Top 10 Benefits of Working Out at Home

So, you have been thinking about building a home gym, haven’t you?

When considering ditching the gym membership, many factors need to be considered. The most important thing for you is reaching your fitness goals. To do this, most health and wellness coaches teach the value of stacking the conditions in your favor, by removing all obstacles that may get in the way of achieving your fitness goals.

For you, that might mean getting rid of that gym membership and trading it in for a home gym.

Having a home gym reduces, or even eliminates, many of the obstacles that get in the way of us achieving our goals. There are a ton of benefits that come from having your own home gym as we will see below. Deciding to get in shape (or stay in shape) is hard enough and eliminating all of the problems that come from a gym membership, will bring you one step closer to being consistent and achieving your dreams.

On the front end, there will be some time, money, and energy spent to set up your home gym, but the benefits far outweigh all of these costs. Many people who have switched to having a home gym, cannot imagine going back to having a gym membership. Once you have experienced the freedom that comes from working out at home, you will wonder how you ever spent all those years going to a gym.

1. Hygiene

Gyms can be gross.

 This is always near the top of everyone’s list of what they hate the most about their gym. No matter how many disinfecting wipes the staff leaves out, so many people still do not wipe down the equipment after they use it. No one likes having to use a weight bench that has been soaked in someone else’s sweat.

It is a known fact that hygiene can be a real problem at the gym. Even though all gyms hire dedicated staff to clean and disinfect the space, there is simply not enough staff to keep a gym adequately clean throughout the day. That’s the real reason those little sanitary wipes are all over the place. The gym actually needs its members to help to try and stay clean and hygienic.

Working in a gym for many years taught me that sanitary issues were a big deal for the large commercial gyms. There were constant issues of all sorts of gross things found by members. From human fecal matter in the showers to blood spills left on the equipment.

When not kept very clean, gyms can get people sick, and many viruses and infections have gone through many of the members of a gym.

2. Time-saving

Having a home gym saves so much time.

A home gym helps you achieve your fitness goals cutting the time you need to dedicate to working out. This is perhaps the number one reason why many people, even if they have a gym membership, are not able to get themselves to the gym: lack of time.

Even if you live relatively close to your gym, you will spend at least double the amount of time you will spend at your home gym.

Going to a gym to workout would take you anywhere from an hour to two hours. And this is a conservative estimate, especially when you factor in, commuting to the gym, having to change and shower, and possibly waiting for a piece of equipment.

Working out at home will save you so much time, and will cut most peoples’ workout time in half. When you have a home gym, it is not necessary to commute or to waste any time waiting for equipment. You can literally walk into your home gym, get in your workout, and then be done.

You can even incorporate your workout to be right before you would normally shower for the day anyway, and that will further reduce the amount of time you need to dedicate to achieving your fitness goals.

In today’s world, time is even more important than money. We all lead such busy lives that, and it can be hard to find the time for things that matter. Your health and wellness should be one of your top priorities, and that means making time to work out.

3. Money-saving

Saving money is a great benefit to having a home gym.

At first, many people will not understand how having a home gym can save them money, but in the long run, having a home gym will save people a ton of cash.

To set up a home gym you may have to spend anywhere from $300 to $1000. Some people spend significantly more than that on their home gyms.

For a gym membership, you will easily spend $25 a month, for a bare-bones no-nonsense gym, or even $200 a month, for a bigger commercial gym. That would bring your yearly cost to:

• Bare Bones Gym: $300

• Bigger Gym: $2,000

For a bigger gym you will save yourself $700 to $1,700 the first year, and every other year after that you would save around $2,000

So, as you can see from the numbers above, having a home gym can save you a lot of cash in the long run, even though it could be a bigger upfront investment.

4. No intimidation

It can be intimidating to go to a gym.

If you have not worked out for a while or you have a long road ahead of you, working out in a crowded gym can be hard. If you do not like the way you look, then it could be hard to be at a gym where you are worried about what you look like.

Now, most people who go to a gym are kind and are not judging you. But deciding to work out is hard enough, without having to worry about working out in front of other people. Especially, when they may have been working out much longer and much more fit than you.

It can be even more intimidating when you started to learn how to workout among the people who already seem to know how to do everything. Personal trainers can be great, but it can be intimidating to go and meet them at the gym. Today, there are so many great online personal trainers, that getting the coaching that you need at home could be much less intimidating.

Also, many gyms try and upsell their members with other products and services, that they do not need. It can be difficult to say no in a crowded gym where you can feel like everyone is listening. So, having a home gym eliminates the gym staff trying got get you to buy things that you might not need.  

5. Flexible schedule

Another great thing about your home gym is that it is always open!

Only being able to work our when your gym is open can be problematic. You will have to build your workout routine around your gym’s schedule. This can be tough for many people, and schedule conflicts are another thing that can get in the way of people accomplishing their fitness goals.

However, when you have a home gym, it is always open. That means that you can get a workout whenever it is convenient for you. If you want to get in a set at 2 AM, then go right ahead. This can be a great factor if you have an awkward schedule, or you work odd hours. Gyms tend to be open during the hours that they are used the most, and this is not always convenient with your schedule.

6. No long waiting line for equipment

One of the people's biggest pet peeves is waiting to use exercise equipment.

Especially during a gym's peak times, there will often be a rush on some of the most popular machines and equipment. It is the worst feeling in the world to rush over to the gym, only to find that one piece of equipment is currently being used. This is one of the gym-goers' most popular complaints, and there is not much that gym owners can do about it. For the most popular machines like treadmills and stationary bikes, no gym can seem to have enough for people during peak hours.

It is especially not pleasant other people are waiting for the machine when you finally get it. It is not fun to feel like you are being rushed when you are working out. Also, not many people enjoy working out with others unless they are friends with them beforehand.

In your own home gym, this will never be a problem. You will never have to wait in line to use your favorite machine or piece of equipment again. Only you are using it.

Even if you workout with family members or friends in your home gym, it is much more pleasant working in with someone you know than a stranger.

You can use whatever equipment you want, for as long as you want. This is a great time saver. A lot of thought usually goes into scheduling out what your workout routines will be. Not having access to the tools you need to complete your training is beyond frustrating.

7. Freedom (your own rules)

No one likes following rules.

Gyms of all different types have their own set of rules. For companies like gyms, it is necessary, because when you bring a bunch of people together, a bunch of rules becomes a necessary evil.

This helps keep everyone happy by establishing a gym etiquette and a gym culture. This also helps limit the liability of gyms by making sure everyone follows the rules and stays safe. Especially when a lot of heavy gym equipment is being used, everyone must follow the rules. So no one gets hurt.

Some gyms have culture rules that can be hard for some to follow. Some gyms do not like people grunting when they lift their weights, or loudly dropping weights to the floor. They will ask you to leave if you work out like this, and will even ring an alarm called the lunk alarm if you are caught working out like this.

This was an extremely affordable gym costing only $10 per month. But many people want to make a noise when they work out. People who use free weights tend to be more expressive than those who stick with the machines.

In your home gym, you get to make the rules. You can work out however you want, and no one will stop you. If this sounds good to you, then creating your own home gym could be the solution that you have been waiting for.  

8. Privacy

Privacy can also be a concern when working out at a gym.

It is awkward to be working out, and suddenly realize that you are being stared at. No one likes to be watched while they work out. Well, at least not many people like an audience while they are exercising.

Women especially tend to complain about men who stare at them when they work out. This can be annoying and highly distracting. When you are working out, you need to focus on what you are doing for safety and effectiveness reasons. You are comfortable when you work out and wear whatever you are exercising. But for some women, this is not possible without being stared at.

In a home gym, privacy is no longer a concern. There will be no one watching you. You will not be concerned about what you are wearing, and you can workout dressed any way you like. You can wear a dinosaur costume, workout shirtless, or even workout with no clothes at all!

No one will care about, because no one will be there. So, setting up a home gym will eliminate any privacy concerns you may have to reach your fitness goals.

9. No distraction

Another problem with regular gyms is all of the distractions.

So many things are going on at gyms while you are trying to focus. Some people are working out all around you. Other people use the gym as social gatherings while you are just trying to get in your daily workout. There are tv shows on, radio is on, and all sorts of distracting things that will divert your attention from what you are trying to do.

This is a non-issue for your home gym, where there will be no distractions.

Also, there is a social aspect to working out at a regular gym, that a home gym cannot offer you. If you are someone who craves social interaction while working out, then a home gym may not be a great fit for you.

However, if you are like me, then your gym time is your time. You just want to focus on you and your routine. You want to get in your work out, and then move on. This is not possible when you start making friends with people at the gym.

A home gym makes it possible just to focus on yourself and your workout without all of the hassles of having a bunch of conversations in between sets. This allows you to tackle your fitness goals with no distractions, and to be more efficient with your workout time.

10. Your own environment

By far, this is the best part of having your gym at home—making it yours.

You can personalize your home gym however you want and make it your own space. The internet is chock full of people who are proudly showing off their cool home gym spaces. Most of the home gyms on the internet are inspiring, and you can tell that people put some planning, focus, and energy into getting things just right.

Now getting a home gym that looks great can be awesome, but even getting to set things up the way you want them to be setup is magical. Even if you are low on funds right now to remodel your garage or spare room to be the home gym of your dreams, you will enjoy getting to set things the way you want them to be.

Also, we have all had the experience of going to the gym and forgetting our headphones. When that happens, you are stuck listening to whatever music they may have plating in the gym. Depending on the gym's musical selection, this can be tragic.

However, in your own home gym, you can play whatever music you want as loud as you want.

You Really Can’t Go Wrong With a Home Gym.

Having a home gym comes with a lot of great benefits. While it may take some planning on your part, the potential gains of having your gym at home make all of the planning worth it. Especially if you have nice garage space or a spare room, then a home gym may be perfect for you.

You can have an awesome home gym, that is customized around you, and built around the way you want to work out. Whether you are just beginning your fitness habit, or you are already far along on your fitness journey having a home gym is a great idea.

Hopefully, these top ten reasons have inspired you to lose your gym membership and build your customized gym at home. It will not cost as much you think it will cost, and the potential gains you get will outlast the saving you obtain from ditching your expensive gym membership.