I'm appreciating my home gym so much as well. This is coming from a gym rat who spent so much time at the gym pre-covid and was really skeptical about the transition to working out at home. Entering the gym doors, smelling all the smells and the music and sounds of the cardio machines and iron was such a hype moment and got me going. I was sad thinking of working out alone in my dirty garage.

But it's been amazing. April 2019 I had major shoulder surgery for a massive rotator cuff tear with a really long recovery time. It wasn't until Jan 2020 that I could even begin to touch a barbell. It was agony being in the gym lifting light weights. It was tough spending most of my lunch time getting warmed up, only to lift a few weights and need to get back to the office. Then Covid hit and it took months for me to get ordering my equipment and finally getting it around September. Being in my own space, taking as long as I need to do my lifts, only doing what I can since I'm the only one there (I'm competitive! Made me a good powerlifter. But it was tough to take my time in the gym where all the lifters motivated me to go hard).

I can put my face all over my bench in prone exercises without being grossed out. I can hip thrust with no shame. I can spend a long time warming up. I can do my exercises in any order without being dictated by what setup is free at the gym. I can hog all the dumbbells. I can do funny dances to the best parts of the song.

I don't think I can ever go back to a gym. I'm limited by the weight I was able to get my hands on, but I can collect weights with time and as I recover better. At 36, I don't think I'll be maxing out anymore anyway.