• @[email protected]
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    215 days ago

    one of those all-in-one $2,000+ fancy machines that mounts on your wall.

    Actually about $4000 to start, plus the cost of the weight plates, bars (I prefer Ivanko), Iron Grip dumbbell sets, and so on.

    In almost all cases, it’s cheaper to have a gym membership at a decent hardcore gym.

    There are a lot of things you simply can’t do with bodyweight alone. And you can’t do it with just a couple kettlebells and adjustable dumbbells either. Having a lot of strength and muscle mass when you’re young is a very strong predictor of health in old age, since past the age of about 40, people just start losing mass and strength; the more you have before that, the better off you are.

    • Lettuce eat lettuce
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      215 days ago

      I said $2,000+ to encompass even more expensive machines/setups.

      I never said bodyweight or a kettlebell set could provide exercises for every possible movement or strength vector.

      I said that the vast majority of people don’t need anything more than those to build a healthy level of fitness. And given that the average cost of a gym membership in the US is around $50 per month, after a few months, their used kettle bells or simple dumbell set has already paid for itself.

      And weights last basically forever unless they are severely damaged, so zero maintenance cost.

      Nothing wrong with going more hardcore if that’s your thing, but that’s not at all necessary to build a solid base of strength and general fitness.