Continue Gym membership or home weights?

hades

Hi Guys

Just wondering if anyone has been in a similar position or what the general opinion is on this.

I joined a gym last October on a 6 month membership and my membership is up at the end of the March. The reasons for joining the gym were 2 fold, for general fitness and for learning how to swim.

The swimming side of things, i went through their adult lessons and have gone from not being able to swim a single stroke to being able to do around 25 - 30 lengths in a 25m pool. So very happy with that.

On the gym side of things i met up with a trainer and i got a routine going based on 3 gym visits a week, 1 cardio and 2 weights. I kept all that going from October to Christmas and then i got a very bad chest infection and was on steroids to help me breath (my arms stayed the same size tho ) And when i got back to the gym in late January it was the busiest i had ever seen, so it was very hard to stick to my routines as the machines and free weights areas were jam packed. I've been kind of going on and off since then, perhaps 6 times total since, but i've lost my motivation.

With my membership up for renewal in the next week, do i renew for €180 for the next 6 months or do i invest in a bench and some dumbbells so i can do some work at home. They'll both end up costing around the same.

Have people reverted back to gyming at home and regretted it? Or whats the general consensus?

Thanks

Can you try going at a quieter time e.g. early morning
I mean if you like the swimming and want to keep it up it would be a shame to learn it and then stop and regress, but it's up to you
I still stick with gym so can't help but prefer it to trying at home as it's a different place and puts me in the mental space of keeping things up

Alf Veedersane

Gyms are always busy in January.

New Year Resolution Syndrome.

It dies down in early or mid-February.

hades

(un)fortunately i work 8 - 6 Monday to Friday, including my commute. My normal times for going to the gym were,

Monday 6pm
Tuesday 8pm Swimming Lessons
Thursday 8pm
Sunday 10am

@Bluewolf, i have to agree there's something about going to the gym that puts you in the right frame of mind. I imagine if i had to pull the bench out of the shed and into the kitchen i wouldn't be in the best mood for it.

Alf Veedersane

Is the gym close to home? Would going home, grabbing a bite to eat and heading there at 8, when it,s quieter be an option?

hades

The gym is very close to home. I think thats why it worked so well this time around, i was a member of one that was "out of the way" before and i rarely went.

I guess under full disclosure, i have a wife and 2 year old at home. Its tough to get a balance of spending enough time with them and getting to the gym. The days i go to the gym straight from work, i don't get to see the baby before he goes to bed, that can be hard.

@Alf perhaps you're right with just going later in the evening. That way, only the wife can be cranky with me and i still get to spend time with my child.

Alf Veedersane

hades wrote: »

The gym is very close to home. I think thats why it worked so well this time around, i was a member of one that was "out of the way" before and i rarely went.

I guess under full disclosure, i have a wife and 2 year old at home. Its tough to get a balance of spending enough time with them and getting to the gym. The days i go to the gym straight from work, i don't get to see the baby before he goes to bed, that can be hard.

@Alf perhaps you're right with just going later in the evening. That way, only the wife can be cranky with me and i still get to spend time with my child.

It won't always be necessary. Only in the early part of the year, really. It's just that you have the option of going that bit later and getting to spend a bit of time at home.

You could also try keeping dumbbell workouts for the evenings and maybe use your son for those. Cheaper and you get to spend time with him

If you leave at 8am for work and gym is close to home can you go to gym very early in morning and then straight to work after
Whole evening at home so

hades

I feel like i'm throwing obstacles in my way here, and sorry for sounding like a negative ninny.

I can't go in the morning, the routine is get up at 6:30am for all of us to get ready for work and to drop the little man at the childminder before work.

So basically, i come on here asking for advice, you're very kind to give me advice and i shoot it down. Serious facepalm moment for me.

Sorry guys.

hades

I guess the best thing to do is to talk to my wife and organise a timetable that suits both of us. I get to go to the gym, but she isn't left "holding the baby" as it were. And everyone is happy.

On reflection, and thanks to your counter questions, i think the gym is the best option for me, rather than the weights at home.

Alf Veedersane

A compromise of soime description should be possible.

I'm sure your wife appreciates the difference getting to the gym makes and it's not like you want it to take over. It might mean just tweaking your timetable a bit and it might actually turn out better than it was before.

Arbiter of Good Taste

Definitely try the timetable approach.

While in theory having a set of dumb-bells at home should work, I find motivation wanes very quickly..........