Guess I’ll be able to answer it myself. I got pretty excited after all the positive answers and Rogue had everything in stock so I pulled trigger on the RML-3W rack, Alpha weight+bar package, matador dip bar, basic bench.
I think its about 2 years worth of membership dues but what I’m looking forward to is just being able to hop downstairs after my kids go to bed and work in a few sets of squats.
A serious question, as someone who hasn’t done serious strength work in 30 years…I see a lot of comments about the ability to “squeeze in a few sets”, between meetings, after the kids go to bed, etc. Is this beneficial for strength training? As a cyclist, I would never say, “I can squeeze in 5 minutes on the trainer”. Genuinely curious as I am considering adding strength to my schedule and trying to figure out how to fit it into an already busy life and being in my 50s without my cycling time suffering.
very good kit. Why the dip bar? I mean, don’t the rings allow you to do very similar exercises?
Despite being double vaccinated, I won’t be going back to the gym for a couple of more months (pre-paid membership) as the gym has low ceilings and very old ventilation. In the interim, a friend turned me on to TRX training. It’s pretty amazing the breadth of upper body, core and lower body work you can do with it.
My side of the garage has my trainer set up and my wife’s Peloton (see picture). [The other side has her car]. The TRX goes over a 4ft x 6ft mat we use for stretching and rolling. I use a bicycle pulley to move the straps away after use (30 seconds to set up; same to put away).
Bottom line: The $250 total investment was well worth it. I plan to continue using TRX regardless of going back to the gym.
The weight package I got doesn’t include rings (or I don’t think so). Bonus if it does. My wife also will be using that and no way she can do ring dips yet.
What is this social aspect you speak of? Yet to go to a gym which is not just everyone with headphones acting like people around them don’t exist.
Once upon a time I went to a gym where people were friendly, it was a long time ago though. In that gym I saw people talk to each other about topics not related to the use of the gym or the equipment. I don’t know how or why they did it.
Get a used multipurpose machine. I got a great deal with my recent purchase.
Is worth it to setup home gym. The money saved from gym membership can reinvest in the home gym. Will take few years to breakeven the cost of membership. Benefit of home gym, less distraction, can do workout anytime you want when you at home.
From a simple question to reality! Thanks for all the comments and inspiration to get this done. Just finished building it up today. The home gym has begun.
I’m considering dishing out some $$$ to get setup with a proper olympic lifting setup at home
All you need as a minimum are an Olympic barbell and some weights and a floor you can drop the bar/weights on after a lift. Ideally add a squat rack and you’re set for doing snatch/clean & jerk, squats, deadlifts.
For those who invested in a home gym, why did you do it? And was it worth it for you?
I was competing when I got my barbell, weights & squat rack. For sure it was worth it.
While simple, those are at the pricey end of things to stand up to the dropping of Olympic lifting. You need space with overhead clearance (my basement doesn’t qualify), a good barbell not a generic one, bumper plates which are double or more the cost of cast iron, which have doubled in price during COVID, and rubber flooring or platform, again wood and mats have doubled in price with pandemic pricing.
This is exactly what I got and it ended up costing me around $2600 CAD or roughly $2100 USD.
@mathieurrr that’s a nice looking setup.
I’m just glad that I picked up most of my stuff pre-COVID pricing and I am not doing Olympic lifts, and built my deadlift platform last year before plywood and rubber mat pricing went insane. I didn’t need Rogue level stuff so I was able to do it on a budget, mostly Amstaff stuff from Fitness Avenue in Barrie, but picked up a few pieces locally from Fitness Depot.
I have gotten away without needing bumper plates, although I just picked up another 100lbs worth (2x10, 2x15,2x25) specifically for deadlifting. There’s a guy in town who brings them in in batches for ~$3Cdn/lb
Those are nice to have but not all required. I bought a cheap bar, it lasted 6 years. I have the overhead space in the garage but I didn’t get any rubber or wooden flooring. You don’t necessarily need expensive bumper plates, It cost me about $1000 AUD back then for barbell and weights, another ~$150 for squat rack.
You’re dropping cast iron plates from over your head or even waist height onto a hard floor? Surprised that plates, bar, or floor aren’t trashed. My stuff isn’t expensive either, but I am not doing overhead barbell work and don’t drop the bar, even deadlifting, ever so I can get away with it. The deadlift platform is more to protect the basement concrete floor from damage than the weights.
Sorry I wasn’t clear, I do have bumper plates but they are not expensive bumper plates.
If you’re not doing overhead work you aren’t doing Olympic lifting (snatch and clean & jerk), which is what the OP was asking about 
Got it. That make more sense now.
I will never get serious enough to spend for urethane competition plates. I actually don’t think that I really need bumper plates at all, but I am deadlifting a decent amount and while I don’t drop it, it does get set sown heavy sometimes and I only have a single pair of 45s so a few cheap bumpers will help spread the shock a bit and make the rest of my cheap equipment last longer.
So we’re moving to a place with a garage in a few weeks and because nobody keeps a car in one of those, I’m planning on buying gym equipment, as well as a few other obvious bits (giant fan, secure bike storage etc).
My current “home gym” setup is two 8kg kettle bells which hasn’t been satisfactory. Previously I’ve used a proper gym, mostly just doing deadlifts (45kg) and using the leg press (250kg) 5x5 to help with weight loss
Obviously leg press machines are $$$$$$$$$$, but he problem is I have no idea what good form looks like for a squat.
What does everyone else do?
lots of YouTube videos to help with form, or get help in the gym, or hire someone.
At home I’ve been pretty happy doing maintenance work with 12, 16, and 20kg bells. Primarily doing swings, one leg step-ups with the 16 and 20 in each hand, goblet squats, split squats, etc. During the off-season I go to the gym and use the barbell.
