The gym vs home gym. Which is better? Does working out at home really work for people? Fitness and health are two areas of life that we should all give the necessary attention to. Staying fit and healthy is a real challenge to many people all over the world. With the busy schedule that many people have, it is becoming more and more challenging to keep track of healthy living requirements.
In this post, we’ll be discussing the pros and cons of using a gym vs using a home gym. By the end, you’ll be able to make an informed decision and do what is right for you.
My name is Nicole and I’ve been a personal trainer for years. I’m passionate about health and fitness.
More importantly, I love helping people get the most out of life by eating right, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. If you’re looking to make some changes, read all the way through and see my recommendation.
If you have not been exercising adequately, or you have not been exercising at all, there are health and fitness challenges that may be troubling you. One of these challenges is weight gain.
Many people are struggling with being overweight. Having excessive body weight puts your health at risk. It is also common for people who consider themselves overweight to struggle with self-esteem issues.
“Every day is another chance to get stronger, to eat better, to live healthier, and to be the best version of you!”
If you have long working hours that do not allow you to do any form of exercise, you may also be experiencing fatigue.
Most of the people that have this problem are those that work in offices.
Sitting for long hours will make your body feel tired and even ache. It is one of the causes of backaches, among other health problems.
If you are struggling with any issue that you feel it requires exercise, it is high time you start moving. However, making the right choice may be a little challenging. Choosing between a gym and your home gym may be tricky. Here, we take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of both joining a gym vs home gym.
Table of Contents
Is A Gym Membership Worth It?
Everybody has different goals and different needs. For some, the gym is absolutely necessary. For others not so much. Here are the pros and cons of joining a gym.
Pros Of Joining A Gym
Variety of Equipment
Many gyms have a wide range of equipment that you may not have back at home. Equipment such as the treadmill and the elliptical trainers may not be available in your home gym. They allow you to do all kinds of workout routines that will enhance your fitness level.
Sufficient Amenities
Most of the membership gyms provide the necessary facilities and services to their customers. Although it is dependent on the type of membership or subscription, most gyms take care of basic needs such as locker rooms, water fountains, and other necessary effects.
Joining a gym may also give you the opportunity of working with a professional fitness instructor (cost can vary). An instructor will help in guiding you on the right workout routine, depending on your fitness goals.
Motivation
Working out as a group can be motivating. It creates a healthy competitive environment that may help push you to reach your fitness goals. You may also be exposed to different ideas that can aid you in your fitness journey.
Focus
Working out in a gym may help in having more concentration when exercising. When I”m surrounded by other people working out and doing similar activities, it helps me to focus on my workout. It’s kind of like fitting in with the crowd. It helps take your mind off other things that may distract you if you were exercising back at home.
Cons of Joining a Gym
Sharing of Equipment
When working out in the gym, there is always a chance of having many people working out. The gym equipment and other services may not be adequate.
Therefore, you may need to share what is available. Consequently, there is a chance that you may not get to complete your workout routine or work the muscles you wanted. Just getting to the gym can be hard enough, but add unavailable equipment and the motivations dramatically decline.
Time-consuming
There are several ways in which joining a gym may take too much of your time. The gym could be some distance from home, which means that you will need to walk, drive, or take the bus every time you want to work out.
If you’re sharing equipment at the gym, this will only add time to your workout. If you’re looking to power through your workout, but are waiting for others to get their reps in, it can really chew up some time.
Interruption
Although everyone needs to focus on their exercises, there are always those friendly people that will distract you with stories. If such stories become a regular thing every time you are at the gym, you may end up not achieving your goals in time.
You may even never achieve them at all. While it’s nice to chat every once in a while, inevitably you’ll get stuck chatting far longer than you wanted.
“The only bad workout is the one that didn’t happen!”
Set Workout Hours
Most gyms have set working hours. Some may also have set schedules for different members to ensure that they do not get to the gym all at once. It allows people to have adequate time and equipment during their exercise.
However, having a set time and schedule may not be convenient for you. If your time is valuable to you, it can be aggravating when you’re depending on a gym to be open, and it’s closed.
Gym Germs
I don’t like being sick. I’m always washing my hands or using sanitizer these days because being sick is awful. Unfortunately, the gym is a prime location to catch germs.
Don’t think about it too hard, because I don’t want to gross you out, but it doesn’t take much imagination or memory to realize you touch a TON of things that might have germs on them.
Hopefully, gyms have spray bottles and towels, but in reality, gyms just have a lot of germs.
How to Set up Your Gym at Home
On the flip side of this debate, when those that ask “does working out at home really work,” they would respond with an affirmative. Below are the pros and cons of an at-home workout setup.
Pros of The Home Gym
Variety of Options
Working out at home allows you to be more dynamic in your routine. It provides you with more choices in your approach to fitness.
The gym will usually have two options, treadmills and weights. If you’re lucky some might offer classes, but usually at an additional charge.
When you choose a home workout, you can select what kind of workout you want to do. Whether it be yoga, tai-chi, HIIT, or any other workout because you’re in charge.
Privacy
When working out in your home gym, you do not have to worry about people staring at you or watching you. It allows you the comfort of doing all kinds of movements and positions without worrying about people around you. This also means no need to dress up, look presentable, or deal with chatty employees.
Convenience
Working out in your home gym is more convenient. It allows you to have your workout plan that will suit your daily routine.
It makes it easy to plan for your day-to-day activities and still be able to squeeze your workout time in there. The home gym is also available to you all the time without limitations.
If you’re a beginner this is huge.
An advanced athlete can pick a different machine that will work the same muscle. If you’re new, picking a new machine or routine on the fly can be daunting and frustrating.
Saves Money
Your home gym (Best Budget At Home Gym) will not require you to pay any membership fees. This is especially attractive when the average gym membership is between $40-$50 per month. This doesn’t include the gas. Depending on how far away you live this can be a few gallons of gas a week or month.
Fewer miles on your car is a plus too.
Saves Time
Having a gym at home will help in saving time, allowing you to use those extra minutes/hours to pursue other goals. The fact that you will not need to go to the gym, take time working out, and go back home, saves you a lot of time.
For those that go to the gym in the morning, how would you like to take the 30 minutes of travel-time and put it towards 30 minutes of extra sleep? Pretty appealing right?
Cons of a Home Gym
Inadequate Equipment
Having a gym in your house will have its limitations in terms of equipment. These limitations will most likely be a result of financial reasons. While there is equipment you can purchase and stock your home gym with, some of the fancier pieces of machinery can be spendy.
Space
In most instances, your house will not have a room strictly dedicated as your workout room.
Any room you pick to be the workout area will most likely be a shared space.
If you don’t’ need much equipment this won’t be a big deal, but if you’re looking to fully furnish a home gym, storing the equipment could be difficult.
Distraction
Working out at home will also be challenging in that chances of getting distracted can be high if you have immediate family around. It will always be challenging to go about with your exercise with other people moving around the house.
Also, something that requires your immediate attention may happen, forcing you to cut short your workout.
Resources For a Home Gym
For people just starting, I almost always inform them that doing an at-home workout is a good path. You can’t go wrong with a home gym.
First, if you don’t want to purchase dumbbells or hardly any equipment you can get started with a bodyweight workout.
This way if for some reason you decide that it’s just not your thing, and you don’t see yourself ever getting into the fitness scene, you won’t be out any money and you won’t be locked into any kind of membership that you’re not going to use.
I’ve recommended two bodyweight programs that will work for any beginner or any advanced person, looking to mix it up.
You can check out the first program here, and the second program here.
I do a full review of each program, explaining the advantages and disadvantages of each. You’ll notice I have screenshots of the actual programs, so you’ll know the information is more in-depth compared to some of the other reviews.
The second reason I usually recommend a home workout program is you can try a variety of fitness routines and see which one sticks. What works for some might not work for others, so experiment with different kinds of at-home routines and find something you’ll stick with.
This really is the key to fitness.
If you’re doing something you hate, it’s only a matter of time before you give up on it. At best you’ll do it infrequently which could result in a big waste of time. Once you find something you enjoy (yoga, Tai-chi, cardio, resistance training, pilates, etc.) you can dig in a little deeper and really crush it.
Conclusion: Does Working Out at Home Really Work
There is a need to have a work out routine to guide you in realizing your fitness goals. Working towards your fitness and health goals by hitting the gym will never be easy. However, your discipline and dedication in strictly following your workout schedule will be the difference.
Having a gym at home will significantly assist you in living a healthy life by maintaining and will make it much easier to achieve your goals. It is easier to set your own workout time and a home gym will allow you more freedom and time, and those are precious to everyone.
FAQ of Working Out at Home
Is working out at home effective?
Yes, at-home workouts or bodyweight workouts can be very effective at burning body fat and losing weight.
How do I start a home workout routine?
Depending on your level of fitness, it might be easiest to invest in a program you can follow. If you’re beyond the beginner stage, you can incorporate your own workout routine.
What equipment do I need to workout at home?
Little to no equipment is needed when you’re first starting. There are a ton of exercises you can do just using your bodyweight.
How long should I workout at home?
The time spent doing a home workout should be about the same amount of time as if you were at the gym. Getting your heart rate elevated for at least 20 minutes should be your absolute minimum.