The Benefits of Joining a Gym vs. Working out at Home

Making the decision to exercise is easy. It gets more complicated when you actually have to do it, the biggest question being: Where are you going to exercise? It’s easy to join a gym, of course, but it’s also easy to pay for that membership while never using it.

It’s also easy to set up a home gym and, of course, even easier to find a hundred other things more important than your workout—laundry, playing a game on your phone, cleaning the lint from behind your dryer, etc.

Whichever you decide, you have to actually follow through and part of that is working out in the environment that fits your needs and budget the most.

Pros and Cons of Joining a Gym

Pros

• Variety and options
• Motivation
• Focus
• Energy

Cons

• Cost
• Hassle
• Other people

Pros of Joining a Gym

If these matter most to you, you have your answer.

Options and Amenities

Exercise is so much easier when you have lots of options to choose from. If you’re a cardio machine person, your choices abound: the treadmill, elliptical, stairclimber, stair stepper, stationary bike, rowing machine…it goes on and on. You also have options for lifting weights. You have machines, free weights, cable machines, bands, and more. And then there’s a big attraction, fitness classes. Sure, you can do online classes at home, but it’s not the same as going to the gym and being around people. There may be other things, too, like a pool, hot tub, tennis courts, etc.

Motivation

Paying for a gym membership can be motivating, but there’s also the boost you get from working out around other people. You can pick up on that friendly competitive vibe that you won’t get working out alone.

Focus

There’s not much to do at the gym but exercise (well, there is the hot tub), which can help you stay focused on your workouts. There are no chores staring you in the face, no kids interrupting you, and nothing to tempt you away from your workouts.

Energy and Community

There’s something about being in a gym, sweating along with everyone else, that gives you kind of a boost. We often draw energy from others and it can even push you to work harder. You don’t want that guy next to you running faster than you, right?

Cons of Joining a Gym

Membership has its privileges, but also its drawbacks.

Cost

No matter where you go, you’re going to have to pay something to join a gym. Some high-end clubs can cost more than $100 a month, while smaller clubs may only charge $10. Still, you get what you pay for.

Hassle

Another thing you have to do if you’re going to work out at the gym is to go there. Pack a bag, fill up your water, get dressed (you don’t have to match, but you do need to wear clothing), drive there, park, go to the locker room, etc. So, your workout time may end up being longer, just because of the drive time. 

Other People

Here’s another thing about the gym: it’s full of people. Sweaty, earphone-wearing, breathless exercisers who are all there to do their own thing. Sometimes that leaks over into your world in the form of talking loudly on cell phones, leaving sweat all over the machines, not putting away their weights or choking you with too much cologne or perfume. It’s a gym. It happens.