Do I NEED To Join A Gym?

I love the gym!! I can modify and change my workouts, work with all kind of free weights, get in the treadmill and row machine, and use all the equipment that I don't have at home. Being in a "fitness" environment really motivates me and gets me out of the house. I could never have at home all the equipment available at the gym.

I did JM DVDs at home and I found it really difficult to get motivated; I had to push myself to push “play. But we need to do what is best for us, and what keep us motivated to keep exercising. For my it is the gym, working out at home is not fun for me.

Have you try to local YMCA or a community center in your area? My girlfriend works out at the YMCA because since she is not too "consistent" with her routines she didn't want to join and pay a gym membership.

I really want to get back into my fitness program (have 60 LBs to lose) but I'm very hesitant to join a gym, mostly because of the cost. Is it possible to get the same types of workouts/results by working out at home?

I'd like to hear both the pro's and con's. Do you workout at a gym or at home? if at home, what types of exercises do you do? If at a gym, whats the benefit versus working out at home in your opinion?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and respond

Nobody NEEDS to join a gym but if you want to get the best results possible you should join a gym. Unless you can get a fairly equipped weight set with a half rack and whatever cardio videos you want to get (Insanity, PX90, etc) then yeah you can do it at home.

Personally, I find that a gym helps when it comes to group fitness classes - I get more motivated, I work harder, I work out for longer.

However, I am also very lazy. So if I'm tired or rushed it's easy to let the gym slide.

I've been having great success with circuit-style workouts at home, using small free weights and body-weight bearing activities. I found the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred a great starting place and motivator - you can find it for free on youtube (I watch on my ipad).


As others have said it's really about what works for you!

I love going to the gym and I dont mind paying the monthly dues and I will not work out at home Im just not motivated to do it at all!!! I need some accountability.But to each his own,for some it may not work that way.

Thank you everyone for your responses! I think at this point I am motivated all by myself, I dont need the gym for motivation... just wasnt sure that an 'at home program' was going to be as beneficial. BUT, now I have decided, yes- it is! Ive seen some pretty amazing success stories on MFP... and alot of them were people who did it all on their own, without a gym membership!

I think thats exactly what I am going to do. I've seen several people remark on how successful they were with P90X... so I think I will give that a try!

Thanks again to you all... it was a great help in making my decision!

If I can make one other suggestion, if you want to be in a "group" setting and in some cases get classes at little or no cost, check out meetup.com for fitness groups. One of my groups has trained instructors that give the Insanity classes for free (unless you're a trainer taking the class), if I want to do Zumba, I'm in a group that it's $8 a class so I can go as I please, and I'm in a walk/jog/bike group that meets once a week to walk/jog/bike at local parks. Some of the groups will make arrangements with certain studio for an introductory class for a low cost too, I took a kickboxing class for $10, the studio that I dance out of hosted a meetup group for bellydancing for $10, one group even did a pole dance class. One group I'm in does volleyball once a week ($2) and about once a month we have a kickball game (also $2) There's no commitment, you just rsvp to your group that you're going and you go, if you don't want to, can't, or can't afford to, then you just don't rsvp or rsvp no. I will caution that some of the groups do charge an annual fee to be in the group (the most that I've seen is $10/year) so check that out.

I have never been a member of a gym.....I get my excercise on my own, either through the work I do...or my own workout schedule. Much cheaper that way...and I find that it is very effective...

No, you don’t need to join a gym. I lost the majority of my weight without a gym membership. Body weight exercises, running, cycling were my primary forms of exercise. Really, if weight loss is your goal you want to spend money on a food scale and food storage as 80% of weight loss and being healthy is nutrition. But if want to talk about exercise we can do that.

Eventually we got a membership to the YMCA. We really enjoyed it as a family and feel that we get excellent value from our membership dues (indoor/outdoor/family/lap pools, indoor track, machines, classes, free weights, leagues, list goes on and on)

However, we recently moved and the YMCA has become less convenient to the point that it’s not worth paying the dues. There are closer gyms but they charge same money if not more for half the stuff. We’re paid for 2 more months but then it’s back to being creative. As you might tell from the screen name I like the outdoors and can find lots of things to do to keep the heart rate up…even in the winter.

I would like to continue lifting heavy as I feel its health benefits are something I don’t want to give up. Which is why, once the boxes are emptied from the garage and I get my power tools out, I’m going to build this:

http://www.home-gym-bodybuilding.com/homemade-power-rack.html

And get the rest of the free weights from second hand stores and other websites. There a lots of ways to do things. It’s good start by creating a thread like this. Just be creative and make it fun.

I had a gym membership before for a year and a half and used it ONCE. It was so hard with work and kids the prime time I would find to go would be when everyone else was going at work. I go for walk/runs around my neighborhood. I also just bought multiple workout videos. There are all different kinds depending on what you enjoy. Most of my videos I got from Target without spending a ton of money. If you have Netflix there are videos on there also.

I really want to get back into my fitness program (have 60 LBs to lose) but I'm very hesitant to join a gym, mostly because of the cost. Is it possible to get the same types of workouts/results by working out at home?

I'd like to hear both the pro's and con's. Do you workout at a gym or at home? if at home, what types of exercises do you do? If at a gym, whats the benefit versus working out at home in your opinion?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and respond

Try P90-X or Insanity - you can get either for the cost of one month at a gym.

I still do both. I have my weights and stuff at home but I don't have a treadmill, so on the days I need to do HIIT I have to go to the gym.

One thing about me is that once I am at the gym, I go all out and always manage to stick through the entire workout without interruption. When I'm at home, the phone will ring or the kids will barge through the door so I don't always manage the fully focused workout I get at the gym.

It's 100% a personal preference. Working out is working out - location doesn't make a difference.

I dropped 60 lbs at home by walking 3 miles a day and doing the 30-day Shred (Jillian Michaels DVD). From there I moved on to P90X and other programs. Over the course of about 7 years, I gathered enough equipment to have a pretty decent home gym. You don't have to start out with much, honestly. And if you go with a program like P90X or Insanity, the equipment comes with it. Bodyrock.tv is a great site that uses minimal equiment and it's free.

I'm not a huge fan of gyms. I like to focus when I work out, not be bothered by other people. I don't like to be watched. I work out on my time, when it's convenient, not when classes are offered. Plus the closest gym to me is 30 minutes away - I would blow off SO many workouts knowing I'd have to factor in an hour round trip in addition to my workout and shower time! Working out at home has been ideal for me, and I've gotten amazing results. I've hit my goal weight and got incredibly toned in the process.

I have done both, the one thing I didn't like about the gym was having to go out and get there...then having to come home. I bought a set of bands, a total gym, I have a few exercise videos and have been watching some on you tube. I plan on getting either an elliptical or a treadmill at some point. I take my dog for a walk and work around the house. I look on craigslist for the exercise equipment and actually found my total gym for only $25.00 and it is like brand new. Good luck with what ever you decide.

I used to run and that's how I initially started to lose weight. But I don't really "like" running and found myself getting lazy about going - weather too hot, weather too cold, etc. etc. I visited the gym with a friend to do a class with her and they were having a special rate. I had joined the gym before and never went and so it wasn't worth the monthly rate when I don't use it. But, I decided to take a shot and I was motivated to start going. I think I joined in May and the first couple weeks were tough because I had to work it into my schedule. My monthly rate isn't bad at all for use of all the equipment as well as many classes throughout the day. I love zumba and they offer that throughout the week, great times and great instructors. They also have body pump which I've recently gotten into. Not to mention they have them all over my county and I can go to any of them. So, I wake up early and head to the gym every morning. The problem for me is that if I"m at home, I probably wouldn't work out as intensely then if I'm at the gym around other people working out intensely. When I take a class, I'm going to push through it and not let myself rest or pause the dvd so I can grab some water haha So for me the gym helps with motivation.

But, I do think if you are motivated to do this and not a wimp like me at home, you don't need to join a gym. Get some people to hold you accountable, maybe find some people with similar goals, walking/running buddies (which is how I got into running). I'm sure if you are ready to do this, there will be no stopping you, whether you belong to a gym or not.