Join a Gym / Workout at Home?

January 14th, 2009

Join a Gym  / Workout at Home?

I commonly get asked the question “Should I join a Gym or just workout at home?”  Being the smart-aleck that I am, I typically just answer “Yes”.

The fact of the matter is I’m being honest.  In the beginning the most important thing you can do is determine your “Why”.  Since we have covered this in detail in previous post, I’ll will not drill down to what “Why” is or how to get it.  Just know that you need it and must read my other posts for more details.

Second on the list of importance is picking an activity that you can find or make enjoyable.  I know people who would rather have their teeth cleaned by a dental intern than workout publicly in a gym.   That’s alright, find what works for you.

Let’s look at some of the positives and negatives I have gathered from readers, twitter followers etc… on the topic of Gym v.s. Home work out.

Gym positives:

  • Varity of equipment and exercises you can use.
  • Mental positioning.  When you walk through the door you mentally say to your self…”Ok I’m here to work out”
  • Gym’s cost $$$ and for those of us who are motivated by monetary gains and losses, knowing that the membership fee is coming out whether you workout or not gets us into the gym to get our money’s worth.
  • Social interaction, it’s easy to find people in most gyms that are or were in the same boat you’re in.  Make friends, workout together etc.
  • Learn by example.  I’m always seeing someone doing some exercise I never thought to try.  When I get home, I look it up on the internet, see what muscles it works on and decide if I’d like to work that into my routine.
  • It feels good when a total stranger comes up to you and complements you on the progress you’ve made.

Gym Negatives:

  • If your large like I am ( I was much larger) there is always someone that is going to gawk at you.   This doesn’t happen all that often and you can do what I do, put on headphones and ignore everybody else.  I’m not at them gym for anybody but me.
  • If your new to working out on some of the machines there is an awkwardness to figuring them out.
  • Some people just don’t get it is a gym, not a fashion show, not a date, a gym

At home positives:

  • No commute to the gym
  • No people gawking at you
  • No distractions

At home negatives:

  • Unless you have a workout room or area, you lose that mental positioning.  That couch is just 1 foot away if you’re working out in front of the TV.
  • No social interaction.
  • Higher up front costs if you want weights and exercise equipment

Now you can see that there are positives and negatives either way.  The most important thing for you to do is figure out which is right for you.

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