Gym vs Home Workouts

ccruz985
ccruz985 Posts: 646 Member
edited November 24 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm curious, what makes you pick gym over home or home over gym? I have a gym membership for the days that I'm going to be out from super early til late; I just bring my gym bag and make a stop during the day. Otherwise, I'm 100% about my home workouts. I follow DVD programs so I'm never lacking for direction or questioning what routine I should put together for myself, I find it to be so much easier.
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Replies

  • MarvinsAMartian
    MarvinsAMartian Posts: 236 Member
    For me it comes down to one simple question - are there cute girls there? Kidding. Sort of.

    Personally, I can't do home workouts for two reasons - lack of proper equipment (because I like to lift), and environment. That whole don't *kitten* where you sleep idea. I need a proper space to feel in the moment and get the most out of my workouts. I used to live in a condo with a small gym and even that was hard for me. I needed to get out of the "home" environment. Gym vibes are real.
  • HanaThorne
    HanaThorne Posts: 14 Member
    Obviously I’m just starting out but I have exercised before. I am like the poster two posts up, because I need to have a clean spatial separation - this is where I live, this is where I work, this is where I work out. I can’t work out in a place that for me means relaxation and comfort, and that’s home. My home also happens to be a very very, very small place. I forget the English word, but basically I live and sleep in the same room. Is that a condo...?
    Just my 2cents.
  • ccruz985
    ccruz985 Posts: 646 Member
    HanaThorne wrote: »
    Obviously I’m just starting out but I have exercised before. I am like the poster two posts up, because I need to have a clean spatial separation - this is where I live, this is where I work, this is where I work out. I can’t work out in a place that for me means relaxation and comfort, and that’s home. My home also happens to be a very very, very small place. I forget the English word, but basically I live and sleep in the same room. Is that a condo...?
    Just my 2cents.

    Over here it's a studio apartment. And ok, I hear that.
  • ccruz985
    ccruz985 Posts: 646 Member
    I have a 6ft barbell and free weights,squat rack ( most recent addition),kettlebell,treadmill and exercise bike at home.

    I used to go to the gym but since I started working over 50h a week and studying for a degree in the evenings I have no time or energy to go so instead of paying membership I saved up and overtime added more to my equipment.
    Having everything at home just makes it so much easier and convenient.

    My situation is almost identical. Once I started working 50 - 60 hours a week, I just really wanted to get home and counted the time I saved not having to travel to and from the gym by just working out at home priceless. I invested and got Select Tech weights to save space because I have an apartment, not a house, and I have yoga mats and blocks and a weight vest. The home DVDs also make me glad that I don't have to think about what body part I'm working and if I'm overworking one because they spread it out for you.
  • ccruz985
    ccruz985 Posts: 646 Member
    For me it comes down to one simple question - are there cute girls there? Kidding. Sort of.

    Personally, I can't do home workouts for two reasons - lack of proper equipment (because I like to lift), and environment. That whole don't *kitten* where you sleep idea. I need a proper space to feel in the moment and get the most out of my workouts. I used to live in a condo with a small gym and even that was hard for me. I needed to get out of the "home" environment. Gym vibes are real.

    Okay! I hear that. That gym vibe definitely is real but it just doesn't suit me. To each their own friend.
  • Unknown
    edited January 2018
    This content has been removed.
  • MichelleWithMoxie
    MichelleWithMoxie Posts: 1,817 Member
    Gym for me. I’ve tried the at home workouts, but it never feels like a true workout to me. I need a TM, squat rack, bench, barbells, etc. I’d love to have THAT setup at home, but don’t see that happening anytime soon.
  • Ann262
    Ann262 Posts: 266 Member
    I prefer to work out at the gym.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I prefer home. I have some decent equipment and can get it done and I like working out alone with no one around me. Some people love the gym environment and it motivates them, it doesn't work for me.
  • rockymir
    rockymir Posts: 497 Member
    For me, accountability. I do well training for my sport but then I have an inner feeling I'm "done" after that is over. I'm not done, I'm supposed to be doing cross training in the gym as well but I cannot say I enjoy it. It's purely a requirement I fulfill and yes I know it keeps me from getting injured -been there done that- and I could do it at home since I use very simple equipment. But truth is I wouldn't do any cross training at home, so that's it, accountability.
  • rebekaxox
    rebekaxox Posts: 7 Member
    I love the gym because of the equipment, I feel like I can get a better work out in, and I’ve realized I really like weightlifting
  • marieamethyst
    marieamethyst Posts: 869 Member
    edited January 2018
    I have two kids under 5, so it's just easier for me to squeeze a workout in during naptime at home instead of bundling them both up into the car after packing everything they need and taking them to daycare so I can go to a gym.
  • missperfectpitch
    missperfectpitch Posts: 619 Member
    I prefer to do workouts at home. I have a mat, a pair of adjustable dumbbells, and some other weights at home, and it's much easier to motivate myself to do my workouts when everything I need is right in front of me. Some days I don't feel motivated enough to do a workout until late in the evening, and if I went to a gym instead, I could see myself deciding to just skip working out instead of going to the gym at night on a lazy day. The type of workouts I do also lend themselves more to working out at home, as I do online videos and also like to have music on. No distractions, and I can turn my music up without worrying about disturbing others.
  • GOT_Obsessed
    GOT_Obsessed Posts: 817 Member
    I like the gym because I get a lot of satisfaction from the classes mine offers. I will go outside on my own for walks often when the weather is nice but any home equipment I have owned has always ended up collecting dust. I think it all depends on your personality and goals.
  • MonkeyMel21
    MonkeyMel21 Posts: 2,396 Member
    Things have definitely changed over the last (2?! :#) decades for me. In college I worked out at home and loved it. After college I joined a gym and loved it. Got married and lived in a tiny apartment and my work offered a discounted gym membership to the gym AT work and I loved it. Had a baby and took time off from working out at all then when I started working out again I needed to be in a gym to be away from a needy baby for a bit, not to mention the commute one hour early was waaay worth working out before work. Changed jobs and they offered a 50% discount to the YMCA which is an amazing gym with multiple locations that I definitely utilized.

    Now, I recently got a used treadmill for free and feel really confident in my ability to be motivated whether I'm at home or at work so I took the plunge and quit the gym and I've been working out at home every day and loving it. It helps that my son is 8 now and not so needy. I turned his play room in to my gym and it's my new favorite thing!!!
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    I have dedicated a room in my house to be my workout room. I have a DVD player, dumbbells, a pull up bar, rebounder, and treadmill. I do a workout every morning at home. I use the free weights at the gym at work after work 2-3 days. The other evenings I either run at the park or go home and do another video.
  • ccruz985
    ccruz985 Posts: 646 Member
    This is great, I love hearing the different perspectives on gym vs home!
  • genpopadopolous
    genpopadopolous Posts: 411 Member
    I work out at home. I have a bench, a bunch of dumbells, slam ball, resistance bands, treadmill and YouTube. I usually do FitnessBlender or I write down Alexia Clark's free stuff she posts on Instagram.

    I like that I have no excuses to walk downstairs. I can crank my music, dance, sweat, take off my shirt if I get too hot. Works for me.
  • Mike1804
    Mike1804 Posts: 113 Member
    edited January 2018
    I have both and like other have mentioned... it just puts me in a different mindset. Although my home gym consists of a rower, TRX, KB's, DB's, Bosu and other toys.... the gym is just a different vibe. Home gym workout for me are for when my time is limited or want to squeeze in a workout.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
    I don't have the space to accommodate the workouts and equipment that I use at the gym. I also have four pets and doing anything that doesn't involve at least one of them is pretty much impossible...I don't want to crush a cat with a weight plate or try to squat with a Great Dane weaving/leaning on me.
  • susanp57
    susanp57 Posts: 409 Member
    Aside from space considerations, I like going to the gym and the options that so much equipment offers.

    Also, after trying more than once, I realized that I really do not like working out to videos.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    At home, I am easily distracted by other things. At the gym, there's just my workout to focus on.

    And I would need a lot of equipment at home for my workouts. It would take awhile to build up a home gym to have all the options my current gym has.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    I prefer home, because If I've only got 15-30 minutes, I can do something quick or work in half a workout or some mobility/flexibility drills.

    I'm in a small studio and managed to carve out an 8x7 space that works for my drills and equipment. For Cardio I'm outside running with a PF Membership as a parachute/safety net/umbrella.
  • sjp_511
    sjp_511 Posts: 476 Member
    I have young kids so I have invested in home equipment so I can get in a good workout while my kids nap or after they go to bed. It works best for my schedule. We have probably accumulated close to $3000 worth of equipment over the last 4 years. That is a savings over what my husband and I would have to pay in gym membership over that same time period. And I save time by not having to commute to the gym.
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
    If I have to go somewhere to workout it's less likely to happen. I have a rack and barbell set up in it's own room, so it is nice and convenient to lift at home. Plus I don't have to wait for equipment, track down plates, or worry about weird looks when I do hip thrusts. Stationary cardio makes me miserable and I live in the country so I'd much rather do cardio from my front door. When it's too hot in the summer I swim for free in a lake or go to the roller skating rink. No need for a crowded gym with bad music in my life.
  • gvizzle74
    gvizzle74 Posts: 123 Member
    I workout at home. I like to workout first thing in the morning and the thought of putting on winter boots, winter coat, hat etc. and leaving my house at 6:00 a.m. in the dark and cold and rain and snow to go to the gym fills me with "one more snooze" thoughts. I know i won't go. I bought the equipment i need for home (adjustable dumbbells, adjustable kettlebell, stability ball, elliptical, resistance bands, and a bench) and set up the spare room as my gym. I get just as good a workout because there isn't anything i can't do with the equipment i have.
  • Lesley2603
    Lesley2603 Posts: 119 Member
    Gym for me. I leave the house with my husband in the morning, which is much earlier than I need to for work. Can be at the gym in 15 mins or less, workout, shower and be at work in good time. There is too much needing my attention at home, I would just put the washing on, just have coffee, just feed the dog and the time would be gone. Plus the dog likes to join in if I exercise at home
  • kdub2051
    kdub2051 Posts: 20 Member
    I’m a home gym person. For me it’s a matter of convenience. I converted my back porch into a mini fitness center, squat rack, barbell, dumbbells, Kettlebells, TRX, hi & low lat station. It’s all enclosed so weather is not a problem. I wake up and workout. Don’t have any excuses, it works for me.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    It works and I'm consistent. Three years without missing more than one training session.
This discussion has been closed.