11 Nov Why I Prefer The Garage Gym Over Training At A Commercial Gym

There are several advantages of training at home versus going to the gym.

As a person who used to spend years in a commercial gym setting, I’ve discovered there are many more great reasons to set-up the home gym.

In most cases, the garage gym is a great option and actually beats the gym with several key advantages.

Many years ago, you could have never sold me on the idea that working out at home could be a better option compared to going to a gym.

Well, times have changed.

In the last decade, I’ve found that it’s actually superior to the commercial gym in many ways.

The caveat is that if you need the external source of motivation, if you “need” the atmosphere of a gym, then maybe that’s the best option for you.

But, here’s my reasons why the garage gym set-up is a superior option in most cases.

1-TIME-SAVING

No-brainer, right?

You have drive to and from the gym.

That takes time.

As a busy dad, every minute of the day counts for me and I don’t waste any of my valuable time driving back and forth to the gym.

I’m sure you feel the same.

Depending on how far you live from the closest gym, you will save massive time by training at home.

And you’ll save time by being more efficient with your program, as well.

Training at home is an obvious time-saver.

2-NO WAITING FOR EQUIPMENT…EVER!

No waiting for exercise equipment.

I couldn’t stand waiting for equipment when I went to the gym.

“Hey pal, can I work in?”

No more of that.

Even when I was able to work in, it usually threw off my momentum just a little.

Personally, I always hated to wait for equipment at the gym, especially when I had a good groove going.

3-NO PRESSURE

You have no social pressure when working out at home.

In other words, you don’t have to worry about anything.

You can do what you want, wear what you want, and move at your pace – all without any pressure.

When you’re training at home – you do you.

That’s it.

You train and you don’t have to “get ready” to go to the gym, you’re there already.

You just do it.

4-NO DISTRACTIONS

Sure, there can be distractions at home too, but you can avoid distractions more easily at home, at least that’s been my experience.

How’s that?

Turn the phones off, tell the family you need 30-60 minutes or so to train.

This is your time, so own it.

When you’re at the gym, people talk to you or you may be tempted to get into a discussion.

That can totally de-rail your training quickly.

There’s a lot of other visual and auditory distractions at the gym, too.

I have found better much better quality of training at home.

It’s much easier to focus on training.

5-SAVE MONEY ON GYM MEMBERSHIPS

While you will spend some money on home training equipment, your savings through the years on gym memberships and travel costs will add up to huge savings.

High-quality training equipment should last you a lifetime.

And, it’s yours. You own it.

6-AVOID GOSSIP

One thing about the big box commercial gyms I’ve experienced in the past is the rumor mill.

Can’t stand it.

I always tried my best to avoid getting caught up in any of that, but you know as well as I do, that gossip and rumors are part of the mix at the typical gym.

Exercise at home and mark that one down as advantage for home training.

7-FOCUS ON YOU

No gossip, no crowds, no distractions.

What’s left then is YOU.

You can totally focus your time and efforts on having a quick and highly effective training that really benefit you.

My focus when training at home is exceptional and I believe you’ll find the same.

You can more easily get into “the zone” with this type of training.

This comes after years and years of training in the gym.

The focus on you – and only you – is a huge advantage.

8-ENVIRONMENT

You could argue that the gym can provide an electric, high-energy environment.

I would agree.

But, the best thing about the environment at home is that you control it.

You control the room, the time, the set-up, the music, the comfort, the necessities, the lighting…everything.

Your environment isn’t controlled by “the gym ownership,” it’s controlled by you.

Create the environment you want to train in.

Make it great and enjoy the experience you create.

9-AVOID THE CROWDS

This is especially true for the peak hours of a gym.

If you’ve been to a gym between 4 and 8 PM or early in the morning, you know exactly what I mean.

It’s packed and it can be an awful experience.

When it’s crowded at the gym, that’s when you wait and have to compete for equipment.

That means frustration and screwing up your pace.

At home, there’s no crowds, no wait, and no problems.

10-CONVENIENCE

Hands down, you simply cannot beat the convenience of training at home.

And, there is never an excuse (realistically) to miss your training session.

There is no more convenient way to exercise than at home.

This eliminates every excuse you have as to why you don’t exercise.

Of course you need motivation, energy, time, etc.

It’s so convenient to train at home, I wish I had started this years ago.

As a busy dad, it’s the way to go.

It’s a major problem solved.

These are 10 advantages of training at home.

Certainly, there are also good reasons to train at a gym (community, programming, high-energy atmosphere, coaching, etc.).

At the end of the day, you have to do what’s best for you and where you are in life right now.

There are clear benefits to training at home, but it all depends on your needs, available space, equipment, costs, etc.

Consider the options and don’t be afraid to start with a few kettlebells or whatever equipment you use to get started with the most effective home gym set-up.

Remember, the home gym (garage gym) will last you the rest of your life.