Fitness Catch-All

Garrad wrote:

Now I have to decide if this is a lifestyle I want to commit to, as the cost of this boat is pretty high.

True, but this purchase is not permanent. You can always sell it later - and probably get most of your investment back, because quality equipment tends to retain its value. If you can afford it and you are interested in it, then you should go for it.

Hemidal wrote:
Top_Shelf wrote:

Would be interested in the update.

My local gym has reopened with many of the precautions you note. Things I've observed:
- Very few people have come back, I'd estimate 5% of capacity.
- The pool is open but no more than 2 people in a lane, you have to use opposite sides of the pool to hop in/stop and they've closed every other lane (so, in a 6 lane pool, only 3 are open to swim in).
- All staff wear masks and carry a sanitizer bottle to wipe down equipment after every use.

I've been acquiring more and more home gym items the last three months since I delayed in March thinking this would last only a month or two. I'm overspending on shipping but I'm justifying this with the rationale that we'll still be in some form of quarantine for another year. Have to get things when they're available.

I was on a US equipment supplier's website today and was ~5k in line of ~35k waiting for them to reopen for orders. I had 3 specialty items I wanted to get...no dice.

I preordered a squat rack from a smaller company back in May and am still waiting for manufacturing and shipping. I'm patient because I know how hard supply lines are getting hammered and that patience is the name of the game right now.

Was it Rep Fitness? I was in the same line, except 25K in line. I was only looking for weight storage and a pair of horns for my rack, so it was still in stock when I finally got in almost 5 hours later. Falling so far down the home gym rabbit hole...

It totally was!

I only had to wait a little under 1hr but the things I wanted were gone:
- Power Bar EX (really want that aggressive knurl and need to upgrade my Cap OB-86 from Amazon I've had for 3+ years)
- Equalizer iron plates (of course these were gone)
- AB3000 bench. They did have blue ones in stock when I finally got in, but I wanted red and I thought that seeing the blue would just grate on me reminding me I didn't have what I really wanted.

Of course, now that I passed, I'm regretting it a bit since I could of course live with a different color - color doesn't matter when I'm doing sit-ups or incline bench!

You're probably already following these links but I've found them very useful for building out my third of the garage:

Reddit "in stock" thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/homegym/com...

Couple Youtubers you're probably already aware of but I've found helpful:
Brandon Campbell Diamond
Garage Gym Reviews

I got real lucky and got my orders in around the 3rd week of March. At that time, plates were gone, but I got the rack, bench and curl bar. It took another 2-3 weeks before I could get some iron plates from Rep. I got my barbell from Rogue (Ohio bar). I'm thinking of getting the Rep powerbar with aggressive knurl in a few months. My wife is about to start doing some strength training in the garage and I want a 2nd barbell so we don't have to compete if one of us is in the rack doing squats or bench and the other is doing rows or deadlifts on the platform.

Yes, I've watched both Coop and Brandon. I built my DIY pulley for my rack from those videos. Never thought I'd be buying vinyl coated steel cable and making my own ends... oh and magnets!

Also did the vinyl tubing on the safety pins to keep the knurling on my bar in better shape.

Like I said... rabbit hole

I've been looking at craigslist for rentals with workshop space because the link truffalo posted means of course I want to build a kayak.

Hemidal wrote:

I built my DIY pulley for my rack from those videos. Never thought I'd be buying vinyl coated steel cable and making my own ends... oh and magnets!

I went back to OTF this AM, and I don’t think I’ll be going back for some time. Despite proper distancing, it just doesn’t feel long term safe, with only half the clientele wearing masks. If anyone knows where to find a pair of 20 and 30 lb dumbbells that I don’t have to wait 2 months for, please let me know.

Well, I made the decision and pulled the trigger from the local guy that had great customer support.

Here is mine.

https://ibb.co/DCMcYxB

https://ibb.co/0q4nKRR

Fire emoji.

Fire emoji.

Fire emoji.

Pics when you get it on the water!

Wow that is the skinniest kayak I have ever seen. I understand what you meant by the stability and rolling over. I would definitely need to work on my core and form for that one!

That's going to be fast! Yikes!

Hemidal wrote:

I got real lucky and got my orders in around the 3rd week of March. At that time, plates were gone, but I got the rack, bench and curl bar. It took another 2-3 weeks before I could get some iron plates from Rep. I got my barbell from Rogue (Ohio bar). I'm thinking of getting the Rep powerbar with aggressive knurl in a few months. My wife is about to start doing some strength training in the garage and I want a 2nd barbell so we don't have to compete if one of us is in the rack doing squats or bench and the other is doing rows or deadlifts on the platform.

Yes, I've watched both Coop and Brandon. I built my DIY pulley for my rack from those videos. Never thought I'd be buying vinyl coated steel cable and making my own ends... oh and magnets!

Also did the vinyl tubing on the safety pins to keep the knurling on my bar in better shape.

Like I said... rabbit hole

Just to share some good news:

Set up distill.io on Rep's site and...snagged an AB-3000 flat/incline/decline (in red!). Can't wait.

Well, I went onto, errr into the water for the first time yesterday.

I had not had a chance to practice getting back into the kayak from the water, and was worried about getting stuck in the middle of the river and having to swim it back to shore...

My wife and I went up to the local beach where I could launch from the sand and then stay close to shore for when I tipped...

I had decided to go with the Next 46, instead of the Next 52 that I had trialed.... The number is the measurement in CMs across the beam.

Well I have learned that size does matter, the 46 was significantly more tippy than the 52...

I am happy to say I am a master of getting back into the kayak, I am however a sh!tty kayaker....

No pictures of me in the kayak on the water, as my wife was too busy howling with laughter to get the phone out and take a picture.

patience, patience, patience

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/T6vtMNI.jpg)

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/xnAIYMH.jpg)

Keep having fun!

So, I built my Marcy HG7000 gym yesterday afternoon. It took about 5 hours, and - after completion - I was left with only two 'spare' bolts and one spare washer. Given that there were probably about 300 individual parts at the start, and that each exercise station works, I'm pretty pleased with that.

I felt a little intimidated when the boxes arrived, but it was reassuring to discover that all the 'connectors' were batched and labelled, all the parts were present, and the instructions were comprehensive.

It feels like a really solid piece of kit. Not gym-grade, but a 'very good' for home use.

I'm really looking forward to building a new routine around using it, and getting back to something like pre-pandemic condition. No more twirling 10-litre bags of cat litter around my head for my shoulder workouts!

Assuming, of course, that those two bolts weren't important...

They are just spares. It's what i tell myself in similar circumstances.

Garrad wrote:

Well, I went onto, errr into the water for the first time yesterday.

The kayak looks fantastic. Keep getting out there and enjoying yourself, the balance comes with time, or at least it does for everybody apart from me.

Cronox wrote:
Garrad wrote:

Well, I went onto, errr into the water for the first time yesterday.

The kayak looks fantastic. Keep getting out there and enjoying yourself, the balance comes with time, or at least it does for everybody apart from me.

I was back out yesterday morning. I did much better, though I still swam a lot.

There were a couple of times I got into a good paddling rhythm before I had to slap the paddle down to "feather and brace".

Next time out will be Friday night

I did my first proper workout on my home gym this morning. And my first proper workout since 23 March.

1 hour and 5 minutes at 6 a.m. Chest, triceps and abdominals.

Then, during a brief lull at work, I snuck on for another 20 minutes.

I do miss having access to my gym's range of machines, benches and free weights (and cardio machines, of course). But I think - on balance - that I'm happy to trade them for the ability to train as often and for as long as I want.

I had been considering rejoining Fitness First when things return to normal (when new treatments are developed? post-vaccine? when my Government simply admits defeat?). But I think now that I will not.

I don't miss standing in the snow, waiting for them to open the doors at 8 a.m on a Sunday.
I don't miss that sinking feeling when someone else sits down at the machine that I was just about to switch to.
I don't miss the acquaintances I've made, because - in 17 years - I only made one genuine friend.
I don't miss discovering that the hot water was not switched on before opening time.
I don't miss discovering that the gym has been flooded with 'waste water' for the 5th time.

And yet, weirdly, I sort of miss all those things already...

I hate the metal/hardcore at the dumb power lifting gym I was going to, but I miss it.
I've been paying my monthly thru lockdown, but I dunno when I'll be back.

My account has been on hold since March. They've opened back up (our county is in Phase 3 of our states reopening) and temp check everyone, you have to schedule a time to arrive, staff are masked and wash everything down between each client.

I've been going there for 15 years and our kids both did daycare there. Our youngest is still there.

I miss doing "The Executive" of hitting the steam room, then sauna, then hot tub, all in a row.

I miss the outdoor jacuzzi after an early morning outdoor swim practice.

I miss watching the lights come on as it gets to dusk at the outside pool.

I miss the unintentional comedy of Old Dude Naked Culture in the men's locker room.

I miss taking my kids to open swim.

But I'm not going back.

Yeah. I finally cancelled my OTF membership this week. I’d been going 3-4 times a week consistently since January 2019. Lost 20 lbs, and got into the best shape of my life, mentally and physically. Went to a class last week when they re-opened, and wore a mask the entire workout, but half the room wasn’t masking, and even though we were all distanced, it felt too unsafe. Sucks.

On the positive side, I found some weights and a medicine ball, and I’ve incorporated a HIIT AM workout including a quick run up and down my local hill, and it’s improved my mood considerably.

Bike ordered; it'll be my first in about 12 years, and hopefully the first time I'll have biked regularly since high school

jonnypolite wrote:

Went to a class last week when they re-opened, and wore a mask the entire workout, but half the room wasn’t masking, and even though we were all distanced, it felt too unsafe. Sucks.

One by-product of the Covid-19 crisis is our increased awareness of just how unsanitary our world is. Tube trains. Supermarket trolleys. Office desk phones. Gym equipment. It's amazing how much 'filth' we ignored. I wonder if we will ever go back.

Like many Westerners/Londoners, I used to look askance at masked Asian tourists on the Underground. I look askance no longer...

@Top_Shelf - I too will miss naked etiquette in the locker room. To-and-fro towelling of the nether regions? Acceptable. Hair-drying of the nether regions? Not...

Saturday morning was the first time I felt stable enough in the kayak to actually "work out". We ended up doing 7.7km on the river... the return rip was tough. Apparently I am good for about 4km before my core gives out. It was all I could do to stay in the boat (unsuccessfully) heading back.

My paddling technique is still crap ( lesson coming up), and I am slow off the start as I maintain balance, but once I get moving I am faster than my wife on her OC.

This is the Rideau River
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/8ZvWAEi.jpg)

I am still leaning back too much... need to strengthen my core and lower back
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/WmYVQPn.jpg)

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/xlkXt51.jpg)

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/Yb2DpVn.jpg)

My amazing wife on her OC... I am faster, and she has training wheels.... and her skill on the water is way better than mine.
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/0o4aH9A.jpg)

Getting better, but I still spend a lot of time like this
IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/qqPyzVU.jpg)

About a week ago UPS delivered a squat rack, barbell and bumper plates from Rogue that I've got setup on our parking pad out back. Combined with the dog sled I already have and use in our alley, and really the only thing we'll miss from our gym membership is access to an outdoor pool. If we can figure out where to get a pool pass in the city or county we'll never go to a gym again.

Has anyone had any luck finding a bench? I have alerts set for Rogue but their models sell out in seconds. York is another option but they closed online ordering a month ago.

The gym business model is basically f*cked at this point. By the time they do re-open, we've all figured out ways to not need them anymore.

Jonman wrote:

The gym business model is basically f*cked at this point. By the time they do re-open, we've all figured out ways to not need them anymore.

That's pretty much me at this point. I purchased a bike trainer not long ago, and I go outside to run now. Cardio was the main thing I was going to the gym to do, and with both of those activities, I don't really need to go back now. I've even added some body weight exercises.

mindset.threat wrote:

About a week ago UPS delivered a squat rack, barbell and bumper plates from Rogue that I've got setup on our parking pad out back. Combined with the dog sled I already have and use in our alley, and really the only thing we'll miss from our gym membership is access to an outdoor pool. If we can figure out where to get a pool pass in the city or county we'll never go to a gym again.

Has anyone had any luck finding a bench? I have alerts set for Rogue but their models sell out in seconds. York is another option but they closed online ordering a month ago.

York opens up for online ordering once/twice a week at random hours.

I've been using the distill.io plug-in on Chrome to ID when the "Out of stock" phrase on websites change. It helped me snag (well, order at least; hasn't shipped yet) a REP bench: https://www.repfitness.com/strength-...

Also: r/homegym on Reddit is amazing in the "in stock and shipping" thread. I got change plates from Titan this way.

Finally: check out the Rogue stockbot on Facebook Messenger. All you need to do is message which products for it to watch and then it will text you when the stock changes. I've grabbed Rogue kettlebells this way and have it set up to watch for the LB calibrated plates.

You can preorder a bench here (mid-Aug arrival) from a company I've used before: https://giantlifting.com/collections...

Jonman wrote:

The gym business model is basically f*cked at this point. By the time they do re-open, we've all figured out ways to not need them anymore.

I think it will depend on the gyms' business models.

Low-cost 24-hour gyms (e.g Pure Gym in the UK) will hurt because they will have to add systems and people in order to control customer numbers, and I think their customers will chafe at this. Also, they don't have the option of using scheduled classes to meet customer needs in other ways.

The old-school operators (e.g. Fitness First) already have booking systems and personnel. My home gym also has a large studio, a yoga studio, a room full of bikes and a pool.

It will also depend on how important people like us are, as customers. I'd argue that mindset.threat, for example, is a bit of an outlier.

My instinct is that the kind of people who are able to build their own gyms are relatively few in number. I expect that they have a lot more 3-days-a-week members, who have bought some dumbells and run twice a week. And I think they will be the people who can't wait to get back, no matter how fiddly the new arrangements.

I guess we'll see by the end of the year...

Thing is, the mindset.threats of the world are the people who consistently paid their gym membership for years. The dumbell and treadmill folk are more likely to fall off the wagon.