are they good? coz.. the nearest gym from me is pretty far and i like to work out w/o ppl watching me lol.. coz im kinda weak.. lol

and.. what home gyms are good? any recommendations?

I find they help me a lot. What I did was buy the home gym (just a set of free weights) untill I bulked up a little, then headed to the "real" gym when I thought I wouldnt be embarrassed. Then I acctually continued to use the home gym every night before I went to bed. It helps with toning your muscles.

Well, my man, you've come to the right place. IM me on AIM: Thepaintedballer. I do a lot of work with a personal trainer, do a little personal training on the side, and work out five days a week. Between the two guys that I consult on every client and myself, we've got 68 years of experience.

Really, I started three years ago with 105lbs of weight and 3 bars. That was sufficient for me. I use a cheap competitor home gym system, and for leg workouts I substitute cross-country runs of about a mile and a quarter. Don't knock the homemade machines- I'vefound them to be darn good.

As for commercial cable jobs... I kinda shy away from them because they don't give an accurate representation of your strength. However, the homemade cable machines I've used are without a doubt my favorite.

Originally Posted by JulesLee

and.. what home gyms are good? any recommendations?

I actually got two great gyms at home, and I can really recommend both!
One's calles "G-A-R-D-E-N" and the other "B-A-S-E-M-E-N-T".
Had a great 5 hour workout session in the "G-A-R-D-E-N" last saturday, much better than any commercial gym can offer..

Once you buy a house, you have a hobby and a gym rolled into one.

I can get in MS Paint and give you the layout of a nice homebuilt cable machine, if you or someone you know has the welding skills to build it. Material's a bit pricey, as all metals are going up, especially iron.

well i dont own my own home(16 here).. and my home is really small.. I guess ill start small and go to the gym when im kinda buffed up!

listen, man, the whole point of what I said is: you don't need to go to a commercial gym to bulk up, or go there once you bulk up. The only plus to those places is safety, and I wouldn't trust my life to some of these folks. Before making a committment to one, I'd first scope the place out and look for a. equipment and b. are they safe. Keep in touch if you have any questions, I wrote a little ten-page guide for all my potential clients and whoever else wants to lift. Just ring me up if you want a copy emailed to you. It has about 25 exercises and all the important safety information you'll need.

I'm not knocking commercial gyms, but I don't dig the larger ones because you're less likely to get the personalized service you like and deserve. I'm sure some of these places are great, I just don't trust either a. safety/quality of spotters or b. equipment.

We have a wellness center that fufills every one of your requirements and then some. Its not a commercial gym, as it does not exist out of Madison, but they give you the same personal experience and you really get to know everyone there. I suppose you COULD stay at home, but there is a point where the home gyms are not going to help. You can only buy so much weight "over the counter."

I disagree- as long as you possess the proper storage space, you can tailor the amount of weight you have to the level at which you lift. It's what the home gym I go to for personal training purposes has done for years- and the owner is a former Mr. Louisiana, and trained a Mr. America. 90% of his stuff is homemade, too. It's also the same principle I've applied. While cost may be a concern, the cost of weights will not equal the cost of memberships to commercial centers, therein lies the benefit of home gyms. Also, you can get your friends over to lift with you, and thereby have reliable spots that you know you can trust.

Again, it's just a convenience and safety thing- I've tried it both ways.