SydLexia.com - The Forums :: View topic

Posted: Oct 28 2008 10:38 pm

I got a student membership it's $38/month I like the facility and it definitely beats the half assed gym I would build with my limited space. I'll definitely buy a set-up once I get a house. Look at it this way the more you use it the cheaper it is. Plus I like being able to lift heavy objects. Smile

Posted: Oct 29 2008 10:58 am

The thing is, you don't really need much equipment to build a good home gym. You could buy virtually everything you need for less than $2000.

You can buy a power rack which could be used for squats, pullups, bench presses and military presses. A generic flat bench can be used for multiple exercises (preferably one that adjusts.) A full assortment of dumbells would be very expensive, but they make those adjustable ones that would probably be sufficient for most people. A few mats for the floor, and you should be good to go.

Of course $2,000 is a lot of money, but it would pay for itself after a few years of not having a gym membership.

The only exception to this would probably be cardio machines like treadmills or ellipticals, which are expensive and only serve one purpose. But then, you can always jump rope or run outside.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Ice2SeeYou wrote:

The thing is, you don't really need much equipment to build a good home gym. You could buy virtually everything you need for less than $2000.

You can buy a power rack which could be used for squats, pullups, bench presses and military presses. A generic flat bench can be used for multiple exercises (preferably one that adjusts.) A full assortment of dumbells would be very expensive, but they make those adjustable ones that would probably be sufficient for most people. A few mats for the floor, and you should be good to go.

Of course $2,000 is a lot of money, but it would pay for itself after a few years of not having a gym membership.

The only exception to this would probably be cardio machines like treadmills or ellipticals, which are expensive and only serve one purpose. But then, you can always jump rope or run outside.

Dual income makes home gyms more of an investment.

Having multiple people using $2000 or $3000 worth of equipment really helps out.

While I have made myself clear about supporting anyone who chooses to go to a gym and pay membership fees, I personally don't like gyms.

I like working out at home. My current situation doesn't lend itself to having room for exercise equipment, but when I get a house (hopefully in a year) I plan to have a full set of workout gear.

Posted: Oct 29 2008 12:58 pm

GPFontaine wrote:

Ice2SeeYou wrote:

The thing is, you don't really need much equipment to build a good home gym. You could buy virtually everything you need for less than $2000.

You can buy a power rack which could be used for squats, pullups, bench presses and military presses. A generic flat bench can be used for multiple exercises (preferably one that adjusts.) A full assortment of dumbells would be very expensive, but they make those adjustable ones that would probably be sufficient for most people. A few mats for the floor, and you should be good to go.

Of course $2,000 is a lot of money, but it would pay for itself after a few years of not having a gym membership.

The only exception to this would probably be cardio machines like treadmills or ellipticals, which are expensive and only serve one purpose. But then, you can always jump rope or run outside.

Dual income makes home gyms more of an investment.

Having multiple people using $2000 or $3000 worth of equipment really helps out.

While I have made myself clear about supporting anyone who chooses to go to a gym and pay membership fees, I personally don't like gyms.

I like working out at home. My current situation doesn't lend itself to having room for exercise equipment, but when I get a house (hopefully in a year) I plan to have a full set of workout gear.

Yea I'm in the same boat......once I have a house (preferably with a basement) I'm setting up a gym at home. You don't really even need that much space. 15 square feet would probably be sufficient for me. The power rack can cover any exercise that uses a barbell, and you don't need much space to use dumbells. I'll just want some mats on the floor to do bodyweight exercises and I should be good.

Joined: Aug 25 2005 Posts: 287

I pay $40/month for my gym membership, $70/month for karate lessons, and $70/month for cardio kickboxing. Honestly, I don't feel ripped off at all. I'm either at the gym or in the dojo 6 days a week (usually I end up taking Fridays off to go out with coworkers or just to give myself a break). Being able to workout in a space that isn't my home helps alleviates distractions and working out in general vastly improves my mood and makes me feel a thousand times better.

As far as the atmosphere at the gym, yeah, there are definitely some douchebag meatheads working out, but I tend to stay to myself and outside of the occasional "hey" or "hi" from the folks I see there frequently, I don't have to deal with anyone. Plus, if you go at the right time, the scenery can be very nice... Very Happy

Also, while something like $40 or $50 a month can seem high, you don't have to worry about maintaining your own equipment and in many cases gyms open up facilities options to you that are impossible in a private residence.

The dojo is the same deal. I have a lot more direct contact with the people I study karate with and some of them are completely under the impression that dressing in pajamas and practicing hand gestures with funny names makes them somehow badass, but there are also those who legitimately want to pick up decent material and get a workout at the same time.**

So yeah, if you join a gym and are happy, good job. I don't knock the guys who workout at home because I know full well that some days even having to take a ride to get to the place can serve to help quash motivation. But there's nothing wrong with going to one, either.

**Disclaimer, in case anyone else here studies martial arts and got offended: I've been doing so for 21 years. I'm not knocking it. I've just had to deal with a lot of people who completely miss the point of what they're doing and imagine themselves dropkicking nameless bad guys in some action movie, or imagine that because they're studying at an American school five notches removed from the actual source of the material, they're somehow super-skilled masters. I've definitely learned how to defend myself, but I take certain aspects with a huge grain of salt.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

greeneyedzeke wrote:

I pay $40/month for my gym membership, $70/month for karate lessons, and $70/month for cardio kickboxing. Honestly, I don't feel ripped off at all. I'm either at the gym or in the dojo 6 days a week (usually I end up taking Fridays off to go out with coworkers or just to give myself a break). Being able to workout in a space that isn't my home helps alleviates distractions and working out in general vastly improves my mood and makes me feel a thousand times better.

As far as the atmosphere at the gym, yeah, there are definitely some douchebag meatheads working out, but I tend to stay to myself and outside of the occasional "hey" or "hi" from the folks I see there frequently, I don't have to deal with anyone. Plus, if you go at the right time, the scenery can be very nice... Very Happy

Also, while something like $40 or $50 a month can seem high, you don't have to worry about maintaining your own equipment and in many cases gyms open up facilities options to you that are impossible in a private residence.

The dojo is the same deal. I have a lot more direct contact with the people I study karate with and some of them are completely under the impression that dressing in pajamas and practicing hand gestures with funny names makes them somehow badass, but there are also those who legitimately want to pick up decent material and get a workout at the same time.**

So yeah, if you join a gym and are happy, good job. I don't knock the guys who workout at home because I know full well that some days even having to take a ride to get to the place can serve to help quash motivation. But there's nothing wrong with going to one, either.

**Disclaimer, in case anyone else here studies martial arts and got offended: I've been doing so for 21 years. I'm not knocking it. I've just had to deal with a lot of people who completely miss the point of what they're doing and imagine themselves dropkicking nameless bad guys in some action movie, or imagine that because they're studying at an American school five notches removed from the actual source of the material, they're somehow super-skilled masters. I've definitely learned how to defend myself, but I take certain aspects with a huge grain of salt.

Somehow advice about staying fit and healthy doesn't seem to make much sense when it is coming from someone who is supposedly "dead".

Also, I have seen Greeneyedzeke kick fight off 35 nameless bad guys at the same time, so I don't know what he is talking about.

Joined: Jun 21 2008 Posts: 36

LOL at the LOSERS who dont want the WORK OUT so they can FUCK KRISTANNA LOKKEN. you should know that these women don't want LOSERS who just want to stay in their homes and play the VIDEO GAMES ALL DAY. I am a boxer and therefore I understand value behind the WORKING OUT REGULARLY to keep myself in shape. Then I beat up Lowtax.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

DrBoll wrote:

LOL at the LOSERS who dont want the WORK OUT so they can FUCK KRISTANNA LOKKEN. you should know that these women don't want LOSERS who just want to stay in their homes and play the VIDEO GAMES ALL DAY. I am a boxer and therefore I understand value behind the WORKING OUT REGULARLY to keep myself in shape. Then I beat up Lowtax.

You are just full of shit all over.

You told me that Greeneyedzeke was dead.

Fuck you, you lying sack of shit.

Joined: Jun 21 2008 Posts: 36

GPFontaine wrote:

You are just full of shit all over.

You told me that Greeneyedzeke was dead.

Fuck you, you lying sack of shit.

You are calling me the sack of lies when you are the LOSER who lies. GREENEYEDZEKE is DEAD.

Joined: Jun 20 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 802

sidewaydriver wrote:

A gime? What's a gime?

Ohhhhh, a gime!

That's a Simpsons quote, right? (Homer)

Posted: Nov 10 2008 02:45 pm

Joining a gym is worth it if you need the equipment at the gym to achieve your goals. And if you are trying to lose weight and build muscle then 50 a month is much better than buying cheap versions of said equipment for you to "work out at home'. I have been going to the gym for years, but in all my time I have never met a person who was in really great shape who said- "Yeah i use the thigh-master and some weights in my garage." Besides that, 50 coming out of your wallet should be your motivation to go, because once you are there, you might as well work out. Cant say the same of my garage, once you are in there...you might as well smoke out.

Joined: Apr 09 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 3112

Marine hit it just about right. Talk to guys in good shape who lift weights, and see how many said that they use some Chuck Norris machine or something. I realize stuff like treadmills and small free-weight sets are used widely to good results, but they're expensive eye-sores that waste a lot of space and need to be cleaned and maintained by myself.

At a gym, there a wide variety of machines that can work lone or combined parts of your body, so you always have a wide choice of what you want to do. With free-weights, if I want to work one part of my body, I'm stuck working another part. With a machine, I can one targeted area of my body. So if I want to work on my pecs without my biceps, for example, I can do that.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

September 07 - December 07 I did the P90x workout.

I did it all at home, did it all right, and I was impressed with the results.

Its been a rough year since, but I'm starting to workout again. All at home. I just don't like the gym.

The key to good male physique: Pullups, Pushups, & Plyometrics

Oh, and eating good food.

Posted: Nov 10 2008 06:09 pm

As a Marine I can say that the pullups-pushups comment is correct. But sooner or later you push past that. I do forced Marine Corps P.T. three times a week and can tell you I get little from it. That's where the gym comes in. But your last point is dead on, Exercise all you want but if you don't have a good diet (I.E. high protein) you will still look like a bag of ass. Take it from me, when that terrorist looks you dead in the eyes and asks you if you've paid your dues, you just tell him the checks in the mail!

Joined: May 22 2008 Location: Goshen, VA Posts: 6544

What do terrorists have to do with this?

Anyways, I have been doing sit-ups and pull-ups for 3 months now, everyday.
It's actually worked fairly well for me, I have a good diet, and I have lost 15 pounds.
(195 to 180)

If your going for a short term weight loss, then fuck a gym. If your trying to build body mass and glistening oil muscles, well I suppose a gym is what you want.

Posted: Nov 10 2008 08:48 pm

joshwoodzell wrote:

What do terrorists have to do with this?

its a similiar quote from Big Trouble in Little China

Joined: May 22 2008 Location: Goshen, VA Posts: 6544

Goddammit, I need to brush up on my Kurt Russell movies I suppose. Sorry Marine.