Why Home Workouts Can Deliver Better Results

By Phil Andrews 

The gymnasium has never been more popular, with men and women of all ages, not to mention all shapes and sizes, pumping iron or pounding the treadmill with reckless abandon. Discount memberships and contract-free options place the local gym within most of our price ranges - but would we not be better off exercising at home? Let us take a look and compare the two.

Workouts take many forms, and not everybody who exercises does so with the same objective in mind. Some want to build muscle mass, others are more concerned about losing weight. The emphasis on cardiovascular exercise which many modern gyms place gives us a clue as to the priorities of their clientele. Some gym users can be there for hours and never touch a dumbbell.

For others working out can be about increasing suppleness, recovering from an injury, de-stressing, or increasing metabolism. There are those too who only seem to go along for a chat.

Read: 5 Ways To Fit Exercise Into Your Busy Schedule

Paradoxically the popularity of gym membership calls into question its effectiveness in comparison to working out at home, and there are a whole host of reasons why you may be better off just leaving the car in the garage and donning some basic but comfortable workout clothes which you don't need to be embarrassed by because nobody is ever going to see you in them.

For starters there is the journey. De-stressing can be a lot harder when you've just had the dubious pleasure of sitting in the traffic on your way in to train. When you get there you may feel awkward because you don't know anybody, or else you may know too many people - or the wrong people - and finish up spending much of your valuable workout time talking.

Then of course it costs money, and if it's crowded you may not be able to use the equipment you want when you want. Assuming, that is, the equipment is of the type you need to realize your workout objectives, as gyms which issue memberships have a tendency towards training equipment that is aesthetically pleasing rather than providing optimum functionality.

Read: 5 Ways To Fit Exercise Into Your Busy Schedule

Finally there is the obligatory show-off, whose prowess can serve to demoralize, thereby diminishing your own gym experience and possibly your workout too as you strive desperately either to emulate or to impress.

With imagination and a little research most of that which can be achieved at the gym can equally be performed at home. Even many of the movements involving heavy weights which are designed for muscular growth can be replicated with bodyweight exercises such as squats, lunges, planks and pull-ups.

The home workout allows you to train in the comfort and convenience of your own environment, unstressed, undisturbed and un-distracted, whilst providing almost all of the options that are available from the local gym. With a bit of thought and a bit of research all your objectives can be achieved outside of the gymnasium, whether you are training for muscle mass, weight loss or recovery.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Read: 5 Ways To Fit Exercise Into Your Busy Schedule