Ever go back to Globo-gym after working in your home gym?

[AlanStache]

Thinking of going back to a formal gym after working for 4-6 months in my home garage gym.  Is in my girlfriends garage (we live together) and she has made clear she does not want any more equipment out there and to really do what I want I need a squat rack, treadmill, and pull up bar (maybe some other toys too :-p  )  Only thing giving me pause on going back to Globo-gym is the one year contract for 30$/mon where obviously at home it is free.  My current savings rate is around 50% so I can afford the 360$ over one year.

Just wondering if anyone else had ever tried the home thing then gone back?  I would probably keep the weights I have (Olympic bar + 250# weight and kettlebell) and work occasionally in the garage.

I like a lot about working out at home but I do miss other people being around and the added equipment.  Also heated air would be nice in the winter.  My fitness is progressing but I think my running goals would be easier meet with a treadmill and you cant do real squats without a stand.

Am I just being a wuss or is there a point where yes you do have to spend cash monthly to get something done?  GF works-out a good bit too but she has never been one to exercise alone and has yet to do anything with the equipment I have, so getting her on board with more home equipment is probably not going to happen.

[FIence!]

Yup. But, I returned to a cheaper gym than the one I quit. I'd been going to a $35/mo. gym (which at the time was the cheapest in the area) and quit to work out at home. Our house is really small and we have low-ish ceilings, so there is very little headroom for things like a treadmill and I couldn't do something like Insanity tapes or aerobics without moving furniture every single time. Weights had to go in the basement since there wasn't room anywhere else in the house, and it gets really cold down there. I started avoiding working out because it was just too much of a hassle. Then a planet fitness opened up in the area. The membership is $10 a person, so both my husband and I can go for $20 a month. It's a bikeable distance in good weather, and doesn't burn much gas or time to drive there in a blizzard. I was working out 5 times a week at the old gym, and had gone to half-heartedly working out at home once or twice a week. Now I'm back to happily working out 5 times a week, and staying warm doing it. This seems well worth it to me. Honestly, I think I'd have cut something out of the budget to go back to the more expensive gym if pf hadn't moved in.

[Dr. Doom]

Some people around here will disagree with me, I think $30 a month or less for a gym membership is acceptable, especially if
a) you know you will go, minimally, 3x a week, 15x a month or so
b) you don't work out as much or as intensely at home for whatever reason
c) there's a huge gap in happiness levels while you're working out, i.e. you're miserable doing it at home but perfectly happy at the gym.

I also have a $30/mo gym expense but get $150 back yearly through a health care fitness reimbursement which brings me down to $17/mo or so.   I'm always there 20x a month so this is less than a dollar a visit.  Can you check your HC plan to see if you have anything similar?

Personally I consider being pretty fit part of the FI mindset.  Staying healthy keeps your health care costs down in both the short and long term, saving you tons and tons of money as you get older.  And of course that doesn't even begin to account for the mood-boosts and increased productivity that transfer to other areas of your life.   I'd rather cut almost anything than my own membership...

[GuitarStv]

You can build squat stands for under 50$ that are easily moved around and stored out of the way in a garage.  Use some 40$ adjustable saw horses as safeties in case you have to bail.  A chin up bar can be built for 10-15$.  Jogging and running is best done sans treadmill and outdoors.  Your ankles and stabilizer muscles develop better and you get fresh air.

I just don't see why you would want to pay a monthly fee to work out in a gym if you have the room for stuff at home.  There's little to no benefit - hassle to get to the place, annoyance of other people doing stuff (running off with weights, making you wait for stuff you want to use, giving advice when they clearly don't know what the hell they're talking about, etc.), cost.

[jrhampt]

I actually tried going back to the gym after working out from home.  I paid for a year in advance (no contract, but there was a substantial discount for paying ahead) and intended to use the pool regularly (good whole-body exercise, easy on joints, etc.).  I discovered that I am too lazy to go back to driving to a gym, even if it is only a couple of miles away (not safely bikeable), and I am much happier jogging out of my front door and/or walking to the hiking trails right near my house.  I have a stationary bike downstairs for days when there is too much snow/ice on the roads to go running/hiking, but more and more I prefer exercising outdoors.

[prodarwin]

I have.  I used to have a pretty reasonable amount of workout stuff at home.  I sold it all on CL (where I bought it) when I moved and went back to a normal gym. 

I can understand both approaches.  I definitely workout harder at globo-gym doing crossfit or with a friend.  Also, before now I didn't have the overhead space to press a bar with 45's on it (I still need to check on this), or a floor that would handle hundreds of lbs being dropped on many times a day.

I intend to try going back to the home gym approach, but this time its going to be much simpler.  A pull-up bar, some rings, a couple KBs, and an olympic bar with a small assortment of bumper plates.

[AlanStache]

@GuitarStv: Cost of the home equipment is not at all a factor here.  GF just (really)^100 likes a clean-empty look that is not compatible with more equipment.  WRT treadmill, yes I love running outside but it is easier to do more complex intervals on a treadmill and the lack of traffic/stop lights is an advantage too.  If space were not an issues I would have long ago bought a 100$ one off CL.  Also I liked jogging an easy mile for warm up on lifting days and then walking down for half mile after, I think these miles added up too.  This is a pia in the winter months to get suited up for cold running-do a mile-then strip down to lift in the warmer garage.

I would be joining Anytime fitness, they have locations near work and the GF's as well as other places I might be.  My insurance would offer 20$ per month cash back to go 15 times per month but these Anytime's dont participate in that.  I could go to other gym's that do participate but they are much less convenient and are much more crowded.  At this point waiting on a squat rack defeats the purpose of going to a formal gym.

... but this time its going to be much simpler.  A pull-up bar, some rings, a couple KBs, and an olympic bar with a small assortment of bumper plates.

  heaven on earth

I think my mind is about made up to go back to Globo.  Sort of sucks in a lot of ways but probably the best path.

[Russ]

@GuitarStv: Cost of the home equipment is not at all a factor here.  GF just (really)^100 likes a clean-empty look that is not compatible with more equipment.  WRT treadmill, yes I love running outside but it is easier to do more complex intervals on a treadmill and the lack of traffic/stop lights is an advantage too.  If space were not an issues I would have long ago bought a 100$ one off CL.  Also I liked jogging an easy mile for warm up on lifting days and then walking down for half mile after, I think these miles added up too.  This is a pia in the winter months to get suited up for cold running-do a mile-then strip down to lift in the warmer garage.

just my opinion, but unless you're Usain Bolt you don't need that much structure in your running intervals.

also you live in Virginia... there's no such thing as suiting up for cold running unless you lift in the buff.

I mean if you want to use a treadmill I can't say I'm actually more right than you are, it's your life, but I think running outside is so much better

[chasesfish]

I use a globe-gym, I enjoy included classes and I hate running in the dark, in the rain, or under 35 degrees.  This is one expense that I don't mind

[GuitarStv]

@GuitarStv: Cost of the home equipment is not at all a factor here.  GF just (really)^100 likes a clean-empty look that is not compatible with more equipment.  WRT treadmill, yes I love running outside but it is easier to do more complex intervals on a treadmill and the lack of traffic/stop lights is an advantage too.  If space were not an issues I would have long ago bought a 100$ one off CL.  Also I liked jogging an easy mile for warm up on lifting days and then walking down for half mile after, I think these miles added up too.  This is a pia in the winter months to get suited up for cold running-do a mile-then strip down to lift in the warmer garage.

just my opinion, but unless you're Usain Bolt you don't need that much structure in your running intervals.

also you live in Virginia... there's no such thing as suiting up for cold running unless you lift in the buff.

I mean if you want to use a treadmill I can't say I'm actually more right than you are, it's your life, but I think running outside is so much better

I used to jog all winter in ice, snow, and -20 conditions . . . it's invigorating!  That said, I live in suburbs so could structure my runs to avoid traffic lights by using mostly side streets.  I'm kinda confused as to why the look of the garage is so important to the GF myself.  That seems weird.

[jba302]

I couldn't even go to a free corporate gym after getting my home gym set up.  I went once and was so irritated with waiting on someone to get out of the squat rack (doing rows...) that I haven't questioned it since. I do miss some of the equipment variety, but equipment has never been the limiting factor in my progression.

I'm surprised that there's resistance to getting squat stands, especially if you squat high bar you don't really need the big rack (just confidence and bumper plates!). They are such a small footprint.

[AlanStache]

WRT being in Va:  Right now it is 24 deg F outside with 34mph winds.  No snow now but there is a chance latter today.  Yes I am sure some of you have run in worst, hell I have probably cycled in worst but at some point I think you have to say "gosh-this sucks, maybe I could find a more comfortable from of recreation that would get the same results".

Some of the places I like to run at you cant go faster than a jog in the dark; you just cant see the tree branches and uneven sidewalks far enough in front.  Well unless you run in the street but that has its own caveat.  But that is moot as any gym membership comes with free treadmill access.

We almost exclusively enter through the garage so anything in there is seen daily.

[ClimbingOut]

Putting together a home gym is one of the best decisions I ever made. I sold my motorcycle to pay for most of the equipment. Essential equipment for me was: power rack, good barbell, mix of iron and bumper plates, horse stall mats (cheapest rubber flooring I could find), and a home made lifting platform (plywood and another stall mat).

I turned half of my detached uninsulated garage into my gym. I live in Michigan so the winters (particularly this one) can get cold and the summers are at times kind of humid, but I'll take my own gym at 10 degrees over a climate controlled globo gym any day.

Biggest advantages that immediately come to mind: chalk, nice equipment i never have to wait for, I can grunt/yell as loud as I want without worrying about anyone's reaction, no contract or monthly fee, free weights don't wear out so not much worry about replacing equipment, did I mention chalk?

Disadvantages: nothing worth noting since being out in extreme temperatures just makes you more adaptable ;)

I have never had a problem keeping the intensity up without other people around. I do have a friend who lifts with me most of the time, but there is no backing off if he isn't around.

Is your GF receptive to learning how to lift weights? If so, maybe you can get her to see it as an advantage to have a home gym.

[GuitarStv]

WRT being in Va:  Right now it is 24 deg F outside with 34mph winds.  No snow now but there is a chance latter today.  Yes I am sure some of you have run in worst, hell I have probably cycled in worst but at some point I think you have to say "gosh-this sucks, maybe I could find a more comfortable from of recreation that would get the same results".

Some of the places I like to run at you cant go faster than a jog in the dark; you just cant see the tree branches and uneven sidewalks far enough in front.  Well unless you run in the street but that has its own caveat.  But that is moot as any gym membership comes with free treadmill access.

We almost exclusively enter through the garage so anything in there is seen daily.

My commute yesterday involved biking 36 k (22 miles) in -28 (-18.4 F) temperatures with 50 kph (31 mph) winds and snow.  :P  (And there are many on this board who face more difficult conditions regularly.)  Invigorating I tell ya!

There are solutions to jogging in the dark:

[jrhampt]

WRT being in Va:  Right now it is 24 deg F outside with 34mph winds.  No snow now but there is a chance latter today.  Yes I am sure some of you have run in worst, hell I have probably cycled in worst but at some point I think you have to say "gosh-this sucks, maybe I could find a more comfortable from of recreation that would get the same results".

Some of the places I like to run at you cant go faster than a jog in the dark; you just cant see the tree branches and uneven sidewalks far enough in front.  Well unless you run in the street but that has its own caveat.  But that is moot as any gym membership comes with free treadmill access.

We almost exclusively enter through the garage so anything in there is seen daily.

My commute yesterday involved biking 36 k (22 miles) in -28 (-18.4 F) temperatures with 50 kph (31 mph) winds and snow.  :P  (And there are many on this board who face more difficult conditions regularly.)  Invigorating I tell ya!

There are solutions to jogging in the dark:

Wow!!  Hardcore.  There is a lot of fear-mongering on the news today about frostbite because we're under 10 degrees F.  I am impressed.  I have jogged in the twenties, but never below that.  Have you ever had issues with slipping when you jog in the ice and snow?  Do you usually wear a balaclava when it's that cold and you're out jogging?

[GuitarStv]

I have a facemask and my toque for winter jogging.  Usually I don't need the mask unless it's really windy, but everyone has different tolerance for cold.  Unless we've had freezing rain slipping isn't too much of an issue . . . snow is pretty grippy.  You'll feel the muscles in your calf and around your ankles work a lot harder when you're jogging in snow.

We just had an ice storm and it was much too slippery to jog . . . so I biked:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/biked-to-the-library-in-an-ice-storm!/

[Russ]

Unless we've had freezing rain slipping isn't too much of an issue . . . snow is pretty grippy.  You'll feel the muscles in your calf and around your ankles work a lot harder when you're jogging in snow.

I <3 running in the snow. Those extra stabilizers really help injury prevention in the summer too.

Ice can be slippery, but not always. Fresh glare ice like from freezing rain is slippery for running (like GuitarStv that's when I go biking!), but anything that crunches under you (rutted/textured ice, ice w/salt on top, very thin ice) is fine. Also with practice you get better at recovering from little slips before you actually go down.

[MrMyMoney]

@GuitarStv: Cost of the home equipment is not at all a factor here.  GF just (really)^100 likes a clean-empty look that is not compatible with more equipment.  WRT treadmill, yes I love running outside but it is easier to do more complex intervals on a treadmill and the lack of traffic/stop lights is an advantage too.  If space were not an issues I would have long ago bought a 100$ one off CL.  Also I liked jogging an easy mile for warm up on lifting days and then walking down for half mile after, I think these miles added up too.  This is a pia in the winter months to get suited up for cold running-do a mile-then strip down to lift in the warmer garage.

I would be joining Anytime fitness, they have locations near work and the GF's as well as other places I might be.  My insurance would offer 20$ per month cash back to go 15 times per month but these Anytime's dont participate in that.  I could go to other gym's that do participate but they are much less convenient and are much more crowded.  At this point waiting on a squat rack defeats the purpose of going to a formal gym.

... but this time its going to be much simpler.  A pull-up bar, some rings, a couple KBs, and an olympic bar with a small assortment of bumper plates.

  heaven on earth

I think my mind is about made up to go back to Globo.  Sort of sucks in a lot of ways but probably the best path.

My 2 cents here. You said it is your girlfriend's home so in this way it is acceptable for her to have rules. On the other hand though, if you are paying your fair share of the expenses (as in 50%), then you are in your right as much as she is to make decisions. It's obvious you would prefer to train at home otherwise you wouldn't ask here for advice. I think you should be firm with her and tell her this is what you want, unless you're not paying your fair share in which case you need to stfu and move out your weights.

[pachnik]

I just started back at the gym this week.

I quit my old gym in July and really hadn't been doing much other than walking.  Walking is built into my day as part of my commute which I think is great.  Also, my husband and I would often go for a walk in the evenings if the weather wasn't too miserable.  However I wasn't doing anything else.  I find it more interesting and motivating to be exercising with other people.  So for now we are going to the local rec centre where I am doing weights and stretching as well as cardio.

However, we'll be moving in about a month and our new building has a gym and we are both really looking forward to this.  Plus there is a bike locker which we don't have in our current building and we will be located next to a major bike path.  I am getting quite excited about buying a bike and using it rather than the car to visit my parents.

[horsepoor]

Have you ever had issues with slipping when you jog in the ice and snow? 

Screw shoes are what you need for that.  http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm

The only time they haven't worked for me is when we had a full-on ice storm last winter, and everything was the consistency of an ice cube outside for a couple days. 

Raced at -4F last winter, and aside from frost buildup on the eyelashes, it was really fine, and felt badass when it was done.

Just don't combine ice and darkness.  You do need to see where you're stepping when running in ice and snow conditions.

Not sure where my photo went, but we all looked like this or worse:

[pac_NW]

I struggled with this as well but found a compromise over time. I have  been working out in my home gym or outside exclusively for 10+ years. When I am on the road, I use the hotel gym or do a floor workout in the room. I plateaued over time. My compromise - I have a trainer that I work with 2 times a month at his gym. This gets me out of my zone for a couple of very intense workouts, in a very cool gym that I could not replicate, and in an environment where I can watch others to learn as well. This helps me improve what I do in my own gym, where I continue to save me travel time to and from an outside gym. Best of both worlds and I love that my daughter sees me workout a lot and is often with me during outdoor workouts. For me, this combination was the best of several approaches.

[greaper007]

My community fitness center is as nice as most college gyms, it's a mile and a half from my house, and my whole family pays $58 a month to use it.   I would consider setting up a home gym, except for 3 factors.     I'm a stay at home dad and childcare is included in the price.     My wife works 12 hours a day 6 days a week, and I'm too exhausted to work out at 5 am or 9 pm, and I don't trust my 2 year old alone.     They also have an indoor playscape that my kids and I use fairly often during the winter.    I also like to switch between running, biking and swimming, I can't swim this cheaply anywhere else.     My family and I also like to use the indoor water park.

[Thegoblinchief]

I have zero exercise equipment at home outside of some PT stuff for nerve damage in my neck and arms. I need to slowly build up my arms (going to get on that soonish) but bike commuting and bike rides outside of commuting are great, nearly free cardio.

Stationary bikes bore me to tears but bikes (IMO) give much better muscle training than ellipticals, which were my preference at the gym.

Can't run because of back problems.

Wouldn't join a gym unless I was paid to do it. Like being able to blast music on my phone's speakers versus plugging headphones in.

[AlanStache]

Ended up signing up last week, worst part is the one year contract.  30$/month with convent locations near where I am daily.  Effectively I just dont have the space for a good home gym with the toys equipment I want.  Yes you can do body weight stuff most anywhere and get a nice workout but there is little substitute for proper heavy dead-lifts and squats.  That and a treadmill sealed the deal.  You all want to compare dick size and say you run in sub-zero weather fine, have at it, yours is bigger, I will be inside nice and comfortable focusing on the run.

pac_NW-sounds like you found a nice compromise.  I have considered working with a running coach or at least getting my stride analyzed but have not pulled the trigger on that yet.

I have no kids so that was not a factor.

[KBecks]

I work at a gym teaching fitness classes. I have free memberships to 3 gyms and a free family membership to the very nicest one.  Sold the home equipment on Craigslist.

[BuildingFrugalHabits]

I can grunt/yell as loud as I want without worrying about anyone's reaction, gym.

Good point. Nothing like letting out a big grunt when the gym and super quiet and having everyone stare at you.

[GuitarStv]

You all want to compare dick size and say you run in sub-zero weather fine, have at it, yours is bigger

Actually, my experience has been that dick size is negatively affected by running in subzero weather.  Swimming in cold water too . . .

[greaper007]

You all want to compare dick size and say you run in sub-zero weather fine, have at it, yours is bigger

Actually, my experience has been that dick size is negatively affected by running in subzero weather.  Swimming in cold water too . . .

Ha, and biking can make you impotent.

[SnackDog]

We go back and forth depending up our living situation.  When we lived where the gym was inconvenient to get to (like 20 minutes), we bailed out and used the home gym (Soloflex).  Then we moved to a place where a great gym with classes and a lap pool was 1.5 blocks away and we didn't have room for the Soloflex at home.  Now we are in a place with heaps of space and the home gym is set up, but a brand new gym opened 2 blocks away for $30/month so we joined and are both going five days a week. It's also very social.  I say any gym that gets you to actually exercise is worth every penny in long term health care savings.  For many people that is not a home gym long term, but it can work. 

There is also a "free" gym about 20 minutes walk from our place. It is outdoors overlooking a beach and all the equipment is made of steel and concrete.  All the weights are concrete blocks.  It is a fabulous thing to see and the guys exercising there are amazingly fit.  http://www.beingfitisfun.com/2013/06/22/perfect-gym-beach-of-arpoador-brasil/

[dachs]

I wonder why people on THIS forum still go to gyms! Why don't you do body weight exercise? It's free, you don't need ANY equipment (except, a door and a desk) and is probably even better for your body, health and general fitness.

[Cinder]

I wonder why people on THIS forum still go to gyms! Why don't you do body weight exercise? It's free, you don't need ANY equipment (except, a door and a desk) and is probably even better for your body, health and general fitness.

It depends what your goals are.  If your goal is to just stay healthy, then bodyweight is all you need.  If you have goals to bulk up or do things that DO require you to lift big, then you'll need some sort of weight set up at least.  I haven't found one within my budget on craigslist yet, so I'm still just riding to work.  I think I'd only do a gym if I had a free trial membership, and that would be if I could get someone to verify that my form was correct for the moves I'd want to do.  Then I'd transition to some sort of home gym setup. 

[AlanStache]

dachs: I realize this is a personal finance and early retirement blog but many of us here have other priorities and are not 100% devoted to FIRE to the exclusion of all else.  Yes I understand that 30$/mon will delay retirement, that is a decision I have made.  As far as working out at home , yes this can be a good option some of the time for some people and I would be 100% there if I had room for some weights, a treadmill and a pull up bar.  I dont.  (Pull up bar-my door jams are to thick for one of those infomercial rigs to do pull ups on and I dont want to drill a permanent bar into the entry way of my kitchen.  I think it would be cool but resale value and all that :-)   ).  Pure body weight stuff is fine while traveling and you have to workout in your hotel room-I have done this many times but this is not at all what I want to do full time, pushups, burpees, sit up, and air squats get old and w/o pullups the workout is by anyones standards incomplete.  As Cinder said it is also all about personal goals and if you are happy exercising or want to train.

It is also nice having someplace to go after work rather than directly home or paying to go out to eat and you cant bum beers at friends homes everyday.

Dachs, I dont know your living situation but on the MMM forums there seems to be a bias or assumption that everyone lives in a single family home and has "so much space for activities".

That outdoor gym looks like paradise, I have lifted outside in the sun and it was great.

[jba302]

I wonder why people on THIS forum still go to gyms! Why don't you do body weight exercise? It's free, you don't need ANY equipment (except, a door and a desk) and is probably even better for your body, health and general fitness.

Because I can't figure out how to make air squats weigh 300 pounds.

Greaper's got a good damn deal going on. The only gym around me with childcare was running us $140/month (lifetime) and I was starting to get grief from the employees there for high weight deadlifts.

[GuitarStv]

Because I can't figure out how to make air squats weigh 300 pounds.

You're on the wrong planet.  Jupiter's about 2.5 times the gravity of Earth, that should put you close.  It's a challenging bike ride to get out there though.

[AlanStache]

Or just figure out how to have 20 sq inches of unbalanced atmospheric pressure.
standard sea level air pressure: ~15Lb/square inch.
Force = area * pressure: 300Lb / 15 Lb/sqinch -> 20 square inch.

[greaper007]

I wonder why people on THIS forum still go to gyms! Why don't you do body weight exercise? It's free, you don't need ANY equipment (except, a door and a desk) and is probably even better for your body, health and general fitness.

Because I can't figure out how to make air squats weigh 300 pounds.

Greaper's got a good damn deal going on. The only gym around me with childcare was running us $140/month (lifetime) and I was starting to get grief from the employees there for high weight deadlifts.

Thanks, I used to pay $5 a session for childcare at the gym in CT, and that really adds up when you have two kids.   When I moved here and saw our community rec center I was floored.    I can't find any pictures, but here's the website http://www.broomfield.org/Facilities.aspx?Page=detail&RID=42.   The crazy thing is that this facility is mid-pack as far as denver suburbs go.   Arvada's town rec center has an even bigger indoor water park along with an ice skating rink.

We use this place as a playground in the winter, family swimming outings on the weekends and a gym.   When it comes to health and fitness, I don't think moderate purchases are unreasonable if they get you to a better plain.   I've always skimped on working out when I didn't have  a gym to go to.  YMMV