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Old 02-16-12, 11:52 AM  
enduranceron
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Cromwell, CT
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I think a trainer can also push you harder than you will push yourself (whether at home or working out alone at the gym). Even my trainer admits she doesn't push herself as hard unless she's got someone watching her! My trainer also is great about mixing up my program (sets/reps as well as exercises and splits) so that I'm constantly challenged. On my own, I'm more likely to just go to my handful of favorite workouts.
I find the samething with the DVD's compared to paper workouts. if I follow a paper workout I tend to take longer breaks and not push myself as hard. but trying to keep up with a DVD tends to push me more and limit my rest periods.

I will even write up a workout and do the exercises in place of the ones being done on the DVD just to keep the pace and timing. I do this a lot with the P90X DVD's to keep them fresh.
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Old 02-16-12, 12:19 PM  
Vee
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Kuala Lumpur
I am a firm believer in weight training for the best aesthetic results. In my experience too, I shrink and turn firm.

It is absolutely possible to get the same results at home in my opinion, but a gym with its plethora of equipment makes it easier to plan and train. On average, I can get more done with less or the same number of reps in a gym and in a larger variety of ways. At least in my opinion.

If you are not lifting in the rep range below 15 using weights that are heavy enough to be challenging for such a rep range at your current strength, the difference between gym and home is not so marked in my experience.

Right now, I am relying on home workouts because squeezing in the commute is an overhead.

But if I could free up my schedule, I would go back to the gym.

You can find books or magazines with good weight training routines if you are not familiar with gym equipment.

A least in my part of the world, a gym will show you how to use equipment especially if you make it a condition for membership.

It is definitely worth a try if you feel intrigued enough. Don't commit to long term. Some gyms let you commit to 3 to 4 months or even a month at a time. Although the longer term memberships seem cheaper per month, they are more expensive if you realise the gym is not for you after all.
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Old 02-16-12, 02:37 PM  
Kiwi Katie
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Kapiti Coast, New Zealand
Oh to be 30 again!

I'm a very keen gym-goer and have had some really great results. I tend to lift as heavy as possible for my upper body and don't have enough weight at home for this so the gym is the logical choice. As another VFer pointed out, there's also a large variety of equipment available, and of course group fitness classes if I'm in the mood. Most of my lower body training has been barre workouts at home and that combination seems to work well for me.

I have trained and worked at many gyms over the last 25 years - some are good, some not so good. My best advice would be to shop around...go in around the time you are most likely to train and see how you feel. These days most places will issue you with a free 7 day pass or similar. If you did decide to join then I'd certainly recommend a few sessions with a reputable trainer. And if you decide it's not for you, well you already know there's a wealth of fab DVDs out there!

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Old 02-16-12, 02:48 PM  
Debbie S.
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I come from a gym background (I was a natural bodybuilder), and back in the mid 90s I never thought that I could get a solid strength workout at home. I even had a GREAT Marcy commercial gym, but again, I found the fixed machine to be too limiting.

After my accidents and surgeries forced me to stop lifting in 1995 I canceled my gym membership. Fast forward to today and I can honestly say that the results that I have achieved entirely at home equals what I achieved working out at the gym. The huge difference came after I did CLX for 15 months and then switched to doing strength work on my own.

I can not stress how important it is to make a mind/body connection, and it is harder to do when following a DVD. Working out at your own pace and concentrating on the muscle group you are working 100% is key.

So instead of joining a gym, think about doing your strength work on your own at home.
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Old 02-16-12, 06:46 PM  
nadir
 
Join Date: May 2010
I've exercised both at the gym using weights and machines and at home,doing mostly barre workouts. The results I've experienced are very similar, if not the same. I guess if I wanted to have further results I'd have to move some steps forward both at the gym and at home. But I don't feel like doing more. I exercise almost everyday for an hour, some days, one hour and a half, but in my comfort zone I guess.

What I want to say is that it's not the Gym what brings you results but the amount and quality of work, that is not the same for everyone, since we react differently to exercise.

If I wanted to look like Madonna for instance, I would have to workout more than my regular hour and at an intensity that only the thought of it would keep me glued to the sofa :-)

Last edited by nadir; 02-16-12 at 06:49 PM. Reason: misspelling
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Old 02-16-12, 07:02 PM  
Lucky Star
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: A helluva town
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Originally Posted by edensmom View Post
Personally I am yearning to participate in spinning class and zumba, maybe water aerobics etc...so I would love to go back to the gym.
FWIW, not all Zumba classes necessitate joining a gym. There are regular Zumba classes held in church basements, community centers, college gyms, small dance studios, etc. Go to zumba.com, plug in your zip code and see what's available.
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Old 02-16-12, 08:17 PM  
Amazon
 
Join Date: May 2005
I've got a gym membership only because it is really cheap through my husband's job. I wouldn't pay for this gym because I feel like I get a better workout at home. (And the trainers are big salespeople--always trying to sign you up for monthly subscriptions of Isagenix.).

Over the years we've collected a really nice set of equipment so I can do a lot of fun heavy lifting at home, but if you don't have the money or the desire then look for a good old-fashioned gym, one that is not filled with cardio machines and high pressure salespeople.

Read Stumptuous... she's got a ton of good ideas: http://www.stumptuous.com/category/starting

Ooh, and here's a basic home gym: http://www.stumptuous.com/drupal-6.2/node/96

Oh, and here's a good source, too! http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/node/4420

Last edited by Amazon; 02-16-12 at 08:32 PM. Reason: Added link to Krista's home gym and Eric Cressey's list of powerlifting gyms
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Old 02-16-12, 08:51 PM  
Barbara P
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Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: MiddletownCT
I have a YMCA membership (have had it since 1980...) but I very rarely lift weights there. I swim and use the treadmill.
The machines are good for isolation but I think you also need dumbbells which can work the same muscle groups in many different ways. You are more limited on the machines. I do my weight work and weekend cardio at home with my DVDs.
There should be someone there to show you how to work the machines. At my Y, I get 3 Personal Training sessions free a year...although - I've never used them!
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Old 02-16-12, 10:30 PM  
Sharaz
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: South Florida
I have being a gym membership for years and the only reason I'm keeping it right now is because I don't own a squat rack with heavy plates. I like to do a full body heavy powerlifting routine weekly. I love deadlifts! I go Saturdays because is not crowd.

Like Nadir said the gym is good if it a quality workout. What I find is that a gym can be distracting because some people just go there to chill and not to workout. You need to be very focus, a trainer will be good to start out.
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Old 02-16-12, 11:13 PM  
kauaigirl
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Wisconsin. But I'll always be a Michigan girl at heart!
Well, I have to say that my results at home have never been as great as those I got at the gym. While I love home workouts and do use them, I have yet to find a DVD that can even come close to the energy and intensity of my live cardio classes (no, not even Cathe or Patrick). I may just be lucky, but my instructors have, by and large, been fabulous. We do something different in every class and I always walk out thinking there is no possible way I could do more. I have never had that feeling with an exercise DVD. I go all out in class as I really push myself to go beyond what the other people do (I'm a naturally competitive person), so it's a great environment for me as far as really getting a good workout.

As far as weights go, I really love the availability of machines that I just could never have at home and the wide variety of free weights, barbells and other equipment (med balls, TRX, KBs, etc.). I have a lot of these things at home, but I don't have them in EVERY size. I never hired a personal trainer. I just went to the Y and they provided me with a free intro to the machines. The trainer showed me how to adjust everything and helped me pick a starting weight for each machine. My schedule hasn't allowed for me to use the machines lately and I can definitely tell. My muscle tone isn't what it was a year ago and I am up about three pounds from where I was at the same time last year. I know in my heart of hearts it's because I haven't been lifting at the gym. I'm know they work for a lot of people, but home workouts just don't do it for me. I wish they did.
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