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"Home fitness still the norm even after COVID"

metroman said:
How many people are still doing home workouts even though lockdowns have been gone?
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Cancelled my gym membership for good once the pandemic started. Already had several KBs before March 2020 and pickup up a few more during the first 12 months. We moved summer 2022, to a house with a insulated garage, so I bought a trap bar, barbell and set of bumper plates. Not sure I'll ever go back to paying for a gym membership. Having a home gym is literally priceless. Still need a buy a rack though.

I really enjoy running BuiltStrong BTS3/4/6, which would be impossible at a commercial gym. You can't tie up 3 or 4 pieces of equipment to run through circuits. Home gym for the win!
 
I've had my garage gym for a while now, well before Covid - once my wife and I grew our family, the investment was well worth the additional 30 mins (or more) multiple times per week in transportation to and from, plus the added flexibility of training when I want with as short of a session as I needed to fit in.

That said, when traveling for work, I will either hit the hotel fitness room or a local park for some aerobic work, pullups, pushups, and walking lunges. Every once in a while I'll visit a gym if there's a facility I've never been to before and am interested in trying, but more often than not I leave disappointed wishing I just did my own thing in the hotel or at a park.

My garage gets to be pretty chilly in the winter and can be well over 100F in the summer as I live in Las Vegas and the house faces west, meaning the sun beating on the garage door in the PM hours gets it mighty toasty out there. Even so, I would rather train out there than in some "comfy" climate controlled gym. I like my barbell and plate set up, I like my rack, and I especially like my C2 erg. Now that my two boys are getting a bit older, they have their garage gym toys too - a kids pull up bar mounted to my rack and their taekwondo bags to work on sparring combos, kicks, technique, etc., so it makes it fun when we can all be out there sweating together.
 
Was mostly home before COVID, still mostly home. Saves a lot of commute time. Over the years, I've accumulated equipment, but my space is small, so that means I need to be sure I'm going to use something before I buy it. I meet a couple buddies in the park on Saturdays for a kettlebell and bodyweight workout...been doing that for 8-9 years now, year-round. When it snows, we drink vodka.
 
Apart from a few periods, I’ve always been the home training type. Late last year however I started training outside at a nearby calisthenics site. I’ve moved to a new place in another city, but the habit has stuck. Now most mornings I go to this very humble spot with just two pull-up bars and a bench for sit-ups. I get to train in peace and quiet, very meditative. You can do so many things even with such a simple set-up. We will see how it will be come autumn and winter, but right now it feels pretty nice.
 
I trained at the gym and at home before, during and after covid. I prefer both options.

When things were locked down, it was obviously more peaceful at the gym.

Now, I think things are pretty much back too what it was. I think there are more teens and young adults, I'm not sure if they've replaced another demographic somewhat.

I have no real data, it's just what I've seen locally.
 
I've only ever had a gym membership for rehab purposes when I needed machines for isolation exercises that weren't as easy to do with a home setup.

With 4 kids and a busy life the time to drive to and from the gym was basically all I had available to train so I always trained from home.
 
Training for Life said:
Apart from a few periods, I’ve always been the home training type. Late last year however I started training outside at a nearby calisthenics site. I’ve moved to a new place in another city, but the habit has stuck. Now most mornings I go to this very humble spot with just two pull-up bars and a bench for sit-ups. I get to train in peace and quiet, very meditative. You can do so many things even with such a simple set-up. We will see how it will be come autumn and winter, but right now it feels pretty nice.
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Outdoor pullup bars are my zen spot.
 
JPCross said:
My garage gets to be pretty chilly in the winter
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My garage gets down to -10c in the winter, during the coldest part of winter. Although a factor, I will use my barbells more so than kettlebells. Wearing gloves isn't ideal, but it still allows me to train. I saw this as a negative the first winter, now I see it as a challenge and another reason to "get it done". The seasonal aspect of my unheated garage home gym builds some variability into the year. I also make sure to bring the one or two kettlebells I'll be using inside the house so they'll be room temperature.
 
mar2safety said:
My garage gets down to -10c in the winter, during the coldest part of winter. Although a factor, I will use my barbells more so than kettlebells. Wearing gloves isn't ideal, but it still allows me to train. I saw this as a negative the first winter, now I see it as a challenge and another reason to "get it done". The seasonal aspect of my unheated garage home gym builds some variability into the year. I also make sure to bring the one or two kettlebells I'll be using inside the house so they'll be room temperature.
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I grew up in the Buffalo, NY area so I have some experience with the cold. I will say, it takes more fortitude to train in the cold than in the heat where I am now. The positive of where I am now though is that, by being consistent with a lot of quality work in the summer heat, I get a real nice bump in fitness / performance come the fall and winter months as I am able to push a lot harder while keeping HR down.
 
JPCross said:
I grew up in the Buffalo, NY area so I have some experience with the cold. I will say, it takes more fortitude to train in the cold than in the heat where I am now. The positive of where I am now though is that, by being consistent with a lot of quality work in the summer heat, I get a real nice bump in fitness / performance come the fall and winter months as I am able to push a lot harder while keeping HR down.
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Either I'm an outlier or I think this is personal preference. In Wisconsin I trained in my (unheated and uninsulated) garage year round and never minded the cold, despite it getting quite... cold. The biggest issue was with kettlebells and exposed hand time.

Now in Texas heat... Oof. Oy. Yuck. haha
 
JPCross said:
I grew up in the Buffalo, NY area so I have some experience with the cold. I will say, it takes more fortitude to train in the cold than in the heat where I am now. The positive of where I am now though is that, by being consistent with a lot of quality work in the summer heat, I get a real nice bump in fitness / performance come the fall and winter months as I am able to push a lot harder while keeping HR down.
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I live down the thruway in Rochester. I used to train in my detached garage year-round. Since moved to the basement, where its typically warmer in the winter than summer.

Recent years have made the option to train unheated year round a lot less daunting, we might get a snap or two but nothing like the 90s and early 00s.
 
John K said:
Either I'm an outlier or I think this is personal preference. In Wisconsin I trained in my (unheated and uninsulated) garage year round and never minded the cold, despite it getting quite... cold. The biggest issue was with kettlebells and exposed hand time.

Now in Texas heat... Oof. Oy. Yuck. haha
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That would be my biggest issue with Wisconsin cold (much colder than Buffalo - we just dealt with a bit more of the lake effect snow). I don't have any issues with cold equipment where I am now and the heat I have is a lot different than your Texas heat...I would much rather take my temps over yours with the humidity.
North Coast Miller said:
I live down the thruway in Rochester. I used to train in my detached garage year-round. Since moved to the basement, where its typically warmer in the winter than summer.

Recent years have made the option to train unheated year round a lot less daunting, we might get a snap or two but nothing like the 90s and early 00s.
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I think basement training is a lot more manageable than detached garage training; even in the dead of winter, the basement probably feels somewhat refreshing to train in. Now that I've taken up a lot of aerobic work, I welcome the fall and winter months but only because putting in the work during the summer means there will be a bit of a reward.

A bit of a tangent, but I'm already seeing a lot of my truly aerobic / Z2 / UT2 work on the erg in a similar place right now pace, power, and HR wise when it's 80F-90F in the garage as it was over the winter when temps were in the 40s and 50s. This tells me that by sticking through the next 3 months or so, once the weather starts cooling off, the fall and winter are going to be a lot of fun.
 
Joined a great gym in November has everything. It’s cold in winter and hot in the summer. I only have five sets of kettlebells at home at 67 in August I will not be buying things for a home gym.

Today I pulled 305 off the floor could have been more but I hade a weekend of eating less just started in April. Hope to pull 3 plates soon. @Steve Freides Inspired. Strength while aging.
This past Saturday morning I was the strongest guy in the gym. Then someone else came and then I was the second strongest.
 
I prefer training at home. I quite much like my own company. And I have a lot of kettlebells. I miss barbell exercises and dumbbell exercises.

I feel that most gym I have visited have an atmosphere I do not enjoy. Bad music. Sweaty smell. Muscular guys waiting in line to lift iron. Everyone minding their own business. A bit like public transport. A mean to an end. Not so with training at home. Here I am my own boss. No line. No waiting. My own music. No commuting.
 
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