Is It Better To Work Out At Home Or A Gym?

When deciding whether or not to work out at home or to choose a gym there are several factors to consider.  As you are planning out and beginning your exercise routine, you should plan to continue it for the long haul and be consistent with it.  You will want to remain consistent with your plan and keep on moving.  It’s better to start out light with regards to the number of days you exercise and your intensity and duration for each workout, than to start an incredibly difficult 6 day a week routine that burns you out in a month.  Start slow and build up to a schedule you can easily maintain.  Getting help from a certified physical trainer to set up your exercise schedule and planning your exercises will be most beneficial for you for learning the do’s and don’ts of proper exercise form, technique, exercise frequency, and goal setting.

Once you have your exercise routine established you will want to decide whether or not you will work out at home or a gym.

There are many advantages to working out at home including: saving money by not buying a gym membership, saving money in gasoline driving to and from the gym (unless you ride your bicycle or the gym is on your way to work), saving time by being able to work out at home without leaving to go to out, and the flexibility of exercise whenever and how long you wish to without regard to gym hours and holidays.  Some disadvantages to working out at home includes: not having access to the various types of exercise equipment and the space to allow you to perform the numerous different exercises you could not perform otherwise (unless you have the equipment and space at your home) and you cannot reap the motivational benefits of working out around other people, not to mention the advice and knowledge you can pick up along the way in a gym.

The advantages to working out at a gym (once you have selected the right one for you) are essentially the benefit of having the disadvantages you lack when working out at home.  The same goes for the disadvantages of working out at home being what you lack when you work out at a gym.

The choice really comes down to what you prefer.  Try working out just at home and just at the gym each for a period of time and this will show you exactly what each looks like and give you an ideal as to what you are looking for.  Often times moderation is the key, and here it might be just what you are seeking. Performing your work out routine through a combination of visits to the gym and home exercises might bring a good balance to your exercise plan.  This would help to balance out costs for driving, gym membership costs (unless you pay by the month or are under a contract which both usually save you money over paying by the visit), learning from others, saving time, and getting a change of scenery.