Who doesn’t want to workout in their underwear and save $15,000 in the process?
No lie, I have worked out at home in my underwear once before…ok, maybe twice…alright, alright maybe it was a few times…Still not sure if I am proud of that, but nonetheless, it has happened 🙂
Here’s what we are going to do! We are going to justify either to yourself, your spouse, parents or whoever it is that spending money on a garage gym is worth it. It is one of those spend money to make money things, let me explain…
But first, you have to know I am about to drop a sizable amount of info on you, but stick with me here! We are going to start with some dollar signs, percents and a little math….wait, wait, wait don’t get that glazed look already…I did the math for you!
I’ll keep it interesting and by the end you will know how a garage gym can save you $15,000 and exactly how to go about setting up a gym at home…the RIGHT WAY.
Unfortunately, there are not large studies done on the return on investment (ROI) for garage gymers or home-gym exercisers (I know, weird, right?). BUT there are a ton of studies on the ROI for corporate wellness programs instituted at large companies. I’ll save you the headache of reading all that junk, because I did, and here’s the average I came up with after reading way too many pages, or rather, the only numbers that matter…
- The return on investment for every $1 spent was $3-5; and $1 to $13 in extreme outliers.
To explain just a bit further: A company spends $1 on your health by providing a gym and you garner them $3-5 by being more productive, not taking sick days, etc.
Also, in other studies, a simple health and fitness program can generate…
- An out-of-pocket health insurance savings of 27%.
I’m thinking of a cool tagline…
27 reps could save you 27% on health insurance, or more.
Now, all I need is a computer animated gecko to make it stick.
To explain just a bit further: If you are fit and healthy you can lower your health insurance costs by 27%.
How does this apply to a garage gym??
Breaking down that info into a family situation…Healthcare is too crazy to give you a perfect example for you, so let me give a general example and you estimate from there, cool? Ok, let’s do it.
If I have a family of four with an average out-of-pocket spending in health care of $5,000 annually (meaning maxing out an annual (low) deductible, NOT your monthly premiums) and you max it out; you know kid to the ER for a bean in the nose, prescriptions, perhaps a surgery…Ok maxed out at $5,000.
- Implement Operation Garage Gym (get healthy): $5,000 deductible…27% savings = $1,350
Ok, next say you have a current gym membership that you are going to get out of to pursue Operation Garage Gym. Keeping with our example, for a family membership you may be averaging $200/month…and that is being conservative considering some northeastern CrossFit gyms charge $200/mo. per person.
- No gym membership…$15/mo.*-$200/mo. = $180-$2400
*$15/mo. is for the lunk alarm people (don’t get me started).
Lastly, say you make the purchase of a complete Garage Gym of around $2,500 (higher end). Assuming you use it regularly, your health should increase and you should be more productive and free up more time to earn more money. From the corporate wellness studies we will go with for every $1 you spend on your garage gym you will get $5 back in your earning potential.
- ROI from garage gym purchase of $2,500 = $12,500
BOOM!
So the next time you are getting hassled for wanting to buy something from Rogue Fitness or to do a project in the DIY Corner, just try the ole Every-dollar-I-spend-will-come-back-5-fold argument. Works every time!
That’s $16,250 (so I actually rounded down) you just saved by deciding to workout at home! That’s hard to believe and definitely in no way scientific (please spare me in the comments) and completely dependent on your personal situation. What’s even harder to believe is that this is ONLY the INTRODCUTION to my article.
For the argumentative types our thereI know, I know some of those savings may overlap, time in the gym is time away from workblah, blah, blah.
BOTTOM LINE: Being healthy saves you money!
Phase 1: Breaking Up with Your Gym (contract)
To get out of a gym contract, you’ll have to pull out the big guns.
Now, some of you don’t have a gym membership or a garage gym which means you can just start from scratch. Lucky you! For those of you with a gym membership.what are you going to do??
Honestly, if you are at a major Globo Gym it will be tough. They have near ironclad contracts with a sea of lawyers behind them. It’s an uphill battle, my friends. But that doesn’t mean it is not worth a try!
Getting out of a Gym Contract:
- First, check your contract and see exactly what it says (keep this in mind for #4)!
- Second, talk to someone at the gym WHILE KEEPING YOUR COOL about getting out of the contract early, and your options for doing so.
- Third, is it a year or more contract? Some states have laws that state if you are in a contract of 1-2 years you can get out of it with written 30-day’s notice.
- Fourth, what did they promise in the contract? Is there a service in the contract they have not been doing? Could help you get out!
- Fifth, are you moving or have you recently lost/changed your job? Sometimes if you reasonably explain a legitimate situation you are in, they may actually be cool about it.
If none of that works
- Can someone take over your membership? A lot of gyms allow this.
- Will it be more cost effective to cancel and pay termination fee or tell them you want to cancel and pay the reminder of the monthly payments?
- Are you able to successfully fake your own death? Kidding…
Lastly, whether you are leaving a big or small gym, don’t look back! Welcome to the start of Fitness Freedom.
You’re one step closer to working out in your underwear!
BOTTOM LINE: Get out of your dysfunctional gym relationship!
Phase 2: Save Money and Move Bodyweight
Garage gyms can be an expensive, but they don’t have to be.
Believe me, I know your concern. When I started my garage gym my wife and I were typical Americans; up to our eye balls in monthly debt payments from school loans and car payments. There was barley any extra to give toward an elaborate garage gym, and that is why the DIY Corner exists here today.
But my wife and I have since gotten completely out of debt (we followed Dave Ramsey to achieve this) which gives us a lot of freedom and flexibility, so if I want to upgrade my barbell or bumpers it’s not that big of a deal.
Before saving money, you need a goal. Rogue Fitness has great equipment packages (there are other places to get equipment, just my two cents) if you want to buy everything, but you can also build everything like me and use the DIY Corner. Either way you WILL have to spend moneyYOU determine how much. I outline everything you will need in 14 Days to Fitness Freedom: The Garage Gym, but before that book…you need a plan.
Quick Tips for Saving Money
- Create a budget. Too easy, right? All of your money WILL go somewhere, be in control of that direction. Determine how much your garage gym will cost and how much you can save each month toward that goal.
- Get out of Debt. This is a big one. My wife and I barley had any consumer debt when we got married, it was pretty much student loans that were killing us. Even if you only eliminate one small debt or a credit card, etc that is extra money in your pocket every month.
Now, if it is going to take a little while to save up for a garage gym, here is my challenge to you. Save at least $50 (eat out 2x less this month to save over that) to build the Eo3 plyometric box, the Eo3 kettlebell and lastly the quick and easy Eo3 DIY pull-up bar. Next, start looking into bodyweight programs:
These things should get your in great shape and keep you busy while you are gymless and saving up the needed cash.
Don’t start working out in your underwear yetyou’re not ready. The underwear is an earned privileged!
BOTTOM LINE: Take control of your money, save for a gym and focus on workouts you can do RIGHT NOW.
Phase 3: Learn How to be Your Own Coach
This may very well be the hardest part of being able to train in your underwear; working for yourself!
Answer the following.
- Do you have the discipline to stick with working out with NO system of accountability?
- Can you truly push yourself without anyone around?
If yes, great!
If no, a few tips:
- Find a program and STICK to a program.
- Find YOUR reason for health.
There are a lot of effective programs out there, but their effectiveness has a 100% correlation with your ability to stick with it. If you don’t know what you are doing, don’t act like it! You will be wasting your time. Pick a program and STICK to it. And make sure your motivation is for you! Not a certain look or a certain person, but for you! This is something covered in GREAT detail in the Mental Toughness Militia.
Must haves:
- Video Camera – Video camera is a must, especially if you are just starting out. A flip cam or even a good smart phone will work; especially f you get an app like Coach’s Eye. You could watch an instructional video 100 times and do what seems and feels right, but after you watch yourself on video you realize you are doing a lot of it incorrectly. Take time and learn the movements correctly.
- Workout Log – You HAVE to keep track of your progress. I always recommend Evernote, details here. It helps because you can use the search function and find out how you did on workout XYZ two years ago.
- Training Library – If you get into Evernote, it would be a good idea to have a HUGE bank of programs, exercises and resources to have accessible at all times. Read my other Evernote article to see what I am talking about.
- Goals – You are your trainer, your coach. If you and a trainer stepped into a gym and you asked your trainer “what are we doing today?â€, and he said “ehhh let’s play it by ear.â€what would you say? Set short and long term goals and hold yourself accountable.
- Ability to tell yourself you suck – If you cannot tell yourself you suck, getting better is going to be difficult. If you take a video and you say “Well it’s not TOO bad†and you think you’re finished, you’re wrong. You need to critique every little thing you do right and wrong. Don’t beat yourself up, and don’t constantly be negative, but hold yourself to a high standard and be honest.
And that’s just getting started!
BOTTOM LINE: Take the time and effort to learn how to coach yourself, or you will be wasting your time!
Phase 4: Embrace the Underwear Freedom
OK, you are now ready to workout in your underwear! Well, I’ll leave that optional, and if you decide to you may want to keep the garage door closed…I did.
Now that you’ve established the freedom, you need to keep the freedom. As someone who has worked out solely in my garage for years, with a family, here are my best tips for keeping your fitness freedom.
- Make it a Lifestyle – Get the family involved and make sure everyone is on the same page. Fitness should not be viewed as an “if I have time†activity. It is a MUST. The more you treat it like a non-priority the less it becomes a part of your life. I’ve always been confused by people who treat health like it’s optional. Just because you are not forced to do something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.
- Set a HARD Schedule – If you leave your schedule too open and do not have a set time you work out every day, it will not happen. It is that simple. Set your workout time and use your workout time.
- Train with a Purpose – This goes back to goals. Why are you training? It is going to be something a little deeper than “lose 10 lbâ€, because that simply will not last. It is not intrinsic enough. Are you training for your family? For your health? Find your reason!
BOTTOM LINE: Once you get your fitness freedom, never give it up!
So, what do you say?
Ready to workout in your underwear and save a ton of money in the process! Let’s do it!
Viva la revolución!
-Jerred