Should I join a gym?

xomakeupxo · January 2012

I've never had a gym membership before I have a treadmill at home so I'm wondering is it worth it to get a gym membership and what gym would be a good one to sign up with?

anna.oskar · January 2012

What it comes down to is what you want to do at the gym.

If you want to be able to rotate between treadmill, elliptical, stair stepper, and do classes.. A gym is a good bet.

If you're like me at all, I set up a home gym. I watch exercise dvds, run on my treadmill, use the exercise bike, and am shopping now for some weights and a bench. Total cost thus far is around $250. So way cheaper than my local gyms.

nycheryl · January 2012

You can always get a free trial membership at your local gym and see if you like it. (Warning: some come with high-pressure sales pitches.)

It's also good to mix up your routine. You don't need a gym for that - some inexpensive free weights and a balance ball (for crunches and things) would be great. Most of the Knotties rave about Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD. That could also supplement the treadmill.

ETA: I've been a member of LA Fitness, Lifetime, and my gym at work. Many people like the smaller gyms such as Anytime Fitness or Snap. All have pros and cons. My gym at work has what I need and costs dramatically less than other gyms with pools, tennis courts, etc.

plswitze · January 2012

i like my gym (LA Fitness) b/c i LOVE group exercise classes (kickbox, zumba, spin...etc). I have a naturally competitive personality, so when I go to the classes I push myself WAY harder than I would at home.

jennipea382 · January 2012

I'm considering joining a gym again because my favorite thing when I was a member at LA Fitness was the classes. I did yoga mostly, but I did a few other classes too. If that's something you're interested in I'd maybe do it, or find a place that just does classes.

When I wasn't doing the classes, I really didn't do a whole lot. I would get on the treadmill or bike for a while, then do some of the weight machines. If I had a treadmill at home I probably wouldn't have done it at the gym at all. And the things I did on the weight machines can mostly be done with some free weights at home.

To echo PPs, an exercise ball, free weights, and some DVDs will go a LONG way. I loved doing situps on my exercise ball because it works you even more. There are tons of things you can do with free weights. As PP said, the Jillian Michaels DVDs are awesome. I've done 30 Day Shred (though I never really finished it.. sigh) and I loved it! I'm sure if I stuck with it for once I'd really see some results.

If you have a gaming console, there are a lot of great fitness games too. I like my Wii Fit, though it's more for beginners IMO. We also have a Kinect, and I have Dance Central, Just Dance 3 and Zumba - love them all!

So long story short, it's not necessary to join a gym unless you're looking for classes or maybe personal training. A lot of things can just be done at home!

Starqueg · January 2012

It really depends on what you're looking to do. Are you happy with using a treadmill for your primary cardio work? If so, you probably don't need to join a gym and should just get some free weights.
I go to the gym because I don't have room to exercise in my apartment. I use the elliptical three days a week, and am planning on using the bike and treadmill two other days. I also do weights three days aweek. I got a good deal at Planet Fitness and am happy with it.

Should I join a gym?

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