Can Home Workouts be as Effective as a Gym?

Can Home Workouts be as Effective as a Gym?

If you’re considering a home gym set up, what’s holding you back? Are you wondering if home workouts are as effective as going to the gym? That’s a valid concern and one that many people have. Luckily, though, an at-home workout can be just as effective as the gym, if not more so.

Home workouts used to be limited to bodyweight exercises and some small weights. That’s no longer the case. Versatile equipment brings the gym to you at its full capacity. It’s entirely possible to completely stop going to the gym by setting aside a small area in your home for working out. And with everything you need for a complete workout just a few steps away, nothing is coming between you and your goals.

It can be hard to get to the gym, but motivating yourself to workout at home can be challenging. You might feel self-conscious at the gym but miss being around others for fitness classes. All of these worries can be remedied, however, with a little creativity.

First, let’s take a look at the most obvious pros of working out at home.

Reasons Why Home Workouts Rock

No Monthly Fees to Workout

Let’s be real—monthly gym fees are the worst. More monthly fees are the last thing many of us need, and what about those months when you hardly get to the gym? Then it’s a fee paid for a service not received. Ditch monthly fees and bring the gym to your home, where you don’t have to pay to show up.

Inconveniences Won’t Stop You From Getting Exercise

Roadblocks like icy roads in the winter, long days at work, and not having a babysitter can interfere with your health goals. By taking advantage of home workouts rather than the gym, you don’t have to worry about any of these problems or many other things that come up.

More Opportunities to Work Out

How often can you just drop everything and head to the gym? Probably not too often. But if you’re working from home, you can sneak in a workout on your lunch break or during downtime. Any free time you have is now a chance to move your body.

Your Home Is Always Open—Work Out at Any Time

Even a lot of these “24-hour” gyms are not truly open 24 hours. If early mornings or late nights work best for you, you know your home workouts can happen at any time.

You Won’t Feel Self-Conscious About Others Looking Your Way

If worrying about others looking at you or feeling generally uncomfortable working out in front of strangers is holding you back from meeting your goals, then home workouts are definitely for you. No stress, no eyes on you. Just you and your workout plan.

No Waiting for Other People to Finish Using Equipment

If you’ve ever been to a gym, you know what it’s like to stand and wait for a piece of equipment you need to use. Sometimes the person using it isn’t even working out, which makes the wait even more frustrating. Cut that wait out completely and get your exercise in without any time wasted.

Home Gym Effectiveness

Now that we see why you’d want to work out at home, it’s time to examine how effective home workouts are. First of all, any workout is a good one. It is so easy for everyday life to get in the way of actually getting to the gym. By guaranteeing that you’ll work out regularly, this method is already more effective than traveling to a gym.

Secondly, with a versatile piece of equipment plus your body weight, you can do nearly anything at home that you would do at a gym. A SKI-ROW machine gives you over a dozen training options in one place. This means you only need one machine and one spot in your home to get everything you would at the gym.

Put plainly, nothing is stopping your home workout from being as effective, if not more, than a gym workout. You’ll have more chances to exercise, which means more chances to get a good workout in. And with the right equipment, you won’t miss waiting for all the other machines at a gym.

Make the Most of Your Home Workout

There are a few aspects to a good workout that you can recreate just as well at home. 

Make Sure to Warm Up

Start with a solid warmup to get your blood flowing and body moving. You can do this anywhere. Try some stretches and other simple movements, or an easy walk around the block. Yoga is a great warmup and can also serve as flexibility training. Whatever you choose to start your workout, start gently to ease into exercise.

Mix in Some Cardio

After your warmup, get your cardio in. Take a brisk walk or run, run up and down your steps, use your treadmill or elliptical if you have one—just get that heart rate up and keep it going with aerobic exercise. 

The options for this type of exercise are endless, so find one you like and have at it. Cardio at the gym is not necessarily better than cardio anywhere else—it’s all about getting your blood flowing and amping yourself up. Have some fun with it!

Incorporate Resistance Training

Resistance training is another vital part of an effective workout. You can get this with small weights, resistance bands, or your main piece of equipment in your home gym. Rowing machines are great for this and engage your core, arms, and legs. Plus, you can do more than just a basic row—there are numerous ways to use just this one machine to get a variety of workouts. It has all the options from the gym’s various machines combined into one piece.

Work On Flexibility

Flexibility is important for fitness as well, and you can become more flexible by stretching, foam rolling, or doing a few minutes of yoga. All take little space and little or no equipment, perfect for the home. 

Cool Down When You’re Done

And lastly, a good cooldown, similar to your warmup, finishes off the perfect home workout. Easing in and out of workouts is important for preventing injury and truly getting the most out of your exercise.

Those five components make a great workout, and all of them can be done just as easily at home as they can at the gym. Your home workout effectiveness is solely dependent on you showing up for yourself and putting in the effort. Don’t let the idea that you need to go to the gym hold you back.

If you’re still concerned about working out from home, take a look at these common struggles people face and how to overcome them.

Struggles of Working Out at Home and How to Overcome Them

No Social Aspect

If you love the gym for social reasons like participating in classes or just seeing other people, it can be hard to imagine giving that up.

Solution: Get some friends together to take turns on your machine or FaceTime each other during workouts. This way, you can stay connected while still getting in your reps.

Comfort in Routine

If leaving work and going to the gym has become part of your daily routine, or you can’t imagine breaking up your at-home routine with a workout, you might worry that home workouts are not for you.

Solution: Schedule home workouts just like you would a regular fitness class or gym hour. Write it in your calendar and set an alarm, and get yourself in the habit of showing up for yourself. Just as you formed your initial routine of physically going to a gym or other activity, you can also develop the habit for your home workout.

Not as Many Pieces of Equipment or Specific Exercise Options

It might seem like there’s no way to bring the gym home when you see all of that equipment. That’s not the case.

Solution: Plain and simple, the SKI-ROW machine from EnergyFit has everything you need in one place. 

Home workouts are as effective as gym workouts, and best of all, they are constantly accessible to you. This opens the door for even more success, with any downtime being a chance to exercise. So cut out the monthly fees and stop missing gym days! With a little space and some self-discipline, you can get the best workout of your life in the comfort of your own home.

 

Sources:

Are At-Home Workouts Effective? | Houston Methodist

Home Workouts: More Effective Than the Gym? | Orlando Health

No Gym Required: How to Get Fit at Home | WebMD

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