I apologize for it being so long since I've been on here....things have been very crazy. I certainly have lots to blog about, I just could use more than 24 hours in a day!
I'm sure there are many out there who wonder if it's better to work out at home or go to a gym. Well, there's a lot that depends on that. What are you looking to do, how much time do you have to devote to it....are you a real socialite? Sometimes it's easier and more convenient to exercise at home. I believe you can get a decent work out as long as you have the right equipment. When I lost 40 pounds several years back, I did it from home through diet, aerobic exercise and light weights.
One advantage to a gym is the availability of a variety of exercise equipment that if you had this in your home would take quite a bit of room and cost some money to have....most people are short on both....space and money. Especially if you are looking to building some decent muscle tone, a gym would be a better option because you have you have a nice selection of free weights and machines. Also with a variety of aerobic equipment available and many gyms offering aerobic classes....you can really zero in on fat burning.
I'm certainly not saying it can't be done at home. It can....but if you're like me, the 'average' person...a gym membership is of greater advantage. Most places (at least in my area) you can get a full membership for around $20 a month. That's just $5 a week...that's not bad. There are at least a couple of machines that come to mind that I love and certainly wouldn't be able to have here at home, the torso twist and the Smith machine.
With free weights, you can easily change from 5 pounds to 7 to 10 quickly, and this enables you to really pump up your workout for quicker, better results. As far as machines for the legs, the gym really can't be beat. I don't use large weights when working on my legs, as the upper muscles known as the quadriceps respond quickly to heavy weights. And I don't want big leg muscles. I can press quite a bit, and sometimes just for grins and giggles see how much I can press for a couple reps, but then I get it back to a level I know will tone....that's what I want.
Having a 'back-up' workout available at home is quite simple, and doesn't involve a big investment. There may be situations due to weather or other issues, that a quick workout at home is in order. Having aerobic DVD's (I have several), some exercise bands, an exercise ball, various dumbbell weights (I have 7, 10 and 15# which is enough for me), and some kind of compact pulley/band type apparatus works well. I have one I bought that fits on my door and enables me to work out back, leg, arm and ab muscles. I just leave it up there...it doesn't take up floor space, so it's not in the way and I think it cost around $40.
It's a personal preference, really. It's always nice to have other options and enough variety that you'll stick with an exercise plan instead of making excuses and becoming bored....positive results only happen when you do something!
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