Pumping Iron at Home, Or Just Playing With Rubber Bands?

Let me clearly state my bias. I am a free weight guy. The issue has never been one of using free weights or not. On occasion though, I have tossed around in my mind whether working out at home might not be more beneficial.

Of course, I am familiar with all the standard benefits:

• No commuting
• More privacy
• More time
• No monthly fees

That all said, there is nothing like heaving up a pair 110 lb dumbbells for 6 gut wrenching repetitions on the incline bench (for me it was big, for you, it might be a warm-up weight). I loved the adrenaline rush of getting underneath a 365 lb barbell for the scariest set of squats ever (again for me). There is no trying any of that at home.

A few years ago (or eight), I lived at Gold's Gym. Even though I had recently turned 40, it was like I was getting back to my 20's days. I was pumping iron like a madman; living on creatine, colostrum, and whey protein; and running along the ocean at Ala Moana Park every day, or it seemed like every day. Though recently married, we still had no kids. Boy, what a difference a couple of little gals make.

Cut to the chase, with one child in kindergarten and another coming out of her terrible two's, I mentioned heading back to the gym to my wife. Her response - well - let us not go there, as we are all civilized human beings here. I think I meekly responded with something about doing push-ups in the other room.

But with our baby rearing days behind us (I hope, though the older seems to have gotten the flu today), I have been hankering to get back to working out, seriously.

So, I looked at all the options. I have an iron gym pull-up bar that I love. At the moment, my work out program consists of running a hill route of about 3 ½ miles, and then, doing pull-ups and push-ups for my upper body work. It is a good workout, but at 49 with two little ones, could I get back to my muscle days? I need to find out, that is all.

Of my home gym options (because going to the gym is not an option - see spouse), those all-in-one contraption's with the stack weight and selector in back was an immediate out. Hate those things. Resistance feels wrong, zero range of motion, joints locked dangerous positions, and I could go on. And those big power rack/smith machine free weight systems are not doable. Love to have one, but too big and too expensive.'

The toy I really want is, of course, the Bowflex. I used it a while back ago at friend's place and I really liked it. My wallet hates it, as the configuration I want is in the $2,000 range, ouch. Still, with your easy, friendly neighborhood payment plan, it is a doable option. Instead I settled on Bodylastics.

For the next twelve weeks, I am going to put this baby to the test. I am going replicate movements you could only do at the gym. I going to see if this cheap (it is cheap, it is not "inexpensive," it is not "affordable," it is cheap) "home gym" can withstand what I am going to put it through (being the 49 year old, middle-aged father of two, yet "superdad" in my own mind!).

Should be fun!

Is he just one of the over-the-hill gang - seeking past glories like a modern day Al Bundy acolyte, seeking to rebuild his body into 200 lbs of twisted steel and sex appeal (clearly, a deluded and vivid imagination here) of days gone by? Or can he do it (do what - I really don't know, actually)? Come find out and follow his progress at www.smartweightgain.com/category/bodylastics. Should be good for a laugh!