If you’re reading this, then you’ve probably been asking yourself if building a home is worth it -- should you hand in that membership card, and build yourself a gym at home? If you’re just looking for justification to finally hit the, “check out”, button for the stack of equipment sitting in your online cart for weeks, then the quick answer is, HECK YA!!
For those of you looking for a little more in-depth reasoning, let’s take a closer look… No one could have predicted the events of the past 2 years. Lockdowns, gym and facility closures forced a lot of people to seriously consider a home gym for the first time. Equipment flew off the shelves, prices skyrocketed, and people were paying a small fortune to buy crappy old weight plates off of Craigslist.
Now that gyms are back open, and stock is back on the shelves, is building a home gym worth it? Let’s go through 4 reasons why it might be worth it for you.
This is a big one for most people and probably the main reason why building a home gym is worth it. The initial cost of setting up your gym can seem like an astronomical amount compared to a monthly gym membership, but is it? Depending where you’re located, and what type of gym you're going to, membership fees can be anywhere from $30 to $200 a month per person.
Over 10 years, that’s $3600 - $24,000!! Well over the cost of a typical home gym. Decent quality gym equipment will last you many years, and often doesn’t need to be replaced unless you’re looking to upgrade. You also don’t need to buy everything at once.
Starting with the basics - a rack / squat stands, a barbell, a sturdy bench, weight plates, and a pull-up bar is a great way to start out. As your budget allows, or as you figure out what you are really missing, you can add equipment to your gym. I used to pick up one new item every year that I really wanted. Selling your used equipment is also pretty easy, so when you’re ready to upgrade, it’s a little easier on the pocket book. Let’s not leave out the cost to drive to the gym and back, either. With current gas prices, that’s become a very real added cost.
We are busy people with busy lives! Work, kids, chores, etc… Finding time to get to the gym during the day can be tricky. If you only have an hour or less, it’s hard to get in a full workout at a commercial gym. Luckily, if you build your own home gym, it’s open 24/7! You can exercise in the morning before work, after the kids go to bed, or at 3:00am when you can’t sleep because you’re thinking about that embarrassing moment that happened 8 years ago.
There’s also no drive time to and from the gym (especially in the winter!), no waiting for that dude to finish curling in the squat rack, and no wasted time avoiding the guy who’s always giving unsolicited tips on your form. All this means more free time for you to do other important things, like binge watch Netflix, another reason building a home gym is worth it.
This can be a pro or a con, depending on you. Some people need the encouragement, rivalry, or social interaction that comes from a commercial gym. For others, working out at home means they can focus on their workout with little to no distractions, which is another reason why building your home gym is worth it. You can scream as loud as you want, or drop your weights without setting off any alarms. I personally find that having a home gym makes any excuse I try to tell myself sound incredibly lame, and forces me to just go get it done.
For some, the gym can be an uncomfortable or intimidating place, especially when you’re first starting out. There’s a certain comfort level in your home gym that you can’t get anywhere else, and another reason why building one is worth it. At home, there is no dress code or judgmental stares. You can work out in fuzzy slippers, your favourite shorts with a hole in the crotch, or even naked (hopefully, only if your gym is in a heated and enclosed space)… all perfectly acceptable! There’s no having to wipe up someone else’s sweat puddles off the equipment (GROSS), avoiding that creepy guy that stares at you the whole time or having to watch some old naked guy in the locker room dry his privates with the hand dryer. Need I say more??
In conclusion, although a home gym does have some upfront expenses, it can really end up saving you a lot of time and money. With the options available today, there’s something for all budgets and spaces. If you’re not sure if it’s a good fit, you can always purchase a few of the basics and give it a try. Even if you decide to stick with a gym membership, you’ll likely find that having some equipment at home is a huge advantage on days where you just can’t make it or are short on time. At the end of the day, a home gym is definitely worth it!
