my workouts are body weight workouts. My entire home is 5000 sq ft. so our space is very limited. We got a small bench and free weights ranging from 5lbs-30lbs. Some were give-aways so all in all we spend 50 bucks. My gym membership was 19.95 a month so my home gym has already paid for itself.
Emphasis mine.

Is this a typo?  A joke?  You have a family of 10?  I only ask because my entire LOT is 5000 sf, and my house is 1100 sf.  My space is very limited.  (I stash dumbbells behind a chair).
I assume it's a typo. This is a legit concern for me as 2 people (and a cat) share a 464 sq foot apartment. At least half the reason I'm currently justifying a gym membership.