Workouts At Home VS. The Gym: Which Is Better?
Getting fit and healthy is now on everyone’s agenda these days. But is it better to workout at home or at the gym? Some people love hitting the gym while others prefer staying in the comfort of their own home. If you’re not sure which is better, check out our pros and cons for each down below!
1. You can work out in the comfort of your own home
Doing workouts at home mean you don’t have to even leave your house. There’s no need to get in the car to go to the gym if you’re feeling a bit lazy. There are plenty of YouTube video workout videos that you can easily follow whether you’re a beginner or a gym bunny. There are so many workout videos to match exactly what you are looking for whether you want a cardio workout, exercises to work on your abs or yoga exercises! If you prefer doing simple stretches on a yoga mat, you can choose your own song playlist to do exercises to rather than having to listen to whatever is playing on at the gym!
2. You can have access to gym equipment
Working out at the gym definitely has its perks: you can have access to gym equipment. Without having to fork out more money for dumbbells or a treadmill which you probably don’t have room for in your house, you can use all the gym equipment you want in the gym. Not only do you have access to gym equipment, but chances are they also put on different exercise classes you can sign up for! Going to the gym means you get a more all-rounded workout which you don’t have the ability to do at home. You could sign up for swimming classes or spin classes or maybe badminton is more your thing? Whatever it is, it’s also a chance for you to meet new people and socialize at the same time. It’s a lot more interactive than doing workouts at home as that can be a bit isolating.
3. No gym membership when you work out at home
Staying at home to do workouts not only means you can work out in the comfort of your own home but it also means you get to save money on having to pay for a gym membership. You can save money on petrol to drive to the gym and you won’t even need to pay for a gym membership either! After all, all the money that goes towards a gym membership could go towards equipment you can use at home or for something you’ve been saving up for a long time.
4. No pressure from other people if you work out at home
Being surrounded by fitness gods and goddesses in the gym can seem intimidating which might make you feel self-conscious about your body or gym clothes or feel pressure from others when using gym equipment. Workouts at home will mean you can work out to your heart’s content without the pressure of other people watching or judging you. If you’re especially conscious about how much you sweat (or your body odor), these are things you definitely don’t need to worry about if you work out at home.
5. Being surrounded by others can help motivate you
Following from my previous point, working out at the gym can actually do the opposite. Instead of the gym being a daunting and intimidating space for you to do workouts, it can help motivate you and have a positive influence on you. If you see someone having lean abs, this can motivate you to work even harder at the gym and it gives you a goal to work towards and achieve!
6. You can have a personal trainer at the gym
Lacking motivation or just generally feeling lazy when it comes to workouts? You can have benefited from having a personal trainer with you at the gym to motivate you and really push you when it comes to your workouts! It might be an extra cost to you but it’s so worth it if you need someone to constantly motivate you and help you see results.Â
7. Working out at home means fewer germs
As so many people work out at the gym and use different equipment, there’ll be a higher risk of germs around when you use the equipment after someone else. With working out at home, you won’t need to worry about any germs or picking up viruses from others. While the gym staff might give the equipment a wipe down, using sweaty equipment after others probably put you off from wanting to work out at the gym.
8. No queues or crowds
Working out at home means that you don’t have to wait to use certain gym equipment. If you have an intense workout schedule that you like to follow, this can mean that you could end up waiting a long time. By waiting to use the gym equipment when it gets really busy in the gym, this could mean that you’re spending more time waiting to use the gym equipment than you are actually working out. By working out at home, you have full access to your own equipment without having to queue up to use it.
9. The atmosphere of being in a gym
Exercising at home can be quite isolated as mentioned earlier in this article. A reason why many people go to the gym is because of the atmosphere – everyone that goes to the gym goes there for mainly one reason: to exercise and work out. It will help you stay focused and get you feeling pumped up to work out. Being in the environment will be uplifting and you can get tips and advice from others.
10. Distractions at home
Another reason why doing workouts at the gym is better than doing workouts at home is that you’ll be less distracted! Following from the previous point about the atmosphere of being in a gym which will help you focus on your workout, working out at home can result in your being easily distracted by other things. Halfway through your workout at home, you might get bored and end up watching that TV show you’ve been waiting to catch up on. Or maybe you got distracted by the messages on your phone and you ended up abandoning your workout?