Pros and Cons of Working Out in Your Garage vs. at a Public Gym

Lots of people buy a membership at a public gym without considering the fact that the vast majority of people who join as a new year’s resolution barely make use of the facilities. For some, a better solution is setting up a workout space in your garage. Before deciding on one course of action over another, consider the following pros and cons of working out in your garage compared to working out in a public gym.

Benefits of Working Out In Your Garage

Saving Membership Dues

When it comes to the details of the cost‑benefit analysis of gym memberships, the numbers suggest that the vast majority of people do not get their money’s worth when they sign up for a gym membership. Statistics gathered from government and industry sources reveal that people with memberships visit the gym on average twice a week.

Workout In the Privacy of Your Home

If you’re just beginning to incorporate a workout routine into your life, the ability to get fit in the privacy of your own garage might be more comfortable than working yourself into shape in front of strangers. The ability to avoid prying eyes or bothersome personalities removes a potential roadblock to working out on a consistent basis.

People who are a bit shy or who haven’t worked out much before can slowly learn to perfect the movements of exercises in their garage. Then, when things are going well, you can choose to join a gym to gain access to an expanded set of exercise equipment.

Some might assume that working out in the garage is a lonely experience, but there’s nothing stopping you from inviting a friend over to join you in your personal gym.

Time and Convenience

The amount of time you can save travelling back and forth from your home to the gym over the span of a year might be worth the investment alone. If you aim to work out four to five times a week, you can save around 100 hours a year in travel if you’re about 15 minutes away from your facility.

Making your workout routine as convenient as possible creates a path of least resistance to fitness success. Having a gym in your garage can be the difference between exercising and skipping a workout on those days when it’s difficult to summon the discipline and motivation needed to stay on track.

Benefits of Working Out at a Public Gym:

Variety of Equipment

One of the main benefits of working out at a gym is the sheer variety of equipment that you have access to when you sign up. It doesn’t cost very much to equip your garage with enough weights, benches and other apparatus that provide a complete workout. However, the variety of hardware that a gym contains allows you to vary your workout routine to avoid boredom and burn out.

Statistics suggest that up to 80% of all memberships sold may be completely unused. As a result, all the dues paid from truant members end up subsidizing all the hardware that frequent users enjoy. Ironically, if everyone used their gym memberships, the facility wouldn’t be able to handle the stress; if people who don’t use their membership don’t pay, a larger portion of the equipment and maintenance costs would be passed along to your dues.

Social Atmosphere

As mentioned earlier, having a garage as a private workout space is of great benefit to some fitness buffs. On the other hand, some people absolutely require a social presence to exist as part of their workout routine.

For example, extroverts may enjoy the energy they receive from other people lifting weights or attending classes alongside them. When working out becomes a social routine, peer pressure may help you stay true to your personal workout goals and habits.

Comfortable Environment

One of the main benefits of a public gym that’s very difficult to replicate in a garage is an elegant environment replete with high‑end facilities. Many of the bigger gym clubs end up designing their spaces to resemble a spa, including massages, beauty treatments and other luxuries that would be cost prohibitive to implement at home.

If your garage isn’t well insulated, temperatures might dip below that which is comfortable to work out in. A potential compromise could be to work out in a public gym during the winter season and resume working out in your garage when the temperature warms up.

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