I am getting fatter and doing little about it so I need to trim up (and improve my fitness too). I bought a bike and literally get a puncture every time I ride it which has somewhat taken the shine off that, so I am considering using my garage to do a bit of exercise in as I figure if the equipment's nearby, I may just use it (unlike a gym).
It's a large single garage which is currently full of "stuff", and realistically, it's not going to be home to a car as we are a one car family, and the wife's too lazy to use the garage (I only drive on the weekend typically).
A multi-gym (possibly second hand) and exercise bike are what I had in mind as a starting point so nothing too extravagant. I was considering a punch bag too, but the garage is linked to a neighbour so there is a question of courtesy.
Thoughts on using what is essentially an uninsulated room (the boiler's in there to take off the chill) for exercising? Are the multi gym and a bike a sensible starting point? I guess if I actually use it at this time of year, it's a winner all year around.
I've got a spinning bike and a rowing machine in mine. Rowing machine is chain driven so decent quality but folds up. both of them are at the back of the garage and haven't been used for a while. Whoops.
Also got some kettlebells in there as well. Youtube videos are a big help for all of the above as they are like your own PT.
Been there, done that, and the ten year old largely unused equipment was taken away at the weekend. The guy from the clearance company we used said that the most common item he removes during garage clearances is excercise bikes. It seems that plenty of people have the same idea and it usually only takes a couple of weeks for the novelty to wear off and the garage returns to a being a storeroom.
Also think about changing your diet. It won't do much for your fitness but you will lose weight, you'll feel healthier, more alert and you'll have more energy. I've lost 20kg this year just by eating smaller portions and cutting out the crap, I've done no more exercise than before I changed my diet.
If you can't be arsed to go to the gym, believe me you won't bother with a home gym. (That's from experience)
I've also got a fully functioning bar at the bottom of my garden. Fosters on draught, fine selection of spirits, dartboard and a great sound system. Never use it. When its literally on your door step, the appeal wanes!
I've been doing weights with my mate in his garage for years and before that in the top room of his back to back in Leeds.
Its boiling in the summer and freezing in the winter.
We try to do it most Sundays and both agree we wouldn't be without it.
The weights aren't particularly heavy but its enough.
If I miss it for two or three weeks due to work or holidays I get pissed off because its something we have both done for so long.
If you're going to do it try to get a training partner so can talk bollocks and compare farts.
You could give me free gym membership but I would take the garage any day.
I have also tried some gym equipment at home but within a few weeks it was gathering dust.
About 6 weeks ago I joined a local gym and am using it regularly. When the equipment was at home I actually found it required much more motivation to use and subsequently didn't get used. The routine of actually heading out to the gym has been a great help.
As said above, diet is key to loosing the pounds. I've just cut out the rubbish, and now I'm eating clean non processed foods and drinking liters of water.
Whatever you do, enjoy and and set yourself some goals to work towards.
If you do decide to kit out your garage I would recommend a bench & some free weights rather than a multi-gym along with the punch bag & exercise bike.
Although training at home does require discipline as it is easy to get distracted & find something else to do. This is where a gym has the advantage as once you actually go there is nothing much else to do other than exercise & being around like-minded people can provide motivation if you are struggling.
before you go down the route of gym equipment and the cost associated you may want to consider a skipping rope (if you're not too knackered already) and just learning how to do body weight exercises like burpees and such. i work away most of the time and gyms are not always available and when they are they are normally pretty poor so i do 200 skips and 20burpees followed by 190 skips and 19 burpees, all the way through 180-18, 170-17 to 10skip and 1burpee. take me around 50min but you may want to start lower at around the 100 and 10 mark and see from there. i promise you will be a lot fitter in no time and if you eat right you will be in great shape too or it will kill you
kettle bells are great too, metabolism goes through the roof and with the right protein diet you can change your body shape pretty quick and there is loads of info on the net for beginner work outs.
good luck in your endeavors mate
Yes I have thoughts, yes its a bad idea, no I wouldn't do it.
I agree with the Bench and a few other add-ons, firstly you will save lots of money over the multi-gym and easy to pick up second hand. A skipping rope is a cheap cardio option.Originally Posted by deerworrier
before you go down the route of gym equipment and the cost associated you may want to consider a skipping rope (if you're not too knackered already
kettle bells are great too, metabolism goes through the roof and with the right protein diet you can change your body shape pretty quick and there is loads of info on the net for beginner work outs.
good luck in your endeavors mate
If you are hesitant whether you will actually use the equipment, dropping a grand on a multi-gym and bike seems silly. Second hand bench and weights should cost 100 quid (if that) and a skipping rope is sub 10 quid. If you get into it you can always swap up.
I would agree and would maybe keep it even simpler. The biggest problem with exercise bikes and similar is that they are really boring and uncomfortable. The ones they have in gyms cost > £1,000 and the cheaper consumer ones generally don't have enough tension to give a decent workout. The only time I've managed to consistently use an exercise bike was when the gym I was using at the time had individual TV screens on each bike, so I'd time it so that I'd get there before a 1 hour programme was about to start and watch it all the way through on the bike. Unfortunately that gym closed down years ago and you don't see this setup much nowadays. In theory you could take a tablet with you, but it's a bit awkward.
I think having a dedicated gym space like a garage or basement is going to be more effective than just having the stuff in a main room where it rapidly becomes a clothes horse, but only marginally - if you're not paying a membership fee, it's too easy to put off. If I were going to include a bike or rowing machine I'd put a TV in there too. Pick something to be a "I will only ever watch this in the gym" programme. Make sure it's something good.
However, I probably wouldn't bother and just put in a mat for bodyweight exercises (ideally, cover the whole floor with jigsaw-style interlocking mats), a pull-up bar and a selection of free weights. It's much easier to motivate yourself to do 20-30 minutes of HIIT or 45 minutes anaerobic weight training than 60 minutes on an exercise bike. If you're doing weights then you typically just use the bike as a warm-up, but tbh, you're better off just doing shadow-boxing, press-ups, sit-ups, etc. It's less boring. HIIT has a further advantage over weights for a home gym, which is that if you're going to do any serious weights then you really need a spotter. Medium-weighted bar & dumbbells can be incorporated into an aerobic programme without much risk, but you don't want to be doing 5RM deadlifts or bench-presses without someone else watching.
And most importantly of all, get an iPod or cheap MP3 player, active speakers, load it up with tracks similar to and including "eye of the tiger" and put it on shuffle.
Its been mentioned but get a mate involved.
Motivation instantly doubled!
For better physical condition: search for 'Tabata' on YT. Notice that most 'How to'... videos show people without special equipment. As mentioned above: your own body weight combined with a skip rope and some waterbottles fllled with sand will do the trick! And if you want to spend money: a Concept 2 rowing machine is more or less perfect for a full body Tabata.
Combine Tabata with a proper dieet (extensively discussed here on the forum!) and you'll loose weight as well. After a few weeks, you'll be fit enough to go on with another program: building muscle or gaining strength.
Menno
If you're talking about rollers Tony then I think they are quite hard to master. Turbo trainers are a simpler option,you just fasten your back wheel into it and magnetic resistance gives you the workout.It's like pedaling with your back brake on, bloody hard work
Tabata is excellent. I started viewing it on You Tube just to get the gist of it then did it on my own. No equipment needed other than an interval timer and you can easily download an app to your phone.
I also have a treadmill in the garage and do use it.
Try a few things and decide which are best for you before spending money.
Get a big telly (one with GOOGLE) and a mat (to do floor work on). Tune into Fitnessblender and away you go, be fit in no time!
Painfully dull even for the most motivated cyclist.
Ive had a gym in the garage and its convenient, if the urge is there then there is no excuse but you want to lose weight, tone up, feel better etc then find what works for you. In the simpleist form I would get my running shoes on and just get out there, when youre tired stop and do press ups, sit ups, etc. Buy a TRX and head out to a nice spot and work out. When the weathers nasty either wrap up and accept the challenge or do the basics in front of the TV.
There really is no excuse less laziness, after 30 years+ of training most every day I still sit there thinking 'bugger that' but have learned that pushing through and just getting out there works
RIAC
Why not buy an MX-5 to keep in the garage and drive to the gym?
As others have said skipping rope, free weights, mats and a pull up bar are inexpensive and can work wonders if combined with a good diet.
He wants to lose weight not Perm Hair
RIAC
LOL, just spat me tea out 😃😃😃
As someone has already mentioned a Concept rower is an excellent peice of kit for all round excersize.
They aslo have the distinct advantage of being one of the few pieces of kit that has a reasonable re-sale value for when you've given up on the idea!!
Barney
I bought free weights, a punch bag and a turbo trainer 2 years ago and have lost 2.5 stone and kept it off. I found the trick to be to set a schedule for the week around work, kids etc so you find 4 one hour slots, stick a cheap stereo in there and make a bracket for your bike to prop an iPad on so you can watch Iplayer. I also got a friend who knows about exercise to design me a routine and change it every month to keep things interesting.
It can work for some,but tbh most home gym equipment doubles up as a clothes horse.
Join a gym and use all they have to offer inc classes to get the results your looking for,but remember if you have never been one for this sort of hard work,and it is hard,then sadly and the numbers prove this,you will probably drop out after a few months and return to default mode ie and siting in front of the Telly with that big un healthy meal.
I did say it works for some.
While a lot of people in here are saying not to bother, I think it's up to you whether you go ahead.
Gym's don't work for everyone, and home gym's work really well for some people.
It might not be best to start off with a lot of equipment though. Maybe try a few smaller items and add more if you like the whole garage gym thing.
You could start with something simple like dumbells, barbells, parallettes, wrist weights etc, and add something like a power rack later on. Exercise bikes are the easy fix, but a power rack offers way more versatility.
I got a lot of good information from this article, which might help you as well. http://yourowngymzone.com/garage-gym...urself-set-up/
if your aim is to lose weight then diet is the key thing, buy a used concept 2 rower and a heavy bag (get some bag gloves and wraps) and you will soon lose some weight.
Up until 2 weeks ago I would agree with "if you can't be bothered with goping to a gym, you won't bother with the garage"
Since then I have commited to a 10k in April 2015 (cheap mid-life crisis) and was going to join a gym until my wife said I should use the cross-trainer in the garage. It has been unused since buying it and main reason is a £200 home unit is rubbish compared to a gym unit, it creaks like heck. Still, currently on week 2 of "Couch to 5 k" and works well - I leave home 06:30, get back 18:30 then eat dinner and bath son/prepare him for bed. I am then free from 20:00 - going to a gym then is a bleak option!
Our garage is rammed and needs a serious sort out, I think you need to be realistic as to how much room even a simple weights bench will take up. Clear the garage first!
I'm just about to go and use mine - I have a gazelle and a bike trainer(which gets used rarely) some weights and resistance bands and it works for me.......
If you don't have the self discipline (and you know you don't) then don't do it.
B
Fit new tubes / better tyres / puncture skins?
Dont go the whole hog and get everything you will ever need today, because chances are you will never use most of it.
Get yourself a bar, some weights, some squat stands and a bench if you really want one but you wont need it, if you want get a kettlebell or two as well. Mount a chin up bar on the wall and some poles to dip from, maybe some rings from the bar, and that will be all you will ever need, you might want more but that will be all you will need. Maybe some cheap speakers to blast out some noise too.
You can get cheap mats for the floor to keep some of the chill out, fan heater for the garage should take the edge off the rest you will just need to layer up and work harder in the winter or risk baking in the summer, OR depending on where you live get a few weight plates and a sled, push that about and you will soon know about it, but the neighbors might have a issue with the noise on the road.
Edit to add the resistance bands are worth the outlay as well, Ironwoody are probably the best but the Strengthshop ones (newer style) are pretty decent too, worth it to help the dips and chins.
Lots of good advice above. It's not about the equipment, it's about the mindset. You've got to want this more than you want that.
The diet point made is good. Little changes can make a difference and any exercise programme combined with a bad diet won't work.
For your gym, get a bench with Olympic bar and a chin-up bar.
Do compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, shoulder press and chest (3-4 sets on each, 8-10 reps each set). Then the chin-up bar. You can do arm curls if you want with the bar too. You'll obviously have to build up to all of this.
Shouldn't take any more than 30 minutes intense a week. Do that twice a week and the form and strength you'll build will be impressive - it's not about getting big and lifting huge weights. Just improving your structure, tone and the 'afterburn' from these workouts will last days , boosting your basal metabolic rate.
In short, everyone should be doing some intense resistance work at least once or twice a week, whatever age you are.
For any 'cardio', forget an exercise bike and do some walking.
Your home gym shouldn't then cost you a lot of money or take up much space.
Lots of good ideas here; two key points already made are diet and mindset - the actual working out solution doesn't matter providing you do!!!!
For me, I have tried gym membership and I don't go, but I do work out at home or on the road 6/7 days a week. I have bowflex adjustable weights (but bands will do), a chin up bar and a yoga mat. Having tried everything else over the years (gyms, personal trainers, turbo trainers, concept 2s etc) what actually works for me are exercise DVDs believe it or not. Not the Jane Fonda type but the Beachbody stuff - P90X / 2 / 3, Insanity, Insanity the Asylum, T25, Body Beast I've done them all - all bought second hand on Gumtree for less than a months gym membership.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not pushing them as the ultimiate solution, just pointing out the solution that works for me - all the above posts are good advice but probably only 1 or 2 would work for you. Minimising your expense whilst you find out which one works is good advice!!!!
You're right, he probably wants to beef up so he can cruise round in a BMW convertible.
Do you let the gazelle out and then get loads of exercise trying to catch it again?
Just to a look at our gym room. Bike with rolls, rowing machine, treadmill, bar for chinups, weights, kettlebells, ropes, miscallanea. Three active trainers in family. Works well. Tried multigym, not any good for us as limits options.
Recently ditched an expensive gym membership for a spin bike and haven't really missed it. Managing to do 3-4 HIT sessions a week as well as team training. Whatever you decide the important thing is to have the motivation and keep it as otherwise you may end up like a friend of mine who's spent the best part of £1000 refitting a spare room as a gym with cross trainer, multigym and rower with a new TV and then only used it 3 times in 3 months :S
How did you guess?
I've gone through the common bits of keep fit equipment i.e.
Treadmill - knees went dolally after 6 months of that so that went on ebay
Elliptical - fine for about 2-3 years but realised that it was mainly legs getting the workout (no knee issues though)
Rowing Machine - best so far. Much more a full body workout. Typically 45 mins a day though depends upon what time I get home from work.
Play audio books to break the monotony.
I exercise in an outbuilding with zero heat. Used to work out before work but getting up at 5:45 was getting to be a pain - especially when you end up taking a kettle with you to defrost the gate and locks!! Now I pop out after work.
tbh I'm amazed I've kept it up for so long - 3+ years now nearly every day!
Diet is important to get the weight down but regular exercise is crucial (for me anyway) to help keep it down and general body tone.
btw Don't skimp on the exercise equipment. There's a big difference, for example, between an elliptical that costs fifty quid and one that costs several hundred pounds. The more expensive equipment is easier to use and works better.
Thanks for the replies.
Motivation may be a problem but in reality time restriction is the biggest issue - hence, I think there is more of a chance I would use the equipment if at home.
On public transport now - it will be 8.30 by the time I am home. Tomorrow will see me leave the house at 6.30 or earlier. Add time to eat sleep and get ready, and there isn't realistically enough time to get to a gym too.
The weekend is family and chores time too.
If time is the issue definitely look into HIIT as you can achieve a lot in a short session. Also Tabatas as mentioned and Fartleks.
I'm not suggesting that this is possible for you but what worked for me was a total change of life style. I'd done the machines at the gym. I'd done the lengths in the swimming pool. I'd joined the classes at the gym and, if I am honest, doing Body pump for 6 years (and I still do it) made a huge difference to the gym experience because it toned my body and is actually both physically and socially enjoyable (whereas as the machines were boredom in the extreme). Body pump didn't reduce my weight though.
The total change of life style came by a total change of job function. I quit what was essentially an office based desk job with rather too many nights spent in hotel restaurants and started my own business with a large physical element to the work pattern. Being in the outdoors, being active, being less stressed (once the business was off the ground) and eating sensibly rather than comfort eating took the best part of two stone off my frame. I'm still not a twiglet but I am much more healthy and I feel much better mentally and physically.
In no way am I suggesting that you should give it all up and change your job (unless you have the capability to do so without compromising yourself financially) but, to my mind and in my experience, its a combination of eating sensibly while upping the general level of exercise in a way that is enjoyable and motivating which has the most positive affect. Perhaps some gym equipment will do it for you. It would be bore me senseless and I would much sooner pay gym membership and at least have the chance of looking at the totty on the gym floor as opposed to half empty cans of emulsion on the garage wall! But each to their own. Far too easy to think that we can change how we are using material things when, for many of us, a change can be made more fundamentally with the right motivation and, possibly, with a lot less cost.
It has crossed my mind to consider a job closer to home on many an occasion - that's for sure.
In reality, I don't earn a fortune, but I am the bread winner in my house, and to move more locally reduces the options in my line of work somewhat!
In terms of my lifestyle, I work too long when you include travel time, I drink too much, and I don't always eat healthily. I don't think the exercise alone is the solution - but it is something I'm actually interested in doing (which is part of the battle) and if I get into it, know it will be a good motivator to kick start other things.
Is that gravy? I like your style.
Totally agree diet is the most important,and eating what is not going to pile anymore weight on when trying to reduce it.
BUT,remember to be realistic too,if your no spring chicken then the advice about what to eat and when and how much,we'll leave that to those that really DO want to see all the gains from hours in the gym and weighing out every portion of food.
If your the "average joe" who likes to eat and drink,probably a good % of the guys on here that,then the visit to the gym will help keep any creep upwards in the waistline dept at bay......ONLY if those visits are used well ;-).
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