Working out at home vs. the gym

For my first post I have decided to take on a debate I have overheard many times at work- should you workout at a gym or in the comfort of your own home? I will compare the two on four dimensions, cost, motivation, convenience, and equipment, so that you can make your own informed decision. At no point will I state that one option is undeniably greater than the other, so if you’re looking for a yes or no answer, gym or house, your knocking on the wrong door.

 

Cost

                     I’ll start with working out at home. Obviously, if you’re just doing pushups and sit ups, the only cost you will incur at your house is time. Basically the cost can be very low, or astronomically high, depending on what kind of exercising you want to do. I would recommend buying a variety of free weights, a pull up bar that can attach to your door frame, and a weight bench. Although all of these items do cost a fair amount of money, you only buy them once, and you really don’t need any really fancy bands or workout machines to get going. You can also purchase workout DVDs, like the famous (infamous) Beachbody products like P90X or Insanity. Once again, it all depends on what you want to do. If you just want to go for a run in the park, the expenses are nonexistent.

The main expense you will incur at a gym is the monthly membership cost, which can be anywhere from $10 at planet fitness to $70 or more at a fancy fitness club with basketball courts and pools. Personal trainers, while incredibly useful if you are just getting into fitness, do cost a lot of money per session. Gas is another issue… as gas prices are rising to almost $4 a gallon, even a twenty minute round trip to and from a gym every day will start to put a dent in your wallet. Another expense that is also overlooked is time, as you need to drive to and from the gym whenever you go, and during peak periods you might need to wait for machines to open up.

 

Gym

Or home?

Motivation

                           This is one area where the gym seems to have a definitive advantage. Nothing motivates better than seeing a guy walking around with biceps on his biceps, or a toned woman sporting a six pack. Just the obvious fact that people are watching you at the gym is enough to motivate most people. Nobody wants to look weak. Basically the sense of community you get from being part of a gym gives you motivation to keep working out. Personal trainers are also another great way to get motivated. When you’re at your house, by yourself, it is fairly easy to let yourself just coast through a workout, rather than push yourself. This is not an option if you vie for a personal trainer- they will push you beyond any limits you have placed on your own abilities, and you will learn to love them for it.

When working out at your house, motivation has to come from within. You need to be able to remember at all times why you started working out, and what you want out of the workout, or you will tend to just coast through. Getting a friend to workout with you at your house is an excellent way to stay motivated. If you are short on friends that want to work out, then workout videos are a sure way to stay motivated. The upbeat music combined with the encouragement of the trainers in them make you feel as if you’re in a class at a gym, and keeps you going.

 

Convenience

                          This is an area where working at a home has a clear advantage. Everybody is at their house for at least a couple hours a day, so there is no real excuse not to work out. All you have to do is go to your basement, garage, shed, or wherever your gym is set up and get to it. Your house does not have hours of operation that you must adhere to, and your house will never shut down in inclement weather. You can also wear whatever you want at your house, hell you can work out naked as long as you don’t do it near any windows. Its less of a hassle than going to the gym, plain and simple.

Gyms, on the other hand, actually are pretty convenient. Most gyms are open seven days a week, from early in the morning until fairly late at night. Unless you like to work out at 3 in the morning, getting there within the hours of operation is normally not a problem, except maybe on the weekends where the hours tend to be shorter. But in order to go to the gym, you do have to make yourself look half decent, as very attractive members of both sexes are likely to be there, and you do have to get in your car and drive through traffic to get there, two problems that are nonexistent at your house. Also if it is snowing or raining, the gym may close, or you might not feel like driving in those conditions. Walking to your garage will probably be much more desirable than driving to a gym if there is a foot of snow outside.

 

Equipment

                        Unless you are rich and can afford to buy a lavish in house gym complete with machines, free weights, mirrors, etc, gyms have a clear advantage in this department. Most gyms have all the standard machines that people tend to use, along with many free weights, benches, exercise balls, bands, you name it they will probably have it. You are paying a monthly rate essentially for use of their equipment, so they better have exactly what you want.

Although gyms have all the equipment you could ever wish for, like I said before, you do not need a lot of equipment to exercise. At your house you can buy what you need to do what you want, and be done spending money on it. You do not have to pay a never ending monthly rate for equipment that you own, just a onetime cost.

 

Conclusion

                      Both working out at home and at the gym have their own advantages and disadvantages, it is up to you to decide which option better fits your needs. There is no right or wrong answer, the important thing is to just keep working out!