I've been training at home for the past several months, but lately I've also been visiting a public gym with a friend of mine after work. It's gotten me thinking about the benefits and drawbacks of training in private vs public environments, and the effect they're having on my training ethic and discipline.
I thought I'd list them all and help flesh them out to give myself a more whole perspective about each option.
Public gym:
Training at a subscription-based gym is the first and most common route for training that many people undertake. They're in a public, usually easily-accessible location and to train, all you have to do is sign up and turn up, and you have access to its facilities.
The Good
- No need to buy equipment; it's all there in one place
- Access to all the gym's facilities that may be difficult to obtain at home eg. exotic, expensive training equipment, dumbbells, barbells, pool, sauna
- No responsibility to fix equipment if it breaks
- Access to personal trainers and group classes
- Access to supplementary equipment that can aid in your growth eg. Weight scales, yoga mats, foam rollers
- Good social activity to train with friends and opportunity to meet new people
- Easier to psychologically motivate yourself: "I spent all this time and money going to the gym, so I have to work hard to make the most of it."
- Generally easier access to a wide variety of food before and after training (go to nearby restaurants or malls)
The Bad
- You need to travel there, which, if you go multiple times per week, can add up.
- It can be expensive, or have hidden fees and charges. You may have set contract periods that will continue to charge you even if you stopped going.
- Risk of infections and health hazards eg. bacteria on equipment
- Have to abide by the gym's safety regulations
- Have to sign contracts
- Public gyms get crowded during peak periods!
- They may not be open 24 hours a day
- You can't change the music (this matters)
My home setup:
This setup is very simple. I have a power rack in my workspace with a 7-foot Oympic barbell. For it I have 200kg/440lbs of rubber-coated plates, comprised of 8x20kg/45lb, and 2x each of 10kg/22.5lb, 5kg/10lb, 2.5kg/5lb and 1.25kg/2.5lb. I primarily do squats in this rack, but there's also a pullup bar for me to do calisthenics work on, which are both the most important exercises in my training routine. At gym I typically just went and did those, and barely touched the isolation equipment. I only train using barbells, if I use equipment.
The Good
- Don't have to leave the house
- Train at any time of the day or night
- Can customize your training space into being exactly what you need it to be. Choose equipment brands and machines that you want
- Can train in your own personal, comfortable environment, at your own pace
- No need to sign contracts or follow anyone's rules other than your own
- No need to share machines or wait for your turn
- Can play your own music
- You can yell and throw weights if you want
The Bad
- High capital cost in setting it up. Have to buy all the equipment you need, including delivery times and costs
- Have to sacrifice some of your personal physical space to set up the equipment
- If equipment breaks, you have to replace/fix it
- Have to travel to eat food if you want to eat out, or you're limited to what you have at home
- Very very easy to be distracted and decide not to train on a given day. You have all your life luxuries in one place
- Even if you are training every day, it's easy to develop inconsistencies unless you are highly disciplined (irregular times between sets, for example)
What do you all think, Steemit? Do you train in a public or home environment? If you're thinking of setting something up, have you weighed up the pros and cons of each option? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, and as always, thank you for dropping by!
