In hindsight, choosing to work out, so you can become your best self is the easiest decision you can make. It’s only when you start thinking about exercising and location that you run into a wall. Two of the most common options are working out at home while using some gym equipment or getting a gym membership which isn’t typically that expensive.
Both options have their pros and cons. Working out at home is convenient and doesn’t cost as much. However, you don’t get to access the gym equipment that helps burn off calories and make muscles. Working out at the gym opens up a plethora of equipment to use. You also get the opportunity to work with a professional trainer. However, not all gyms set the same standard and can at times be very expensive.
Which option should you go with? Let’s get into the details and look into the pros and cons of home gym vs gym membership to decide better in favor of one:
Home Gym vs Gym Membership — Pros and Cons
Let’s start by breaking down the gym membership option.
Pros of Gym Membership
There are several general advantages to working out at a gym, the most important being the abundance of equipment and the low cost.
Equipment
The average cost of a pair of heavy-duty dumbbells can go upwards of $4 per pound up to $164 for the heavier loads. The price also depends on what material these dumbbells are made from cast iron, hex rubber-coated, urethane, or adjustable dumbbells.
However, when working out at a gym, you use all the equipment you need without worrying about the thousands of dollars involved. From treadmills to small dumbbells, you get the chance to use all the equipment you want that you wouldn’t even dream of having at home.
Not only does this save you money in the long run, but it also offers a lot of convenience for those who are serious about building their body.
Support
Motivation or lack thereof is one of the biggest problems when it comes to working out. That’s where a gym workout and atmosphere helps in amping you up.
You’re in an energetic atmosphere, other people at different levels are working out and lifting weights, the music is pumping, and the consensus is that every person should exercise as best they can. That’s the sort of support that everyone needs.
Not to mention that when working with weights, there’s always someone nearby to offer some helpful advice, support, or to excite you up when you reach an impressive goal.
You make friends and develop meaningful, positive relationships with like-minded people, and that’s something you can’t have if you work out by your lonesome.
Cons of Gym Membership
A more common con of gym membership is the lack of privacy. While working around other people isn’t typically a problem for most, many are shy about showing their exercise efforts in front of other people.
However, if you think of other factors, that doesn’t even stand as the most significant issue regarding gym memberships.
Lack of Freedom and Privacy
Working out at home gives you a proper sense of freedom. You can grunt, scream, even make faces while working out, and no one will be the wiser. You can’t follow those same rules while working out at a gym.
Gyms are crowded and often can restrict you, whether it comes to your freedom of space or freedom to scream out loud. There have been several instances of people intruding on workout spaces and misbehaving because they didn’t see anything wrong.
For someone who already had a hard time mustering up the courage to work out in a public space, such problems put them off working out altogether at times.
Not to mention that with such a workout space, you get distracted very easily. Loud music, people walking around, the ever-present smell of socks, rubber, and sweat—there’s plenty that takes your attention away from the task at hand.
Location
It doesn’t help when the nearest gym is five miles away, and you don’t have a car!
While a gym can be helpful for your fitness journey, not having ready access to it hinders your growth in many ways. Some days, you think it’s not worth going to the gym because it’s so far. But afterward, you feel guilty for not going, and that makes the situation even worse.
What’s more, you end up not going at all, and that drains your account. Sixty-three percent of memberships go unused overall. And 82 percent of gym members go once a week if they need to. Within the first six months, 22 percent stop going to the gym altogether. Aside from lack of motivation, lack of access pushes many of us to stop going to the gym altogether.
Hygiene
It’s no secret that while gym owners try to keep their gyms as clean as possible, that’s not always the case.
For the most part, gyms do remain clean. But if we knew how many people sweated on those dumbbells or machines and how many grimy, unwashed hands touched the doorknobs, you won’t enter the gym’s vicinity even if your life depended on it.
Numerous studies and researches show that gym equipment harbors more germs and bacteria than any other tool we use. For example, free weights have 362 times as much bacteria as a toilet seat. (Yuk!)
Pros of Working Out at Home
Working out at home is probably an ideal situation for anyone who wants to exercise by their lonesome without being disturbed. But there’s so much more than working out at home offers. During the course of figuring out home gym vs gym membership pros and cons there are advantages that are only possible with a home gym, which you can find underneath.
Complete Privacy
Whereas working out at the gym isn’t always problematic, you’re somehow always aware of the people around you. So, you can’t behave as you normally would.
Working out at home allows you to do as you want in your sanctuary. There’s no waiting time, no lines, no loose gut, or angry faces to hide. If you’re shuffling around while doing the Zumba, there’s no reason to feel embarrassed because no one can see you.
There’s less confusion, and you can always rewind a workout video if you can’t understand the instructions the first time around.
Less Expensive and Accessible
What makes working out at home even better is the complete availability of time, space, and equipment.
If you’ve invested in gym equipment and have a big home gym to support your workout goals, you’ll have no problem getting those washboard abs because your gym will be open 24/7.
Working out at all hours of the day will also open up your schedule and save you money in the long run because you’ll have no membership fees to pay.
Some people argue that saving money on membership fees isn’t worth it because you’ll spend money on the equipment. However, that sum will be an investment in your future. You’ll be able to use those dumbbells and other equipment any time you want, for as many years as you want.
Considering the benefits, it’s worth having gym equipment at home.
Cons of Working Out at Home
Only find one con which is listed below:
Lack of Motivation
It can be very demotivating to work out at home, especially if you spend most of your time at home anyway. Finding someone to work out with or having a support system benefits us all. It’s not only about working out in a different atmosphere.
Doing such activity among people gives you a change of scenery and puts you out of the daily rut you’re in.
Yet, if you’d instead work out at home, one thing you can do is participate in live classes to gain that feeling of being amongst people.
Looking Back
While both options do have their list of pros and cons, working out at home wins on all accounts.
Working out at home is most cost-effective. And even if you think about investing in a home gym setup, the cost still won’t be as much as the cost of the years of monthly gym fees put together. The annual cost of a gym membership is $507 for the first year and $479 in the years after.
This may not seem as much, but put together everything that goes into not going to the gym (feeling guilty, feeling terrible about your missed classes, etc.), you lose a lot more than just money.
Conclusion
If you have a gym close enough that’s exclusive, offers individual training spaces, and focuses on hygiene and customer satisfaction, go for it.
Otherwise, give working out at home a chance. You’ll be surprised by how much your health and lifestyle will change when you start working out, even for 30 minutes each day, at home!
Consider the pros and cons of home gym vs gym membership wisely and then figure out your requirement to see which suits best to your needs.