Should I get a gym membership or workout at home

Posted by: Patrick

I want to start working out and gain some muscle to my skinny frame. I was wondering what i should do? I really like to idea of working out at home because it would make things much easier for me and less intimidating. Plus, the gym is kinda far so home would be much better. What should i go with free weights or a bowflex( i say this because i found one for 400 in the paper). I am age 17 and would like to put on some strength. thanks

Re: Should I get a gym membership or workout at home

Posted by: Susan

I have a bowflex and LOVE it (if I had to live in one room I would get rid of my couch and keep my bowflex). I think a bowflex is easier for a beginner to use because it comes with a workout book (if the used one doesn't have it, you can get it off the bowflex web site - I bought mine used, too!)and I think it promotes good form, In my experience, many beginners just don't know how to use free weights correctly and end up hurting themselves or just having inefficient workouts. Plus, the great thing about working out at home is that you can do it whenever you choose, and if your gym is far from home, you could do twice the workout for the same amount of time! You might also consider joining some sort of class for the social factor. Even though I have a treadmill and a bowflex at home, I take step aerobic, spinning and ballet classes at a gym for the social factor and to keep things interesting. A lot of people have home fitness equipment they don't use and a lot of people have gym memberships they never use, so obviously your personal motivation is the number one factor! Good luck, and stick with it!

Re: Should I get a gym membership or workout at home

Posted by: Chris

Personally, I like the gym. I've found I don't stick to it as well when I work out at home. Watching other people in the gym pushes me when I work out. The guys/girls who are loafing push me because I don't want to be like them. The super intense people push me to be more intense. The people who are trying to impress people with trying to lift heavy weights with poor form provide hours of cheap entertainment. And I've made a few good friends from it.

Re: Should I get a gym membership or workout at home

Posted by: David

I've worked out at gyms and at home. I prefer the overall convenience of home. Now, we all know if you are serious about getting fit through weight training then you must squat. But how do you do that at home without putting your life or furniture at risk? Get The Shrug Bar. It is the centerpiece of my equipment and can be stored in a large closet or under a bed.

The movement you do with the bar is somewhere between a squat and a deadlift but safer than either since you stand "inside" the bar and lift it no higher than mid-thigh, as opposed to having it on your shoulders. A spotter is not necessary.

I also do shrugs with it and semi-bent-over rows. The rest of my lifts are done with Olympic dumbbells.

Re: Should I get a gym membership or workout at home

Posted by: Jim

For me, I prefer working out at home. I cannot imagine working out at a gym for myself. I am a very self-motivated person, and there has never been a day where i was like, "uh, i don't want to work out". Because I LOVE IT! its my favorite hobby in the world! I have worked out at home all my life. I am a person that likes to be alone, and I don't like when people watch me work out. I have my dumbells, my treadmill, boxing bag, exercise videos, etc. I also have a trail down the street from me at a park that is a half mile around every time. So it's easy for me to go running a lot.

But if you are a person that likes to be around other people, or if you are a person that needs motivation, I highly recommend a gym. Or if you can't afford the equipment for home it would be better for you to join a gym.

Re: Should I get a gym membership or workout at home

Posted by: EJ

For me a gym makes no sense at all. I've been working out at home for all my life. There sre so many advantages I probably won't list them all here but a few are:

Less distractions
Less expensive
Do it when it suits you
No waiting for equipment
No driving to/from

Gyms are great I guess if you "need" help or want to socialize. I tried a free pass I had at one this year and felt out of place and lost there.

AS far as free weights or a Bowflex, I have free weights and a Soloflex...I don't think either machine can replace free weights, just compliment them.

Good luck

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