“I don’t have time to get to the gym today, I’ll just do my workout at home.” – Every Busy Person

I’m 100% at fault of saying the above statement. More than once. Every single time my day is not going according to plan, the one thing that I can give up is a 1.5-hour workout. It’s the easiest and most convenient part of my day to give up and I justify it by reminding myself of all the other things that I can be doing. Also, I always say “I have equipment at home, I’ll just do a short workout when I am done with all my stuff.” Usually, I don’t. Once in a while, I do and it’s a garbage workout.

 

How many of you fall into this trap? How many of you make this statement 330/365 days out of the year before you decide that you need to hire a personal trainer to get you back on track? Believe me, this is a very easy trap to fall into. Let’s talk about whether or not the gym or home is more conducive to a great workout.

 

Working Out At The Gym

Pros: When you decide to complete your workout at the gym you will likely have a better workout. This is not true 100% of the time (sometimes you just have a bad lift day) but for the most part, you will get in a better workout away from your home. At a gym, you will have access to a wider variety of weights, equipment, etc. than at your home. Typically you are more motivated (and less distracted) while you are at the gym. The only thing to do while you are there is to get your fitness on.

 

Being in an active environment around other individuals that are pushing themselves is better for overall exertion levels. This means that you’re probably pushing yourself more at the gym. More effort = better results. This isn’t just my opinion. There are a lot of different research articles that look at the difference between an at home and a gym workout. One specifically states that SUPERVISED (like by a personal trainer or physical therapist, etc.) exercise is “important for cardiometabolic improvements.” You can read the full article HERE.

 

Cons: Cost: this is probably the hardest thing to wrap your head around. Home is free, the gym costs money. Sometimes a lot of money. Now, let’s talk about the crowds. We all know that there are times of the day, and months of the year, that the gym is packed. It’s first come first serve, so if you don’t get there early it’s tough to get the equipment or the weights that you want. Also, sometimes people are the worst part of the gym. WOAH, hear me out…have you ever looked over and seen all of the weight room benches be taken up by people chatting, or taking selfies? How about the cardio machines. Have you ever felt judged by the “fit” group of people? We’ve all been there.

 

Working Out At Home

Pros: A home workout is sometimes a better option than no workout at all. Especially when the gym is overcrowded, life gets in the way, your personal trainer cancels on you, etc. Many people that are new to working out feel more comfortable in a setting where they will not feel judged for their lack of knowledge or their (what they deem) unacceptable weight. It’s more convenient to work out at home. Heck, it’s where you live. Not to mention that it is cheaper overall than getting yourself a gym membership.

 

Some people (I am not one of these people) are incredibly motivated people that can put 100% of their energy into a home workout. When you have 40 minutes and have the motivation to put 100% of your energy into a home workout, you will make improvements. Also, you can vary your workout because you have YouTube and social media to look at and find new exercises that utilize the equipment you have at home, or your own body weight.

 

Cons: If you’re at home you likely do not have outside motivation; gym-buddy, personal trainer, other individuals, etc. to push you to get you through those tough reps. You also will likely have much less equipment (ie. weights, machines, bands, ropes, sleds, etc.) to choose from. Also, if you are like me, you will get distracted easily by the TV, your dogs, the kids, laundry, etc. and will 1/2 as* your workout.

 

At Kerley’s Fitness, we really try to make our environment like your home away from home. We don’t judge, we don’t accept judgemental talk from our members, our gym is always clean and inviting, and we have created a fantastic community of members and personal trainers. So whether you just want a 2-3x per week personal trainer, a 5 day a week location to work out on your own, small group fitness classes, or a 1x a month drop in, we’re here for you! We just want to make sure that you can hit those fitness goals that you have set for yourself and if that means home workouts are your thing, good for you! But…if you are like a lot of other people (myself included) and you need motivation and an environment free of outside distractions, Kerley’s Fitness is a great fitness facility to join.

 

Let us know if you have any questions!