I used to be a member in a local small fitness gym and noticed that the problems mostly stem from the fact that you workout with other people. In other words, it's usually the crowd that comes with the gym.
Let's face it. The differences in training styles, preferences, beliefs and attitudes simply get in the way. And the more gym members you're not friends with, the more difficult it is to overcome these challenges. So the lesser the crowd, the better for you.
Here then are my top 10 reasons for working out or setting up your own gym at home:
- You can wear anything you like.
Some guys wear sweat pants. Others like to wear gym shorts. But typically, everybody's wearing a shirt or tank top. When sweating heavily, I'd rather go shirtless on many weight training exercises and so I don't have to worry about getting stares from others or house rules.
- No unpleasant smells and the scent is your own.
Guys sweat in the gym and you'd rather not have somebody's bad case of body odor wafting towards you. Some folks may not have heard of deodorants. I use a homemade deodorant that works pretty well.
Also, if I have sore muscles, I like massaging them in between sets and putting on some liniment. The smell of liniment may offend others but if you're working out alone, there's no problem.
- You can listen to your preferred radio station or music.
Well, you can do that too in a commercial gym but you would have to use earphones which can be a hassle when working out and sweating heavily.
For cardio, I'd rather have my own mp3 compilation of heart-pumping dance music, but when doing weights, I'd listen to the local talk radio station.
- No unnecessary distractions.
There's nobody who's grunting loudly or yelling in the gym other than yourself. There's nobody dropping dumbbells and barbells and banging plates and gym equipment every now and then. There's nobody posing and flexing in front of the mirrors after every rep.
- No interruptions.
There's nobody approaching you for some chit-chat, ask for a spot or ask permission to use equipment. There's no personnel telling you how to use equipment, remind you of the gym rules, or worse, badger you regarding your membership renewal fees.
- You can be safe as you want.
That means no member leaving weight plates, towels or gym bags anywhere for you to trip on. Also, no gym members who forget to safely set (or reset) exercise equipment for the next user.
Heck, at a home gym you could even design and build our own fitness equipment that's customized for you.
- There's no waiting for equipment.
You can use your own equipment anytime you need it. At a commercial gym you sometimes have to contend with a musclehead at the gym hogging gym equipment. The long wait makes you to lose your momentum and disrupts your schedule.
- No gym membership fees and incidental expenses.
The first one's obvious. The second means not having to commute and spend for gas or parking fees just to avail of the gym.
- No wasted time and effort.
Since there's no commute, there's no travel time. There's no need to prepare and dress up to go to the gym. There's no rushing to shower in the gym on the way out either.
And, the top reason for working out at home is...
- The gym is always open - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week !
Whether your gym is in the garage or in a bedroom, it's really up to you when to workout. There's no rush to the gym before it closes and no worries because the manager didn't report for work.
Go ahead, post your comment below!
unfortunately there's no eye candy when you workout at home...
True. But ultimately, you need to focus on what's at hand - and that's the workout.
Thanks for the list, Blackdove. There's some pretty valid reasons bringing the message home.
Also, to add another point along to what Anonymous commented on, when you workout from home: there's no eucalyptus-infused sauna for relaxing the mind and body. That's what a local gym is touting as a reward for enrolling. Bummer!