It’s time to cancel that dusty unused gym membership that’s been eating up all your money. If you want to actually work out and save money in 2019 your own home gym is the answer. In this post I’ll tell you everything you need to know to save money and get healthy with your own DIY home gym.
Save Money and Get Healthy with your own DIY Home Gym
Working out at home is better because you don’t have to go somewhere else, that means no more excuses. You’re more likely to actually work out in the comfort of your own home.
While gyms don’t seem too expensive monthly, that money really adds up. For example, $20 a month ends up being $240 per year. That’s $720 over the course of 3 years.
Plus there’s a contract and penalties and probably a yearly maintenance fee too.
My Gym Story
I get that the idea of the gym seems really appealing.
I had a gym membership for years. And like many people do, I used it a lot at first and then I stopped going as much and soon I was barely using it at all.
But I kept paying.
The money just kept coming out of my account.
They make it really hard to cancel too. You have to actually go into the gym and tell them you’re canceling. You cannot do it over the phone (at my old gym at least).
But finally I got serious about cutting my expenses and I bit the bullet, when into the gym, and told them I was moving so I had to cancel.
I wasn’t moving. But that made it easier to get past their questions.
My Husband’s Gym Story
Now let me tell you a very different story about my husband’s gym experience.
Eddie had a gym membership for 8 years.
He actually used his.
He would go to the gym during his work lunch break.
When we were saving money for our wedding, we were looking at ways to cut our expenses.
Canceling my gym membership was a no brainer. Canceling Eddie’s was something to think about.
Read: A Spender and a Saver fall in love
He was spending $27 per month with a $50 yearly maintenance fee. That was $374 per year.
We wanted to save that money but my husband didn’t want to stop working out.
So we decided that if he was going to cancel his gym membership we’d have to find an alternative.
And that’s how our home gym was born.
Our basement used to be the place in our home where we would dump things. We cleaned it up and cleared a space for exercise.
We started small.
Before we started making our home gym, we already had a few pieces of equipment to start with.
We had a basic exercise ball (which doubled as a birth ball when I was pregnant and in labor.)
We also had this doorway pull up bar that is a great space saver since it’s super easy to take down and put away.
My husband was coming back from a back injury so he was doing mostly body weight exercises at first. This would also be good if you’re just starting to work out.
Note: There are tons of free workout plans online with YouTube videos explaining how to perform each move/exercise
You could just put down a yoga mat or foam floor squares like these.
Next, you can move to some simple exercises with free weights. This is the barbell set is what we have.
If you spend a little time looking, you can usually find some available on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.
Start with a small free weight set, you can always add more if you find you like using them.
The next piece of equipment we purchased was a squat rack / cage. For space saving reasons, we picked this adjustable one that isn’t connected. This is used for squatting and bench press.
We also got this flat bench, which is the bench you would lay down on to do a bench press. We made sure to get an adjustable one so it can be used for many other exercises like incline bench press, ab exercises like leg lifts, bent over rows with dumbbells.
Our biggest purchase for our home gym was a treadmill.
A treadmill is definitely a big expense but is so nice to have.
We bought got it as a Christmas gift for both of us one year. You could absolutely buy a used one (again try Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist) or set a savings goal and save up for it.
Of course, walking or running outside is always an easy and cheap option if you live in an area where the weather is decent.
Read: How to Set a Savings Plan
Extras
We also have a Captains chair, which is used for pull-ups, chin-ups, ab exercises and lifts. It is huge and takes up a lot of space but as a plus it also came in handy as a place to hang my wedding dress. You really need a high ceilinged space for this one, make sure to measure!
A great way to stay accountable is by using a work out plan with an app.
My husband uses a 5×5 plan but there are so many apps and plans out there. You can find a ton of really great you-tube videos that are so great in helping you see what an exercise is supposed to look like.
A home gym is definitely an expenses. We definitely made an investment into our equipment. But we’ve saved $2456 on both of our gym memberships over the past 4 years.
Get Healthy and Save Money with your own DIY Home Gym
If you’re currently wasting money on a gym membership, or if you’re just planning to be healthier while saving money in the 2019, consider creating your own DIY home gym. Make the investment in equipment slowly over time and enjoy working out in the comfort of your own home.
Disclaimer: I am not at all a fitness or health professional. You should evaluate any workout routine with your doctor.
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