Home Gym Ideas

[Jog On]

Where did you buy the bodyweight/calisthenics station from and how much?
Skipping has never appealed to me

I got this one for £100:

MAXSTRENGTH Max Strength Power Tower Pull Up Bar Dip Station Chin Up for Home Multi Gym Strength Training Fitness Equipment Adjustable Height Pull Up & Dip Station Fitness Workout Station (Silver): Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

There are more fancy ones but I only wanted something for lockdown until gyms reopened. I already had a dipping belt as I do these as part of my regular routine anyway.

[ladymuck]

Eek! Careful now...

High-intensity workouts may put regular gym goers at risk of rhabdomyolysis, a rare but dangerous condition

[DaveB]

Wouldn't bother with the multi gym thing. IMO you'd be better off with free weights. Bar bell and a couple of dumbbells and a bench.

Using free weights works your core at the same time to maintain stability and support the movement, giving you a better overall workout. Weight machines isolate the muscles your are working on with a particular exercise and provide the support that your core muscles would be providing with free weights. They are good if you are recovering from injury and need to work a specific muscle group in isolation or take the strain off the injury and still be able to exercise, but otherwise I'd save the money for something else.

As an example, when I knackered my knee last year I started out using a leg press machine to strengthen the joint as it meant I could only move the it in the right way and reduced the risk of aggravating the injury or injuring something else due to the weakness in the knee. After a while though I moved over to bar bells and used squats and deadlifts as they worked core/back/shoulders etc at the same time.

[Paddy]

I've got a water rower, an exercise bike, some hand weights and an indoor pool.

Apparently 30lb per square foot is planning minimum for upper floors in residential property.

I think you mean Building Regulations rather than Planning Permission.

If it is 30lb, it would be 30lb resting, not dropping, jumping up and down etc and not over the whole floor. My room is 15 x 20 feet, that works out at over four metric tonnes; I am sure that the floor would collapse.

Proper gym equipment needs a concrete floor and be in a basement or ground floor.

[woohoo]

Wouldn't bother with the multi gym thing. IMO you'd be better off with free weights. Bar bell and a couple of dumbbells and a bench.

Using free weights works your core at the same time to maintain stability and support the movement, giving you a better overall workout. Weight machines isolate the muscles your are working on with a particular exercise and provide the support that your core muscles would be providing with free weights. They are good if you are recovering from injury and need to work a specific muscle group in isolation or take the strain off the injury and still be able to exercise, but otherwise I'd save the money for something else.

Good points

[PCTNN]

This might be a long-shot but any of you lot setup a home gym? I'm after ideas of what to put in there, cost, equipment recommendations.

I'm looking at spending around 2k. I already have an exercise bike and running machine. Thinking will need a range of dumbbells from 8kg to 30kg to start off with. Kettle bells, mats. Some kind of multigym thang. What else would be good?

This may be a stupid question but I'm using a 3rd floor bedroom, just wonder if there is weight limit you can have in a room? How would you even find out?

I guess it depends on what your aim is.

Like, if you want to build muscles, then any cardio machine is pointless. And vice versa, if you want to get fitter, then any powerlifting/weightlifting equipment (bench/squat rack/...) is just as pointless.

[jayn200]

I haven't heard of anyone setting up a home gym in 3rd floor bedroom. Is there no way you can put it on ground floor/basement?

Just generally answering the question you can either choose to go with free weights or what's a really good option is something called a functional trainer it's quite expensive but within your budget. Cheapest decent one is probably 1000 but 1500 is more realistic probably. Cables help you retain a natural range of motion and are preferable to fixed bar home gyms. You can train virtually every motion imaginable on a functional trainer and it's quite low risk for injury compared to other strength training equipment.


BodyMax CF820 Functional Trainer Dual Adjustable Pulley - Shop Online - Powerhouse Fitness

For dumbbells you don't need to buy a set of dumbbells, you can just buy a good adjustable pair. PowerBlocks are the best adjustable dumbbells and I would highly recommend them. I have used them quite a bit. They have a few different types and they have a 30 lb and 50 lb set. The 50 lb set is expandable up to 90 lbs as well. You should be able to pick a pair of them up somewhere for 250-300 or so. I paid 200 for a 50 lb set of mine several years ago and then paid about the same again for 90 lb expansion.


PowerBlock Sport 9.0 Stage 1 Adjustable Dumbells 2-22.5kgs (pair)

Its difficult to find anything in stock right now though unfortunately so good luck!

[woohoo]

I haven't heard of anyone setting up a home gym in 3rd floor bedroom. Is there no way you can put it on ground floor/basement?

Just generally answering the question you can either choose to go with free weights or what's a really good option is something called a functional trainer it's quite expensive but within your budget. Cheapest decent one is probably 1000 but 1500 is more realistic probably. Cables help you retain a natural range of motion and are preferable to fixed bar home gyms. You can train virtually every motion imaginable on a functional trainer and it's quite low risk for injury compared to other strength training equipment.


BodyMax CF820 Functional Trainer Dual Adjustable Pulley - Shop Online - Powerhouse Fitness

For dumbbells you don't need to buy a set of dumbbells, you can just buy a good adjustable pair. PowerBlocks are the best adjustable dumbbells and I would highly recommend them. I have used them quite a bit. They have a few different types and they have a 30 lb and 50 lb set. The 50 lb set is expandable up to 90 lbs as well. You should be able to pick a pair of them up somewhere for 250-300 or so. I paid 200 for a 50 lb set of mine several years ago and then paid about the same again for 90 lb expansion.


PowerBlock Sport 9.0 Stage 1 Adjustable Dumbells 2-22.5kgs (pair)

Its difficult to find anything in stock right now though unfortunately so good luck!

Well 3rd floor is all I have, may have to limit my ideas, saying that I don't plan on deadlifting or jumping up or down, so still think it's reasonable. Perhaps a multigym thing may be too much weight in one place.

I've had a couple of people tell me the adjustable dumbbells are fiddly and not that great. Good to hear a different opinion.

Yeah I'm having issues finding anything in stock

[ladymuck]

What happened to the man cave in the garage?

[woohoo]

What happened to the man cave in the garage?

Just waiting on the door to be fitted, steps and decking, will post some pics when it's finished.

But decided it's going to be an office/golf sim room. So once you add beer/wine cooler, desk, computer, golf projection screen, projector, golf mat there really isn't enough room to have it as a proper gym. So decided to use my old office (the bedroom) as a gym.

It was a hard decision that I wouldnt wish on anyone