Making Decisions About Home Care

Why Joining A Gym Is Often Better Than Building A Home Gym

by Mae Ferguson

If you want to stay fit, then there are two basic pathways you can take. You could build a gym in your own home, or you could join a local gym. While some people do like home gyms, building one is not always as smart an option as it might seem. There are a lot of benefits associated with joining a gym instead.

1. You don't have to pay a high up-front cost.

Building a home gym costs more than you might think. Between treadmills, weight sets, mats, and other necessities, you can easily spend $10,000 or more. If you don't have that sort of cash on hand and do not want to take out a loan, joining a gym is much more affordable. While the costs of membership vary widely between gyms, there are plenty of gyms that charge $50 or less for monthly membership.

2. You'll have access to in-person classes.

While you can work out to fitness videos in your home gym, the whole experience is a bit impersonal. There's also a lot of temptation to just quit partway through and turn the video off; nobody will know! At a gym, you can instead participate in in-person classes, which can give you more motivation to keep going and push yourself. You can learn a lot from these classes, too.

3. You'll be surrounded by other motivated, fit people while working out.

Seeing others working out around you can give you the motivation you need to keep pushing and keep trying at the gym. You can even meet a friend at the gym, which will further help ensure that you actually show up. If you're looking to make some new friends, the gym can be a great place to do that, too. You won't meet new friends at your own home gym.

4. You'll have access to a wider variety of equipment.

Unless you have a huge budget and an equally huge room, you won't be able to build nearly as extensive a collection of gym equipment in your own home as what you would find at a gym. While you might use most of the same machines most days, it's still nice to have access to different machines and equipment so you can switch things up now and then.

Joining a gym is often a better choice than building a gym at home. Visit some gyms in your area to see exactly what a gym membership includes. 

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