The Yamaha Road Star Warrior Forum

I am in the process of building a home gym in my garage. Tired of the Gym memberships and not finding time to go . Also my 14 yr old son is wanting to start lifting for lacrosse. I have always been a free weight person with the heavy squats , deadlifts and bench. With my age though I have had to give up on those exercises with heavy weight anyway.While looking for equipment I have found different types , leverage systems, Bow flex , and of course the free weight squat racks and benches.For those that have a home gym , what equipment do you have and how do you like the home gym thing?

I would say something like this http://www.2ndwindexercise.com/shop/v6-home-gym.html

Free weights I would suggest something like power blocks.

If you are looking at ellipticals this is the best out there http://home.octanefitness.com/?language_id=1

 

 I have the Total Gym that Chuck Norris represents. It would be perfect for your sons activity. Believe me it works great. Iv'e had mine for about 7 years,and it has held up fine. Still looks brand new. You can add weight to it to build muscle,or without for muscle tone. Check it out.

My gym:

The Smith Machine in the last shot is my primary piece of equipment.  Having the locking bar allows me to lift the max without a spotter if I want.  There are several exercises that can be done with it and has many of the advantages of free weights.  I think having a couple good benches/ free weights/ and a Smith Machine is a really good combination.

(construction at : http://polarsoft.net/gym/ )

I have a Bowflex for resistance training and a NordicTrak treadmill for aerobic exercize. Every other day on each and it takes about 30 to 45 minutes a day.

Thanks for the advice guys.

Hey Matt , love the setup you got there . I have used the Smith machine but never thought of it as a home gym piece of equipment . mdsphoto also said he has a smith machine for his home also. I may have to look into this. Also Matt , I didn't see any dumbells.Do you do DB work ?

Oh and thanks for the pics.

Considering your desire to play lacrosse I’d think your first purchase (and the bulk of your gym budget) should be on a good elliptical machine. You can compliment that purchase with a basic free weight setup to satisfy the strength training requirements.

Consumer Reports rated the NordicTrack NTEL7906 AudioStrider 990 Elliptical a “Best Buy” (About $1,100)

 There were several other ellipticals with a better score but with this type of equipment quality goes hand in hand with price. The best rated model was 4K.
     

I have and use (some collect dust) a bowflex extreme 2. Very nice and compact. Use it three times a week for an hour or so. I dont know where they say 20 min. workouts three times a week. Got mine like new from a local craigslist ad for $500. It was covered in dust when I picked it up. Great for low impact and high impact training, plus I dont have to worry if my kids want to use it.

That's the most impressive home gym I've ever seen.

RhatPhlegm:

My gym:

Arizona Warrior:

That's the most impressive home gym I've ever seen.

Thanks!  I've got more stuff in there now (those are old pics).  It was a lot of work, but worth the effort.

Depending on your goals I would look into setting up a crossfit type of gym. It is not too expensive and crossfit works the whole body areobic and anareobicly as well as muscular strength and endurance. I had been lifting heavy weights for about 12 years until recently I started doing crossfit and it is a totally different monster. you never get bored with it because it is not the same ole same ole. If you check out the the website you can get a lot of info. www.crossfit.com I sold my bowflex type of machine because I didnt use it and put up a pull up bar got some kettle bells, heavy striking bag (which is fun to take down and run with it simulates carrying someone) a 24" box to do box jumps on, a couple of  floor mats and a jump rope. I have used this equipment more in the 4 months I have had it than I used the machine in the 3 years I had it. With this the whole family gets involved. It is cool to do crossfit with my 8 year old son. My only warning about crossfit is to start slow and stay within your capabilities. In the 12 years of training with heavy weights I never had any serious injuries since I have been doing crossfit I have pushed myself harder than ever before and have paid the price twice once with a severly strained back muscle and now with strained biceps. All my fault I pushed myself further than I should have and I knew it while I was doing it.

In my opinion, a home gym is never going to be able to provide the range and variety of equipment you need if you're serious about fitness.  Also, there are some statistics out there that indicate people are more likely to stick with an exercise routine if they work out at a regular gym as opposed to a home gym (hence all the dust-covered home gym equipment on Craig's List).

I have a set of dumbbells I use to keep my arms busy while watching a movie or if I'm feeling restless, but for an actual workout, I go to a real gym.

Note that I'm not trying to bash the home gym crowd - I'm sure they work fine for some people.  This is just my opinion based on experience.

Damon:

In my opinion, a home gym is never going to be able to provide the range and variety of equipment you need if you're serious about fitness.  Also, there are some statistics out there that indicate people are more likely to stick with an exercise routine if they work out at a regular gym as opposed to a home gym (hence all the dust-covered home gym equipment on Craig's List).

I have a set of dumbbells I use to keep my arms busy while watching a movie or if I'm feeling restless, but for an actual workout, I go to a real gym.

Note that I'm not trying to bash the home gym crowd - I'm sure they work fine for some people.  This is just my opinion based on experience.

Yeah, I'm the same way.  With restrooms.  The only way to take a serious sh!t is in a public bathroom.  My home toilet just isn't good enough.  I'll often hold it until I get to work - and then take a massive crap!  Phew!  Nothin' like it!   I know my toilet at home is all cover in dust anymore.  I've often considered selling it on Ebay.

RhatPhlegm:

Damon:

In my opinion, a home gym is never going to be able to provide the range and variety of equipment you need if you're serious about fitness.  Also, there are some statistics out there that indicate people are more likely to stick with an exercise routine if they work out at a regular gym as opposed to a home gym (hence all the dust-covered home gym equipment on Craig's List).

I have a set of dumbbells I use to keep my arms busy while watching a movie or if I'm feeling restless, but for an actual workout, I go to a real gym.

Note that I'm not trying to bash the home gym crowd - I'm sure they work fine for some people.  This is just my opinion based on experience.

Yeah, I'm the same way.  With restrooms.  The only way to take a serious sh!t is in a public bathroom.  My home toilet just isn't good enough.  I'll often hold it until I get to work - and then take a massive crap!  Phew!  Nothin' like it!   I know my toilet at home is all cover in dust anymore.  I've often considered selling it on Ebay.

Ha!  Didn't I say I was just sharing an opinion?  Besides Rhat - I must admit that your home gym is definitely "a cut above" - I would imagine that a home gym of that size and quality probably sees a lot more use than your average Bowflex tucked away in the spare room or corner of the garage. 

Personally, I work out a lot, so I like to have a full gym full of equipment at my disposal to keep things varied and interesting.  Also, my gym is only two blocks from my house, so jogging there and back is a good warm-up/cool down.  Also, I think put more effort into the workout when I actually have to put some effort into getting to the gym in the first place.  It's a kinda "well, I managed to drag a$$ down here, might as well put the effort to good use" attitude.

But...I'm right there with you on the toilet subject.  I save my serious sh!tting for public restrooms, too.  Better them than me as far as cleanup duty goes!

...not really, though.

RhatPhlegm:

Yeah, I'm the same way.  With restrooms.  The only way to take a serious sh!t is in a public bathroom.  My home toilet just isn't good enough.  I'll often hold it until I get to work - and then take a massive crap!  Phew!  Nothin' like it!   I know my toilet at home is all cover in dust anymore.  I've often considered selling it on Ebay.

Sorry dude. Home Bowl Advantage FTMFW

I had a setup similar to Rats (sans tanning bed) in the second bedroom in my last apartment as a single man. Albeit MUCH rattier/older equip but I had a free weight bench that converted to an incline, treadmill, dumbell rack, and heavy bag. Between the press bar, squat bar, curl bar and dumbells I never got bored but found that I was travelling so much for work and then working so many hours when I got home that I rarely ever used it any more. I ended up selling it all and put the money towards my first motorcycle about 10 years ago.