Work out at home or gym?

[th3gunn3r22]

I started doing 100 push ups and 100 sits ups a day and I’m starting to add more pull ups and squats into it as well. I’m wondering if I should go to the gym or stay at home. I’m 17 by the way idk why it says 49 lol.

[Anthony21]

I started doing 100 push ups and 100 sits ups a day and I’m starting to add more pull ups and squats into it as well. I’m wondering if I should go to the gym or stay at home. I’m 17 by the way idk why it says 49 lol.

Unless you have a home gym you'll only go so far by just doing push ups and pull ups at home. I would look into getting a gym membership.

[Garage Rat]

It would depend on what your goals are.
You can start building a good foundation with bodyweight movements.
Take a look at a gymnast that does mostly bodyweight work.
Of course eventually getting into a gym with a variety of equipment will certainly help you progress with your physique/strength or both.
For now get good at bodyweight exercises then transition to the gym in a few months.
Good luck.

[BenMcLeodNZ]

Home gyms can take years to become cheaper than a membership because you're always buying new stuff, and you are probably moving out of home soon so you would be better off in a gym, also gyms are good for meeting people and safety.

[gainzforreal]

I started doing 100 push ups and 100 sits ups a day and I’m starting to add more pull ups and squats into it as well. I’m wondering if I should go to the gym or stay at home. I’m 17 by the way idk why it says 49 lol.

If you are small and week this will create some results, but eventually you will need to lift weights to make any real kind of size gains. Anything you can do 20 reps with isn't going to build much muscle.

[DJAuto]

I enjoy using a diverse range of equipment...stuff that I wouldn't be able to have in my home unless I had a traveling circus tent gym like the Rock. So, I vote for the gym.

[stoneymann]

I'm going to be a little bit of a contrarian here, but depending on where you live, gym memberships can be really expensive, not to mention self-consciousness inducing.

For a few hundred dollars you could get yourself enough weights/equipment to build a solid base physique. You probably don't need to be doing more than a few different compound lifts for a while.

[BenMcLeodNZ]

It starts off with a few hundred dollars of gear, next thing you know you are taking a 5 hour round trip to buy some commercial gear you never knew you needed and wondering where it is all going to fit.

[Bob1950]

If you want to get some muscles and strength without gym attending and spending a lot of money, try to add dynamic and isometric self-resistance training with belts to your current exercises. If you apply sufficient muscle tension, it will work great.

[Bob1950]

How about me as a beginner? What can you recommend?

Hi Brael Fergo,

For general info about self-resistance, you could google “self-resistance training.” Unfortunately, this site does not allow me to post the links. Check in internet "Zen in the art of self-resistance" for general info.

Frequently, people perform self-resistance workouts without any equipment; however if we want to get better results, a stick and/or belt are very useful tools. Check the Sierraexercises - Member workouts logs- Bob50's self-resistance exercises. I described there some effective exercises with a stick and some recommendations how to intensify self-resistance training.

You can also use belts or ropes to perform these exercises, but you need to replace exercise #1 (for the biceps) and #5 (for pecs) by others.

For biceps: Grab the belt loop handle and step on another loop handle. Then do the biceps curl against resistance created by the quadriceps muscle. By this way, you can reach highest biceps tension due to more powerful quadriceps. In addition, increasing the leg pressure in eccentric biceps contraction (biceps lengthening), you can get additional benefits because eccentric contraction is more effective for gaining muscles and strength.

For pecs: Fix one loop handle in the vertical door slit and use opposite body-forearm dynamic self-resistance. You can also use long belt, string or rope and fix one handle under the door. Second variant is safer for the shoulder joints, at least for me.

If you will find this method useful, do not hesitate to ask any questions via PM.

[Farley1324]

I'm going to be a little bit of a contrarian here, but depending on where you live, gym memberships can be really expensive, not to mention self-consciousness inducing.

For a few hundred dollars you could get yourself enough weights/equipment to build a solid base physique. You probably don't need to be doing more than a few different compound lifts for a while.

You aren't getting much of anything for a few hundred dollars, certainly nothing that competes with going to an actual gym

And considering that the most important of those 'few different compounds' is the back squat, to do that properly and safely at home you'll need a power rack, barbell, and plates. Add bench press to that and you need a bench, too. That's not happening for a few hundred dollars

How about me as a beginner? What can you recommend?

Start your own thread.

[HispanicDredz]

When I was 17 I was in a similar predicament as you. I had a job so I decided to save money to buy equipment rather than pay monthly fees at a gym. Meanwhile I would go to the gym using a friends guest pass. Otherwise my workouts consisted of sprints, pull-ups and push-ups. With a few hundred dollars you can score big on Craigslist if you get lucky or are patient for a good buy. You can also try going to flea markets. On Craigslist I bought an Olympic bench, Olympic barbell, 300lbs of olympic plates, weight rack for 150$. The guy had to get rid of it quick because he was moving. He had more really good stuff for cheap but I was not interested at the time. Good luck to you.

[TheUnderdog83]

To OP, with the limited information I’d say gym membership is your best bet for now. Try to buy equipment over time and one day you could do a lot of it at home. Home gym works great for me, but it was over $1,000 to get where I’m at now (squat rack, barbells, dumbbells, ez bar, bench, heavy bag, dip stand, recumbent bike) and I have teenage sons that I lift with for spotters. I also have a Bowflex that I used for a few months, then realized it wasn’t the right piece of equipment for me.