General Cycling Discussion - What's in your "Home Gym"

Winter is fast approaching. My activities will move indoors, I hate cold weather. It was easier to be outside in the cold when I weighed 100 lbs more than I do now, but now I can't stand being cold.

I have:

Commercial grade treadmill (Precor 9.33i)
Commercial grade Recumbent bike (Nautilus)
Commercial grade Spin Bike (Waters fitness Tsunami Elite)
Cheap Total Gym my wife got, but I do use it

The spinner is new this year, just delivered the other day. All equipment is set up with a big TV in front of it, so it doesn't get boring. I have some spinning DVD's to push me also.

So far, since loosing over 100 lbs 10 years ago, I have not put it back on. I work out all winter long, almost every day (at least 6 days a week).

I have found out the treadmill and recumbent do little to keep me in shape for biking when spring rolls around. Hopefully the spinner will keep me closer to biking shape for next year.

I find it too much hassle to go to a Gym, and costly. I also don't fee self conscious around all the pretty people who go more to pose than to work out. Yes, at 54, I still care what I look like. When I get to the point I don't care any more, then show over :lol:

Just curious as to what others have in their home gym.

I have two sets of dumbbells. That's it. I use them for upper-body workouts. I ride year-round, so I get plenty of cardio.

I have a couple of dumbells that I don't use and a trainer that I ride when its too cold.

Wife has a stationary bike. I do NOT use it. Don't want to cycle if I'm not going somewhere.

We have a 40' pool. Man, what a pain-in-the-ass, but the wife uses it a lot.

I bought a used Concept II rowing machine and we both use it from time to time.
Rowing machine is a great workout but boring as hell. Its a good thing the Lord gave us the MP3 player!

Wife has a few free weights and elastic bands.

Don in Austin

An indoor recumbent bike and a rowing machine. bk

treadmill, trainer, some free weights.

Some resistance bands, a pullup bar in a doorway, a yoga mat (basically just a towel with anti-slip nubs on the bottom), and a yoga block. Plus a bunch of exercise videos.

If I want to pedal, I take the bike outside. I had a KK trainer and sold it after using it only twice over maybe three years. If it's too icy, I pick something else to do inside.

The thing is, I have no reason to focus on training solely for riding.

(add-on edit -- now that I've listed it all, it seems like I have a lot more stuff than I originally thought.. :D)

I have a Bench and some more free weights everything else I go to the gym for.

I also take Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, now that I am getting a bike I won't be running as much. I have a 1 bedroom apartment really don't have the room for too much.

All I've got is a rower, a slant board, and a weighted pulley setup I only use for some old rotor cuff issues. Our daytime winter high temperature is almost always a bit above freezing, so riding is doable. The motivation is not always there, but I know it's doable.

Rowan and I have two trainers and one set of rollers. Both trainers are currently in our dining room, in case we want to use them. I used to ride a bicycle on my trainer a lot through the winter, but since I moved to Australia, it is a rare thing. We can cycle most of the winter. And then this year, we went to Canada right at the end of winter (last 3 weeks of August) ... so we were able to get in a lot of cycling there. :) If you can go somewhere warm for a few weeks in winter, take your bicycle and ride. It's a great way to keep in shape in winter.

We have a weight bench and some weights in the garage, and a larger weightlifting machine on the back deck.

We also have several weights around the house which I'll pick up and use once in a while.

I also have some yoga equipment and several exercise DVDs (mostly yoga, but a few others as well).


Most of the time, however, we cycle outside ... and then mix it up with walking (I walk 15-18 km/week year round), and canoeing or kayaking etc. in the spring/summer/autumn. Oh, and I still have snowshoes, but haven't had a chance to use them yet here. If you've got deep enough snow in the winter, snowshoes are a good workout!

What's in my home gym? Let me wipe off the dust. :rolleyes:
3 sets of dumbbells - 2#, 3#, 10#
3 elastic/stretch bands
2 yoga mats - his and hers
2 yoga blankets - his and hers
Yoga videos and yoga on Netflix
Space for the trainer when it's too cold or rainy to ride outside.
<edit> My wife has a mini-recumbent indoor bike. </edit>
This is all cramped into a 10'x8' space in one corner of the living room/dining room/family room. Needless to say we can't exercise at the same time. :o


When exercise time is over there are two comfy sofas, wide screen TV, and a wood burning stove. What else could you want?

Snow shovel, XC skis

Snow shovel, XC skis

As a former Michigan resident, I can relate. :)

This is the home gym now. The basement is kind of my toy room, RC Planes, Computer storage, etc.

http://www.gwfweb.com/bicycles/images/mygym.jpg

Now, just a small bench and a few dumbells, 20's and 45's. Along with a jump rope.


http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b429/mrbeanz63/Weights/bench4.jpg

http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b429/mrbeanz63/Weights/bench6.jpg


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wur_Nve8iYc

Before I started spending my time riding so much, I had a big set up. Squat rack, bench with legs. 2 utility benches with a pec deck and preacher curl, 800 lbs of olympic weights on a tree, 2 curl bars, 2 long bars and a dumbell rack with pairs from 10-45's.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5247/5229557847_dbe30d5c1d.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40913998@N06/5229557847/)
IMG_4717 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40913998@N06/5229557847/) by gulpxtreme (http://www.flickr.com/people/40913998@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5043/5230151194_8825dc9cda.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40913998@N06/5230151194/)
IMG_4718 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40913998@N06/5230151194/) by gulpxtreme (http://www.flickr.com/people/40913998@N06/), on Flickr

http://www.gwfweb.com/bicycles/images/mygym.jpg

NOT TO BE DISRESPECTFUL IN ANYWAY. USED FOR EXAMPLE ONLY........

I have to wonder why people feel the need for all this equipment when walking/cycling and military style calisthenics ,or Tai chi, will do all you need ,and more, to keep a person in good shape.

My personal method is Tai chi and cycling either with bikes,trikes or stationary to stay as healthy as I can. Simple ,direct ,inexpensive.

NOT TO BE DISRESPECTFUL IN ANYWAY. USED FOR EXAMPLE ONLY........

I have to wonder why people feel the need for all this equipment when walking/cycling and military style calisthenics ,or Tai chi, will do all you need ,and more, to keep a person in good shape.

My personal method is Tai chi and cycling either with bikes,trikes or stationary to stay as healthy as I can. Simple ,direct ,inexpensive.

What ever motivates you. I like the variety.

Treadmill, because I used to run, and even though my Dr. told me I had to replace my knees a few years ago, I'm now 80% better than they were, and I can get away with running on the treadmill as the deck absorbs impact.

Recumbent because when I hurt my back, it was the ONLY exercise I could do.

Spin Bike (just purchased), because last spring, I realized the other two did nothing to keep me in cycling shape.

Total Gym, because Chuck Norris told me to :lol: (my wife actually purchased this).

And home instead of local Gym, because I can just go do it whenever I want! I work out pretty much EVERY day.

Set of free weights (dumbbells/plates/bars), bench, chin-up bar. Enough to do bench presses, squats and chin-ups, which is all anyone needs for a complete all-around resistance training.
Treadmill.
E-motion rollers.

I've got a commercial-grade elliptical, a Soloflex, a couple of those rotating-disc-with-handles pushup pads, and an old Specialized wind trainer I haven't been on in almost 20 years because riding trainers bores the snot out of me. Plus it's hard on the bottom bracket paint - it wore through the finish on my old Gitane. Granted that particular French paintjob was pretty soft to begin with, but still...

I also take Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, now that I am getting a bike I won't be running as much. I have a 1 bedroom apartment really don't have the room for too much.

Do you find it challenging at all to balance martial arts with cycling? I started Kung Fu a few years back, but didn't keep up with it. I want to start again this winter when it gets too cold to ride. But once it warms up I was considering riding to class. I was just afraid that I might be too worn out to ride back home.

Two big reasons I don't have any machines at home --

1) I don't have space. Really, I don't. We're living a not-quite-but-pretty-close-to-Spartan existence in an efficiency, and the bed takes up half of the room.

2) I travel a lot, up to 130-ish days a year. I'm in a hotel in Texas right now. There's no reason for me to devote money and space to machines that I can't take with me. My resistance bands (and pushup bars, but I forgot them this trip) fit in a small pocket in my backpack.

Okay, 3) I've never really liked machines, specifically cardio machines. I've used them, of course -- we have bunches of them at work. Rowers, treadmills, ellipticals, spin bikes, a recumbent or two, etc. Ellipticals in particular feel awfully weird to me, but maybe my technique isn't right anyway. I'd rather just dress for the weather, go outside, and get away from the TV.

Anyway, as usual, YMMV. :D :thumb:

One piece of equipment I wasted money on a long time ago was a Nordic Track ski machine. It was the worst thing I ever spent money on. Never felt coordinated enough to use it, it sat for a long time and went to the dump I think.

I got a cheap Weslo Pursuit G 2.8 exercise bike that I purchased for my wife as a gift awhile back and two dumbbells that I can use for exercise during the winter. I also do situps and pushups.

I got a 30 year old bench and a one of those standing pull up bars, along with some dumbells and one barbell.

These are alternatives, because I workout at Bally's Gym at least 5 times a week. Been known to go 7 days a week too. ;)

Plus there is always the ALMIGHTY FLOOR. ;)

http://www.cehoward.net/dnvrpush1.MOV

I have a rock climbing fingerboard hung over a door. An old tire that came off a military front end loader and a sledgehammer, and a duffle bag filled with 60 lbs of dog food. I also have a set of the bowflex select-tech dumb bells. These were a great purchase because alot of times im stuck living somewhere other than home and sharing a 10x10 room with someone else, it allows me to save alot of space.

Honestly, beating that tire with the 10lb sledge for an hour, while switching sides every strike, is a hell of a back/core workout. And then for legs/lower back, I usually do tire flips in the back yard, cause the damn thing weighs like 300 lbs...

I also do the duffle bag "get ups" where you put the bag on one sholder... lay down with it... and then get back up while keeping it on your sholder... hurts like hell but works well for total body strength.

Plus pushups and situps never hurt anyone.

I have a bike, a jacket, and a desire to bike year round :D Luckily as far as weights go, my school just built a brand new fitness center (i guess all that tuition they charge does come in handy ;) )

I also have a set of the bowflex select-tech dumb bells. These were a great purchase because alot of times im stuck living somewhere other than home and sharing a 10x10 room with someone else, it allows me to save alot of space.

Those (and Powerblocks and Ironmasters) are really slick. Resistance bands are good for a lot of things (I can anchor them in a closed doorway to sort of simulate pullups, for example), but sometimes dumbbells just work better. I'm still planning on getting my own set someday.

Currently have:

Exercise bike
Treadmill
Rowing machine
Cross trainer (Parents, I never use it)
Multi-gym for weights

Unfortunately I cannot get anywhere near the multigym to do any weights because my family have filled the gym up with rubbish and I can only get to the bike, treadmill and rower.