To gym or not to gym?

condoleezachiapet
condoleezachiapet Posts: 105
in Fitness and Exercise
Fitness question of the 21st century: should I go to the gym?

I'm a 19-year old college student who has always worked out in the comfort of her own room, on the field, etc. I've tried three-day trials at multiple gyms but never subscribed to any. After starting a rigorous (& highly sedentary) school schedule, I've lost a decent amount of muscle. I've been relying on 60-90 min/day interval dumbbell training & cardio videos on youtube to regain my athleticism, but the progress has been slow.

Is there anyone who has reached & maintained a satisfactory level of muscle tone without going to the gym? If so, what kind of exercises do you guys follow? :)

Replies

  • NoExcusesFitnessCoach
    NoExcusesFitnessCoach Posts: 106 Member
    Hi!

    The gym is absolutely not necessary to gain muscle, lose weight or achieve any other fitness goals. It's all about personal preference. Some people love the gym, some people love working out at home.

    All of my results have come from doing at home workout programs like Turbo Fire, ChaLEAN Extreme, and P90X3. I also am very active and hike / snowshoe often. Find what you like and what works for you and stick with it.

    Best of luck :smile:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Fitness question of the 21st century: should I go to the gym?

    I'm a 19-year old college student who has always worked out in the comfort of her own room, on the field, etc. I've tried three-day trials at multiple gyms but never subscribed to any. After starting a rigorous (& highly sedentary) school schedule, I've lost a decent amount of muscle. I've been relying on 60-90 min/day interval dumbbell training & cardio videos on youtube to regain my athleticism, but the progress has been slow.

    Is there anyone who has reached & maintained a satisfactory level of muscle tone without going to the gym? If so, what kind of exercises do you guys follow? :)

    What are your goals? You don't need a gym...a gym is nice...it's a great big building with all of the equipment you would ever need for anything you wanted to do...but it certainly isn't necessary.

    The only reason I go to the gym is for the weight room...and spin class on Saturday and that's only because it's fun and I like the people I've met in that class and it pushes me harder than when I'm riding by myself outside. But really, if I wasn't following the strength program that I'm currently doing, I wouldn't bother with the gym.

    You can do cardio anywhere...you can do bodyweight resistance work anywhere. Basically I'd recommend sitting down and thinking about some fitness goals and going from there. I accomplished quite a lot before ever thinking about the gym. Either way, I'd suggest a good balance of cardiovascular work for your heart and lungs and overall endurance in conjunction with a strength/resistance program for a well rounded fitness profile.
  • Summer_Lunatic
    Summer_Lunatic Posts: 543 Member
    There is a ton of bodyweight stuff you can do at home but it entirely depends on what your goals are.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    A lot can be accomplished doing body weight exercises.
    YAYOG
    Convict conditioning
    Nerd fitness are some good places to start.

    I'm a very big proponent of BW stuff
  • May_Rose
    May_Rose Posts: 119 Member
    You don't HAVE to go to the gym to get in better shape, but gyms are great! For me, I don't have heavy enough stuff to lift at home so the gym is a must! It just depends on what your goals are. It's a great place to meet new friends too :). I wish I had discovered that when I was much younger, like you.

Categories