In a collaborative effort with Scott over at Straight to the Bar, we will be writing about workout locations for the month of December. You can expect a new article on the matter every week.
This week I would like to discuss working out a commercial gym. There are basically 3 reasons why you would want to work out at a commercial gym rather than at home:
Equipment
The first reason that you would want a commercial gym membership is because they would have access to more equipment than they would at home.
At home, I have a bench and some free weights; even a treadmill, now. However, while I could get full workouts in at home, it is much easier to do it at the gym where I have access to a squat rack and individually weighted dumbbells. I also do not have as many weight plates at home as I have access to at the gym.
Most people do not have any weight training equipment, or even a place to store or use it. People that like to use the machines will be even less likely to have or to be able to afford to acquire weight training equipment. Joining a commercial gym will eventually cost more than buying the equipment, but you have immiediate access to all of that equipment. You also do not have to worry about maintaining it in a safe and working condition.
Gyms may also have other amenities that you are unlikely to have installed at your home, such as saunas or swimming pools.
Training
The second reason that you would want to work out at a gym is for training.
Most people do not know how to lift weights safely, or how to put together a functional fitness routine. You could hire somebody to come to your home to train you, but most commercial gyms have trainers on location that will usually be cheaper than hiring somebody. You always know that your trainer will be there, and they can show you the proper and safe ways to complete your workouts.
Along with personal training, there are often group classes. You may be able to learn about weight training in a group environment, or just have a group activity that is more fun than doing something along. A spin class can be a lot easier with a neighbor to talk to, and yoga is much less repitive with an instructor than with a DVD.
If you know how to lift weights, and you can put together a workout regimen (or follow one from a book), then you still may want to work out at a gym so that you can get somebody to spot you when you are tired. When you work out at home, you need to arrange to have somebody available when you want to push your limits. At the gym, most people will be more than willing to give you a quick spot on a set. Just ask them.
Motivation
The last reason that you would want to work out at a gym is for motivation.
It is not uncommon for somebody to know that their weight training equipment is off in the basement and ready to be used at any time. Tomorrow seems like a great time to start. If you are paying for a gym, you will be more likely to go. That is how it works for me, anyway. Some people will pay for their membership and then feel secure that they have access to a gym whenever they want, but never actually go. That just seems like a waste of money to me.
Having people around when you are lifting can be very motivating. Seeing people that are in better shape than you will make you want to get yourself into better shape. It is easier to do a workout in the colder climates in Winter when you have a gym membership, especially here in Maine. I know a lot of people who will not go out to run at this time of year, but they will use a treadmill or elliptical machine. Knowing that they have a warm place to work out can make it much easier to get somebody to keep in shape. Even when lifting weights, it is easier for me to go to a gym than the basement because my basement can get very cold at this time of year.
A gym’s locations can also be a motivation factor. If you pass your gym on your way to and from work, then you will be more likely to stop. If your gym is a half hour out of your way, you will be more likely to skip it. For myself, my new gym is quite out of my way. However, it gives me a locker room and shower in down town Portland so that when I run in that area I do not have to drive home sweaty. I do not work very far from there, so I usually just go before work and then double back to get to work.
Commercial Gym vs Home Gym
This is not to say that a commercial gym is better than a home gym. For somebody who has the equipment and can motivate themselves to work out, a home gym can be very cost effective and even more importantly can save a lot of time in commuting back and forth.
When you work out at home, you do not have to wait for a machine to be free, and nobody misplaces the dumb bell that you want to use or forgets to wipe a bench down after sweating all over it.
The ideal situation would be to have a few basic weight training implements at home and to also live within walking or jogging distance from a commercial gym with a sauna, swimming pool, and $5 per month membership fee. When you do not want to have to wait, you can work out at home. You still have access to equipment that you do not use often enough to warrant buying and can still use the sauna or go swimming whenever you want.
The chances of that are pretty low, however. The best idea is to see if there is a local gym that will suit your needs. If not, begin by joining one anyway until you are able to accumulate enough equipment to make it worth working out at home.
I have found that universities often have the best deals, cheap with good equipment. It’s just very important to time you visit to not hit the crest of the population wave.
The most important lesson I had to learn at commercial gyms; if you know what you are doing, don’t be embarrassed to do it. In a lot of gyms people will give you funny looks or even tell you that what you are doing is wrong for doing a full squat, clean, overhead squat, dumb bell snatch and many other important lifts. When they do that, it’s often best to respond by teaching them the Steinborn lift.
It’s also a good idea to clear what you are going to do with the manager before you ever sign the contract. Some gyms will throw you out for a clean or deadlift, and you lose your signing fee. If you’re gonna be doing something like clean and jerk with steel plates, you may even want to get it in writing.
Good point about looking into Universities for a good gym; none of the ones near me (that I know of) offer a good one, and when I was in college our weight rooms left a little to be desired. We got by, though.
As for missing the population crests, it is one of the main reasons I lift first thing in the morning. After work you just can not move, and since my gym only has one of a lot of things (such as a squat rack) then it can be tough to get a good workout in.
I have never had trouble with doing any kind of clean or dead lift. There are signs asking that you not drop the weights, but I always took that to mean from a distance and not just from clanking by placing something back on the floor each rep.
Blaine,
I’ve been to a few gyms over time, as I’m sure have you. Most of them are very reasonable, no dropping the weights means don’t drop them from chest height. I have been in a few gyms though did restrict other movements. A university gym I trained at didn’t allow cleans or snatches, at all. At the time I didn’t do them so it wasn’t a huge deal. I have been to a gym that didn’t allow deadlifting either. This was actually a space concern rather than a worry about dropping the weight. The free weight area was very small, so they didn’t allow people to unrack the bar and lay it out flat for any lift.
I figure, knowing there are these kinds of places out there it’s good to ask. Asking also lets you gauge the reaction of the trainer. If you tell the trainer you want to do deadlifts and he or she proceeds to tell you it’s bad for you back and to never do it, well, you know what kind of place you are in. It also serves to put notice out of what exactly you intend to be doing. This way the trainers get an early idea of who you are. They typically will not hassle you for joining the “body pump” class if they know you are the deadlift guy.
Last, and something I didn’t think of earlier. Chalk. Gold’s Gym, specifically, has a no chalk policy that is enforced some places and not others. It is a good idea to feel out this kind of policy too. You gotta remember, if you are going to a gym to lift heavy, get strong and do it right, you are in the minority.
The moral of the story. When you train at a commercial gym, you are training in someone else’s house. It’s a large, well equipped house with blondes in makeup on treadmills, but someone’s house none the less. So they pick the music, they make the rules and the can uninvite you from breaking rules you didn’t even know about. Of course most houses don’t stiff you for a hundred bucks when they ask you to leave.