cM3go

I'm contemplating if I should join a gym or work out at home? I can't decide if I should join a gym for $33 a month or buy some free weights and a bench and workout at home. Buying the weights would be cheaper, but it would take up space in my home. The gym is expensive but may be worth it. What do you do? Or what would you do?

Python2121

Having a gym membership is a good way to motivate yourself to use it. Having other people working out around me makes it a lot easier to put it into my routine and spend good time there.

lembowski

iTrader: (1)

+1

Being around people motivates you. Seeing people that look the way you want to look makes you push that much harder.

Ryee

Get a membership. Knowing you have to pay for it forces you to go. most home gyms just waste space.

Whiskers

Joining a gym is a good idea. It gives you a lot of choices of what you want to do. Plus, you really should do some cardio which means you would need to buy a treadmill, bike or elliptical.

UNCTYPE-S

When you get home from work, you're most likely not going to have the motivation to go downstairs and work out. Buy a membership. I chose my gym close to my work so I can hit that up before I go on the highway home.

danny25

Having a gym at home is so convenient it gives me no excuse to not workout. I love not having to go anywhere else and deal with waiting on machines.

Gyms have lots of nice benefits though, there aren't as many women in spandex in my garage. I don't have a pool or a basketball court either.

eezeekial

I love my home gym. Being able to crank up my music ridiculously loud is great. Im so pressed for time as it is, I dont have time to drive across town and goto a gym.

crazymjb

I was using the school gym (too lazy to drive out to the JCC or YMCA, can't carve out that much time) but I reverted to using a cheep adjustable bench we have and free weights. Every once and a while I will have to go and pick up some heavier stuff, and some new stuff wouldn't kill, but I am doing everything I was getting around to at the school gym anyway. I also have realized I really don't care much for machines as core is pretty important in what I need to build.

I do want to buy a much better bench, as this one is a piece of shit. I find it convienient to go downstairs for an hour and a half and crank up the music or TV and workout without giving a shit who wants to use what. Also, I like to be left alone when I work out. Group led calisthenics I don't mind, and running with a group I don't mind, but I like to do my own thing.

So depends, are you going to be motivated enough to use it? I don't care to check out other guys at the gym to compare myself to them, I can only work to satisfy myself. I also have outside motivating reasons right now for getting into shape (summer, also see avatar), but for about the past 6 weeks I have only missed 1-2 "Scheduled days" to head downstairs.

Mike

gdfthr

I tried the gym routine and didn't like it. Plus it sucked not being able to go until about 7pm every night when I get out of work. So right now I love the convenience or my home gym set up. I still don't get a chance to work out until late but at least I don't have to do all that extra traveling.

And I actually lost more fat and gained more muscle at home then I did at the gym. Go figure.

sonnyg80

def join the gym - gives you more motivation, imo, lot more machines/weights to work with, and potential opinions/advice from fellow gym rats.

personally, when i couldn't go to a gym, it was hard for me to get motivated to workout at home...plus, too many distractions vs. a gym (minus the hot girls)

svtmike

I work out at home with free weights (though now that the weather's nice I'm doing a lot more cardio on the bike than weights). I can skip the drive esp. in the shitty winter weather, and it saves time.

mltk53

yo i say gym for sure! i have 4 machines at home and i Never workout! i never have any motivation and im always distracted at home

wndrlst

I vote for the gym, but if you're like me, you may find you like having some equipment at home, too. My schedule doesn't always permit me to workout during my local gym's operating hours, so I like to supplement at home. I have a treadmill & elliptical + simple freeweights, yoga mat, and fit ball at home...

eve

Another vote for the gym. I tried to work out at home but motivation wasn't there.

Also, $33/month is not bad.

koloa8

from my experience,
gym for the first 6 months to get you 'warmed up'. afterwards you can work out at home.

i was very motivated once i got my gym membership, but after a few months of working out, i got alot stronger and endurance increased alot, i no longer like being around the meat heads, meat head mentality, and sweaty equipment.

besides, to stay in shape, you just need to run, pullups, pushups, deadlifts, and squats.

subinf

I work out at home - or don't go to a gym. I live around some pretty good hills and close to a track. I bought a simple weight set for what I can't use my body weight for.

lembowski

iTrader: (1)

True, but having the equipment at home that can challenge you is difficult to get and most times expensive. I couldn't imagine working out at home after going to a full service gym. Its not like I have 80's, 90's, & 100 lbs dumbells to do chest at home. I couldn't push myself at all.

And you say squats, how do you do squats at home? I mean I wouldn't feel safe putting 400 pounds on my back without a squat station and safety equipment.

Maybe if your someone that just wants to somewhat go through the motions without testing yourself and trying to reach performance goals working out at home might me good.....

UNCTYPE-S

^ Easy. Just put the couch over your shoulders and squat. Duh!!

Python2121

Variety is the spice of life, and it's hard to get that at home.

koloa8

hi,
actually i do have performace goals. one of them is achieving the one arm deadhang other arm behind the back pullup. afterwards i might be crazy enough to set a goal for the iron cross. i also would like to eventually rep 50 pullups in one set...just 2 weeks ago i installed a pullup bar in my backyard(wood beams, concrete, and an iron pipe across) and i also bought some chains and a pair of handles to work out dips and other chest exercises. dips on an unstabalized surface is from what i heard equivalent to the difference between a legpress vs squating free weight. have you ever tried? i was surprised to see how many times difficult they were. i also tried variations of pushup exercises, and they were just as difficult as benching 200 pounds( i weigh 175).

i also purchased a weight belt so i can increase resistence. the whole pullup bar set + the chains and such cost me ~100 bucks. this is a pretty good setup to working out the chest, upperback, biceps, triceps, forearms, shoulders, and stomach.

i do squats, bench, and military prresses on my cheap squat rack i bought many yrs ago for 80 bucks i believe. its cheap but it does its purpose well. i dont plan on maxing out squats and back anytime soon with some crazy amount of weight. i think if you can do twice your weight for a few reps, your in pretty good shape compared to the average person. im not there yet, but maybe in the next year or so.

WdnUlik2no

I was in the same boat about 3 years ago. I strongly considered getting a home gym because I did not think I would like dealing with the hassles of joining a gym. I eventually nixed the idea of getting a home gym due to lack of space and joined a gym. All of the bad stories I heard about gyms, fitness clubs or whatever you want to call them were true. The gym I go to really sucks, (insufficient parking, not enough machines, constantly broken machines, a*holes, people hogging up machines, theives, etc etc). But I do find time to work out at least twice a week. When I work out my upper body, I have to go in the morning (5:30 am) because otherwise those machines, and weights are usually being hogged up and are never free.

As much as I hate my gym (Bally's Total Fitness), I think I may get bored with a home gym after a while. And eventhough I work out by myself, I think having a home gym would do me no good because I'd be easily distracted and end up wanting to do other things that I normally do when I'm home (ie watch TV, play video games), and not working out like I should. Leaving the house to go to the gym, no matter how crappy it is, at the minimum takes away those distractions at home, and forces me not to BS around when I'm working out. In addition, having a gym membership is the only way I can play indoor basketball. My next goal is to find a gym that I enjoy and is actually worth the money.

cibs

yeah finding a gym you enjoy is definitely key... i switched gyms about 5 months ago and it was the best decision ever.... it's nice, big , airy, tons of machines, everything is in good condition... when things break they are repaired quickly... anndd lots of hot girls...

finding a gym you like is definitely key in the whole process... a gym you don't like is the worst thing that can you can do IMO

treez35

gym membership. Im a member at LA Fitness and the environment is great, tons of my friends go there so I always have a workout partner. But like cibs said above me, finding a gym that you like is a huge part of the process because if you join a gym without looking into all the all the options and things they have and you turn out not liking it, you shouldnt have wasted your time. Just do research and check into a few different gyms and see which ine suits you best

lembowski

iTrader: (1)

I understand what your saying. But I'm a firm beliver in having varation in my work outs. Like with chest I normally do 5 different exercises, thats why a gym is better for me. They allow you to be more creative....although you seem to have some creative techniques. I'm a condo owner, so I don't have a back yard or garage that I can have these options. The only home exercise equipment I have are Nautalis dumbells that you can adjust from 5lbs to 52.5lbs and some therabands for stretching out.

To each their own. If can reach goals and continue to get a good work out at home by all means do it. I just use way to much of what a gym has to offer to give it up.