The Pros And Cons Of Joining A Gym

If you have been wondering whether or not you should join your local gym, you will probably be weighing up all of the pros and cons.

I personally would always recommend that you join a professional gym instead of training at home, for example, but for the sake of balance, I thought it would be a good idea to list some of the main pros and cons of joining a gym.

Pros

Exercise Machines And Equipment

The biggest benefit of joining a gym is that you will get instant access to many different exercise machines and equipment.

This includes cardio machines such as exercise bikes, elliptical trainers, rowing machines and treadmills, as well as strength training equipment such as barbells, dumbbells, benches and squat racks.

If you were to build your own home gym and buy most of this equipment yourself, it would cost you thousands of dollars, so it is convenient to be able to use all of these machines for a relatively small monthly fee.

Professional Trainers

If you buy your own equipment and use it regularly at home, there is a chance that you will injure yourself if you don’t practice good form, and you may find yourself struggling to progress without any professional guidance.

When you join a gym, however, you will have access to members of staff who can show you how to use the equipment correctly, and you will also be able to use the services of a personal trainer if you so wish.

Facilities

There are some gyms that are very basic, but if you join a really good gym, you may well find that you have access to a swimming pool or a sauna, for example.

So even if you wake up one morning and don’t really fancy a vigorous workout, you can still head to the gym and chill out in the pool or the steam room.

Make New Friends

One of the benefits of joining a gym that people don’t really talk about is that it is a good opportunity to meet new people and make new friends.

Indeed many people have actually met their partners at the gym, so this is another reason why you should consider joining your local gym.

Extra Motivation

If you like to work out at home, you may well find that it is all to easy to get distracted by other things. Indeed there may well be times when you simply cannot be bothered to expend very much energy.

If you go to the gym, however, you will see lots of people really pushing themselves hard, and this can act as a strong motivational tool, and will almost inevitably encourage you to do the same.

Cons

Monthly Fees

One of the biggest drawbacks of getting a gym membership is of course the cost because the cost of becoming a member can be very high in some cases. Plus you will either have to pay this fee every single month, or will have to pay a large one-off fee for a yearly membership.

Poor Hygiene

Another thing that can really annoy people once they join a gym is the lack of hygiene in both the gym itself and in the showers, for example.

Lots of people don’t bother to wipe down the machines after they have finished using them, which can encourage the spread of germs, and it can be pretty disgusting when you have to use sweaty weights or sweaty machines immediately after someone else has just been using them.

Waiting For Equipment

One thing that really annoys me about the gym, particularly during peak hours, is that you often have to hang around for exercise machines and equipment to become available.

It is no fun at all waiting around for someone to finish using a particular machine, or waiting for someone to finish using one of the exercise bikes, for example, but that’s the situation you have to deal with a lot of the time, unless you go to the gym when it’s really quiet.

Lack Of Privacy

Many people who go to the gym are not concerned about other people looking at them, but some people, particularly those who are overweight and those who have just joined a gym, can be really self-conscious about other people watching them.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are a few minor issues that you have to deal with once you become a member of a gym, but as I said earlier, I would always recommend that people join a gym, if possible.

That’s simply because you get the chance to use whatever exercise equipment you wish, and can therefore perform all kinds of different exercises and work every single muscle group. Plus you will get the chance to be properly trained from fitness experts, who will help you to achieve your goals a lot quicker.