In light of the recent announcement of the closure of gyms, I would like to share more about my home gym. A friend of mine inspired me to set up one last October, and this is how it looks like.
My home gym has three main stations: barbell, dumbbells and pull-up bar.
Barbell
I have a 2.2m long Olympic barbell which has a standard weight of 20kg and comes with a pair of spring clips to keep the weights in place. The barbell rests on a pair of squat stands, which is placed on a yoga mat to prevent scratches on the floor. I also got a set of weight plates totalling 115kg, in addition to a pair of 1.25kg weight plates. These weight plates are placed on two thick rubber mats that I bought on Carousell. The adjustable bench was kindly sold to me by another friend. The total cost was about $660.
Dumbbells
I bought this dumbbell set from Ezbuy during Circuit Breaker last year, which consists a pair of 20kg dumbbells with replaceable mini weight plates. Unfortunately, upon measuring one of the 20kg dumbbells, it turns out that the actual weight is only 18.7kg. I guess the seller decided to round up the actual weight to the nearest ten… 🥲 The cost was approximately $40.
Pull-Up Bar
I got my pull-up bar from AIBI and it has been serving me well. It is one of those that fit between doorways that does not require any drilling, as it is secured by a twisting and tightening mechanism. The cost was around $40.
Total cost of home gym = $660 + $40 + $40 = $740
Having had a home gym for quite a while now, I would like to share my two cents’ worth on the pros and cons of having a gym at home.
Future of Gyms
As Singapore announces tighter COVID-19 measures due to the emergence of new clusters and increasing number of community cases, many indoor gyms are currently closed. I am guessing that most gym patrons will be turning to bodyweight workouts at home to maintain their fitness levels.
Due to the current pandemic, it is possible that more clusters will surface in the future and indoor gyms may be closed sporadically to mitigate the spread of the virus. This will be disruptive to serious gym users who have strict routines and exercises to complete. Hence, this may be a good time to consider investing in a home gym.
Reduce Friction
The main reason why I set up a home gym is that I wanted to there to be zero friction between me wanting to use the gym and me actually using the gym. When I am at home and I want to exercise, I can literally start lifting weights within less than 5 seconds. The only thing preventing me from using the home gym is if someone else in the family is using it.
Save Time
With a home gym, I do not have to travel to the school gym (2 hour and 30 minutes for a round trip) or the nearest ActiveSG gym (40 minutes for a round trip). When accumulated, this frees up a significant amount of time for me to pursue other interests. Also, I cannot use “long transportation time” as an excuse to not work out anymore.
Reduce Costs (in the long run)
If you are a student, you can probably use your school gym for free. If not, you will probably have to sign up for a gym membership. One of the cheapest options is by ActiveSG ($6.67/month for off-peak hours and $25/month for peak hours, provided that you sign up for 12 months upfront).
Take myself as an example: my routine is to use the gym on alternate days, including weekends. Since the ActiveSG off-peak monthly pass does not allow entry on weekends, I will have to sign up for the $25 peak monthly pass instead. For me to cover the costs of a home gym, I will have to use it for approximately $740/$25 = 30 months, which works out to be two and a half years. Since setting up a home gym incurs a fixed cost instead of a recurring cost, as long as I remain consistent and continue to work out beyond the next two and a half years, it will be worthwhile for me to invest in a home gym.
No Weight Machines
One of the main downsides of a home gym is the lack of weight machines. If your desired exercise routine involves the usage of machines, then a home gym may not be suitable for you. As I do compounds exercises mainly, I am willing to forgo machines. Indeed, weight machines are useful as you can do specific exercises that target specific muscle groups. For the serious gym-goers, it may not be possible to substitute machines with dumbbells or resistance bands. Hence, for those who need to use weight machines, unless you can afford them and have enough space in your house, you may want to consider sticking to a gym membership instead.
BONUS: Noise
Another crucial factor to consider is noise. Are you one of those who loves to grunt loudly and furiously while exerting yourself? Do your exercises involve dropping heavy weights onto the ground? If so, you may wish to check in with your family members or neighbours and give them a heads up about the noise! 😉
Kaiser 