Please reassure me my home gym isn’t dumb

[evachristine]

For whatever reason, some days I just feel embarrassed to be alive. I think part of it is a bit of social anxiety, but don’t truthfully know.

With this, I feel embarrassed of my home gym. I bought a squat rack and inherited a treadmill from my parents. I have a few weights, a bench, and a resistance band. I do not mention it to anyone. It feels weird, it seems like something most people don’t do. A judgmental coworker once scrunched her nose and said “why don’t you just go to the gym” when I did bring it up. I’ve tried to go the gym, I’m uncomfortable and hate running into people I know (with this being said i’m perfectly fine with yoga classes and like them).

I like my home gym, I feel comfy in it and I’ve definitely made good progress. But I can’t shake feeling like it’s stupid for some reason. My boyfriend lives with me and his friend is coming to stay with us for a few days and I feel a little weird about him seeing it.

I’m just looking for some support or other people who have home gyms I guess so I don’t feel weird for whatever reason!

 

[bav]

@evachristine It's not stupid, I have a small home gym as well!

 

[evachristine]

@bav thank you!

 

[nzmaverick]

@bav I have a small home gym as well and I love it, woot woot!

 

[prayforgaza]

@bav I have a “Ruth Bader Ginsberg” home gym with a framed gavel and hanging robe. Oh and a pair of ShakeWeights prominently displayed just to troll the haters. We use it mostly for cardio (rowing machine and cycling), with the local Planet Fitness for heavier stuff. It’s perfect for winter when you’re snowed in.

 

[dawn16]

@evachristine How would having a home gym be dumb? It’s easy & accessible, if there are days you can’t be at the gym. I have a home gym myself, along with my gym memberships.

 

[forrestfire]

@evachristine I don't think a home gym is dumb. I started buying weights and bands to have at home because I had really bad anxiety about going to the gym. I didn't wanna feel embarrassed about not knowing how to use equipment, having men mansplain, or running into people I knew.

I'm a huge, huge homebody too. I would prefer to be able to workout at home whenever I want rather than dread going outside to go to the gym or having to plan around the gym's hours or traffic. Plus most people think I'm really serious about my fitness once they find out I have a home gym. The only things I wish I had from the gym was a stairmaster or leg press machine, but I can honestly live without them.

 

[lonlygirl]

@forrestfire Omg you can get a stepper for 60 bucks on Amazon! I got one and love it! It's super small and compact for a stepper, too. You can adjust the incline on it and it counts time, steps, reps per minute, and calories.

 

[evachristine]

@forrestfire thanks! i’m sorry you also have gym anxiety but it’s nice to know i’m not alone in it!

 

[beautifulending]

@evachristine I wish I had your set up, that sounds super cool. All I have at home is 2 sets of dumbbells, 15 lbs and 20 lbs. My gym is a 25 minute drive away.

You get to have your own set up at home and you don't have to run into people! What did your judgey coworker expect, a sauna, pool, and personal trainers walking around trying to get you to buy their training packages?

If anyone judges you for your awesome set up, THEY'RE the weird ones.

If it works for you, and you're happy, that's all that matters. It sounds like you have what you need right there.

 

[evachristine]

@beautifulending thanks! i appreciate that!

 

[whitelamb]

@evachristine I dream of having a home gym. You are goals

 

[jadeh77]

@evachristine I’ve been using my apartment gym for the last year and it’s empty most days. At max there are two other people in there with me. I wanted to upgrade and just got a gym membership this past week and I’m honestly so put off by now having to share the space with so many other people. I’m hyper aware of everyone around me and it feels kind of cramped and gross even though I know it’s not!

I’m super jealous of anyone who has a home gym. I think it is awesome!

 

[evachristine]

@jadeh77 thanks for your reply! i used to work out at an ex’s apartment gym so i absolutely feel you on the transition from that to an overcrowded room. and then sometimes you feel you almost have to compete for equipment/time on equipment.

 

[jadeh77]

@evachristine Yes it’s a curse and blessing that I don’t waste time on my phone because I don’t want to be taking up a machine that someone else is waiting for I hope to one day be able to have a home gym! Ignore your coworker and I hope you destroy your goals at home!

 

[augustus_creed]

@evachristine Idk why it would be stupid- I have a home gym as well. I wake up at 4:45 every morning to get a quality workout in before my baby and toddler wake up (otherwise it will never happen). I wouldn’t be able to workout if I didn’t have this home gym. None of the gyms near me open that early. Only one offers childcare during certain hours of the day and the care is a joke (my son got a bad diaper rash because she didn’t change his poopy diaper the entire time) so I decided not to trust my children there ever again unless they change the childcare provider. Anyway, I also had a home gym before I even had kids because I worked long hours at the time and got my workout in before getting ready for work. I think having a home gym honestly makes me more accountable and I take better care of myself because I have it. Also, I don’t like working out in a public gym. People leave their nasty germs on the equipment, men coming over to mansplain or to hit on me, people interrupting your workout asking when you’re done with certain equipment/ machines or if they can workout between your sets, the list goes on and on and on. Also, people filming themselves and getting upset if you unknowingly walk in front of their phone filming or filming you without your consent (hasn’t happened to me, but I’ve seen enough examples of this on TikTok). I do enjoy group exercise classes like Pilates, yoga, Zumba, barre though. If I came over to someone else’s house, I wouldn’t think much of someone having a home gym. If anything, I’d think good for them for taking care of themselves. Hope that helps!