Being active and regularly exercising is great for one’s physical and mental health. Home workouts are an easy way to get started and set a routine. Ultimately, not everyone can afford to pay for a gym membership, has the bandwidth to go to one, or has a local gym. One can also feel conscious about working out with other people. That said, there are some pros and cons to doing home workouts. These are listed below:

Here are a few advantages of home workouts:

1. Are convenient
Working out at home is convenient. One can roll out of bed, wear workout clothes, and start exercising without worrying about driving to a gym. Moreover, individuals who are just starting can easily split workouts throughout the day. Even those who have been doing workouts for years can split them if they have time constraints or want to get their heart rate up at different times of the day. All of this makes working out at home incredibly convenient.

2. Are cost-effective
Gym memberships are not cheap. One needs to pay for a membership and some extra services. Moreover, suppose one goes on vacation for a month or two; they will still have to pay for their gym membership if they have chosen an annual plan. However, this is not the case with working out at home. They help save a lot of money in the long term. Of course, home workouts might require one to invest in some equipment, but buying a few workout gears like resistance bands and dumbbells is not too heavy on the pocket.

Individuals can also try bodyweight exercises, yoga, or pilates, which require no equipment. Moreover, going to the gym demands additional expenses on fuel and parking fees, but one incurs no such costs when working out at home.

3. Offer variety
Home workouts allow one to choose the kind of exercises they want to do on that particular day and how and in which setting they want to do them. One can opt for live-streamed classes, follow exercise videos, work out in the backyard, or use workout apps. There is also the flexibility to mix all these and other alternatives as one likes. So, one can do yoga, cardio, and train with weights together. Hence, the home workout option is excellent for intuitive people who like variety and want to choose the pace and type of workout they feel like doing.

4. Give privacy
When working out at home, one gets privacy. Gyms can make people quite uncomfortable, especially those who have just started thinking about fitness. Home workouts allow one to choose the workout type, attire, and music. In fact, quite a few people feel like they have to invest in expensive gym wear to go to the gym. Working out at home allows one to dress as they please.

While there are quite a few advantages to home workouts, there are a few cons as well:

1. Require constant motivation
The biggest downside of home workouts is that they are easier to quit at any time. The lack of accountability can come in the path of one being consistent. For instance, those who have paid for a gym membership might still go to the gym consistently even though they don’t feel like it just because they have paid hefty fees to join one. When it comes to home workouts, it is easy to get distracted by one’s phone. Or one might not have enough room to do the kinds of workouts they enjoy. To avoid these issues, one should keep their phones on DND mode while exercising and choose workouts that can be done in their rooms. For instance, workouts like jump rope, squats, pushups, and dips barely require space.

2. No access to a range of equipment
Paying for a gym membership gives one access to multiple pieces of fitness equipment that one usually doesn’t find at home or can afford. Depending on the kind of gym membership one has paid for, you can access a weight room, a steam room, fitness equipment, a personal trainer, an indoor track, and group classes. Not only that, going to a gym allows one to socialize and meet people who might have similar fitness goals. These are excellent ways to keep oneself accountable and motivated.