11 September 2023

Exercising at Home vs. Exercising at the Gym

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Home Gyms and Fitness Centres

The idea of exercising is both thrilling and daunting at the same time, we all know that! Unless you’re a complete expert already, stay here and read on! Becoming the epitome of health is a great motivator but the reality of the hard work needed to get to that point can be off-putting. Who has the time to dedicate one hour a day to go to the gym? Not many of us! We start off with the best intentions, promising ourselves we will go three times a week, but then that gets to two, one then all of a sudden it’s too much and you don’t had the motivation to continue anymore.

A lot of us choose to go for a walk or out for a bike ride for a little exercise. But living here in the UK, the weather can soon stop you from going out!

An alternative to trying to find the time to go to a gym, is finding space in your home to create a gym, but if you’re honest with yourself, do you really have space in your house to dedicate a whole room to your exercise equipment? You could buy one of our Log Cabins or Summerhouses and convert that into a gym at the end of your garden but, if you are working to a budget, this might not really a viable option for you as it can take you over your limit.

Ever notice, after a long 8+ hour day at work, you really feel tense, especially in places like your shoulders, neck, eyes and face. Stress can lead to many things but one of the most common one, is headaches. We all hate the feeling of headaches, who doesn’t! But did you know, just by working out for 30 minutes a day, can reduce all of these symptoms, but of course you must drink water when exercising or it can bring these all back!

So, what is better for you, working out at home or at the gym? We took the time to figure out the advantages and disadvantages of both:
Advantages of a Gym

Yes, we all know exercise is the best way when it comes losing weight, yes it may provide health benefits like toning your physique, slimming your waistline, and adding years to your life. But did you know, 77% of people in the UK exercise to boost their sense of well-being. This can be things like reducing risk of depression, anxiety and even ADHD. It also improves your memory, sleep, and relieves stress what can all boost your overall mood.
Inspiration: When working out at a gym, the atmosphere can be a great motivator for you not to slack. You are surrounded by people working up a sweat which inspires you to give it your all every time.
Convenience: By working out at the gym, and not at home, you’ll probably have everything you need close to hand. Not just things like towels (that you don’t have to wash and dry after) but protein shakes, tanning rooms, hot tubs, saunas and things that you may feel helps rejuvenate you after a particularly grueling workout.
Varying weights: As you become more and more advanced in your workout, you may have to change your equipment for better results. The gym has all the weights and equipment close at hand, so you don’t have to wait around for the delivery of your new weights to progress in your workout.

Disadvantages of a Gym

Sweat: It can be annoying to find little pools of sweat where the person who worked out before you have pushed it extra hard. You can wipe it down but, once you’ve seen it, it can be quite off-putting.
Distance: You work very hard during the day and, on top of an 8+ hour day, you have to fit in running a home, looking after the children and having a social life! So, it’s not always feasible to travel miles to go to the gym. It can result in you finding it as an excuse not to go.
Timekeeping: Along with the distance you also have to find time to work out which, if your gym is like mine, can mean a lot of waiting around. Unfortunately, most people are busy during the day so opt to work out at night creating crowded gyms that have queues waiting for the machines after 5 pm. As most workout plans require very little resting time, it can be frustrating when you can’t get to the machine you need in time.
Vanity: It’s impossible to look glamorous when working out but, somehow, there is always someone who manages it. Even more frustratingly, they nearly always choose the machine next to you. Working out in the gym often means worrying about how you look when working out. That can lead to you spending large amounts of money on the ‘proper’ gym clothes (lycra anyone?!?).

Key Advantages of a Home Gym

Your workout, your way: Having your own gym at home lets you create an atmosphere that helps you remain inspired while working out. Furthermore, you can cut your workout time in half as you have no queues for machines, no distractions from socialising and no need to keep checking yourself all through your workout. You can enter your gym in your comfiest clothes, hair scraped back and curse as much as you want when the work out gets too intense (I have been known to swear and drop the weight in the gym, people do look at you fearfully).
Simple workout, best results: It is very easy to get overwhelmed at all the machines in a gym that you forget the basics when it comes to working out: Weights, even Body Weight.
No time restraints: We know you are busy. When the gym closes at 8 pm, you often struggle to find the time to fit it in a workout. By having a home gym, you can work out whenever you want and for how long you want. There are no set closing time, no bank holiday closing and no renovations that can throw off your workout schedule.
No hidden costs: By working out at home instead of in a gym you can save yourself money on sign up fees, rising membership fees, cost of petrol and any additional costs that may come up.

Disadvantages of a home gym

Cost: The initial investment it takes to purchase the gym equipment you want can be deemed quite steep. However, divided over monthly payments, gym memberships can easily add up to £400+ a year. And that’s not including the costs of petrol, workout clothes or parking.
Lack of support /knowledge: When you first start working out at home you may not have a lot of knowledge when it comes to which is the best exercise. This can lead to you working out and not getting enough the results you want and losing your motivation. Working out at a gym eliminates the need for hours spent researching the best workouts for results as there are often bodybuilders or personal trainers on the premises that will help you learn about the machines.

As you can see there are far more disadvantages to working out at a gym than there are exercising at home. Furthermore, the 2 disadvantages from working at home are easily rectified making it the clear winner.

If you are interested in creating and owning your own ‘home gym’, check out our log cabins and summer houses and fine the one that suits your needs!