The Pros and Cons of Garage Gyms

Are you always making an exercise plan every beginning of a year? This plan will prompt you to think about joining a Gym.

Alternatively, maybe you’re contemplating fleeing the new year’s crowds and creating your own gym in the garage. 

A garage gym seemed like it would be a convenient time saver, shaving off the ten-minute drive to and from the commercial gym. And time concerns aside, I had already been contemplating the switch for other reasons. The pros and cons of garage gym we will sum up today.

The Pros

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• Save money. By dropping your monthly membership gym fees (which likely go towards a lot of amenities and services you don’t even use — like Zumba class), you’ll very likely save money — possibly a whole lot of money. There are some caveats though — see the callout section below.

  
  

  
  

• No waiting for equipment. There’s no one else using your personal gym, so there’s never anyone passive aggressively standing a few feet away, trying to stare you out of the squat rack.

  

  
  

• Let it all hang out. Even if you don’t go to the gym to preen, and you’re mostly oblivious to the opinions of others, a garage gym still gives you more privacy and leeway to do as you please. Wear what you want (or nothing but your ranger panties if you please), fart at will, and give your loudest primal yell when you reach a new PR. No one’s going to ring the lunk alarm and escort you from the premises.

  
  

• No commute. Just walk out your bedroom, through the kitchen, and into the garage. In 30 seconds, you’re at the gym and ready to get your lift on.

  
  

• Open 24/7. Holidays, late nights, ungodly early in the morning — your garage gym is always open and waiting.

The Cons

• Limited equipment. Unless you’ve got a lot of room and uber deep pockets to outfit your garage gym with tons of different cardio machines and pieces of equipment, you’re probably going to have just a few things at your disposal. While a barbell, plates, squat rack, and bench is just about all you need, in my opinion, others like having choices.

  
  

• Garage space. If you’ve got a single-car garage, you’re likely going to need to park your vehicle outside indefinitely. If you and your wife have two cars, and a two-car garage, one of ya is going to have to park their vehicle in the driveway (it’s probably going to be you).

  
  

• Variable temperature. The garage can get very hot in summer, and very cold in winter. These conditions are prime for building your Spartan toughness, but the thought of going out to a freezing garage may make it harder to get out of bed.

  
  

  
  
  

• Sole responsibility. If something’s dirty or needs fixing, it’s always your job to remedy it.

  
  

• Distraction. With the benefit of your gym being attached to your house, comes a drawback too. It can be harder to leave behind the responsibilities and cares of home life, both literally and psychologically. Your kids or wife may want to talk to you during your workout, and you may simply have a hard time transitioning your mindset from piddling around the house to pumping iron. Though a garage gym is much easier to access, this can paradoxically make it more difficult to get out the door, and more tempting to cut your workout short and go back inside. Going to a membership gym requires a more active commitment, and once you’re there, it can be easier to get into the right state of mind.

  
  
  

Next time we will analyze the pros and cons of commercial gyms. Welcome to subscribe ProCircle via our Home page.