Everyone knows how imperative exercise is to overall health. The American Heart Association says that we should do our best to get at least 20 minutes of exercise a day. For many athletes, regardless of their gym goals, whether they be overall fitness, weight loss, or muscle gains, working out at home is much better than going to the gym.
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Reason 1: It’s Cheaper
One of the biggest reasons for working out at home is better than going to a gym is money. Working out at home can easily be much cheaper. Gyms cost anywhere from $30 – $60 per month, which adds up very quickly to what could be close to a thousand dollars per year.
Add the cost of gas from driving to and from your gym, and the expense becomes very real. And with that expense, you won’t always be able to get to the gym. Snowstorms, power outages, road closing, and a myriad of other random occurrences can prevent you from getting there.
To work out at home, all you really need is a pair of dumbbells. There are certainly other additions to a home gym, like a bench or a power rack, but you can get full-body workouts with a set of dumbbells and a bench. You can check out Dumbbellsreview.com for a complete set of dumbbell exercises for the whole body.
And for that, you’re paying under $400. It is a high up-front expense, but it will end up saving you a lot in the long run.
If you have any plans to lift for an extended period of time, at least more than a year, paying for dumbbells and a bench becomes much more worth it than buying a gym membership.
Reason 2: It’s Easier
I briefly mentioned earlier about snowstorms and road closings, but it does beg to mention again. Working out a place that you have to travel to get to create the potential for travel difficulties, which, talking from personal experience, can be extremely frustrating.
By setting up a home gym, however bare-bones the gym is, you are taking total control of your urge to exercise. It is a freeing feeling not to have to rely on other things going right for you to get your lift in.
Yes, most of the time, gyms will be accessible, but for when they’re not, home gyms are just easier. Plus, home gyms eliminate that travel time, which can easily add up.
Even if your gym is a 5-minute drive from your house, and you go to the gym 5 days a week, that’s almost an hour driving per week, which quickly adds up to 43 hours a year, which is almost 2 full days, just in the car. You end up saving a lot of time working out at home.
Reason 3: You Don’t Have to Deal with “Those” Guys
One of the biggest issues people have with gyms is “those” guys, and if you have ever been to a gym, you know who I am talking about. The muscle heads, the ones who bench 400 pounds and curl with 100-pound dumbbells, the grunters, the ones with their tank tops cut all down the sides. For a lot of athletes, it’s not comfortable to work out around these kinds of gym-goers.
Especially if you’re new to working out, your lighter weights and inexperience in comparison to ‘those’ guys, will often result in your confidence taking a big hit, something that should never happen when you’re at the gym.
Working out at home eliminates those guys from the picture, and allows your confidence to soar, while also allowing you to focus on yourself and your own workout.
Reason 4: There’s Never a Wait for Equipment
Probably the second biggest issue people have with gyms is the crowds. A crowded gym can severely hinder your own workout routine. I know I’ve had to reorder my routines because some people like to sit on the benches and scroll through their phones. And if they’re doing that, I can’t bench.
Other times, machines are in use when you want them, or sometimes, you won’t even be able to get to the dumbbell rack because there are just too many people there.
Working out at home means you are the only customer. Gone are the lines of people and the silent frustration as you have to reorder your routines. This is one of the biggest upsides to a home gym.
Reason 5: Gyms are Gross
Think about it — a place where a large and consistent amount of people go to sweat. The mats at gyms are liberally soaked with sweat.
Dumbbells and barbells, machines, even the handles of the ellipticals; everything is sweaty, and everything has been touched by a ton of people. You don’t have to be a germaphobe to recognize that that kind of environment is just a little nasty.
Working out at home means the germs you’re dealing with are your own, plus, you’ll know how clean the gym is because you’ll be the one cleaning it.
There are truly plenty of reasons to avoid a gym at all costs. But, like with most things, it comes down to personal preference.
Home gyms don’t work for everyone, because for some people, it’s a little harder to find the motivation to work out when you’re at home. It is doable, however, if you have the willpower, and you’ll end up saving a lot of time and money, while also getting better workouts in.
