To Gym or not to Gym for Muscle Gain and Fat Loss?

Many who pursue muscle building or weight loss feel that joining a gym is a prerequisite, and so, following a rather calorie friendly December, thousands crowd the lobbies of local gyms, signing up for a 3+ year membership, believing that they’ve just taken the first step towards a bodybuilding or weight loss transformation.  But if we analyze the number of people who actually continue attending the gym following their contractual commitment, we find that the excited patrons who were fueled with desire for physical fitness suddenly fail to walk through the gym’s front door as February approaches.

Most assume that sloth is the natural enemy that prevents most from pursuing a pattern of consistency, and never analyze whether in fact the gym environment itself may be offering an insurmountable obstacle for many, eventually causing most to quit the pursuit of muscle building or fat loss completely.

But why?  How could the gym actually reduce motivation to train, when in fact the environment should be conducive towards achieving results?  The answer will be found within the first few workouts, and clearly becomes one of the main reasons why most lose their fondness for gym attendance before they produce any noticeable changes.

Imagine you are prepared for an intense workout, and you encounter one or more friends who decide to train at the same time as you.  What will likely happen next?  Will the group experience the best weight training and aerobic workout of the year, or will the next hour focus upon discussing last night’s episode of the Biggest Loser?  Let’s say you visit the gym and happen not to find any acquaintances, but as you scan the territory, immediately sense that every machine you are planning to use is occupied, with a 10+ minute wait for each.  Do you think this will contribute towards a productive workout session, or encourage a trip to the local fast food drive thru to try and munch the mounting frustration away?

Oh, and let’s not forget the most convenient excuses to skip the gym for a day, such as weather (two feet of snow might make navigating the highway difficult), car breakdown (a flat tire always interferes with melting a spare tire!), and traffic (wouldn’t want to be late for dinner!).  Some may say that these inconveniences cannot occur on a regular basis, but once momentum is ruined, and a workout is missed, the mind becomes far more accepting of another skipped session, and this attitude will eventually lead to a new habit, one which is much more enjoyable – couch warming, without the distraction of a daily gym visit.

So, what is the alternative?  I not only perform my bodybuilding training at home, but built over 60 pounds of muscle mass and lost 50 pounds of fat in the process, proving that neither muscle building nor fat loss requires waiting in line for machines or paying expensive bodybuilding gym dues.  In fact, my bodybuilding success was achieved in my basement, with basic weight training equipment, and I was able to produce far more consistency with my workout regimen than most who must contend with the inconvenient gym environment, specifically because I am in control of my environment, and can remove distractions that interfere with my ability to train.

This is not to say that achieving a bodybuilding physique or producing consistent weight loss is impossible through gym training, as many with such memberships produce excellent results, but for those who have the option to purchase some basic equipment and train at home, I believe doing so is far more convenient, offers no distractions, and is significantly less expensive over a several year period than joining a local gym.  Achieving success in muscle building or fat loss is in great part due to mental focus, a factor which suffers greatly when subjected to an unpredictable set of circumstances, and this is why I have always opted for training at home, and produced very impressive muscle building and fat loss results specifically because I have always been able to proceed with my workouts in a methodical, controlled fashion.

Don’t frown upon training at home until you’ve experienced the frustrations of attending a gym, and do yourself a favor; if you join a local gym facility, make sure not to sign a long term deal until you have consistently trained for three months and have proven to yourself that the distractions and obstacles will not interfere with remaining faithful to your routine.