Home fitness equipment during Covid (and after)

[G8tr]

I finally selected a stepper/piston model: the Stamina 40-0069 SpaceMate Folding Stepper. It's available from Walmart, Target, and Kohls but is currently out-of-stock at all three places. I will probably have to extend the handlebars somehow since I'm on the tall side. Anyway, at less than $100 there's not much at stake.

Congratulations. Hope you get delivery soon. Please let us know how it works out for you (pun intended [emoji3]).

 

[1982_Green_Pastures]

I belong to a health club because I am retired and can go to the health club but others are not as fortunate. I know 2 ladies that started their own You-Tube channel to help mothers and others do simple workouts at home while working and watching their kids during this Pandemic. Nice videos that are about 7-8 minutes long. Hopefully this helps some people staying home to try and stay fit. Enjoy.
https://youtube.com/channel/UCQW-0tJfXjA8vBk3EKqxGWg

 

[G8tr]

Anyone thinking of going back a commercial gym? Due to a shortage of home gym equipment, this seems like a reasonable option once you get the vaccine. Gym membership can always be dropped again once the home gym is fully equipped.

 

[albireo13]

Dec 2019 my DW and I splurged and got a Pelaton as a joint Christmas gift. Best thing ever. I have gotten into way better shape and DW is a fitness nut. Nice build qualty and plenty of workouts. Did > 200 spin classes last year and so far everyday in 2021.

I bought rubber tiles for the basement floor, about a 12' x 12' area. We also have a few dumbbells and a Bosu ball. Would like to get something better for upper body work.

Was considering barbell set with rack and bench.

Any other good suggestions for upper body?

 

[audreyh1]

Anyone thinking of going back a commercial gym? Due to a shortage of home gym equipment, this seems like a reasonable option once you get the vaccine. Gym membership can always be dropped again once the home gym is fully equipped.

Fortunately we were pretty well equipped at our small home workout room before this hit, although we have free weights rather than machines, and absolutely no room to add anything. I think our neighborhood exercise room, which has some nice equipment, is still closed and I imagine will remain so until the county lifts restrictions.

We’re doing great here. I’ve upped my game since finding online resources, especially the new Apple Fitness+.

Once vaccinated, I would still be concerned about about infection and being a carrier. There should be more clarification on this issue as this all unfolds.

 

[Amethyst]

I'd like to get a stair climber - the only thing I really miss from the gym. My beef with today's cardio equipment is the expensive online subscriptions that go along with them.

Being someone who only competes with herself, I couldn't care less about being "connected" to other exercisers, and fitness classes aren't of great interest unless they are free.

 

[Aerides]

Was considering barbell set with rack and bench.
Any other good suggestions for upper body?

I think you might want to look at the types of exercises you want to do (besides straight bench press) and then build the equipment around them. Look into programs designed to build your bench strength, and they'll recommend routines and accessory work to complement and overall build up your upper body.

Yes, barbell, plates and a bench. Dumbbells handy for flies or one handed presses. You'll also really want some kind of rack with safety arms for benching so you don't get pinned one day.

 

[G8tr]

I'd like to get a stair climber - the only thing I really miss from the gym. My beef with today's cardio equipment is the expensive online subscriptions that go along with them.

Being someone who only competes with herself, I couldn't care less about being "connected" to other exercisers, and fitness classes aren't of great interest unless they are free.

I miss the step mills from the gym as well, and agree about tying expensive (proprietary) subscriptions. Companies are entitled to make a buck, but this is reminiscent of other closed technologies (which I won't go into here).

 

[USGrant1962]

I'd like to get a stair climber - the only thing I really miss from the gym. My beef with today's cardio equipment is the expensive online subscriptions that go along with them.

Being someone who only competes with herself, I couldn't care less about being "connected" to other exercisers, and fitness classes aren't of great interest unless they are free.

DW uses Les Mills On Demand. It is $10/mo if you get an annual sub, and includes just about every kind of workout and yoga. And they're Kiwis so cool accents

Our first stimulus check bought her commercial-grade spin bike (no electrons involved), which is in the basement in front of a 65" TV.

https://www.lesmills.com/ondemand/

 

[Music Lover]

I think you might want to look at the types of exercises you want to do (besides straight bench press) and then build the equipment around them. Look into programs designed to build your bench strength, and they'll recommend routines and accessory work to complement and overall build up your upper body.

Yes, barbell, plates and a bench. Dumbbells handy for flies or one handed presses. You'll also really want some kind of rack with safety arms for benching so you don't get pinned one day.

You can do bench press, incline press, and overhead presses with dumbbells. So if someone is wary about bench press with a long bar that's a safer option. I don't think flies are a good exercise as they can put too much strain on the shoulder.

 

[audreyh1]

We use stability balls instead of a bench. We both worked with a trainer years ago, and she often used stability balls instead of a bench, so we are familiar with the proper form/position on the ball.

Many bench weight exercises can also be done laying on a mat on the floor. This limits range somewhat, which might be a good thing for a beginner.

Other upper body exercises can be done standing or kneeling with one knee forward used as support.

 

[Jerry1]

I was at Target yesterday and the lady in front of me was buying some dumbbells. Two 10 pounders. $20 each. What a rip off. Before COVID, weights were basically a dollar per pound, or less. Wonder if that will ever return to normal. Maybe when all this is over, there will be a sale on used equipment that’s sitting around unused. TBD.

 

[G8tr]

I was at Target yesterday and the lady in front of me was buying some dumbbells. Two 10 pounders. $20 each. What a rip off. Before COVID, weights were basically a dollar per pound, or less. Wonder if that will ever return to normal. Maybe when all this is over, there will be a sale on used equipment that’s sitting around unused. TBD.

It will once Covid passes. People will return to commercial gyms because of the social outlet they offer. I would give it another 6-12 months before home exercise equipment costs start dropping.

 

[Katsmeow]

Anyone thinking of going back a commercial gym? Due to a shortage of home gym equipment, this seems like a reasonable option once you get the vaccine. Gym membership can always be dropped again once the home gym is fully equipped.

Yes. A few months before Covid hit we sold our Bowflex Select Tech weights. We had joined a gym just for strength training. At home, I have a treadmill, recumbent bike and a high end Ascent Trainer. So that takes care of the cardio. But I like doing strength training at the gym. It is included in my Medicare supplement so no cost.

So last year we were going to switch to a different gym (closer to our house) and then....Covid. DH and I got our first shot this week. So should be fully protected by mid March. So I could see going back to the gym in a few months probably when the community level of virus (which is very high) has gone back down a bit. We will keep doing the cardio at home though.

 

[tmm99]

We have different equipment - An elliptical, a stationary bike, a weight bench, a balance ball and a hopper ball (with a handle), a slide board (you skate on it with slippery socks) and an inversion table. DH uses some of them. I use the bike, hopper ball, slide board and inversion table, but not often. My favourite exercise is volleyball, but that's totally out until I get vaccinated.

The problem with exercise equipment, at least for me, is that they're all functional but they're all so boring to use. You can't really engage your mind like you do with sports. So you have to find something else to do at the same time, like listening to music or watching TV. Even then, it's not much fun. It makes it slightly more fun to watch a virtual bike ride video on Youtube while riding my stationary bike, but that gets boring really quick as well.

What we've been playing every day is kind of like indoor pickleball. It's fun. We laugh a lot while playing. We're actually getting better at it too. It's our invention really. We use ping pong paddles and hit a badminton shuttlecock back and forth, right in our living room. It's a very good/sometimes intensive exercise once we can get a rally going. And it's cheap equipment-wise! We both play ping pong and badminton so it's an extension of that, I guess? We only do it for maybe 10-15 minutes a day, but it gets my heart pumping pretty hard by the end. I like to target DH in the tummy (his weak spot) and he tries to swing his shots left and right, which makes me move a lot.

 

[ERObjd]

It costs more, but I like to go to the gym. I don't like to excercise at home. A few years back we had a rowing machine, a Total gym, a Bow Flex machine and a power rack squat rack with about 500lbs of weights and it mostly collected dust. I bought it all used for about $500. Sold it all at a garage sale about 10 years ago and turned our basement gym room into wife's sewing room. I am not social at the gym I work out and get out, but the gym has more variety than I coulkd ever afford or have room for. I get bored doing the same stuff, Some days i use natulus some days I use the Hammer machines, some days elliptical, some days stair climber, some days bikes,some days swimming. some days free weights. I like the variety of equipment that a gym offers

 

[Retire52]

It costs more, but I like to go to the gym. I don't like to excercise at home. A few years back we had a rowing machine, a Total gym, a Bow Flex machine and a power rack squat rack with about 500lbs of weights and it mostly collected dust. I bought it all used for about $500. Sold it all at a garage sale about 10 years ago and turned our basement gym room into wife's sewing room. I am not social at the gym I work out and get out, but the gym has more variety than I coulkd ever afford or have room for. I get bored doing the same stuff, Some days i use natulus some days I use the Hammer machines, some days elliptical, some days stair climber, some days bikes,some days swimming. some days free weights. I like the variety of equipment that a gym offers

I agree, I like going to the gym vs the home gym approach. tough more convenient, I find, ironically, I workout less with a home gym. It is in part the social aspect. though I rarely chat with anyone, I get motivation seeing others sweating it out. a gym also has much more variety, which allows me to vary my workouts to make the effort more effective and interesting. and the additional cost is nelegable.

with one caveat, I do keep a good treadmill at home that gives me some flexibility when I dont have the time or get too lazy to drag myself out to the gym.