5 Reasons to Start a Home Gym
Considering beginning your own garage gym?
Here are a few points to consider that will help you make the right choice.
Whether you’ve been in the game for a while, or you are just starting out, there are a number of reasons for starting up a home gym.
Take a look at some of the benefits of taking the big leap from a cluttered and dusty garage to a clean custom-built gym in your own home.
1. Time
Time – It’s something we all would like more of. Having a gym inside your garage or home, gives you more time to workout and do whatever else you'd rather do in your spare time.
It’s no longer a matter of loading up your equipment into your gym bag, driving 15 minutes over to the gym, navigating your way around sweaty strangers to finally begin your workout only to drive another 15 minutes back home. That’s at least 30 minutes you can spend on anything else.
Oh yeah, and let’s not forget about the waiting around for that guy doing curls in the squat rack, or having to shower in the gym and shoving your used clothes in your gym bag only to ferment before tossing them in the dirty clothes (for some this may be a reminder to remove those expired knee sleeves from your bag to throw them in the wash, go ahead, we'll be here when you get back).
Instead….
With a home gym, you can simply walk a few feet into the garage, where your equipment is already waiting for you. And when you’re done, there’s no driving involved; you’re already there. You can’t beat that.
2. Finances
Speaking of driving, one of the perks of having a home gym is the fact that you can save a handful of money.
Remember our example of a typical trip to the gym that was shared above? That’s a total of 30 minutes of driving. And if you’re working out 4-6 times a week, that can add up to as much as 3 hours of driving a week.
The money spent on gas adds up really quick. Less driving may mean more cash in your pocket for gym additions like a barbell rack, a wall ball, or even a fancy new barbell warmer (see what we did there?).
In addition, rather than spending $30 a month ($360/year) on a gym membership, you can buy a barbell from Rogue or Fringesport for around $220, and spend the left over $140 on some plates.
Some of you might even be spending 100+ ($1200/year) for a CrossFit or like-gym membership. If you spent $1200 on your home gym, it could pay itself off much more quickly and begin saving you money.
3. Convenience
Having such easy access to fitness equipment is a beautiful thing.
Maybe you want to hit the gym during finals week to get a short break from all your school work, or you want something quick in the morning to get the blood pumping; whatever, it might be, you’re already there.
You can get a solid 10-minute workout in with no problem. And you can get back to your books or be off to work without taking a huge chunk out of the other things you have going on in your life.
Even keeping a pair of kettlebells or dumbbells nearby can be easy to get a workout in on those extra busy days at the office. You can take the pair with you on vacation since they aren’t stuck sitting at someone else’s gym.
There is never a need to buy a gym membership that requires you to attend a certain hour to attend a class. Want to workout at 3:18am? Go for it. You do you.
When you have your own gym, you decide when and where your workout start and finish.
4. Equipment
A garage gym is the ultimate way to get what you pay for.
Rather than paying a membership for a gym full of equipment that you may or may not use, you can focus your money on items that you know you want and will actually use.
A lot of us have spent some time walking around a gym and thought to ourselves, “I wish they had a ____ here,” or “I wish they had an extra ____ because they’re all taken.”
That is no longer an issue.
Your own barbell, with your own plates, on your own barbell rack. When it’s all yours, you do not have to worry about other people using your equipment wrong or getting it dirty.
That means there’s less maintenance and your equipment lasts longer. Your stuff will stay nicer and be more enjoyable to use than the equipment that has been worn down by 500 different people a day, 365 days a year.
If you don’t think you’ll ever use a piece of equipment, it never has to be in your gym. You get the most use out of your equipment because you decide what will be worthwhile for you.
5. Others
We’ve all seen it before. January 1st rolls around and everyone is motivated to reach those goals of theirs. Literally. Everyone.
You arrived to the gym a few minutes early to beat the crowd and warm up, but so did everyone else. So instead of warming up, you’re wandering around trying to find something available, but everything is taken. Everything. And it’s only 5am in the morning…
A home gym never faces these types of problems. All of your equipment is waiting for you. You are the sole member of your gym and whoever else YOU decide to let in.
You don’t have to stand awkwardly by the rack to see if the person is close to their last set, you don’t have ask people if they are finishing up soon, and you don’t have people asking you every 10 minutes if you’re almost done. It’s a pretty sweet deal.
Your stuff, your time.
You can have friends over if you'd like. It’s your gym. It’s your rules.
Hate everyone in the world? Totally cool- lift by yourself.
Social butterfly? Pack your garage with people off the street. Have buddies who want you to help them lose weight? Pick 'em up!
Does your significant other beat you at everything? Yeah, you don’t invite them (but we'll leave that discussion up to you).
Are you an entrepreneur? Charge a few bucks for people to lift at your place. In fact, a new company called AirGym (like AirBnB) just released an app which allow people to find your gym. They workout, you get paid.
No more lines. No more crowds. No more waiting.
Just you…and whoever you invite.
With all of this being said, you have plenty of reasons to start your own gym. However, this isn’t to say that starting your own gym is the only route to take.
There are plenty of great gyms with great equipment and people out there. However, starting your gym can be a great way to take the necessary steps to living a healthier lifestyle, outperform opponents in the upcoming season, or simply save some time and money.
Home gyms open up a lot of possibilities.
And for those interested to a new approach to fitness, it may be worth your while to look into this type of investment. It may be exactly what you need to reach those goals you’ve been chasing.
Have any questions for us or other visitors?
Leave a comment below.
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Also in THE JOURNAL
The Barbell Warmer vs Alternative Fixes for a Freezing Barbell
Top 3 Benefits of Warming Up Before Exercise During Winter
Even after starting a workout, it can feel dreadful to get through the programmed sets of exercises. What’s the solution? A better warm-up.