Weight training at home vs. weight training at the gym

A question concerning many who are just now taking up a fitness regimen is, Should I workout at home or at the gym?
This is particularly pertinent in relation to weight training. With cardio you can run around the neighborhood, for abs you can do crunches on the living room floor. But with resistance training it’s a little different. Sure, you can do pushups or pull-ups, but for someone wanting real, tangible results from their strength training program, these are hardly enough.
They’re going to need to find a weight room.
But what if you can’t stand the gym? What if the generic gym user drives you nuts? What if you’re self-conscious? Or the dude flexing in the mirror makes you want to vomit? There are alternatives.
Like a home gym.
But can you get what you need out of a home lifting set-up? This depends mostly on what you want to accomplish. Are you just looking to beef-up a little, maybe look better naked? Or are you training for a power lifting contest or maybe a bodybuilding competition? If your goals aren’t all that lofty, then a gym may be superfluous; conversely, if you are aiming a little higher, a gym membership may be essential.
But there are other factors that need to be considered.
One major obstacle to someone who prefers the privacy and convenience of a home workout is money. Weights, benches, racks - these all cost money. Extravagantly, at times. A good squat rack can cost anywhere from $100 to $2000. A decent bench-press set can run you up to $800. And that’s not including weights or bars.
But on the other hand, a basic exercise bench won’t hurt your wallet much at $40. A new Olympic bar you can get for only $20. And don’t forget about EBay, Craig’s list and gym liquidation sales. But again, it comes down to what you want to do. A set-up for professional training could cost you into five figures, but a simple home circuit could be pretty near reasonable.
But at most gyms you get an entire weight set-up available to you for what is usually a workable membership fee. Looking around my area, the mean monthly membership cost is about $40/month, some with an enrollment fee up to $150. And that comes with all the other amenities: Cardio equipment, cable equipment, pool, hot tub, steam/sauna, tanning. Again, it comes down to what you need in order to accomplish your goals.
Finances aside, what about privacy? You may not want to hear all that grunting, or see the dudes flexing in the mirrors. You
may not want people watching you lift, or filling your ears with free advice that you probably don’t want. And what if you’re self-conscious and don’t want to be compared to all those meat-heads in the weight room? Getting naked in a locker room full of sweaty, stinky gym-goers may not be your thing.
But then, maybe you’re a very gregarious person, relishing the opportunity to converse with other lifters, exchange routines, etc. The gym has a wealth of information (good and bad). And for that grunting: headphones. And skin really doesn’t bother everyone (you could be an exhibitionist for all I know).
Another important consideration to make is how much direction you need. If you’re a novice and don’t have a learned colleague to help you at home, then for your own safety you really need to be lifting at a gym, with professional supervision.
And speaking of safety: For successful weight training, you’re really going to need a spotter at least every once in a while. Those who have dumped the weight doing squats, gotten stuck under the bar on the bench press know that a spotter can save you a lot of pain, even serious injury.
An advantage of a gym membership is that many come with complimentary personal training sessions. These offers aren’t just to get you to sign up. In many cases, they are necessary for people to learn safe and correct ways to perform resistance motions, and they teach you the basics of building muscle. Personal trainers can be a fantastic resource for meeting your weight training goals.
For some people, just the act of getting ready and going to the gym is motivation in itself. Making the effort to gather your things, drive somewhere, check in; many people feel the urge to make all of that trouble count.
Many people end up making friends or finding lifting partners at the gym. But some don’t much care for the social aspect; they would rather not have it to distract them from their lifting. And is going to the gym, particularly the weight room, an occasion to be picking up on men/women? Some think so, but really, no. It’s time to get things done.
So, what do you want to accomplish? That’s the question you should be asking yourself. Advanced, professional training equipment is expensive, and having at least one more person for heavy lifting is essential. But if what you have in mind is just doing some dumbbell exercises? Then lifting at home is probably enough; and the time-saving convenience of an at-home gym can be paramount. And don’t forget about that sweaty, noisy meat-head. He may be unpleasant, but if you’ve set your goals high and are committed to meeting them (and aren’t rich enough to afford all that equipment), you’ll find a way to deal with him.
What was taught to me, and what I’ve always found to be true, is that what makes or breaks your fitness routine isn’t the venue or the equipment, it’s you. Someone may have a $20,000 weight room in their house, but if they never use it, they’re probably not going to accomplish much. And you can’t get buff by osmosis in even the nicest weight room. So, figure out what you want, find what you need to get it, and do it. It’s that simple.