Even if you are currently going to the gym the thought has come across most peoples minds geez I have to get up get into my gym clothes drive so many miles down the road before I can even start my workout. Then after I am done I have to either shower there or leave drive home then shower.
In the end it is all about time and it can also come down to cost. Although the cost of a home gym can be expensive if you go all out but at first you can just get some basic equipment to get through 80-90% of workouts at home.
So How Much Does A Home Gym Cost? Home gyms can range quite a bit but if you were to get 80% of average workout variations in you would only need some adjustable dumbbells, adjustable bench, pullup bar and some resistance bands that would be around $300.00 but would vary based on how heavy dumbbells you need.
An In Depth Look At Cost Of Entire Home Gym
When most people think home gyms these days they think CrossFit since they are really the first class of gyms that went viral with their simplicity.
This is a great way to look at a home gym if you want to go that route. CrossFit is amazing and very intense. We really don't do CrossFit anymore but used to before we had a kid. It is tough to do workouts around kids and a lot of CrossFit workouts are very intense with lots of jumping around making this dangerous for toddlers.
That's why we have now elected to go with other programs like Beachbody On Demand and their program BodyBeast is probably the most equipment you need for any Beachbody program. So that is what I based the start of our home gym with.
So With Adjustable dumbbells and a incline decline bench you can do 100's of exercises that you don't need to pay a workout program for. You can find lots of vids on YouTube for free like the one below or go to this free website I found that shows 20 dumbbell exercises with animations: https://www.jenreviews.com/dumbbellexercises/
- Adjustable Dumbbells – probably the number one piece of equipment that any home gym needs
- Stability Ball – these can be used for a variety of exercises along with substituting for a bench
- Pull Up Bar – pullups are a great workout and a lot of variations to work different body parts and also be used for the abs
- Resistance Bands – I didn't think I would ever get these but they are great just like having a bowflex on the go (my dad loves his bowflex) and the resistance can get very heavy. They also work great for a pullup substitute.
- Yoga or Workout Mat – Whether you are doing yoga or something else like yoga (pilates) these are a must. Extra cushion and less slipping if you have a wood floor.
- Utility Bench – this is an all in one incline, decline, flat bench this makes your workouts turn into professional ones. They are relatively cheap the last one I bought was around $40.
- EZ Curl Bar – I like these since you can use just like an olympic bar if you have too. Bi's, tri's, back the workouts are great and provide symmetry. These can be cheap and come with bundles of weights since you will need those to go with it.
- Cardio Machine – my preference here is either a rower or some kind of step cardio machine like the vertical climber. Vertical climbers are cheaper then ever so if on a budget start there. Rowers can be cheap but they break easily when they are so I would suggest saving or looking for Concept 2 rower (same one as used by crossfitters)
- Power rack with Olympic Bar & Weights – This would normally be number one on my list back in my high school days. But with getting older and more injuries I have had I still have a couple of these they just don't get used as often as I would like. They have great power racks now that have the pullup bar, squat and bench capability along with cable workouts attached. Pretty amazing and not too expensive.
The overall cost for the above can range quite a bit but this is a complete gym the range on price would be up to about $1,300-1,900 depending mainly on the amount of weights you get. This still isn't a bad price but depends on how much your gym membership is.
Home Gym VS Gym Membership
Advantage of Home Gyms
- You can exercise whenever you want
- Could be much cheaper depending on what you need and where you get it from
- No waiting to use any equipment
- No commute so you save time
- Get your kids involved
Disadvantages of Home Gyms
- Limited equipment. There is usually tons and unlimited amounts of equipment this can be good but also bad.
- Space. Sometimes you just don't have enough space.
- Hot or Cold. You may have to heat or cool your garage (that's why I like the basement). But this could be an added cost
- You have to clean up your gym yourself which could be good because you know it is clean or dirty I guess
So all the advantages are obviously disadvantages at the gym and the disadvantages at home are advantages at the gym glad we got that covered.
It may come down to cost you can see above that a full basic gym will run about $1,300 bucks if you buy it all at once. The average gym membership is around $25-50 a month which is upwards of $600 a year so you could break even in a few years. But most people would probably get more use out of their home gym then actually going to the gym. Did you know that gyms make most of their money from people that never go to the gym after buying a membership.
You also don't have to go all in on a gym. Get a nice set of adjustable dumbbells, resistance bands, bench, pullup bar for around $300 and you break even in 6 months then at to it.
I do miss going to the gym at times and having a spotter or going with friends but it just doesn't suit my lifestyle anymore and nothing really wrong with either one.
Home Gym Layout
This can be a big issue for some places. Like if you live in a one bedroom apartment but it still can be done. A set of adjustable dumbbells have a stand they can go on and adjustable benches can be moved round pretty easily and stored vertically. Just like a vertical climber can be folded up and stored vertically.
Generally you probably want around an 8′ X 8′ space or at least that can be moved into that big of a space. Using a garage is perfectly fine and a basement is probably better. I have seen people use semi trailers for their home gyms and it was amazing. I have always wanted to do that have a semi trailer in the middle of our woods setup as a home gym and training on top of the roof as well. Need a fan and bug net but would be a lot of fun.
Here are some ideas:
Related Questions
How Much Does A Personal Gym Cost?
This can range but to have all substantial equipment the cost of a personal gym would be around $1,300 to $1,900.
What Should Be In A Home Gym?
You should have the equipment you need for your workouts. Cardio for anything cardio like a spin bike or weights for any weight training like adjustable dumbbells.
How Much Does It Cost To Build A Personal Gym?
To build a personal home gym like a garage scenario would be around $5,000 to $10,000 dollars. You can get some nice pole barn kits and cabin kits you can convert to really amazing looking gyms.
Just make sure you get a nice slab of concrete poured probably go with the commercial grade that holds over 4k lbs to make sure it is stable. This may run around $1k depend on your local prices.
I would suggest if you have a basement to convert that into your personal gym.
Conclusion
As you can see the cost of a home gym can range quite a bit. But you don't need to get everything up front just get what you need to start working out tomorrow then go from there.
You can always add. Most equipment like weight training equipment last pretty much forever. Cardio equipment you need to do your research on but things like spin bikes and concept 2 rowers will last a long time as well. You can always do body weight workouts and also cardio videos. Whether it be something you find free on YouTube or something you pay for like Beachbody On Demand.