Why I Built My Own Open Garden Gym
Three years ago, I had a lovely backyard garden that epitomized the ‘neighbor’s envy, owner’s pride’ metaphor. Today, I happen to have a backyard garden with my own home gym that is forever raising the envy of everyone in the neighborhood. I have always been averse to the idea of community exercise, especially the kind that is done in a closed environment, with shared basic facilities. A USA Today article quotes experts as claiming that shared mats can transmit Staphylococcus aureus.
As a kid with weak immunity, reading a study by the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine that found that 63% of all gym equipment is contaminated, further deterred me. Growing up as a young adult with body image issues, exposing my frailties, though superficial they may be, was impossible. Naturally, building my own gym — affordable, tailored to my needs, and healthy — was the only way out.
Challenges I Faced… And Overcame
An open garden gym sure sounds like a wonderful idea, but once you get down to business, the road is paved with challenges and roadblocks. However, you will no longer need to wait for your turn at the treadmill, or put up with the endless grunting and embarrassing PDA. But more importantly, exercising in open spaces have benefits that gyms certainly do not, as this BBC post testifies.
Everyone I discussed the idea with, either laughed it off because the costs were apparently monumental, or warned me about injuries. However, what everyone forgets when they cite costs as a reason not to build your own garden gym is that it is a one-time investment. The average American pays $800 a year for gym membership, according to a CNBC article, and I calculated owning my own garden gym would be cheaper in the long-term. It also helps save time, and lets you progress at your own pace. Having a garden and not a basement, too, worked in my favor.
How to Go About it
Always remember to have a long-term fitness plan ready. The novelty of owning your equipment can wear off quickly. I decided to devote a much bigger part of my life to fitness than I had so far, and design my gym in a way that helped to keep monotony away. From hanging posters of my favorite sportspersons all around the house, to refusing sedentary jobs, I did it all.
I’ve been a yoga buff for a long time, and thus decided not to crowd the area with machines I would never use. However, I have a tendency to gain fat easily, and thus realized the permanence of cardio training early in my fitness journey. So, I ordered MRC’s cardio walker, which has served as an easy cardio companion for my mom and dad, as well. For those with weak knees or obesity that makes walking/running difficult, cardio walkers are a blessing.
It was difficult to build the perfect open garden gym in one go, so I had to let it evolve with time. Meanwhile, I had heard a lot about tire-flipping as a strongman exercise, and got a really old, 150-pound tire for cheap from a local store. A barbell and plate set was an immediate necessity, so I bought a pre-used one online. Last year, I added a stationary bike to the set-up, and got a pull-up bar installed in the garden shed doorway.
