Should I invest in a gym membership or just work out from home?

[Peter-Andre]

Lately I've been thinking about getting in better physical shape, so I've thought about joining the gym, but there are a couple of things holding me back. Firstly, it costs quite a bit of money. Not a whole lot, sure, but still a considerable amount for a poor university student like myself.

The main reasons I'm considering the gym are the following:

• It will help me get in better physical shape.
• It will improve my mental health.
• It will make me more productive because I'll have more energy throughout the day.

I'm totally open to joining the gym if the benefits are so great that they will significantly improve the quality of my life, but can't I instead just work out from home and combine that with running outside? What significant benefits are there to working out at the gym that I couldn't get by working out from home?

Also, just for the record: I probably won't be joining the gym for a few months anyways because of Covid-19, I was considering to do it when things go back to normal.

[Potato People King]

From my personal experience, the gym is the place to work out. You have got all the equipment there, and people around. You can talk with them, get some advice and you will try to do the best, because you know, somebody may be watching you while you exercise :-) Also, when I am at home, it is really demanding for me to maintain a regular training schedule. You know, when you are finally there (in a gym), you are just gonna go for it. At home, there are a lot of distractions everywhere. I have had the best experience when I was going to a gym with my friend.

But you can definitely work out from home. It´s cheaper and can be more convient (you don´t have to go anywhere). In fact, I am trying to work out from home right now.

Basically, if you dont half ass it, I think you can get great benefits from both forms of training. Just figure out balanced work out program for different muscle groups (you can google it).

When I was going to a gym:

It will help me get in better physical shape. - I agree, it definitely did.

It will improve my mental health. - Yes. Will make you feel good. Simple as that :-)

It will make me more productive because I'll have more energy throughout the day. I went after school and pumped hard, so I felt a bit tired afterwards. But there is certain energetic rush nevertheless. 

[Peter-Andre]

@Potato People King Thanks a lot for the tips!

I agree that by going to the gym will make it more of a commitment and will help me take each workout session more seriously. That seems like one of the biggest benefits of going to the gym for me.

I didn't really think that much about the fact that I'd be working out with other people there, and I can definitely see the learning benefits from that because of the feedback I could get from other gym-goers.

Quote

I went after school and pumped hard, so I felt a bit tired afterwards. But there is certain energetic rush nevertheless. 

So, I'm a bit curious about this one. Would you say that working out regularly has given you a higher baseline level of energy in your everyday life when we also factor in the fact that you get tired after your workout sessions? I don't really like the idea of using all my energy on working out and not have any energy left over for other things. Ideally, I'd want to increase the amount of energy I have for everyday things. Maybe I misunderstood you a bit. Could you please clarify this for me?

[Username]

It depends how much time are you willing to invest. When I was living in other city and had nothing to do I was working going to gym. Working out at home is good if you have a lot of space or just want to keep shape.

[Shiva99]

Just buy yourself a good pair of running shoes and startout with a program like couch to 5K or something, running 3 times a week. It's cheap and good.

[Onemanwolfpac]

On 03/07/2020 at 4:02 PM, Peter-Andre said:

Lately I've been thinking about getting in better physical shape, so I've thought about joining the gym, but there are a couple of things holding me back. Firstly, it costs quite a bit of money. Not a whole lot, sure, but still a considerable amount for a poor university student like myself.

The main reasons I'm considering the gym are the following:

• It will help me get in better physical shape.
• It will improve my mental health.
• It will make me more productive because I'll have more energy throughout the day.

I'm totally open to joining the gym if the benefits are so great that they will significantly improve the quality of my life, but can't I instead just work out from home and combine that with running outside? What significant benefits are there to working out at the gym that I couldn't get by working out from home?

Also, just for the record: I probably won't be joining the gym for a few months anyways because of Covid-19, I was considering to do it when things go back to normal.

Gym tons of babes. Tons of equipment. You can go to the home gym route but you need room. If you live in any large city, you likely won't have room. 

Since covid, i bought gymnastic rings. I have a pull up bar and dip station. I have a few dumbbells and kettlebells. I am set till reopened gyms. 

[Peter-Andre]

20 hours ago, Username said:

It depends how much time are you willing to invest. When I was living in other city and had nothing to do I was working going to gym. Working out at home is good if you have a lot of space or just want to keep shape.

I live in a city now, and I could definitely do with some more space where I live, but I have tried various exercises at home, and I seem to have just enough space for things like jumping jacks and walking lounges, although not enough for exercise equipment.

[Peter-Andre]

9 hours ago, Shiva99 said:

Just buy yourself a good pair of running shoes and startout with a program like couch to 5K or something, running 3 times a week. It's cheap and good.

I already have a good pair of running shoes and was actually thinking of pairing that up with other exercises either at home or at the gym. The idea was to use the running to improve my cardio while doing other exercises to build strength.

[universe]

You dont need a gym. Just get some resistance bands and focus on time under tension (TUT).

You'll need some time to figure everything out either way.

Gym will give you the motivation to make a long workout when you are already there. Because there is nothing else to do than to workout. Also trainers and equipment at your disposal. Could also be beneficial to go with a friend.

Workout at home will give you more motivation to start because you dont need to overcome the hassle of getting to the gym. If you dont want to become a bodybuilder you can go a long way with body weight exercises and some resistance bands. You save some minutes of your day if you workout from home.

It doesnt really matter. Just find something and stick to it. I do both.

Edited July 5, 2020 by universe

[Peter-Andre]

@universe Resistance bands. Good idea! I didn't think of that. They won't take up much space.

I think I might just have to try a little bit of both and see what works best. Maybe I'll work out at home for a few months, and then try the gym and compare the two afterwards.

[Michael569]

if you are a bit experienced and can do a decent number of pushups (30+ in one go) and squads, you could look into Athlean X's XERO program. 

It is 100% bodyweight although I have added to it few resistance bands to make it more interesting. Bought it at the beginning of pandemic and definitely improved my functional strength.  The program is challenging but rewarding and you get incredible variety of different cardio & strength workout every week for 6 weeks. And you can retake it as many times as you like No paid add here just think it is an incredible thing. 

However if you are beginner, the programme might not be the best option yet. 

Edited July 6, 2020 by Michael569

[StarStruck]

It depends on your cost and benefit. Here memberships don't cost a lot. For 20 bucks you get full membership. If that is the case for you it is not even worth to think about it. 

[Hello from Russia]

Yes, go for it. Gym is much more efficient than your typical wormoutst at home. You'll get way more results for the time spent

[Peter-Andre]

22 hours ago, Michael569 said:

if you are a bit experienced and can do a decent number of pushups (30+ in one go) and squads, you could look into Athlean X's XERO program.

Not sure if I'm at the right level for it, but I'll look into it. Thanks for the tip!

[Peter-Andre]

@StarStruck It's a little bit more expensive here. The local gym charges about 40 dollars a month, but I guess that's not really too bad either. Having read all the replies here it seems like I will gain more by going to the gym, so I've decided I'll give it a try when the next semester starts.

[Peter-Andre]

@modmyth Unfortunately my faculty is pretty far away from the university campus, so we don't have a school gym nearby, but thanks for the tip nonetheless. I'll have to see if my local gym offers student discounts though.

[Galyna]

@Peter-Andre It depends on your goals. You can make your own one at home, that is my goal in the future, to have a separate room for my own gym. I have elliptical and treadmill. If your goal is a sexy body with abs, gym, for sure! My goal is ideal weight for my body, I do not need a lot of abs. 

[Peter-Andre]

@Galyna I definitely don't have any room for gym equipment at home other than resistance bands and dumbbells, so right now it's either that or the gym. I don't care too much about the aesthetic stuff, that's just a bonus as far as I'm concerned. I care more about the health effects. I want to improve my cardio, build strength and get more energy.

[Carl-Richard]

For me, lifting heavy weights in a proper gym is so much more fun and exciting than doing say 200 reps of push ups in your basement. The adrenaline rush that I get from doing the last rep of deadlifts is the highlight of my entire week: it's such an intense experience, there is nothing quite like it. The feeling of pushing your body to the limit fills such a primal need in the human psyche: you realize that this is what you're really made for. You're also building up a skill, and the feeling of being totally immersed in something you're proficient at is innately nourishing. In my opinion, a gym membership makes lifting 100x more enjoyable. It has become a hobby for me at this point, and it makes going to the gym everything but a chore.

[Galyna]

@Peter-Andre Then can do either