Checked out a new gym today and it broke my heart

[seven7seven]

I had high hopes going in but they turned out to be disappointed. It looked like the owner had spent a fortune on all these weird cable machines but neglected to buy a squat rack, a hack squat machine, standing or donkey calf raise machine, a decline bench, an incline bench, and some of the better Hammer pieces like the behind the neck shoulder press, and the wide grip press. I understand it's a business and the owner needs to make money but I don't under stand spending $$$ on silly machine when 50% - 60% of that could be spent on old standby equipment.

 

[nibbe828]

It impresses people that don't know any better.

 

[firedrake]

I sympathize. The only gym even vaguely in my "orbit" between home and my office is a chain fitness center -- they have a squat rack, but it's not a full power rack, and no place for pins for doing rack deads. They literally have dozens of treadmills, eliipticals, and bikes, and a bunch of stair climbers, but the free weight section is maybe 15% of the floor space.

On top of that, they have more room set aside for aerobics and spinning! They have only ONE incline bench for situps/leg raises, but four silly ab crunch machines. They have a few Hammer Strength machines, but not the full range, by any means. Oh, yeah: and only one station for cable crossovers, etc. One.

Sigh . . . .:devil-smi

 

[NuTsOe]

i walked into golds in orlando back in 03 & they talked me out of even trying out the gym i just walked out & trained at powerhouse which was a better choice...

 

[EYE2EYE]

These new "gyms" are the new pick-up places.
It's the new place to meet that someone special instead of bodybuilding.

 

[gridlock]

everywhere in the uk is like this

 

[thebrick]

I think the general public is impressed with that stuff. They even have pictures on those machines… "ear lobes machine" with the ear lobe highlighted on the anatomy chart. Then they understand and can get a kick-ass workout in.

 

[irondave]

Excepting the squat rack (from which you can do barbell presses)
the other weight training equipment you mention, in my opinion,
is mostly irrelevant and only adds variety.

You can and will get a very result producing workout with just a standard
Olympic set, a set of dumbbells, flat bench and a way to do weighted dips
and chins.

Some of my best results occurred when I worked out in a garage with
a friend of mine and the equipment above was all we had. We had to
make it work.

Except for a short period of time years ago when I briefly joined a gym
(until my friend, the owner, committed suicide), I never worked out in
a gym and avoided them like the plague.

Like I said earlier, and with few exceptions, most machines offer little
in the way of producing noticeable, meaningful, long term improvements
in your physique and only add variety; a break for your brain, which is the
most anabolic organ in your body.

For very little money (and in the long run you will be money ahead),
you can purchase the small amount of the tools required to take you
about as far as you can go. Heck . . . get some friends to go in with
you ($$) and plant it all in somebody's garage and start working out
when you want and in peace and quiet. You just might be surprised
at the results. And no more broken hearts.

who has time to go to the gym.i got all i need in my garage full olympic set of weights ,dumbbells and cable machine and squat rack, incline sit up and a super loud stereo with huge speakers.i get great work outs and i can take my shirt off.my wife even comes to workout with me sometimes.the home gym is a great place for some hot sex

 

[Ashop]

I had high hopes going in but they turned out to be disappointed. It looked like the owner had spent a fortune on all these weird cable machines but neglected to buy a squat rack, a hack squat machine, standing or donkey calf raise machine, a decline bench, an incline bench, and some of the better Hammer pieces like the behind the neck shoulder press, and the wide grip press. I understand it's a business and the owner needs to make money but I don't under stand spending $$$ on silly machine when 50% - 60% of that could be spent on old standby equipment.

alot of the bigger commercial chain gyms tend to sway this direction.