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At Home in the Gym
When it comes to exercise, Kathryn Barrow is the self-proclaimed Queen of Excuses. "I can come up with one so fast, and they're original, too," said the 42-year-old homemaker. "I could write a book called 101 Reasons Not To Go to the Gym.'" But as Barrow and her husband, Vernon (she calls him V), were hitting their 40s, they realized they weren't using their gym membership like they should, and that they needed to get exercise on a regular basis. So they built a home gym. For Valarie and Michael Hall of Saltillo, it was three small children that drove them to build a home gym. "When I thought about it, I realized with the cost of joining a gym and paying childcare - and all gyms don't offer childcare - and the cost to travel, it was just more cost-effective to have a gym here and then the kids could be with me whenever I worked out," Valarie Hall said. The Barrows and Halls aren't alone in their quest to exercise in the privacy of their homes. Americans spent $5.51 billion on exercise equipment in 2007, up 5 percent from the previous year, which saw $5.24 billion in sales, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. But home gyms aren't for everyone, cautioned personal trainer David Riley, who works with both families on fitness. "They're for people who have very limited time or who live in an outlying area and don't want to go home and then turn around and go back into town," Riley said. "People with young children and stay-at-home moms also find them more convenient." The Barrows' story The Barrows had both been active in sports all their lives and were members of a gym in Tupelo when they decided to make a go of it on their own. "We'd had a treadmill practically our whole marriage and a few free weights," she said. "V is not a fan of the treadmill, but I love the treadmill." Vernon Barrow, a radiologist, got on the Internet and started doing some research and the couple began purchasing different pieces of fitness equipment for their new venture. They got a Precor elliptical machine - Vernon's favorite - plus a three-sided Nautilus weight machine, a leg extension machine, a barbell with weights and several smaller items, like stability balls. Kathryn Barrow estimates the couple has spent less than $5,000 to equip their gym, which is in a second-floor room off their carport. "It has made it so much unbelievably easier and we've been able to do so much we weren't able to do before," said the mother of two. "It's as easy as putting dinner on to cook and telling the kids, I'll be back down in 30 minutes.'" The Barrows usually work out for an hour together two to three mornings a week with personal trainer David Riley and then they fit other cardio and strength training in as they can. "When it's at your house, it's a whole lot easier when you've only got 30 minutes," she said. "You can just go upstairs and get it done." Kathryn Barrow prefers to do strength training, but as she's gotten older she's found she's doing more cardio work. "It's an absolute must for weight management," she said. "The more you eat, the more you've got to do or you gain. That's all there is to it." She likes the time she saves going to and from the gym, and the money she saves on gas and gym memberships. "Everybody has their own niche of where they're comfortable," she said. "A lot of people like to go to the gym - they like the social aspect of it. Others like to walk or run at lunch. This is what works for us right now." The Halls' story Because the Halls had also been physically active throughout their lives - Valarie started swimming competitively when she was 4 years old - they didn't need much direction when it came to purchasing exercise equipment for their garage gym. "We just started picking out pieces that would have several movements to them," she said. "We started looking in Sunday classifieds in the newspaper and finding people getting rid of equipment. When we started working out with David, he'd tell us about equipment people were getting rid of. So we have a combination of old and new." The first piece the Halls bought was a Smith machine, which allowed them to do a variety of movements with a barbell. Next, they bought a treadmill. Over time, they began collecting free weights, stability balls, dumbbells, weight benches, an abdominal machine, a three-station weight machine, a punching bag, a speed bag and sparring pads. "We've probably spent $3,000 - no more than $4,000 - because so much of it was used," Valarie Hall said. "We've been lucky to find good deals. We've just been patient. We didn't need everything at one time." Right now, Valarie Hall is training for a figure competition in Mobile, Ala., so she's working with her personal trainer on weight lifting four to five days a week. She also runs at a park five to six mornings a week and some days she does a second round of cardio while her kids are at tae kwon do lessons. "Normally, I wouldn't be doing two cardio sessions a day and adding so much weight training," she said. "This is my first figure competition so I'm new at this. This is something to kind of push me to the next level." The best part of having a home gym, she said, is the lesson she's teaching her children. "It's funny to watch all my kids because they know how to work all the equipment out here," she said. "Our 10-year-old is a competitive gymnast and the little ones will get out here and play. Our kids think working out is the norm, that everybody does this. We're trying to instill better health with so much obesity today." Michael Hall, a vice president at an energy company, fits in three to four workouts a week, including cardio and strength training. His favorite activity is circuit training with weights. "I can't imagine not having any of this," Valarie Hall said. "Michael and I have talked about it and we'd give up just about any luxury before we'd get rid of any of this. It's been such a positive thing for our family." How to get started Riley, who has been a personal trainer for 20 years, recommends starting small when equipping a home gym. Initially, he suggests investing in resistance bands, which easily sell for less than $20. These elasticized bands work every major muscle group, Riley said. "Next, I would go with some dumbbells," he said. "One dumbbell handle and weight will range from 10 to 50 pounds, usually in five-pound increments," he said. "You can find these at sporting goods stores and online for $60 to $80. They don't take up much space and there's a variety of weight, so as you get stronger, you don't have to keep buying new dumbbells." Stability balls are good for working the body's core and can be purchased at Wal-Mart for less than $20, he said. Adding anything else to your home gym gets into cost and space, Riley said. But if you are interested in larger pieces of equipment, he suggests starting with a unit that offers as much variety as possible. "You want a machine to work all 10 major muscle groups: shoulders, triceps, biceps, chest, abs, upper back, lower back, quads, hamstrings and calves." The most popular name that comes to mind is the Weider line, Riley said. Other names include Paramount, Nautilus and Cybex. These range in cost between $750 and $4,000. "Joe Weider is the godfather of body building," he said. "He's the owner and publisher of Muscle & Fitness magazine and the creator of the Mr. and Ms. Olympia competition. He's the guy who tried to make body building mainstream." As far as cardio goes, Riley recommends investing in a good pair of running shoes and hitting the streets of your neighborhood. But if you want cardio equipment as well, expect to pay $150 to $200 for a no-frills stationery bike; $300 to $1,000 for a treadmill ;and $2,000 for a stair-step machine or an elliptical trainer. Riley advised buying used equipment when possible, as long as it's in good shape. "Look for frayed cables, worn pulleys, bolts missing, rust buildup, torn upholstery, broken wheels," he said. "Look at garage sales, classified ads, ebay, gyms that are going out of business. You could get a machine that costs $4,000 new and if it's a couple of years old, it might be $2,000. That's a good price." http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=276515&pub=1&div =Lifestyles |
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