Gym Membership or Weights at Home?

I use my gym membership daily.. and I have some weights and a treadmill at home. Works perfectly. cause I can't use the excuse, the "I don't want to leave the house" excuse anymore..

Gym memberships in my area vary from $10 a month to $120 per month.

- Check the community center and see what their facilities look like. They usually charge by household so it shouldn't be too bad. The nearest one to me is really nice.

- Check the hotel gyms to see if they will let you in. They usually end up being quite cleaner than regular gyms.

For me, I have to work out at home so that I can take care of my kids after work.

If you're going to do stuff at home, figure out what you want and how much it will cost. An elliptical machine can take up a lot of space and cost a lot. A stationary bike takes up much less room and is much cheaper. As for weights, how much resistance do you need? Rubber bands can be pretty nice. Mine is rated for 30lbs. Kettle bells are also nice. A doorway pull-up bar like the Iron Gym is nice. FYI, I would not go for a Total gym. It's quite annoying to disassemble and put away.

I can't really afford 40 dollars a month. I thought about biking to the gym every time I want to use it. There is one closer, but it's a Planet Fitness, and because they're only 10 dollars a month, the place is like hell on earth...

i go to a planet fitness and its not all that bad!

I wish I could say the same! I justify my PF membership by the fact that it's cheaper than others (I pay for the black card, so $20/mo) and sort of on the way to work... I work far away from my apartment. I'm seriously considering canceling and getting free weights and videos, though, because although I like using the weight/strength machines and ARC trainers, the gym itself and gym locker rooms/showers are horrid at best. Usually smells bad in the shower area and always have chunks of hair in the drains and people (usually elderly in the mornings) don't wipe off the equipment and all that jazz. I'm looking into other options for gyms because of my aforementioned enjoyment of some of the stuff, but honestly, I can't afford much more than the $20 plus gas.

Because I haven't gotten any at-home equipment yet, haven't repaired my bike, haven't found a better gym option as yet, I'll probably stay with PF for a while and try to go earlier so it isn't quite as... gross. lol

As for your situation, take some of the other posters' advice and see if you can get a pass or at least a tour of the facilities before you get a membership anywhere; start budgeting in the money for gas and the membership; ask your parents!; and maybe pick up a couple of weights for home.

I just joined the gym at my work and have been going everyday on break / over lunch. It helps me stay motivated to work out. by the end of the day im spent and dont have much motivation to get out to the gym. Took me 2 years to finally join, but im glad i did!

I live 15-20 min (hwy travel) from my gym. I finally gave it up and do everything in my garage now. It took us some time to get all the stuff we wanted for our home gym, but its for sure paying off. We even have Dish in our garage. :laugh:

If you're on a budget then it might just be better to buy the weights and some DVDs to work with at home. Unless you can find a fairly cheap gym with good equipment or one that caters mostly or solely to weights and strength training then just stick with that.

Personally, I wouldn't give up my gym membership because I love having access to all of the up-to-date equipment, but if you can't afford it, you should make due with other options for now.

Check around for used weights, or do more research to see if you can fine a less expensive gym option where you can your lifting. Does your apartment complex have a workout room? Try Craigslist or a sporting goods resale shop (or even Walmart) for a used weight set.

Do you have downstairs neighbors? The probably won't appreciate you deadlifting. :-).

Not sure where you live, but I'd recommend getting an olympic bar and some weights off of craigslist. You might be able to get by with squat stands instead of a power rack/cage and will take up less space. Even better if can double to do bench pressing with a flat bench. Add fold up sawhorses for safety when squatting/benching.

I've got a gym at home and it's great not having to travel. I've picked up everything via craigslist except I built a lifting platform.

Good Luck!

Perhaps it's time to branch out a bit with your workouts. We all have to adapt once in a while and it sounds like this maybe a good time for you. So First I suggest you limit your weekly visits to the gym for those workouts where you need the equipment. This'll save you time and gas money at least.

Agreed. Maybe you can get a per-visit card and do lifting once a week, then jog/bike/30-day shred instead of trying to make it work the way it used to work.

Adapt and overcome