Drop Y membership and just row or not?

[Birchwood]

I am a member of the Y, and it is very convinient as it is block away from work, and I pass there on the way home from work. From home is it only a 3 mile drive, so I go there during the weekend if I have time.
When I move to a different town in retirement, I am looking for another gym.
As a retired man, "exercise" will be morning work schedule, so I need a good gym.
Although socialization is not important now as there are other venue, when I retire I need to interact with some people too.
I do Ellipticals for aerobics 5 days a week and machines for Weight training about 2x a week. People can actually just run or walk, but Ellipticals allows me to do it quicker and safer indoors.

 

[brewer12345]

When we relocated I decided to stop my gym membership. I get plenty of strength training out of a set of 5, 12 and 20 pound dumbbells. I have a treadmill, but I rarely use it because I get enough exercise most of the time with my other activities. I don't miss the gym in the slightest and if anything I am more fit now than I was as a gym membership. All this and a cubicle day job, too.

 

[Katsmeow]

I always hate it when people ask for opinions and then never say what they decided ...so here is what we are doing.

We are cancelling the Y. We aren't joining Gold's. DH thinks we'll just end up paying for it and not going. He likes doing the concept 2 at home and would prefer to do the weight training at home too.

I bought the Bowflex dumbbells that Midpack showed a pic of along with the stand. (I wanted to keep them on DH's nightstand but I got overruled). We also bought a couple of stability balls (which we had used at the Y and liked) and a set of resistance bands. We realize we didn't have to get both the dumbbells and bands but wanted to have alternatives so we don't do the same thing all the time and when we travel we can take the bands with us).

We get free Prime shipping from Amazon and it will all be here Wednesday. The cost is several hundred dollars but the likelihood we will actually use them is much greater than joining a gym.

If your aim in doing weights is to keep fit you don't need a room full of weights - good space efficient solutions have already been listed above.

On the other hand, if you're training for a competition - post pictures

Just to keep fit -- although I am at awe sometimes of the competitors.

A few years ago I was doing some research on various exercise programs and came across an ebook someone had written on older people (well, over 40 as I recall) who had exercised and became fit and had a short article on each one.

I was dumbfounded when I saw that the head of my son's school was one of the people profiled. She had been overweight and out of shape and went into weight training in a big way. I was surprised since when I saw her she was always slim and trim looking. She was about 60 years old. Well -- the results were astonishing. She actually ended up competing in bodybuilding for older competitors and doing well. And, yes, there were pictures and I was amazed.

Anyway...I don't think I'll end up doing that well

 

[sheehs1]

I think that is a good decision Katsmeow. You can always make another decision later if it doesn't work for you.
For myself, we are members of a Y. It is within a mile of my house. If it was 30 minutes away, I would probably have to do something else. As it is I have the resistance bands, many sets of different weights (5, 8, 10, 12 and 20 pounders), a stability ball etc at home. I use those when my schedule doesn't work to get to the Y.
I really like the socializing at our local Y and it is one of the reasons I prefer to exercise there.

 

[walkinwood]

Saw this when trying to figure out what the bowflex dumbbells are.
Nautilus Recalls Bowflex Dumbbells Due to Injury Hazard

 

[haha]

Interesting. I have always refused to use adjustable weights. I have in storage a group of gym type dumbbell handle and plates. But they would take up too much space in my small apartment. I may try to talk my son into having them at his house, and I could bring a selected few to my apt. The cast hex head ones are failure proof also.

Ha

 

[Bestwifeever]

Saw this when trying to figure out what the bowflex dumbbells are.
Nautilus Recalls Bowflex Dumbbells Due to Injury Hazard

I always thought exercise could be bad for one's health .

Maybe the weights that Katsmeow bought are different, but I saw this in Walkinwood's link:

"Under federal law, it is illegal to attempt to sell or resell this or any other recalled product"

 

[Retch The Grate]

I bought the Bowflex dumbbells that Midpack showed a pic of along with the stand. (I wanted to keep them on DH's nightstand but I got overruled). We also bought a couple of stability balls (which we had used at the Y and liked) and a set of resistance bands. We realize we didn't have to get both the dumbbells and bands but wanted to have alternatives so we don't do the same thing all the time and when we travel we can take the bands with us).

I have bands for travel purposes and they are really convenient. Plus they give resistance in different ways than the weights, so it isn't bad having access to both.

 

[eytonxav]

I agree with adjustable DBs if space is problem. Iron Masters are considered a best choice from the body building community (and they can even be dropped):

Couple that with an incline/flat bench and add in some body weight exercises and you can accomplish a lot strength wise.

 

[haha]

I agree with adjustable DBs if space is problem. Iron Masters are considered a best choice from the body building community (and they can even be dropped):

Couple that with an incline/flat bench and add in some body weight exercises and you can accomplish a lot strength wise.

The guy who lifts that one in foreground must be a brute.

Ha

 

[eytonxav]

The guy who lifts that one in foreground must be a brute.

Ha

Their standard set adjusts up to 75lbs/dumbbell, but they have an extension kit which raises that to 120 lbs. While I can handle 75s, anything much beyond that is pushing it

 

[haha]

Their standard set adjusts up to 75lbs/dumbbell, but they have an extension kit which raises that to 120 lbs. While I can handle 75s, anything much beyond that is pushing it

Doing 75s puts you into a very strong group. Congrats!

Ha

 

[W2R]

Doing 75s puts you into a very strong group. Congrats!

Ha

I'll say!! That's quite an impressive achievement.

 

[HFWR]

I could pick them up off the floor...

 

[Katsmeow]

Thanks for the info on the Bowflex recall. Looking at the recall it is apparently only some ones that were sold between May and August 2011.

The ones I bought are actually from Bowflex although bought on Amazon so I would be dumbfounded if I was shipped the defective ones. However, I will certainly check when they arrive on Wednesday.

EDIT:

Actually I looked at the recall notice again. That is on the 1090 which is a heavier dumbell than the type I bought.

 

[eytonxav]

Doing 75s puts you into a very strong group. Congrats!

Ha

I'll say!! That's quite an impressive achievement.

Thanks, but keep in mind I am talking bench pressing, not curls, and I've been lifting weights consistently for 3 years. Still not able to bench 225 with barbell for reps. Since I've lost a few lbs, I find myself losing some strength as well, so not sure I will ever get to that goal.

 

[edsahara]

Had a friend that was really into his rowing machine and getting excellent results. The next time I saw him, he told me he had tendonitis in both elbows. So be careful not to overdo the rowing machine.

I quite my gym membership about a year ago and enjoy working out at home with a combination of bands and dumbbells. The drive back and forth to the gym finally got to me.

 

[haha]

Had a friend that was really into his rowing machine and getting excellent results. The next time I saw him, he told me he had tendonitis in both elbows. So be careful not to overdo the rowing machine.

This is the first time I have heard of a rower getting elbow tendonitis. Does he have a good sliding seat rower, with a cable or chain pull? With this type machine the movement at the elbow is entirely passive. It's almost as if your arms are cables, and when your back and lats finish the pull, the elbows are just along for the ride. Rowers' biceps do not get large.

Ha

 

[Katsmeow]

The dumbbells and bands arrived and all look nice. Dumbbells are very easy to switch weights. I did today place an order for a weight bench. I wanted to be able to do some things that I just couldn't do without one...