Should I go to the gym?  Should I workout with a personal trainer?  Should I workout at home?

CHOICES CHOICES CHOICES!!!

What’s the difference? Which do I choose?

So many people seem to default to a gym being the go-to place to for their New Year’s resolution or when they need to “lose a few pounds.”  Many of those seem to think they NEED a personal trainer to “whip” them into shape.  Others figure they’d save money and workout at home.  What’s the right thing to do?  What’s best?  Well, that depends.

Let’s talk about some of the pro’s and con’s of these 3 choices.

Gym

Many people like going to a gym because, for starters, there is often a wide variety of equipment already there to choose from.  Some find it more of a motivating and focused environment and work well with that.  You can sometimes even find someone to help you with certain exercises and how to use the equipment properly.

Social interaction is often a pro, but, for many it can be a con.  Some may find a gym environment distracting or even intimidating as those who seem to be “super-athletes” walk around and “strut their stuff.”  There is also the case of the monthly membership fee if not a yearly fee.  If your gym is not on the way to/from work, or at least near that path, there is the added expense of time and fuel.  Also, if you’re not sure what your goals are or how to get there, a gym may serve little more than being a confusion and frustration.

Personal Trainer

First, let me start by saying I am a personal trainer.  However, trainers are not always the best choice for you.  Let’s look at the pro’s first.  Seeing how most do not know what they want to accomplish apart from “lose weight” or “get big,” much less how to get there, a trainer is an excellent choice to help you build your foundation of proper movement (EXTREMELY important) and form.  Also they can be a wealth of knowledge as far as what specific exercises, and the frequency to do them, are best for you to get to your goal and the nutrition intake best suited for those goals.  

However, trainers can be expensive.  It is also difficult to know what their true knowledge and experience is without speaking with other clients of that trainer and seeing their results.  It is also important to be able to “mesh” with your trainer as everyone is different in how they should be trained.

Home Workouts

Home workout programs have been becoming more and more popular with amazing results in both weight loss, weight gain, and overall fitness… including athletic training.  With a wide variety of exercise routines, they often offer a comprehensive approach to health and fitness with the exercise program packed with a customizable nutrition plan.  They make things very easy for the beginner in that the workouts are often already scheduled and healthy recipes and cooking tips laid out.  However, the challenge is that you must be a student of FORM and motion as well as patient in learning them and the nutrition side.  The trainers on the DVD’s usually instruct you along the way, but, if you’re not paying close attention and do things incorrectly, you can be injured fairly easily.  Since you don’t have a trainer watching and correcting as needed, a mirror or video recorder that would be a great option to be able to study your form later.