My girlfreind and I joined a nearby gym for our home shopping. The gym was not a big chain, but managed locally by a young couple. In Hammer Strength fitness equipment (awesome) and the Life Fitness cardio equipment (first class). Free weight area was spacious, equipped with Olympic plates coated with rubber, but with only one power rack.
The gym does not have a pool, but there was a small gym where he performed during cardio. Upstairs, there were tanning beds and therapeutic massage. When we signed, they said they restrict membership to 500 members to avoid overcrowding.
Great, we thought. However, I later learned that his membership was between 750 and 1,000 members, and the gym was very busy in the afternoon and after work. And it seemed as if working on top of the other.
The gym opens at 5 pm, Monday to Friday, and our program has allowed us to work on 5-6 hours of the morning to get up at 4:30 am, breakfast and go to the gym 5 Am'D go three or four days during the week, and typically once a Saturday or Sunday morning around 8 am It was surprisingly easy to do for a while.
Management has hired someone to open the gym at 5:00 and the man at reception. I guess you only pay the minimum wage, then who would be hired soon enough for little money. It's not a great job, but easy to do, however.
I entered the parking lot 4:50 one morning and the gym was dark. Not much, I thought I hit the employee here before. So I waited 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and after 30 minutes I am very angry. The gym did not open until one of the personal trainers were presented around 7 am, I learned later.
The next day, the manager apologized profusely because the employee has never appeared, and right and left! "It will never happen again," he promised. I guess what happened next month? Another employee does not report to open the gym at 5 am! The following month, it happened again! Three times I was waiting in the parking lot. Not only did I get up early, I missed my training as well. And I lied about the membership was sold.
We paid the nominal rate of $ 59 a month, and were members of two years. So one night, I sit and think exactly what I go to a gym actually cost us to date:
$59 per month for 24 months: $1416
The gym was a 3.3-mile drive, round trip: 6.6 miles. We drove there five days per week: 6.6 miles x 5 = 33 miles per week for two years less a two-week vacation = 100 weeks x 33 miles =3300 miles! (Imagine how much this cost us in gas!) Using the IRS's (July 2008) standard mileage rate of.585 cents: 3300 x.585 = $1930.50
$1930.50 standard mileage rate + $1416 dues = $3346.50. This is how much the gym had really cost us for two years! Ouch!
How much home gym equipment can I buy for over $3300?
- Used Treadmill $350
- Powertec Power rack with upper/lower pulley attachment. (This now costs over $1000, but still worth every penny. In fact, when I bought mine, I had to wait a month for it because of the demand.) $749
- VTX 300lb Olympic weight set $339
- Body Solid Olympic weight rack $79
- Ironmaster adjustable Dumbbells and super bench $898
- Body Solid GFID31 Bench $162
- Accessories (handles for cable pull down) $70
- Additional Olympic weight plates 347lbs (I found really good deals) $250
- Body Solid Leg press $629
- Total Cost $3526
A little over $3300, but I can do 90% of the same exercises at home that I did at the gym. HOWEVER, the equipment is paid for, and I will never pay monthly gym fees EVER again! Let's look at the pros and cons of each:
Home Gym Pros:
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