Home gym vs going to gym?

[SunsetRunner]

I am curious is go to gym or home gym better? I like go to gym, sometime but I get tired and bored be alone. But at home I do exercise video from Fitstar, it fun! So I wonder what better gym or home gym help better be healthy? Or it doesn't even matter what one? Thanks

[USAF-Larry]

Basically, it doesn't really matter which one, @SunsetRunner, as long as you are exercising.  I was working out at the gym 3 days a week, and working out at home the other days. But, recently I have been working out just at home because the weather has been so bad that I don't need to get out on the roads.  The advantage of working out at the gym is the availability of more equipment. I only have a treadmill & elliptical at home, plus a few free weights.  The gym has all of that plus high-end stationary bikes, weight machines, and a lot more free weights.

[emili]

It doesn't matter as long as you are working hard. For me at home doesn't work because I will find other things to do besides work out. If I drive to the gym- no other option.

[DeafFred]

I hate the noise (music) and bustle (people) of a gym.  Having the choice of equipment of is a bonus though I guess (not enough for me to suffer the noise and bustle).

[USAF-Larry]

That is interesting, @DeafFred. The gym I go to is very quiet. Everybody, including me, has their earbuds in and are listening to their favorite music or whatever.  But, there is no music or noise being broadcast through the gym speakers. The last time I wa there, the guy next to me on the treadmill was watching a movie streaming on his smartphone, but I couldn't hear it at all - my eyes are too old to try to watch a movie on a 3" screen, though.  

[supercrazypants]

you can do either one. you still excersicing at either gym.

[kaelarenee7]

Whatever works best for you! I generally prefer to go to a gym because there is more equipment available and when I leave the house to go to the gym, I can't get distracted and do something else instead of working out. However, the weather has been terrible where I'm at lately so I've been opting to work out at home instead of trekking through snow and ice to get to the gym.

[elderwanda]

I'm sure the answer is different for each individual, depending on their needs and preferences.  Personally, the most importan thing to me is that I have access to a proper squat rack for barbell lifts.  I used to go to an Anytime Fitness that's a short walk away from my house, but they didn't have a squat rack, so I couldn't do the types of exercises I wanted.  If I had the space in my house to put one, I would do that, and that would be perfect for me.  

As it is, I finally found a gym that has a squat rack and is close enough that I can actually get to it regularly, so I joined that one.  I mostly enjoy the gym atmosphere during the time that I'm there, but oftentimes other people leave the rack set up with the bar way too high for me, with heavy weights on it, and it's hard for me to move them without injuring myself.  If I had a home gym, that wouldn't be an issue.  

And I don't like the TVs that are everywhere at the gym, reflected in every mirror so that the entire Fox News team is in your face during the entire workout.  The last thing you want when you've got a heavy weight on your back is to suddenly glance over at the TV because you saw Donald Trump or Kim Kardashian out of the corner of your eye.  In fact, I don't even want to have to see that nonsense if I'm using the treadmill, but as far as I can tell it's a requirement in all gyms.  

[DanielleinDC]

As long as you're working out, I don't think it matters. I can't afford gym membership, so I exercise at home. I do a couple of walking videos when I get up in the morning--I like being able to watch the news while I exercise--and if I time my commute right, I can get five to ten minutes of walking between buses. If I get home at a reasonable hour in the evening, I do a some strength training and toning work.  I have a couple sets of dumbbells and a 12-pound fitness bar.

I sometimes wonder if I should take a fitness class or talk to a trainer just to be sure my form is right. Maybe I'll do that when I hit another weight loss milestone.

[A_Lurker]

I've been building up my home gym as I find I can work out more often as I'm building up my stamina.  If I were only working out at a gym I'd reach a point where I would go home for the day.  At home though I can catch up on steps various ways, lift weights, etc.  I'm lucky though as @elderwanda mentioned you need room for this.  You don't realise this until you're making room for a squat rack. 

[SunsetRunner]

I think it's just what is going to work with your schedule. I personally work out at home in the mornings. I like having a set schedule and have a variety of workout videos that I switch up on a daily basis. A gym does have all the different equipment but I think there are ways to still get good results at home with hand weights, resistance bands, etc. Just do what will work best for you so that you stay motivated and enjoy what you are doing. 😀

[WendyB]

I use to belong to a gym. Now I have everything I need at home.

I have weights, Weight bench. Many DVD's, Stationary bike.

The only thing I miss is the pool. And quite frankly it was very hard to get into unles you went at 4:00 AM

[DoyleBingster]

The better gym is the one that works for you. Some people love the home gym, but it's definitely not for me.

It's easier for me to go after work than it is to come home and possibly hit the couch, which totally ruins any momentum or drive I would have had to workout.  

[DeafFred]

@USAF-LarryYou're lucky to have a quiet gym!  I'm not yet fit enough that I can't get the exercise I need through body weight so I can carry on in the peace and quiet I enjoy away from a gym.  But everyone needs to exercise at a pace, time and place that works for them

[Reinhartz]

Home gym and going to gym is basically the same thing , with little difference as long as you can burned your calories and do exercise.

Back when i was in college , and have so much time , i love to do exercise in Gym because i can meet lot of people and not get the feeling that I'm doing exercise alone.

For me that feeling is important because i can get motivated when i do exercise and see other people do better than me.

But Now im office worker and do not have so much time , so i decide to do Home Gym , because i dont have much time to wasted on the way to Gym and going back home from Gym.

FYI the traffic in my city is horrific 😀

IMHO , train at gym is more fun than Home Gym , but Home Gym can produce the same result from train at gym as long as you do it right

cheers 

[SunsetRunner]

The Wii at my home is my exercise, that's the whole reason why I brought the Wii. 

[sarajenivieve]

its really just a matter of personal preference, I prefer going to the gym because i like the equipment there and find myself more motivated there but whenever money is tight its the first thing i cut because i can do at home workouts its just whatever you prefer

[Stinkyfish97]

Everyone is going to have different circumstances that lead to one choice or the other. 

Pros (at Home)

Neutral (at Home)

-Comfortability

-Convinience

Cons (at Home)

-Expense up front

Pros (membership)

-amenities

Neutral (membership)

-Expense over time

Cons (membership)

I would do a pros/cons list to figure out which is best for you circumstances. For me a membership is better. I have limited space to have workout equipment. I feel with the at home convinience and comfortability can be both pro and a con (for my circumstance moreso a con).

On comfortability, while it feels nice to feel comfortable and it is a good thing if you are just starting out , to start in your comfort zone, there are benefits to have to work outside of your comfort zone. This goes for both gym memberships and at home gyms. It is something I am working towards overcoming this year actually. I have stuck mostly to the machines for my workouts while at the gym and have been a little timid to try the freeweights. Call it embaressment, just lack of knowledge to even know what to do. I do not want to be the guy staring in the corner watching someone elses workout to see how to do something (truth be told most people would be fine with giving you a pointer or two when it comes to lifting; it appears thats one thing people at the gym who know what they are doing are not shy about). Anyways, because I have a lack of space for equipment in my own living environment, and a very limited budget, this does not afford me the chance to try new types of equipment at home for myself. The gym provides this, and all I have to do is overcome my fear of trying new things. If I stuck to an at home gym, I would not have even thought of some of the equipment as a choice, I would have never left my comfort zone. Perhaps this is not the case with you. 

The second big one is convinience. This goes hand in hand with distractions. The more convinient something is the easier it is to distract you. The reasons why I chose the gym membership was its like a work environment for me. Everyone is there for basically 1 purpose. Excercise!!! Just like work there are boundries set. I am not going to be tending to cooking dinner if I am at the gym on the treadmill. I feel there are too many distractions in my own home environment that eventually they could become a distracting factor. Having a gym membership takes me away from those distractions, for that little bit of time, it allows me to focus and build a solid routine. I feel with an at home gym, I would perhaps not have that. An at home gym means I am at home working out, perhaps my wife or our child interupts my routine. It does not even have to be something that takes long, like can you come here for a second? That distraction breaks up your routine, in fact you never form good habits because the way you build habits is (cue, routine, reward). If you constantly keep changing the cue, or the routine you will never lay the foundation for good habits to form. Keep in mind that this too goes both for at home or gym membership route. For me there are far more distractions at home than if I tell my wife I am going to they gym, she likely will treat it like I am at work, meaning I am only avaliable for emergencies or if it is really important enough to interupt. 

[DeafFred]

Your list of pros and cons looks very different to mine:

At home:

Pros

- no cost necessary (bodyweight exercises), Fitstar per year is less than a gym membership per month if you need to someone to give you a routine

- no canned music, TV, etc.

- no waiting to complete a set because someone else is hogging a particular machine

- can do routine when it is convenient - 0600 to 2300 hrs

Cons

- self-discipline required, easy to cheat or miss if being lazy

- no camaraderie

At gym:

Pros:

- camaraderie (suffering together binds people )

- free weights and exercise machines available

- instructors (sometimes provided, often extra)

Cons:

- membership cost

- noise

- people

- self-discipline required (its easier to do the routine once you get to the gym, but its easy to not get to the gym in first place)

- can only use the gym when its open and when I can travel to it (great excuse to miss going)

As for being interupted for trivial reasons at home - either they want to join in or they're showing a lack of respect for what you are trying to do.  Same if you trivally disturb your wife or child(ren) whilst they are busy with something important to them.  But my child is grown up and I'm divorced so I don't suffer from this problem.

[SunsetRunner]

Thanks to everyone, all your ideas will help me! I'm going try out some of ideas!