lot of time people get confused about whether to invest in equipment and set up their own home gym or purchase a membership form at a gym. Someone came to me and said “I love to join the gym but the distance is just too far” Another came and said “when I train at home, I just lose motivation and sometimes sleep off on the floor half dead? Have you ever been in such a dilemma? It’s high time you got it right.I am sure you know it would be wasteful paying for a membership at a gym when you never have time to drive the distance. Also, it is a sheer waste of time following a home workout program when you are easily distracted by laundry, candy crush, your baby, TV, etc.The truth is both options have their benefits and drawbacks which you need to carefully consider before making a choice. Whichever you decide, your consistency matters and you have to choose an environment that fits your budget and needs.Quickly, I will show you favorable and unfavorable reasons to either workout at home or at the gym. But before we start, I want you to keep in mind that advantage for a home gym would equate a disadvantage for a gym. So, let’s begin!
The Pros and Cons of Working Out at Home
Pros
Cheaper: When you decide to follow a home workout program, you don’t have to buy any membership fee. Again, once you can set up your home gym with a few resident bands and an exercise ball, you are good to go. Interestingly, you may not need any equipment to do a bodyweight workout at home. So if you are sticking with the home gym, don’t act like you are Bill Gates when you are not really buoyant. Respect yourself and your pocket.
Variety: I know you’d say “hell no! the gym has more varieties” Yea, you may be right. But what I actually mean is that you can add variety to your routine when you work out from home. For example, you can go outside for a run or walk. You can use your smartphones to download workout apps, exercise videos or stream exercise classes. This is not all, and you can mix and make suit your own personal style. This would be an awesome experience if you are an impulse exerciser because you can mix things up and match all you want.
Convenience: Are you that dude that doesn’t fancy hurrying up to meet up with classes? Maybe you have been like that since high school days. The home gym is just perfect for you. You don’t have to go by anybody’s rules. You may choose to workout at odds hours, split your workout, work out in your pajamas and anything that floats your boat. You don’t have to drive anywhere or pack a bag. The ball is just always in your court.
Cons
Boredom: Imagine you are running or walking alone, without anyone to motivate you. You’d soon quit and go back to your old lifestyle. Frankly speaking, when it comes to working out, we all need a little distraction and motivation. At the gym, you meet lots of people and you are distracted by a lot of activities.
Space: If you are living in a small apartment and need a treadmill for working, would you break your house to accommodate the machine? The fact is that space is important, especially when you need a large machine. However, you can still manage your small space at home if you don’t want any space-consuming machine.
Excuses: When I started working out, I started at home. I remember always holding work and video games responsible for not being able to work out. Well, I believe it would have been a different story if I had enrolled for a fitness class at the gym. The truth is, there are thousands of excuses that would come your way while exercising from home, except you are self-motivated.
Pros and Cons of Joining a Gym
Pros
Motivation: For sure, you aren’t going to be the only one at the gym save it's owned by you and people aren’t turning up. This can be devastating. But most times, you will find other guys working out too and you can pick up that friendly competitive vibe and get yourself going.
Variety and Options: As I said earlier, exercise is fun when you have varieties. A gym is a place where you will find a lot of cardio machines like the treadmill, stair climber, elliptical, stationary bike, stair stepper…and so on. You can also find weight options like cable machines, bands, free weights and more. When you are at the gym, you get to meet people who might suggest some interesting workout moves. It can be great fun, especially when you enroll in a fitness class with other people.
Focus: Can you go to the gym to do your dishes or laundries? The gym is meant for exercise alone, nothing more or less. So you can easily stay focused on your workouts without any external interference like kids, chores, work, etc.
Energy: When you are in a gym and you are the only one not sweating, it means you are probably sick. Yeah! I mean a gym is a place where you can draw energy from others. You don’t want that fit guy to leave you behind, so you keep up and push harder.
Cons
Money: A gym would require you to pay some membership fee. Besides, you may be asked to pay for parking space and some other factors. This is not part of your insurance, so don’t think about it. However, you may find some small clubs that charge just $10. But your money will determine what you get.
Hassle: Except a gym is close to your residence, you will have to pack a bag, fill up your water, get dressed, drive to the gym, park, go to the locker room, etc. All these factors could make you stay longer at the gym. The drive time alone and the cost of fuel should be considered when choosing a gym.
The people: There are different kinds of people that go to the gym. You would find the ear-phone wearing exercisers, breathless exercisers, sweaty people, and so on. Imagine going to use a machine and seeing sweat droplets all over it, what would you do? Remember it’s not your home gym, so there’s little to what you can do.
Final Remark
Looking at all these pros and cons for both working out at home and joining a gym, the choice is yours to make. It all boils down to your budget and personal preference. If you know you can achieve your fitness goal from home, fine, just go ahead. But if you know you are not self-motivated and you get distracted easily, just get out of the house and hit the gym. That would be the best choice for you, don’t you think so? Make your choice today and stay fit!