Attention all trainers and home gym owners!!

I have a spare room, a treadmill, and an exercise bike already. I currently belong to a gym, but have a sneaky feeling that when my membership is up for renewal the fee will increase to more than I want to pay. (The gym recently bought a Powerhouse Gym franchise instead of being a local neighborhood gym.)

In addition, the gym is pretty far from my house but close to my current school (I'm a teacher). I plan on transferring to another school which is closer to my home but far from the gym. The motivation factor falls when a trip to a gym requires a 20-minute drive way out of my way. During the summer I'm less motivated to go all the way to the gym, whereas during the school year it's only a bit out of the way on the drive home. And with the price of gas lately......

I am seriously thinking of purchasing a home gym. I do use my treadmill regularly and sometimes the exercise bike. I feel that my exercise will be more regular if I just have to go into the spare bedroom to do it instead of driving out of my way.

When I go to my gym for resistance training I prefer the Cybex/Nautilus type machines. I don't do free weights. I do have a bad rotator cuff that two surgeries weren't able to fix, so I have limited movement in my right shoulder. I don't have the ability to support free weights over mid-chest level with my right arm.

I've gone a Google search, but there are so many brands and types out there I'm a bit overwhelmed. Below is a typical workout. What I need is to get recommendations about which home system would work best for my needs.

Thanks Tons! --- Joan

Legs:
Leg Extension
Leg Press
Leg Curl
Calves Press
Butt Blaster
Abductors
Adductors
Arms/Upper Body:
Lat Pulldown
Rows
Pec Dek
Lateral Raise
Shoulder Press
Tricep Extension
Tricep Press
Bicep Curl
Abs:
Ab Crunch
Leg Raises
Oblique Crunch

I was just about to start a thread on this subject, but since someone already has.. I'll just add to this one and hope it's replied to!!

I also am intrested in a home gym. I hate going to a gym, and lucky me.. at work I have had a gym to work in, and since I'm night shift I have the whole thing to myself. However.. starting some time next month I won't be working in this building nor have access to it.

So... home gym it is... anyone who has one please let us know what type it is... your favorite and least favorite thing about it!!

Thanks a million!

Carina

We got a bowflex earlier this spring. I find it very easy to use, so far I have been able to stay commited to using it 3 times a week. At the end of my first 6 weeks of use I found that I don't have that hangy skin stuff on the bottom of my upper arms, my butt is firmer! All in all I am happy with the use of it and the results I am getting.

I've got a Bowflex also... I feel like it offers everything I need but I also have dumbells and go to the gym every once in a great while.
I'd recommend getting one with a lat and leg attachment.
The only real downside is the price. (But the bodybuilder in me has to admit that free weights are probably the best... just not always practical at home)

Buy one you have checked yourself on the issue of sitting comfortable and stable on the seat. Look for something that lets you do the greater compound exercises. I don´t know what machine equivalents are for Squat, Bench press, Deadlift, but that is what you should do imo. good luck!

For anyone no having a medical reason to avoid free weights:

Powerrack (or squatrack) and an adjustable bench!!

I looked at and tried out several machines over the last 3 months and settled on a Bowflex also. Takes up little space (when folded) and is more versitile and easy to use then any one I could find. It only took about 2 hours to put together and came with very clear manuals and workout routines.

I had half a basement that wasn't being used and found for $300 a guy selling a power cage, adjustable bench, olympic bar, ~200 lbs weights, fixed-weight dumbells from 10 - 70 lbs in increments of 5 lbs, a lateral pulldown machine, and several 1-inch bars and a few hundred lbs of weights for it, oh and a roman chair. Needless to say, it was the steal of the century.

A good site that discusses weight lifting (with an emphasis on women, but recognized by all as a great site) is

http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html

A cage really doesn't take up that much space at all and allows you to do sooo many exercises with absolute safety. In fact, I no longer go to the gym for weights because I have everything I need and can finish my workout in the time it takes me to get there and actually start working out (it's rather crowded). The only thing I'm missing is a treadmill or something.

-Dave