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Is Training At Home Worth Your Time


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that they're too advanced for home training. They think it's for beginners-the little guys and gals with pea-size biceps who haven't graduated to heavy iron. This common misconception is far from reality, however.

equipTake Bob Paris and Lou Ferrigno, for instance. These two bodybuilders both train in home gyms, and they have made outstanding progress. Paris is one of the top IFBB professionals, and at 320 pounds of solid muscle Ferrigno is undoubtedly one of the biggest advanced bodybuilders in the world-in fact, he's advanced into another dimension. Granted, their gyms are more elaborate than a bench from Kmart and a few cement-filled barbell plates, but the point is, these champion athletes do train at home.

Nevertheless, training exclusively at home isn't for everybody. Some people love the commercial-gym atmosphere-the socializing, the sounds and the smells. If you're one of them, it doesn't mean you shouldn't consider a home gym. A home gym can make your training much more successful by giving you workout flexibility.

The following types of bodybuilders should consider the home-gym alternative:

The serious bodybuilder:

ith even a basic home gym the serious trainee has the option of working smaller muscle groups at home. Many advanced bodybuilders prefer double-split training, where they train one or two bodyparts in the morning and then go back to the gym in the afternoon to work another bodypart or two. If these people had home gyms, they could do one of their workouts without leaving home.

Arm work is probably the easiest to do in a home gym because you don't need tremendous poundages. With a basic bench, a barbell/dumbbell set and some extra weights you can blast your biceps and triceps as good as, or better than, you can in a commercial gym. The overall improvement in concentration alone is worth the investment in equipment for even the most advanced trainees.

The bodybuilder who has a family:

f you're like most Americans, you work hard, and you don't have all that much time to spend with your family. If you're a bodybuilder who goes to the gym a few nights a week after work, the time you spend with your family is even more limited. A home gym can change that because you don't waste time driving to and from your workout and you're close at hand in case of family crisis or problems. You can even get your spouse and/or children involved in training, which can turn your workouts into quality family time.

The bodybuilder who's on a tight budget:

he initial equipment expenditure for a home gym isn't cheap. A good basic setup-including bench, weight set and a few extras-will run you about $400 to $600. Remember, however, that this is a long-term investment-this equipment will last you a lifetime. With no more yearly fees at the local commercial gym, your home gym essentially pays for itself in one to two years. It's like buying a car instead of paying for a taxi whenever you want to go somewhere.

The bodybuilder who lives in a small town:

his is rather obvious, but what most small-town bodybuilders fail to realize is that there are other lifters in the area who have the same problem-no commercial gym. Put an ad in the paper, get together with these bodybuilders and pool your equipment. I once heard about a couple of industrious bodybuilders who rented out a storage unit and converted the space into a gym. Each trainee had a key and could work out whenever he felt like it.

When I was training in a small south Texas town where there was no commercial gym within 200 miles, a friend of mine built an air-conditioned 15-by-15-foot building and equipped it with the basics heavy-duty bench press, homemade power rack, Olympic set, dipping bars and a few pairs of fixed dumbbells. At one point there were eight people working out there-not all at the same time, obviously-and each one contributed equipment. A Mr. Texas winner even trained there during a couple of summers while he was home from college-which brings us full circle, back to the idea that advanced bodybuilders can't make progress in a home gym. Hogwash! Every bodybuilder can benefit from having a home gym. The rewards include more variety, better concentration and a new sense of freedom when it comes to pumping iron.

by Steve Holdman

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  • 4 weeks later...

I trained at a gym when I was younger and really enjoyed the camaraderie, but have to admit as I got older, I appreciated having no distractions in my garage. And I can crank the heavy metal, lol. Plus, I got some very good deals on Craigslist.

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When I was younger and single I loved training at the gym.  But now I don’t have all that free time, also I hate people more the older I get, so I prefer my home gym.

only downside to a home gym is you need to keep yourself motivated.  So I leave the iPad/phone upstairs and just turn on music.

I have been off for a couple of months, but now that my health is better and I can eat enough, I’m hitting the weights agsin.  I’ll be back to my old self in a couple of weeks.

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6 hours ago, Sorbate said:

When I was younger and single I loved training at the gym.  But now I don’t have all that free time, also I hate people more the older I get, so I prefer my home gym.

only downside to a home gym is you need to keep yourself motivated.  So I leave the iPad/phone upstairs and just turn on music.

I have been off for a couple of months, but now that my health is better and I can eat enough, I’m hitting the weights agsin.  I’ll be back to my old self in a couple of weeks.

Good luck getting back into it!  I train at 3am at the gym no one here it’s beautiful.  I hate people being around me when I train.  That’s why I’m seriously debating building my own.

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Is that some serious article? 

For instance, "You can blast your arms better than you can in a commercial gym..." 

Are you fucking serious? This is the most assinine thing I think I have ever read in any forum anywhere. 

A weight is a weight no matter where you pick the fucking thing up. If you want to do it at home fine.. in a gym... fine. 

Only the Rock has a gym that compares to what a commercial gym has. Unless you're unloading $10,000+ to tell me how your fucking home gym is superior. 

You may prefer it... that's one thing.. superior? 

Bargain gyms aren't opening for serious lifters. More for people who want to "Stay active". 

As for being around people... I ignore them. Headphones on, zone in, face of rage on point. No-one bothers me one bit. If they try I point to my headphones and say, "no talking while I'm working out." I make no exceptions. 

Moral of the story is, the best gym is the one that motivates you to lift your BEST. At home, fine. Commercial, fine. 

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2 hours ago, eazy57 said:

Is that some serious article? 

For instance, "You can blast your arms better than you can in a commercial gym..." 

Are you fucking serious? This is the most assinine thing I think I have ever read in any forum anywhere. 

A weight is a weight no matter where you pick the fucking thing up. If you want to do it at home fine.. in a gym... fine. 

Only the Rock has a gym that compares to what a commercial gym has. Unless you're unloading $10,000+ to tell me how your fucking home gym is superior. 

You may prefer it... that's one thing.. superior? 

Bargain gyms aren't opening for serious lifters. More for people who want to "Stay active". 

As for being around people... I ignore them. Headphones on, zone in, face of rage on point. No-one bothers me one bit. If they try I point to my headphones and say, "no talking while I'm working out." I make no exceptions. 

Moral of the story is, the best gym is the one that motivates you to lift your BEST. At home, fine. Commercial, fine. 

The Golds Gym franchise has two locations here in Calgary.Lady on the phone says no adjustable GHD.I only know Gagne Fitness that has one,the Aquatic Center has a lifting platform.These are pieces of equipment that imo would qualify as a serious gym.And a set of rings.Lots of bland gyms here.

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3 hours ago, eazy57 said:

Misquoted by accident can't figure out how to delete

 

9 hours ago, Frank.Castle said:

Good luck getting back into it!  I train at 3am at the gym no one here it’s beautiful.  I hate people being around me when I train.  That’s why I’m seriously debating building my own.

Do it.  Having my gym at home is the best thing.  Yeah, I bet I spent close to $10,000 over the years on it, just adding a bit here and there, but other than a few pieces of specific equipment, you can get the same workout at home.

What I like is I can do what I want.  Train shirtless, check, fart so loud you laugh and it smells and don't have to worry, check, load syringes in between sets, check.

Its just the motivation.  You have to push yourself more because no one is watching, but if you are serious at your training then you will do it.

A basic squat rack with a lat attachment, and an adjustable bench, some dumbells like the adjustable ones and you are gtg.

I found once I started to go back to the basic movements I grew better anyways than using all the fancy machines.

 

Edited by Sorbate
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Well I just blew a few grand lol we’ll test this home gym out.  I’m keeping my membership for now it’s cheap enough, this will just allow me to train 2x a day if I want.  As I get used to my new set up and run a good routine I’ll then consider leaving my gym

Motivation for me in the gym has nothing to do with anyone but myself.  I don’t want to lift more because someone is watching.  I lift my ass off for me and me alone.

 If I’m not dying after a training session I didn’t go hard enough.  If I feel like I could have done one more set or one more rep I push myself even harder the next time. Remind myself to leave it all out there.  Sounds cliche but just the way I approach my training.

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On 1/4/2019 at 4:13 PM, Frank.Castle said:

Well I just blew a few grand lol we’ll test this home gym out.  I’m keeping my membership for now it’s cheap enough, this will just allow me to train 2x a day if I want.  As I get used to my new set up and run a good routine I’ll then consider leaving my gym

Motivation for me in the gym has nothing to do with anyone but myself.  I don’t want to lift more because someone is watching.  I lift my ass off for me and me alone.

 If I’m not dying after a training session I didn’t go hard enough.  If I feel like I could have done one more set or one more rep I push myself even harder the next time. Remind myself to leave it all out there.  Sounds cliche but just the way I approach my training.

Good for you.  Yeah you’ll need to modify what you do without all the fancy equipment, but not having to wait for someone to get off a piece of equipment is great.

wait till you are half way thru and can take off your shirt and train shirtless.  Lol

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I have a sharing with people issue, and I’m an impatient germaphobe. I prefer my home gym over going out. I can use it whenever I want, in any weather, no excuses. I can superset to my hearts content and not worry about some twit taking over my machine to do a weak ass set then sit there and tweet out about #givinershit

Its a bit expensive up front, but the way I see it, is that’ll pay itself off after about 4 years.

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On 1/4/2019 at 2:13 PM, Frank.Castle said:

Well I just blew a few grand lol we’ll test this home gym out.  I’m keeping my membership for now it’s cheap enough, this will just allow me to train 2x a day if I want.  As I get used to my new set up and run a good routine I’ll then consider leaving my gym

Motivation for me in the gym has nothing to do with anyone but myself.  I don’t want to lift more because someone is watching.  I lift my ass off for me and me alone.

 If I’m not dying after a training session I didn’t go hard enough.  If I feel like I could have done one more set or one more rep I push myself even harder the next time. Remind myself to leave it all out there.  Sounds cliche but just the way I approach my training.

Might be a little late for this, but I hope/suggest you got a high quality bench. I’ve seen cheapies collapse under big weight, my buddy got real hurt years ago. My bench is probably my most expensive piece of equipment, it’s rated to hold around 1000 pounds (not that I’ll ever bench that lmao), comfortable,  ergonomic and can utilize the leg extension/preacher curl attachments.

Cant stress quality bench enough.

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1 hour ago, Frank.Castle said:

Just a start see how I like the home gym thing.  Need more plates soon going to have to put the wife and kids on the sled for enough weight for the leg press.

just a cheap bench I got for now looking for something better shortly

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Wicked, now you can do everything you need to train.  It’s good you got the one with the lat attachment.  Damn tough to train tris without a cable to use.  

 

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