Is it better to work out in the gym or at home

There is no absolute optimal solution, it just depends on your current fitness needs, life rhythm and action threshold - this is the most intuitive conclusion after I have been in the gym for 7 years and practiced at home for 3 years.

A while ago, I took a friend who was preparing for Level 2 powerlifting to look for a venue. The old shabby apartment he rented only had an area of 25 square meters. It would be full just for a bed and a desk. You couldn’t hit the floor with a 100kg barbell, right? Uncle Zhang downstairs just came up and banged on the door three times last week because he made a lot of noise while skipping rope, and he was holding a decibel tester in his hand. At this time, the gym is the undisputed first choice.

Think about it, large and small fixed equipment, full-weight dumbbells from 2.5kg to 50kg, adjustable bench press benches, squat racks and deadlift tables, you can’t just stuff them all in your home. The money for just one set is enough for you to apply for a fitness card for five or six years, not to mention taking up space. Not to mention the inexplicable atmosphere buff. I was stuck at 80kg for more than half a month when I was practicing squats. One time, my brother who was practicing deadlifts next to the gym saw me dawdling, handed him two 2.5kg plates, shouted "Hold your core, I'll protect you", gritted your teeth and actually squatted up. If I were to practice at home in front of the mirror, I might have taken off the plates long ago and was sitting there checking my phone. If a novice is just getting started and hasn't figured out the action patterns yet, it would be better to watch the veteran practitioners in the gym and ask a coach if it's not possible. It's better than just watching the video and thinking about it on your own and ending up squatting with a protruding waist. If you love excitement and like to take group classes such as spinning and boxing exercises, don't even think about it. You can't find a dozen friends to dance with you at home, right?

But not everyone can afford a good gym.

The little girl in my previous department was a typical social phobic. When she entered the gym wearing tight fitness pants, she felt like everyone was staring at her. She would blush if her movements were not standard. She would have to do some mental training for half an hour before going, and she would leave after practicing for 20 minutes. After applying for the two-year card, she went to the gym a total of 8 times, 3 of which she had to take a shower. Last year, she simply set up a yoga mat at home, bought a set of adjustable dumbbells, and followed the strength training videos of Pamela and Bilibili. Last week, she lost 4 points of body fat in the physical test, and her whole spirit was different.

To be honest, the freedom of exercising at home is really unmatched by the gym. You don’t have to pack your gym bag in advance, you don’t have to spend 20 minutes commuting, and you don’t have to wait for equipment during peak hours until your legs are numb. You can just change into pajamas when you get home from get off work, and the time saved can be used to do two more sets of core. There is no need to worry about the social fear. No one will care if you make ugly moves, slump on the mat after practice, and yawn. You can play whatever BGM you want, and you don’t even have to ask the front desk to buy water. The cost is also low. A yoga mat and a pair of adjustable dumbbells only cost a few hundred yuan in total and can be used for several years. It is much more cost-effective than a fitness card that costs thousands per year. It’s especially suitable for Internet users who work overtime every day. It’s past 10 o’clock when they get home from get off work, and the gym has long been closed. It’s better to spread out a mat and practice for 20 minutes than lying on the sofa and scrolling through your mobile phone.

Nowadays, the fitness circle is actually very noisy. Old strength players always think that "doing that amount of weight at home is called training? At best, it's called moving the muscles." Home fitness bloggers shout every day, "The gym is an IQ tax. Isn't it delicious to buy meat with the money saved?" In fact, both sides are right, but they are both wrong. If your goal is to improve your powerlifting results or compete in bodybuilding competitions, then the equipment at home will definitely not be enough. Going to the gym and squatting heavy weights is the right solution. If you just want to move every day, lose weight and maintain good condition, then home is enough, and you don't have to waste money on a fitness card that can only go ten times a year.

I currently do both. I practice core and shoulders at home for half an hour after get off work on weekdays. When I have time on weekends, I go to the gym to do squats and weights. Did I buy a treadmill after following the trend? Oh, it’s pretty useful now for hanging winter coats and yoga mats.

Really don’t worry about which one to choose, just like you are struggling to buy running shoes worth a thousand yuan or sneakers worth a hundred yuan, but you have never gone out for a run. Whether it is a gym or home, the best place is where you are willing to put on your shoes and move around. If you are really not sure, go to Xianyu to collect a 10-time pass and try it out a few times. If you feel anxious every time you think about going to the gym, then just practice at home.

After all, training that can be sustained is effective training.