3 Reasons Why The Gym Is NOT The Best Place To Get Fit
I have had a gym membership since I was 24 years old. Every month my credit card gets dinged for about $40.00. I have had memberships that cost more than that. And I have had memberships that cost less — but overall, I would say it’s been an average of 40 dollars per month.
I am 48 years old. My American math education tells me that 40 dollars times 288 months, (24 years times 12 months per year) equals out to be $11,520.00.
Over 11 Thousand dollars?! I could almost buy a Chevy Spark for that amount of money.
It’s worth pointing out, that the gyms I have been a member of usually had plenty of equipment and a decent amount of other amenities, but how important is that? Did I really need a gym membership in order to reach my fitness goals?
No, but it would require me to invest in some home exercise equipment. Maybe some PowerBlocks?
If you are wondering whether or not you should join a gym, if you should cancel your current membership, and/or if you should simply workout at home, like millions of people do, keep reading.
Reason number one why the gym is not the best place to get fit:
It requires you to get there. You usually get there by car, maybe bike, or if you are really lucky, by foot. Any time you have to do things like “get ready”, leave the house, and plan for travel time, you are more likely to find something else to do and skip your workout. The less barriers between you and your workout, the better.
Reason number two why the gym is not the best place to get fit:
Crowds. Crowds are an aspect of gym membership that’s virtually unavoidable. If your gym isn’t busy at 5pm on a Monday, it is likely a hop, skip, and a jump away from bankruptcy court. This means that any day now there could be a lock on the door when you show up to get your lift on, which is obviously not what you want. If the gym is doing well, there will be crowds — especially at peak times. With more people in the gym at once, it’s often challenging to access the equipment you need for your workout.
Most gym models exist and thrive only on a breakage model. This means that in order to turn a profit, while charging competitive rates, most gyms need to rely on the hope that the majority of their members never, or almost never, actually use the gym. In other words: they don’t want you to get fit . . . well, not at the gym anyway.
Reason number three why the gym is not the best place to get fit:
Germs. Forget COVID-19 for a second — the gym is (and always has been) a breeding ground for all kinds of germs. In fact, it could be argued that COVID has made the gym less gross. At least now it’s common to have sanitizer every 10 feet and cleaning supplies everywhere. But even with most gyms upping their cleanliness game, you are still more likely to catch a cold or other type of viral infection simply by being in a crowded place while sharing equipment. And don’t even get me started on the bacteria that’s lurking on the locker room floors.
Here’s the reality:
To start a home gym, you need a pair of running/walking shoes, a set of adjustable dumbbells and a bench.
You can add more equipment if you want to and if you have the space/budget, but you don’t need to.
One year of the typical gym membership costs around $500.00.
With a home gym, you can get started for less than that, avoid the crowds, avoid the germs, and never have to travel to the gym.
Seems like a pretty good deal to me.
Email blog@powerblock.com with any comments, questions, or concerns. Or if you are interested in becoming a blog contributor.