Paid Gym Or Home Gym?

Have you grown sick of the hustle, bustle, and sweat- stained walls of the typical commercial gym? Do you find the travel time associated with getting to and from your local workout center affects the amount of sessions you can get in each week? Are you simply fed up of paying through the nose for facilities that you have to share with others?

If you answered yes to any one of the above questions, it may be the time to consider creating your very own personal gym at home.

I’m going to show you a better way to construct your home workout space. But first you need to ask yourself the following, crucial question: Is this going to be good for you?

Having a home gym can be great for convenience, but it isn’t for everyone. The truth is that some people are suited to training alone and some people aren't.

If you still think it’s a good idea, let’s get to work...

Budget

Building a home gym doesn’t have to be particularly expensive. People waste a lot of money on unnecessary cardio equipment, multi gyms and overpriced specialist products that quite frankly aren't particularly useful in a commercial gym, let alone a home training space.

Keep in mind that your home gym will evolve over time. Start with the very basics and keep an eye out for the upgrades you need. When the time and price is right you can make those additions.

Essential Equipment

1. Barbell & plate set

This is the most important piece of equipment you’ll need for your home gym and will be the foundation of pretty much all of your workouts.

Remember that real workouts that produce results are not contingent on a vast array of flashy exercises, but rather the classic core few that we know work and have stood the test of time.

Here is a list of the basic exercises you’ll have available to you with a barbell set:

Legs: Front squat, Back squat, Lunges, Deadlift.

Back: Barbell row, Upright Row, Power Cleans.

Shoulders: Military Press, Behind the neck press.

Chest: Bench Press (flat, incline & decline).

Arms: Bicep curls, Skull crushers, Close grip bench press.

You will be able to find all sorts of sets and plates for sale on the internet – including second hand bargains. Bear in mind that you’ll need a true Olympic bar so that you can rely on its sturdiness and won’t outgrow it. These are about 7ft wide, so you need a room big enough to accommodate one.

2. Bench

To make the most of your barbell sets, you'll need a bench. Always go for a bench that has incline and decline functionality: you may not use these often, but if you decide to go for a split bodybuilding style training phase it’ll come in handy.

3. Rack

The rack is an important element of your gym set-up; it’ll be the biggest piece of equipment and also the most expensive. Some people think that because of the space issue they can bypass buying a rack. Not so. Without one, heavier leg, chest and shoulder workouts become almost impossible. There is also the safety element to consider as again, most of the time you will be training alone so will want the reassurance of being able to rack the bar easily. You may also want to seek out a rack that can easily take attachments. For example, pull up bars are a great addition.

4. Kettlebells

I would opt for a pair of relatively heavy kettlebells (12-16kg) over a rack of dumbbells. Some won't agree with this, but I find kettlebells to be a far more versatile piece of equipment. They can replicate most of the exercises you would perform with dumbbells and also bring an element of momentum and functional training to your workouts, providing 100s more variations without taking up much extra space in your gym.

And finally

 Once you have your gym, it's time to get working. But before you do, it's worth considering the following:

1. Make sure you have the right program

6x6 training is a brilliant program for fat loss and muscle gain, depending on how you tweak your nutrition. It involves 6 sets of 6 reps using a reasonably light weight, with the main focus being density of reps rather than weight.

2. Get the technique right

Remember you will now be training all alone, so there won't be anyone to check your technique or warn you if you are putting yourself at risk. If you are unsure about any of the exercises in your regime, investing in just one session with a good trainer to show you how it's done could pay dividends later if you consider the cost of picking up an injury.

And for all those people who draw genuine motivation from the group environment of the social gym, enjoy the expert classes and find respite from working out in gym chat. If that sounds like you, no matter how convenient training at home may sound, it's probably not for you. The truth is that some people are suited to training alone and some people aren't.

So here are 10 must-know tips to make sure you choose the perfect gym the first time.

·         Find out what gyms are around you.

·         Find out the cost.

·         Visit the gyms.

·         Check out the equipment.

·         Talk to the staff.

·         Check the refund policy.

·         Cleanliness.

·         Membership Privileges.

·         Hours of Operation. 

·         Personal Training Options. 

Hopefully this made things a little easier for you in deciding what gym to join. When it comes down to it, you really need to take all of the things mentioned above into consideration.

In your first six months of training, hit upper- and lower-body workouts three times per week. For example:

• Day 1: Squat, Bench Press, Bent-over Rows
• Day 2: Rest
• Day 3: Deadlift, Shoulder Press, Dumbbell Incline Bench
• Day 4: Rest
• Day 5: Squat, Bench Press, Lateral Raise, Pull-ups
• Day 6: Rest
• Day 7: Clean Up Day—Biceps, Triceps, Calves, and Abs

Repeat for four weeks straight and then re-establish your goal and what you'd like to achieve.

We covered a lot in this article. However, I wanted to be as thorough as possible, in the hope that you can use this information to create the perfect home gym for yourself or to decide what gym to join and start your strength training program/exercises.