Gym or Exercise at Home?

I (almost) never recommend that people buy exercise equipment? Ever.

Why?

It is rarely a good investment to buy home exercise equipment.

Let me tell you about a client I had a few years ago. He was walking on the treadmill and decided he should have a treadmill exactly like the gym version at home too.

I told him not to bother for a few reasons. First, he didn’t need a commercial treadmill to walk for 20 minutes a day. Second, he would probably never use it. Third, he didn’t need to do more of the same exercise he did at the gym and he went to the gym daily.

Commercial equipment, like treadmills, are expensive, between $4,000-10,000 because they are built to take a lot of use. They are designed to be used at least 5 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a load limit of up to 400 pounds and with high quality, low maintenance electronics. Not really necessary for home use.

So what happened? My client bought a treadmill.

A few weeks later I asked him how he liked it. He laughed and said,

“This is the most expensive tie rack I have ever bought.”

Exactly.

Most home equipment is rarely used.

Why?

These are the three most common reasons why people don’t use home exercise equipment according to my experience.

First, there is always something better to do. Suddenly you need to vacuum, or make dinner, or make that call to that friend you have been thinking about for the past 6 months. There are too many other distractions at home.

Second, it is never a priority. The “I will do it later” syndrome. After I have coffee, take the dog for a walk, check the news, make the bed, have lunch, go shopping. It is always available so never a priority.

Third, it isn’t as much fun as going outside or to a gym. I have seen so many at-home gyms that are in a windowless basement or a dark corner with no light, little circulation and nothing to look at. Ugh, no wonder you don’t want to go down there, it feels like punishment.

I have been to homes with massive wine cellars, or entertainment centres and a windowless closet for a gym… at least I understand their priorities and why they never use their home equipment.

I know a few people who can and do work out at home, but for the rest of us, I recommend going to the gym and not just any gym. Check out a few, go at the time you would normally go, see the crowd and get a feel for the place.

One quick tip for understanding the crowd that comes to a gym? What weights do the dumbbells start at and go up to? If there are 120 lb dumbbells, then the clientele wants 120 lb dumbbells, this may or may not be the right place for you…

Some random guy doing pretty impressive bench press
(by impressive I mean with proper form)

Tips for choosing the right gym

First, is it conveniently located? Don’t kid yourself you aren’t going out of your way for this. It could be close to home, to work or even on your commute, but is it easy to get there?

Second, is it clean? Is there dust bunnies in the corner? Is the garbage emptied? Does it look like someone cleans the mirrors? Seriously, this can be a deal-breaker.

Third, when you are going to be there are there some people like you? Most people have this weird notion that everyone at the gym is a super fit, super ripped athlete… let me know when you find this place. However, every gym has its own feel, community. While you don’t have to fit in with everyone, you don’t want to feel like an alien either.

You may be wondering why I didn’t mention the price? That is because it varies, depending on the level of service and number of classes, but most gyms have a drop-in fee, 10 visit punch card or cancellation policy. There are so many gym options to choose from you can pick the one that suits your needs and your budget.

Here are a few more stats that you might find interesting about gyms, BTW I am one of the 10.5%… if you find that one let me know and you could win a prize.

You can also find more infographics at Visualistan