Home Workout versus Gym Workout - Which is better? Atilola Moronfolu

As an unmarried lady, I did all my workouts at home, and they were sufficient in helping me maintain my fitness goals. After getting married, I got pregnant immediately and home workouts became harder, while trying to adjust to life as a new wife and potential mother. I resumed home workouts in my third trimester and stopped when my child was about three months old. The struggle was real.

I eventually decided to take the bull by the horn and register to join a gym when my son was 11 months old. 

What I had not realized was that different phases of our lives required different workout modes. Switching to gym workout when I did was the best decision I made for myself. If I had been wiser, I would have switched earlier than I did and stopped struggling at home. Workout modes should be flexible while the workout itself is constant. 

Since then, I have switched between home workout and gym workout depending on my seasons, and for the past year, I have employed a hybrid of the two. Because of this, I’m quite qualified to write about Home workout versus Gym workout

1. Expense

Home workout is less expensive than Gym workout. You don’t need to pay monthly subscription fees at home. Except you are buying your own heavy-duty equipment, Consider home workout if money is tight for you. Home workout wins in this one

2. Accountability 

It’s harder to achieve accountability with home workout. No one is watching your every move or checking your results. If you don’t hit your fitness goals for 10 years, no one will know because no one even knows you are working out. If accountability is a factor for you, hit the gym right now. Gym workout wins in this one

3. Privacy

Repeat after me… “there’s no privacy in the gym.” I remember going to the gym for the first time, and it seemed the whole world was staring at me. Everyone sees you as you are - your curves, flaws, and falls. They see your folds and your imperfect body. To get great results in the gym, you will have to overcome whatever body-consciousness you might have and know that no one is silently judging or condemning you for your self-assumed imperfections. If you are a celebrity or well-known face, you might not feel comfortable at the gym, knowing every single eyeball will be on you. Home workout wins in this one

4. Mistakes and Corrections

The flipside of the above point is that since there’s no privacy in the gym, people can easily see when you are making a fool of yourself with your posture or equipment. And trust me, gym buddies are always eager to correct you and tell you how to do it right. No one will be happy to see you shatter your knees or injure your back. This ensures that you are safe and you get great results. Gym workout wins in this one

5. Return on Investment 

There’s a seriousness that comes upon you when you spend your money to do something. This factor alone will get you to go to the gym and that’s something home workout doesn’t offer. When you think about the fact that you don’t want your gym subscription to go to waste, you will get off your butt, and move yourself to the gym even if you lack the motivation. This way, you get more results even in your low seasons. Gym workout wins in this one

6. Community 

Home workout can be very lonely, especially if you are a communal person. You might get discouraged easily if you feel you are not hitting your goals, and be tempted to stop. Even when you are hitting your goals, you might not realize it because you underrate yourself, and there’s no third-party to give you positive feedback. I’m usually a loner at the gym, so this factor doesn’t bother me. But if community, groups, feedback and cheers are your thing, then the gym is better for you. Gym workout wins in this one

7. Motivation 

Taking from the above point, there’s definitely more motivation at the gym. Even on your low days, there’s a resetting that happens in your brain when you get to the gym, see numerous equipment, and people working out and trying to hit their goals. This bypasses whatever might be ailing you, and then you get into beast mode. Fun fact, when I was pregnant with my second baby, I was sick in my first trimester, but it never showed whenever I got to the gym because my body just conforms and I begin vigorous workouts. As soon as I leave the gym, the pregnancy sickness returns. So, for motivation, Gym workout wins in this one

8. Classes

I don’t remember what my life was like before I discovered Gym classes. It must have been a dreary one, lol. Gym classes are one way of getting into the fitness game, especially if you are still struggling to get started. They are fun, motivational, communal, and push you to get results. Who doesn’t like some Zumba, salsa, and kickboxing with music? Unfortunately, you cannot get this delicious goodness from home workout. Gym workout wins in this one

9. Timing 

It’s easier to time yourself in the gym than at home. You can put yourself on a routine such as “if I get to the gym by 7am, I can do 30 minutes strength workout, 30 minutes class, one-hour cardio, and leave the gym by 9am. This works for people who are time-conscious or need to get somewhere without worrying about whether they will still get results. It’s hard to get this with home workout with the same brutal efficiency because there’s a lot of varied experiences you are being subjected to in the home surrounding. Please note that if you are going to the gym to do other things like chat with friends, do business networking, sell your wares, look for a romantic relationship, and all those other reasons people join the gym apart from working out, this might not apply to you. But generally, when it comes to timing, Gym workout wins

10. Distraction 

Taking from the above point, there’s more distraction at home. With kids, unseen responsibilities, and unplanned emergencies pulling you left, right and centre, it’s harder to get results at home if you are a family person. I always have to instruct my children’s nanny to keep them away from me when I want to workout because they always like to “workout with me” and draw me back. Of course, this doesn’t apply if you live alone, but your plumber can still be a source of distraction, lol. At the gym, I don’t even have my phone close to me, so there are no distractions that can invade my routine unless I intentionally bring my phone out. If you want to fend off distractions like removing flies from a garden party, gym workout is definitely your essential oil diffuser here. Gym workout wins in this one

11. Flexibility 

There’s more flexibility at home workout. You can always stop to attend to an emergency issue right away or even stop your workout entirely and do something you think is more important. This is harder for you to achieve at the gym because you will need to take your body and mind out of the gym environment first before you can switch to other things. Before you get to attend to those things, some damages may have occurred. Home workout wins in this one

12. Wear and tear

If you work out at the gym too often, 7 days a week, week in, week out, you are going to sabotage your body and health. The body definitely needs time to heal after a brief season of workouts. It is in the healing process that it gains strength. Because home workouts are less strenuous, they don’t exact that same amount of pressure on the body as much as gym workouts do, and so the risk of wear are tear is lesser with home workouts. Home workout wins in this one

13. Results 

If you are not a disciplined not self-motivated person, you won’t achieve much results with home workout, and that is if you have enough strength to even get up from your bed in the first place. Unless you are brutally-focused on your fitness goals and invest some massive amount of money in workout tools and accessories, you will never get the same level of results at home as you will get with home workouts. Even fitness experts and influencers invest heavily in their home appliances, and they still go to the gym from time to time. So, when it comes to maximum results, the gym is the best place for you. Gym workout wins in this one

Now, we have considered Home workout vs Gym workout in 13 different areas, and home workout emerged tops in just 4 of them. So, if privacy, expenses and flexibility is not a big deal to you, you definitely should be headed to the gym, especially if you want to see great results. Or you can just be like me and many other wise fitness enthusiasts, and do a hybrid of both, so you can get the best of both worlds.