Gym vs. Home Gym

Hey all!

So, I’m sure there are some of you out there who have debated at one point or another if you should go ahead and join a gym, or just workout from the comfort of your own home. So I am here to help you decide whats best for you with my views of both working out in a real gym, and working out at home!

So I worked out at a fairly well known gym for about 3 years on and off. I would have these long stretches of time where I would stick with my workouts and go to the gym everyday, or mostly everyday, and then I would have these moments where I would only go 2 times a month! I loved the gym, it was a friendly and nonjudgmental environment. They had so many machines to pick from to help you workout, and plenty of workout materials to use! It wasn’t much to attend there, only $10 a month, and honestly it was only about a 10 minute drive from my house. But, the reason I feel I had so many instances where I would only go to the gym 2 times a month, if that, was because I hated having to travel to go to the gym, and I realized everything I could be doing at a gym, I also could be doing right from my own home. I mainly just used free weight, and did a lot of body weight workouts for cardio and strength training.

So, after realizing I could be doing all these exercises I was doing at the gym from the comfort of my own home, and without having to pay a monthly fee, and without having to travel every time I wanted to get a workout in, even a quick 20 minute workout, I decided to go ahead and start working out at home. Yes, it does take some money to start doing this if you want to use lets say free weights, or an exercise mat, or an exercise ball, etc. But overall, the cost does not compare to paying a monthly fee of $10 or more, and the gas money it takes to get to the gym and back every time you want to go. Honestly, all you need to start out with for a simple home gym is a couple different sets of weights, such as a set of 10 lb. dumbbells and a 15 lb. set of dumbbells, and an exercise mat. If you want to go a little farther, you can get a medicine ball, and maybe an exercise ball, too! Some people go all out if they really have the money and get a whole benching set to put in their home, or other exercise machines. But honestly if you are like me and are okay with just using free weights and body weight strength training and cardio techniques, then building your own home gym should only cost you about $50 or less! And as you get stronger and more advanced, its very easy to go to a local store and buy a new set of dumbbells of a heavier weight to add into your workouts. And lets not forget how convenient working out from home is. Its very easy to just make some space in your garage, living room, spare room, basement, etc. and pull out your mat and your dumbbells and get in a full hour workout, or even a quick 20 minute workout right before you shower to leave for the day. I also like that if I want to follow a workout video for my routine, I can do so on my laptop or TV right in front of me!

So as you can probably tell by my post that I personally like working out from home more than a gym. Yes a gym already has every thing you need to workout, machines and all. But my personal experience is that it is much more convenient to workout from home, and overall cheaper in the long run.

So don’t be afraid to just workout from home. It wont make you workout less, or feel like you didn’t accomplish a good workout, because honestly ever since I started working out from home, I have found myself working out more times in a week, and staying with working out, too. So far I have been working out 4 times a week for 11 weeks from home! I have never went that long working out in a gym. That is just my personal experience, but everyone is different. Overall, I think if you have been debating it, it is worth a shot!

Thanks for reading! 🙂