Gym VS. working out at home

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  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I am a member at a gym (university rec center) but only get there once a week or less right now. I have a setup at home, though, so I so all of my workouts there.

    If I go to the gym, it is for a change of scenery and for the chance to use equipment that I don't have at home. For example, I have a lat pulldown at home but the plates aren't labeled so I'm not really sure how much weight I'm moving. I just write it down as 5 plates or 6 plates in my notebook.

    I also like the back extension machine at the gym and their dumbbells. I have dumbbell handles and a bunch of plates at home but sometimes it's nice to not have to keep adding/removing plates when I change exercises or if I want to do pyramid sets.

    Also, the chinup bars at the gym are nicer as mine at home is a steel pipe threaded through ratchet straps and it wants to turn when I hold onto it.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    I hate the gym
    it's so boring.
    I run in the mornings, walk in the afternoons and yoga a few times a week. no equipment necessary
  • DuckReconMajor
    DuckReconMajor Posts: 434 Member
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    chrisskellinton wrote: »
    So Gyms are fun if you want to socialize I'm sure..but I'm with people 12hrs a day at work....
    I hadn't thought of this. If I worked from home every day I would probably want to have the social aspect of the gym.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    CandaceTaylor2014 wrote: »
    Hey everyone! I was wondering if you could give me some input on getting a gym membership. Do you feel that going to the gym helped with motivation? Pros and cons would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

    I use the gym to lift weights because I don't have room in my home for the equipment that I need. It has nothing to do with motivation...a gym has all of the right equipment, that is all.

    I don't do any cardio in the gym save for when the weather is really *kitten*...I really see little point in riding a stationary bike when you can go outside and enjoy an actual bike ride...same with the treadmill and running. Cardio machines are boring as *kitten*.
  • PinkyPan1
    PinkyPan1 Posts: 3,018 Member
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    No gym for me. I workout out at home 6-7 days a week. Weather permitting I go to the park at 5:30 and walk 6 miles and then come home and finish my workouts. I can not imagine having to go to a gym to get my exercise...it would never happen.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    DuckReconMajor wrote: »
    chrisskellinton wrote: »
    So Gyms are fun if you want to socialize I'm sure..but I'm with people 12hrs a day at work....
    I hadn't thought of this. If I worked from home every day I would probably want to have the social aspect of the gym.

    I think it can be as social as you want it to be, whether that is minimally or maximally social. When I go to the gym I say good morning to the person who scans my card and then, 80% of the time, I don't speak again until I've left the building after my workout. The other 20% of the time I speak only to say stuff like "Sorry but could I squeeze behind you really quick to grab my stuff out of that locker?" or "It's 6:45" (the most common thing that people say to me at the gym is "hey, do you have the time?")
  • intruhvurt
    intruhvurt Posts: 21 Member
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    I enjoy going to the gym in the evenings. My house is chaotic sometimes with two small kids and neverending things to get done. It's nice to get away for an hour.
  • blossomingbutterfly
    blossomingbutterfly Posts: 743 Member
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    I love my home gym equipment. I hated going to the gym. The costs and the travel time and the people. I love being able to work out at home. It helps me tremendously.
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    DuckReconMajor wrote: »
    chrisskellinton wrote: »
    So Gyms are fun if you want to socialize I'm sure..but I'm with people 12hrs a day at work....
    I hadn't thought of this. If I worked from home every day I would probably want to have the social aspect of the gym.

    I think it can be as social as you want it to be, whether that is minimally or maximally social. When I go to the gym I say good morning to the person who scans my card and then, 80% of the time, I don't speak again until I've left the building after my workout. The other 20% of the time I speak only to say stuff like "Sorry but could I squeeze behind you really quick to grab my stuff out of that locker?" or "It's 6:45" (the most common thing that people say to me at the gym is "hey, do you have the time?")

    This is true for me too. I don't talk to anyone while doing my workout. If there's someone else in the locker room while I'm getting ready then I'll chat but that's about 50/50 since I go really early and it's a tiny gym. In fact, most people in my gym don't converse during their workouts, now that you mentioned it, lol. At least not when I'm there.
  • chandramiller68
    chandramiller68 Posts: 189 Member
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    I drive so much to/from work that the thought of driving to a gym is not for me! I enjoy working out at home. I don't need people around me to motivate me to exercise. I have turned the smallest bedroom in my house into my workout room; there I have everything I need to get a good workout in the comfort of my home. I also cycle and run, which helps a lot. :)
  • wilsonedu
    wilsonedu Posts: 1 Member
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    If you do decide to do the gym membership go the extra mile and get some personal training sessions and really learn how to use machines correctly! Another great thing about the gym are classes including YOGA! All that said I work out at home and outside!
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    HollieWould1 wrote: »

    I spent less than 500$ on my home gym and I do not care that I have it all in my living room either. If a guest needs to sit down, they will be sitting on my weight bench.

    I LOVE this!

    When I tried losing weight in the past I would join and gym, go hard for 2, maybe 3 months. Then the weather would change start reducing my time in the gym and end up paying for a membership I did not use.

    This time around I did things completely different...

    I slowly built up a nice home gym, found Youtube videos, exercise dvd's/programs I enjoyed and I power walk/do calisthenics outdoors when the weather permits.

    Best decision ever.

    I get to use my own things on my own time and my workouts give me lots of variety. However I'm a very self-motivated person. This may not be for everyone.

    Like others have said I really wished I hadn't waited so long to do this, but it's kind of cool to be able to say I'm in the best shape of my life at almost 40. :)
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
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    I work out at home. I have a treadmill, max trainer, a trainer for my bike, body tower, weight bench and a set of free weights, so I have no excuse. My husband uses most of the equipment. I mainly stick to the treadmill, bike trainer and occasionally the weights.

    Even without all the equipment, I would still probably work out at home for convenience. I hate the whole process of getting ready, driving to the gym, exercising in front of everyone and then having to drive home. It makes a 45 minute workout take almost double the time depending on how far away a gym is. I just think it is much easier to just change and walk out the door for a walk or run.

    The ONLY reason I would ever like a gym membership of any kind is to have a pool available year round.

    Ultimately, I think the decision to work out at home or at the gym all boils down to personal preference. As long as you are moving, it doesn't matter where you are!
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
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    DuckReconMajor wrote: »
    chrisskellinton wrote: »
    So Gyms are fun if you want to socialize I'm sure..but I'm with people 12hrs a day at work....
    I hadn't thought of this. If I worked from home every day I would probably want to have the social aspect of the gym.

    I actually work from home, and the flip side of that is I can get a nice workout in on my lunch break and it doesn't matter if I am stinky or sweaty when I go back to work. Then I use a 15 minute break to shower. :)

  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    edited July 2015
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    I have belonged to the best gyms for over 35 years. In my adult life I have never "not" belonged to a gym. I love my gyms and pick ones that have pools and suanas and hot tubs and steam baths. WORK HARD AND ENJOY.
  • slideaway1
    slideaway1 Posts: 1,006 Member
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    I do both. I have a great gym in my house from days I'm home from work late or can not be arsed to drive. I've just had Air Conditioning put in there too which I love. I also go to the gym to look at girls, socialise and try different equipment that I don't have at home.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    i'm the last person in the world i'd ever have tagged to become a gym rat, but i got huge use out of my first year of membership in my city's rec centre complex, and i just re-upped for another whole year. even if i had the option of home equipment instead, i'm not sure that i'd go for it. reasons:

    - i'm already an introvert. left to myself i'd only leave the house to buy new supplies of coffee and books. and that's not healthy for me.
    - i've gotten to really like the atmosphere and the company of other people lifting weights too. barely ever converse with anyone beyond 'how many sets do you have?' but i like that as well.
    - passive exposure to other people's form, workout plans, exercises, stretching and other things. i know i'd get narrow if my only source was my own mind.
    - built-in warmup and cooldown (i bike there and back). if all i had to do was amble down the stairs i just know i'd be skimping this even worse than i already do.
    - i actually like the equipment tradeoff/lineups thing. outside of the madhouse season, of course. something about it touches me and keeps my appreciation for the basic decency of most human beings alive.
    - stories!!! the people and things and interactions you see.
    - focus, as others have said. although it's also true that i can easily piss away a whole half a day at the gym, if i'm in that kind of mood.

    i think it has to work for your life to work for you. for me it's working great at present but that has a lot to do with factors that could be very different for someone else. things like logistics and culture. if the rec centre population here weren't so personable, or if i had to go out of my daily way to get to one of them, i think i'd be weighing the home workout option more seriously.
  • Faithful_Chosen
    Faithful_Chosen Posts: 401 Member
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    If I have to go somewhere just to work out, I will never work out. I hate gyms. I used to have lower back issues that the doctor sent me to the gym for when I was around 16 (turns out I was just sitting on my *kitten* too much. Now I stand or cycle 70% of my sedentary time (including meal time), I no longer have any lower back pain) and I wanted to cry every time. The eyes, the smell, the noise... Horrible. The memory stopped me from exercising for years. So I work out at home. I used to run but now I (in-line) skate, walk, and bike for cardio and I have invested in some weights, a yoga ball and some other knick-knacks for light strength training and fitness. I can work up a perfect sweat at home with YouTube and determination!

    This works for me, but it's all about finding out what works for you!
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
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    Going to the gym takes too much time. I have claimed a corner of the basement for my own. I'll buy that bridge when I come to it on the power rack. LOL.
  • smotheredincheese
    smotheredincheese Posts: 559 Member
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    I'd love to join the gym but my local one is not a very female friendly environment. The weights section is dominated by a group of men who spend hours just hanging out flexing in front of the mirror - rumour has it there's one guy with lipstick kisses tattooed on to his biceps which he kisses as he flexes :#
    I've got friends who've been a few times and quit because they've heard these guys making jokes about their appearance. I think it reflects really badly on the gum that they don't kick these guys out but I guess they make a lot of money off them.
    I'm moving to a bigger town in a few months though so might join the gym there, but until then I work out at home doing Fitness Blender videos and go running.

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