Bodybuilding.net - Bodybuilding Forum

Lift at home... buy what you will use and be done with the commercial gyms. My best guess is that most people could own a gym that would make a real man cry with joy for less than the cost of three years worth of gym memberships. I know that I have purchased several thousand worth of equipment for my home gym, and it is more expensive than a gym membership for 5 years, but... I own it, mine, forever... need I say more? No retards are going to constantly break my equipment unless that retard is me! Plus I have gone WAY overboard. I have multiple bars, set ups for strongman, Oly lifting (and I'm talking a REAL Oly bar and bumpers), kettle bells, and so many other fun gadgets I can't begin to talk about it all. But at the heart of my gym is the good old power rack, around 800lbs of plates. Total cost here with two bars, pull up bars and dip bars... MAYBE $1000. For 90% of everyone out there, this equipment would be enough to let you develop for years and years in a way that would be ultimately MORE productive than all the crap at the commercial gym, and for less money in the long run.

Totally true. I bought a simple home-gym type setup (it has a bench and a squat rack and at this stage in my training BP/Squat/DL/MP/PC make up almost all of the work I do) at a local store; it should have been $400 which still isn't bad but since it was a floor model they halved it and we had a coupon or something besides. We ended up paying $120 for a real nice setup - then I went over and bought a bar and like 400lb. of weight (more than I use for any lift) and never looked back. Plus my dad put a simple pull-up bar in the doorway of his room. If you can then absolutely get your own stuff.

Meanwhile, I work at a commercial gym doing front desk and we charge $499 down with $20/mo. as our cheapest long-term package.