Go to the gym - or - workout at home

[moneymatters]

For those of you who are fitness minded out there - here' s a question for you. Do you go to a gym to workout, or do you workout at home? If you workout at home, what type of excercise do you do?

I workout at home, and I've found it to be preferrable for a number of reasons, but I know some people prefer going to a club for social aspects, motivation reasons, etc.

I have a blog post today about why i prefer working out at home, but I'm also interested in your input as to what you do, and why.

[jkuo13]

I usually workout at the gym, and occasionally at home. We live in a pretty small apartment, so buying exercise equipment is usually out of the question. Plus, I teach at the YMCA so my membership is there free.

I agree with most of the points in your blog. I will say though that working out at home isn't necessarily more flexible than working out in a gym. If you're creative, you can have a very varied exercise regimen at the gym. Just don't stick to a boring circuit on the machines like every else. Plus, the gym usually has more and better equipment than you can feasibly have at home, and often has classes. A quality live instructor (assuming the gym has good instructors anyhow) is usually better than a video. I've seen people do all sorts of weird things while exercising, and I can't help but think that they need some guidance and live feedback before they injure themselves.

[hermione]

When we lived in an apartment building that had a gym, I preferred to use the gym because it had cable TV and I'd schedule my workouts to coincide with Friends. Now that we live in a house we work out at home. We have a small treadmill that we got for $200 back in 2003 and a stationary bike that we got for $100 a few years ago - both from Walmart. Right now we're just using the stationary bike when we watch movies. We'll set up the treadmill too when we're done with some work on the house.

[gt0163c]

I am very definitely a fan of working out at the gym, especially at my gym.

My employer reimburses my gym membership fees up to a certain amount. That amount completely covers a membership at the fitness center affiliated with my employer. They just started doing that last year and I think it's a great thing. So, effectively, I have access to a full gym with a wide range of equipment and classes at no cost to me (well, except the interest that I lose by having the gym membership deducted from my paycheck weekly and getting reimbursed at the end of the year).

While the gym is not on-site at my work, it is on one of the more convenient routes between my home and work, so it's easy for me to go on my way home or on my way to work if my schedule works out better that way.

I really like that my gym is full of all kinds of people of all ages, shapes, sizes, abilities and fitness levels. It really doesn't have the meat market or intimidating body building type atmosphere that a lot of fitness centers do. The staff is aware of that situations at other facilities and works hard to make sure that continues to be the case. Also, since this isn't a chain of facilities, there's no hard sells for extra products, services or anything else. Personal training, nutrion consultations, massages and such are available and advertised. But it's not "in your face" in any way. All members get three sessions with a personal trainer free each year. So, you can get a personal work-out set-up for you at no extra cost. The trainers are also friendly and make it a point to get to know the people who work out there, especially the regulars. They ask our opinions about things, correct incorrect form, are always available for questions and advice (and sometimes give it unsolicited, but only if they know you're okay with that). And, they've become my friends. So, lots of great stuff about my specific gym. In fact, most of the things that other gyms get wrong, the things that so many people complain about, my gym strives to and almost always is successful at getting it right.

That said, I've done some home workouts, mostly while traveling and I still prefer gym workouts. I like having the flexibility of using a variety of machines and other equipment without having to purchase everything myself. I like being able to go to a couple of different classes and interact with people who have become my friends during those. And I like the community atmosphere that develops when the same people are at the same place at the same time regularly.

[moneymatters]

I completely understand how people might want to join a gym because of space limitations, reimbursements, and for other reasons. I also agree that you probably are going to have more options as far as equipment and classes at a gym. For me personally - I don't take classes, and I usually end up using weight equipment that can be pretty much replaced by dumbbells and other simple aerobic excercises.

[lucille]

If I had a spare $30,000 to put in a super heated swimming pool and a hot tub at home I would cancel my gym membership in a heartbeat! Until I win the lottery I'm stuck going to the gym to use those two things. Some of the classes are beneficial because I learn new things, they have tai-chi and yoga.

I find the social aspect a turn off. I hate trying to find a open locker, getting shoved out of the way by oversized people who have no concept of personal space and various other minor inconveniences that come with going to a facility. It does force me to get outside my normal routine and circle of people though.

[triathing]

I'd like to cancel my gym membership too, except for the swimming pool. There just aren't a lot of swimming options in Vermont this time of year. I can save money by withdrawing money from a health flexible spending account (FSA) and using that to pay for the gym membership, though.

The FSA money is a pre-tax deduction, and once I give them a prescription for a gym membership and a receipt, I get the money back. Hint: Most family doctors are only too happy to write up a prescription for a gym membership. My prescription is generally for tendonitis treatment, which can cover a wide range of nonspecific problems.

[lucille]

Originally Posted by triathing

I'd like to cancel my gym membership too, except for the swimming pool. There just aren't a lot of swimming options in Vermont this time of year. I can save money by withdrawing money from a health flexible spending account (FSA) and using that to pay for the gym membership, though.

The FSA money is a pre-tax deduction, and once I give them a prescription for a gym membership and a receipt, I get the money back. Hint: Most family doctors are only too happy to write up a prescription for a gym membership. My prescription is generally for tendonitis treatment, which can cover a wide range of nonspecific problems.

That is a great idea. I would have never thought of doing that.

[1littlething]

I work out at home simply because there are no gyms near me that I can afford. Howevr I would rather go to a gym. I would like the acess to btter equipment and be able to take some classes, such as yoga.

[khorrell]

I belong to a gym and enjoy the class variety, swimming pool and steam room. I also walk outside, and like to do Hula and Tahitian videos at home.

I would love to find a cheaper way to belong to the gym though!