Easily accessible home gym.
Ryan Sahota starts his morning off by waking up early, drinking some water and washing down a “workout simulator magnum serum along with some BCAAs (a type of natural amino acid powder) mixed in to prevent muscle deterioration and to expand and retain growth.” He then blends up his specialty, a nutrient-packed protein drink, for his post-workout meal:
- 1 cup steel cut oats raw
- 1.5 cups Greek plain yogurt
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 tablespoon of Udo’s oil
- 1 scoop of greens
- 1.5 scoops of sun warrior protein
- 1 tsp fish oil.
He then gets to work; a workout in his home gym. A former power-lifter, Sahota loves to keep his body in top shape. As a busy accountant, having just recently started his own firm, time is of the essence. Having his own private gym just a few steps away, makes his life a lot easier.
He works out every second day of the week, as well as working out at a gym in North Delta. Although he does not yet have all of the equipment he needs, he strives to collect it, because he sees the benefit of having a home gym. “I workout at home probably four times a week, on top of training at Sun God because we don’t have all the equipment here yet. If we had all the equipment I would probably train 8-9 times a week at home,” Sahota says.
For Sahota, “the perks of having a gym is that it’s convenient – it’s always there and you can work out whenever you want to.”
If there is space, having a home gym yields a lot of time saved from commuting to and from a public gym, as well as the annoyance of having to shower and change in uncomfortable, small and often times awkward change rooms. Plus, a home gym is open 24 hours a day: No need to worry about trying to rush to get a workout in before work.
Another one of the many perks of a home gym is that it’s private. “You can do your own thing and nobody’s going to bother you,” Sahota says. There’s no worrying that a mysterious or downright creepy onlooker will be watching him, or that someone will be taking more than their allotted 30-minute turn on the elliptical. There is no need for Sahota to dress to impress either, he has the ability to wear whatever type of workout gear that he pleases.
The cost of owning a fully-equipped home gym could be less than a gym membership. The price tag for a Smooth Fitness treadmill could set you back between $999 to $2,299, according to smoothfitness.ca. But when you break down $999 over the course of four years, you would only be paying $20.82 a month. Similarly, if you purchased a stationary bike like the V380 Upright Stationary Bike from Smooth Fitness, the monthly payment would be a $16.55 a month over a period of four years.
A monthly gym membership from Gators Gym in Surrey, set Sahota back $120 a month. Over the course of four years, that amount added up $5760, over three times the cost of purchasing a treadmill and a stationary bike together.
In the long run, buying and amassing equipment for a home gym is an investment that will pay off after some years but will have lasting benefits. Best of all, investing in a home gym is personal. It is a special place created by its user, and it helps to make life and its demands a lot easier.
Lesley Salazar Ayquipa
Great Article! I like the research you put into this. Home gyms are a great investment compared to public gyms. But for students public gyms including campus gyms are a great opportunity to keep fit. For example, Steve Nash passes offered in Kwantlen are just $20 for 4 months, that is 5 dollars a month. Thats pretty good and you can go whenever you have time. As well, there are more gyms around the city making transportation not a big problem.
Elina Gress
I completely agree with Ryan Sahota. Personally, I also like working out at home not only because it is convenient but also because of the privacy and freedom to do whatever I want. Women like myself find it difficult to go to the gym and a big part of this is because we (at least what i think) feel objectified and violated because of the men who also exercise at the gym. No matter what we wear, it is almost always likely that someone is watching us and it is very uncomfortable…but that’s a whole other story. I think you could expand this story and maybe reach out to women who prefer not to go to the gym, or maybe prefer to go to women’s gyms. Great story.
Daniella Javier
I would totally have my own personal gym at home if I could! Sometimes I may feel a little lazy to go to the gym and wish that I had my own treadmill at home. But buying all the equipment would be expensive for me though. Luckily, I only pay $14.99 a month for my gym membership and that’s a really good price.
Adam Sekkat
As an incredibly massive workout fanatic…. I must unfortunately disagree to a point. If this gentleman is just trying to stay in shape, get some exercise in, yada yada yada, then you are absolutely right. A home gym is much better. But if he is trying to bulk, transform, and get gains, then I have to disagree. In my experience, and in the experience of many people I know, going to an actual gym gets you more gains than a home 1 reason is the greater variety of equipment. But more importantly, there are other people there to help you push past your goals. You can try heavier weights or different exercises that you’d never be able to do at home because at a gym, you have people to push you, spot for you, and raise your compete level. For guys, being around other guys in the gym to compete with (or hot girls to impress) increases their testosterone and allows them to lift heavier.
Also, when it comes to cost, it may actually be cheaper to go to the gym depending on the gym. You ment ioned the treadmill would be $20 and change per month…. but that’s only for the treadmill. If you add in the stationary bike, it would then cost 36 per month. For example, I go to an outstanding gym here in White Rock and if I wasn’t staff it would be $40 per month and we have a ridonculous amount of fantastic equipment. It all depends on what your goals are.
alimotu
Personally i will invest in a home gym rather than paying for a gym. i have a treadmill at home and it is so easy for me to work out at anytime of the day and in any outfit. Sometimes one might not get a machine to use at the gym depending on the time of the day you go there. with the help of craigslist you can set up your home with a few gym equipment’s for an affordable price.
David Bauerfind
I completely agree that you can get a good work out in at home, but I would argue that this strategy is not the best for someone who is just beginning their training. A big part of workin out is the ritual and the regularity of it. In those first couple moths of working out it’s really easy to fall of the horse. It’s even easier wen you’re at home, your couch just in the next room calling out to you. Forcing yourself to leave the house to workout and the social aspect that comes with that is part of building the healthy routine of getting fit.
Pricilla Westlake
Super relevant article you have here Sascia as more and more people are looking to change their life style for the better through maintaining their health and fitness. I personally feel that working out at the gym with a friend motivates me more and it is the social aspect that keeps me going. I still enjoyed reading your article though, and I really liked the opening picture.
Adam Sekkat
I totally agree with you David. Also the notion that it is cheaper to workout at home is false(although sometimes depending on which gym you choose). Sure you’re paying a monthly fee but it’s for a while variety of machines, free weights, cardio machines, people to help push you and teach you, and other perks depending on the gym. Sure you can buy a treadmill and if you divide it monthly it looks cheaper. But people forget you’re paying monthly for only 1 machine. If you buy another machine you have to add that monthly cost and so forth.
Tristan Johnston
I would argue that there are pros and cons to both. The ideal would be living in an apartment with a gym in the basement. When I lived in Austria, I only had to pay 30 Euro for six months of gym membership. It was as simple as waking up, going downstairs and getting it over with. Of course, not many people have such a situation, in which case travelling to a gym would be better. Once you’re there, it’s hard to allow yourself to half-ass it, as you already made the journey and paid for it.