just wondering: home fitness or going to the gym?

[Mr. Casanova]

Ellow ,

I'm currently doing home fitness exercises (crunches, push-ups, etc) and I'm wondering if I would get more results if I'd go to the gym. What are your experiences?

MC

 

[daniel]

I have been going to the gym for about a month now (yes started in january, but no, won't quit by february ). I love it! I randomly did some of that stuff at home, but never really had enough motivation to keep doing it.. I never got any results at home either... But now I have already gained some weight, and I generally feel much better! I vote hit the gym

 

[Soshyopathe]

It's good to build up a base at home. Learn what muscle failure and soreness is all about. Get a solid foundation of strength and flexibility, then hit the gym. But yes, you will get much better results in a gym. It's incomparable.

 

[PiNkMaGGiT]

I don't go to they gym... I use free weights, do pushups and what-not and various forms of crunches. I do about half an hour every 2nd night and find that I am quite muscular but not bulky, which is what I hate.

 

[Soshyopathe]

People say they don't want to be bulky when they are lazy, and they have no idea what it takes to be too bulky. You won't be Ronny Coleman after a few months of doing real lifting at the gym. You see guys who are juiced and have been lifting for 15 years, and get scared you might look like that, but you have no clue what it takes.

Lift like a man.

 

[JohnnyVegas]

Go to a gym. Start a workout, depending on what you want to do. I absolutely love it.

 

[darkhorse]

Originally posted by Soshyopathe
It's good to build up a base at home. Learn what muscle failure and soreness is all about. Get a solid foundation of strength and flexibility, then hit the gym. But yes, you will get much better results in a gym. It's incomparable.

I was wondering if you could go into some more detail here. I'm just starting out with working out and have been pondering the "home vs. gym question" myself. I'd strongly prefer to workout at home, and was planning on investing in some quality gear (self-spotting bench, good weight set, etc) to do it. When you say that the gym is incomparable, do you mean purely on a physical results basis, or are you taking other factors into consideration as well (social interaction, etc)? If you do mean purely on physical results, why would your development in the gym be better, even if you had decent gear at home?

Thanks.

 

[JohnnyVegas]

Originally posted by darkhorse
I was wondering if you could go into some more detail here. I'm just starting out with working out and have been pondering the "home vs. gym question" myself. I'd strongly prefer to workout at home, and was planning on investing in some quality gear (self-spotting bench, good weight set, etc) to do it. When you say that the gym is incomparable, do you mean purely on a physical results basis, or are you taking other factors into consideration as well (social interaction, etc)? If you do mean purely on physical results, why would your development in the gym be better, even if you had decent gear at home?

Thanks.

There are a few excellent things about going to a gym.

First and foremost, the equipment available to you. The best way to truly work your body is to keep the workout changing and it's not as easy when all you have is your own equipment. A gym provides both machines and free weights to work with, various types of cardio equipment, basically everything you will need to do any type of workout you want to do.

The atmosphere is there, in a sense. You're in the right environment. You are there to workout, you are making a commitment. A home gym is convenient in the sense of it's at home. And a little visual encouragement is almost always in sight, whether or not you ever choose to try and go for any of the ladies.

To me, there is something about paying monthly instead of just making a few purchases. I signed up for a gym one summer and I made sure I went every single week at least twice. Just because I had paid for it. That's the type of person I am though, anything I continually pay is part of my motivation.

Chances are a gym near you has a discounted "trial" membership that isn't too much more than if you signed up for a year, something like a 3-month commitment. I'd suggest trying it out.

 

[LionFox]

Go to the Gym!

First off, it's cheaper in the long run, if you stick with it. You could spend $500 easy getting together all the equipment you need to be serious about getting in shape, where as that would cover two years at a gym.

Two, All the equipment is right there.

Three, the ladies.. the ladies.. growl...

Four, If you are having serious trouble, you cna always pay a few extra dollars a get an hour with a trainer who will tell you what you need to do get on track..

You've gotta to really make an investment... It's too easy to just stop if you are working out at home. With the gym, you either make the time or you don't. And when you make that investment, it makes doing all the lifting better because you've got more determination to stick to it!

 

[Mr. Casanova]

You're all talking 'bout home equipment and stuff... but I ain't got no home equipment: no machines, no weights, nothing. And that's probably why I'm not really seeing the results yet. But when I read your opinions about the gym I think I should really give it a try.

I know some fitness centres in my city, so I'm going to check some out before long. What is important when choosing a gym? What should I look at?

How many times a week should I go to the gym to gain some muscle? I'm now doing home exercises for about one hour a day, 7 days a week and after 3 weeks I'm not seeing many results yet. So I'm wondering how could that be when going to the gym? How many time should I spend on it?

 

[JohnnyVegas]

Originally posted by Mr. Casanova
What is important when choosing a gym? What should I look at?

How many times a week should I go to the gym to gain some muscle? I'm now doing home exercises for about one hour a day, 7 days a week and after 3 weeks I'm not seeing many results yet. So I'm wondering how could that be when going to the gym? How many time should I spend on it?

When choosing a gym, you have to consider location, price, and equipment. Do they have machines for every muscle? How heavy are the heaviest dumbells? Do they have benches for both bench presses and adjustable benches for sitting? Do they have a VARIETY of cardio equipment? Go visit at the normal time you'd be going and see the crowd. If it's too packed you may want to consider elsewhere.

There are concepts behind working out. To put it simply unless you're simply trying to maintain a size, body fat, and look, it's all about maximizing the resistance. Simple pushups, pullups, and running will not get you very far. Why? Because you can't make it more difficult! Your reps need to mean something.

What you need to do is figure out what you want to do in terms of your body. Do you want to burn fat, bulk up, or cut? How quickly do you want to achieve results? You also have to consider supplements and your diet when working out. It's about living a healthy life, not just going to the gym.