Workout Place and Time

As I mentioned in my first post, I do own a weight bench, plus some assorted free weights. I even have some PowerBlocks, which are pretty nice for home-use, but are really expensive.     I do not have a squat rack, which is a must in a serious lifting program.   There simply is no reason why you should do heavy squats without a catch bar in place!   A decent squat rack will run about $500-$1000+.   That’s a lot for me to spend right now, and I don’t have room for it either.    I recently moved to a new home this past April, and all the available rooms are in use now.    The only room I have is in the garage, and unless I want to convert an entire stall into a gym, fitting one bench in alone would be a challenge… 

So the only realistic option for me is to go to a fitness center.   There are some good plusses to a fitness center:

• While some are better than others, most will have such a variety of equipment that would cost $5000+ to replicate in your home
• No home distractions.  Yes there can be distractions at the gym, but when you’re at home, it’s easy to get distracted in another room…
• Spotters are typically available, and you may meet people who can give you training advice. 
• In the short-term it’s cheaper

I live in a small town, so my current options are quite limited.   We have a municipal wellness facility, and I believe the college has a weight room as well.   I’m going with the municipal facility for now.   The rates are decent, but the hours suck.    $29 Monthly or $240 yearly.    They close at 10PM on weekdays, 1PM on Saturday’s, and closed on Sunday.   For me that is not an issue, because I do not plan to work out in the evenings or the weekends.  Personally I think if you pay for a membership you should have access to it 24x7…

In the past my ideal workout time was between 3PM-5PM, but that is no longer an option for me.   I work from 7AM-5PM, then watch my kids most evenings.   The only guaranteed time I have during the week is before work, from 5:30AM-6:30AM.   It’s going to be an adjustment, but really it’s the only option I have if I want a serious workout program.   I want to point out here that this is a critical step…if I do not wake up at 5AM each weekday, I will not have a successful lifting program, period.   What is the point of buying memberships, equipment, clothes, extra food… if you can’t show up on time, week in, week out.   This is a serious problem, because the natural tendency is not going to be “wake up and get to the gym”, it’s going to be “hit that snooze button until 6:30”.   The hardest part of lifting is simply showing up each day, being ready to work hard.