Where to Work Out

If you are still pondering how to get started with your strength training, you may be considering the best place to work out. Do you buy equipment and set it up in your home or join a gym? Here are some considerations.

If you are intimidated by the gym, you may want to opt to work out in the privacy of your home. The advantages to this include the following:

• No grunting, sweating guys (or gals) to contend with
• No excuses for not being able to get to the gym
• No commute time to and from the gym
• After the initial investment in equipment, no contracts or monthly membership fees

Conversely, there are many advantages to joining a gym:

• Motivation from being around others working out hard
• Separation of your home activities and training (Will you feel guilty about the equipment in your basement when you're not using it?)
• No space needed at home for workout equipment
  
• Variety in the equipment, which allows variety in your workout

This last point is the overriding criterion for me. No matter what you do, if you do it the same way, over and over, week after week, year after year, it's gets boring. If the variety will help you stick with your training, it's worth a lot of money. For example, I can do three entirely different kinds of workouts using machines, free weights or the cable pulley machine. I can also mix up all three any way I wish. This allows me to make every workout different. Also, by using different pieces of equipment, I work my muscles slightly differently. When you do the same exercises all the time, your muscles get accustomed to it and the improvement slows or stops. You have to mix it up to keep seeing results. I happen to belong to a gym, Planet Fitness, with a low annual membership, no contract and a $10 per month fee. My costs are minimal. It has everything I need in terms of equipment. You can't beat a bargain like that. Someday I hope to have my own, well-equipped home gym. I'll use it when the weather is bad or I just can't make it to the gym. However, I'll still keep my gym membership to give me the variety I need. Now that's the perfect solution to the question of where to work out.