a couple weeks ago I made a thread about Planet Fitness being a reasonable starting point for going to the gym, and since then I've been thinking about just buying a bit of gym equipment and working out at home.
I don't have enough room for a bench or anything, but I was thinking about
buying a set of adjustable dumbbells and using those to work out in my room at my apartment.
The biggest reason I want to work out at home is because the gym is out of the way of my commute. I would have to go further from my apartment after work to get to the gym, and then have a longer commute home after that. I feel like if I got a gym membership and didn't feel like making the commute to the gym that I would just not go.
the biggest downside I see to working out at home that is that it would be very easy to get distracted by all my stuff at home and just not work out at all.
so ERA, which do you prefer and why?
I'll actually respond to you directly since it seems like some aren't reading the OP and recommending equipment you don't have room for.
First thing: getting "distracted." You have to want to work out. You have to enjoy it as you do your other hobbies. Otherwise, don't waste your time/money. You will fall off. You stated in another post that you want to drop the fat and add just a bit of muscle. It sounds like your primary exercise (at least until you drop the weight) should be cardio, but remember that you'll also need to make sure your nutrition is in check and watch your calorie intake. Go for a run and do some body weight strength training. Push ups are free and there's a variety to keep them fun/challenging. (I do at least 300 every day) You can do dips on damn near anything. Pull up bars are cheap. Do something simple consistently and you'd be surprised by what kind of results you get from it.
Second: if you don't have room for a bench much less a rack or even a half rack then you're going to have to hit a gym if you want to get serious about strength training. Either that, or take a good look at the stuff you have occupying your space and consider if you actually need it.
Third: if you have space constraints and are in the market for dumbbells, consider getting some Powerblocks. You can probably find a set for cheap on Craigslist. (along with a bunch of other strength training gear that's collecting dust) I love mine and they're especially useful for supersetting or drop sets.
Personally, I much prefer working out at home. The biggest problem I have is I'm always itching to do something because it's right there and it's way too easy to talk myself into overtraining. But the space is mine to do whatever I want with. I throw plates wherever. I train barefoot when I feel like it. I can burp/fart after a hard lift. I can listen to dumbass podcasts and laugh myself silly the entire workout. Hell, I can even talk to my dog for motivation. And, of course, no one is ever in your way or trying to chat you up when you have work to do.
I run a full rack, a pulley tower, a mess of plates/barbells, the aforementioned Powerblocks, some traditional adjustable dumbbells like those in the link that don't see much use anymore, some resistance bands, and a dedicated space for deadlifts/etc. We also have a rowing machine for cardio.
Can anyone recommend a machine (or even a piece of cardio equipment) that can supplement a gym workout? I have a rowing machine, though Ive considered moving to a TotalGym or maybe a Peloton.
People bag on the Total Gym, but I sustained a severe shoulder injury at work late last year and spent a few months on one to recover. It's great for rehabbing stuff like that because it's free form but still gives a good amount of stability, but it's easy to max out on resistance. The one we have has a bar that you can load plates onto and that really should be a standard feature. Every once in a while I'll come up with some weird exercise to try on it because it's such an unorthodox piece of equipment, but I haven't touched it in months. My wife uses it a few times a week, though.
It's a much better piece of equipment than a Bowflex I can tell you that for free. I had one of those years ago and hated it. Bought it to save space. (Xtreme or whatever?) Uneven resistance everywhere. Lifts felt awful. It's someone else's problem now.
