Is it better to exercise on your own or in the gym?

Regarding the question "Is it better to exercise on your own or in the gym?", there is actually no absolute standard answer - which one is more suitable for you depends entirely on your fitness goals, time freedom, disposable budget and current exercise foundation. It has nothing to do with the so-called "political correctness of fitness".

I have tried both modes myself: During the two years when I first started to exercise, I would get off work late at night. I would basically lay out a yoga mat at home and follow videos to do aerobics and core exercises, and I would run 5 kilometers around the community on weekends.； Later, when I needed to gain muscle, I applied for a fitness card for two years, and also followed private exercises for three months. I basically figured out the pitfalls and highlights of both sides.

Let’s talk about my own training first. To be honest, for novices who are just getting started, office workers who often work overtime, student party members with limited budgets, and severe social anxiety, practicing on your own is really the most cost-effective option. I once had a colleague, Xiao Zhou, who worked in Internet operations. It was almost 8 o'clock when he got home every day. If he had to catch up with the gym and take the 40-minute subway to get there, it would be almost 9 o'clock. After changing clothes and warming up and getting into the mood, he had to think about catching the last train home, which was a lot of trouble. He later changed his clothes at home and went downstairs to run 3 kilometers every day. When he came back, he followed the tutorial at Station B to do shoulder exercises for 20 minutes. He persisted for half a year. The problem of round shoulders improved a lot, and his overall mental state also improved a lot. Oh, by the way, there are also those friends who are afraid of being stared at when they go to the gym. They slowly work on their movements in front of the mirror at home. Even if the glute bridge is crooked at first, no one will laugh at you, and it will be easier to put down the burden and persevere.

Of course, the problem of practicing on your own is also quite obvious. I used to practice deadlifting at home. I learned roughly from the video and dared to lift weights. However, my posture was wrong and my waist was pulled. It hurt for three days and I couldn't bend down. ； Also, it’s really easy to paddle when practicing at home. When I was practicing glute bridge, I wanted to lie down and touch my phone after doing 15 reps. I originally planned to train for 40 minutes, but it ended up taking one and a half hours. The efficiency was ridiculously low. Oh, by the way, if you have a clear need to build muscle and increase strength, the two or three pairs of dumbbells and one yoga mat at home are really not enough. The upper weight limit is there, and it will be difficult to break through the bottleneck no matter how hard you practice.

On the other hand, if you belong to this type of person, then the gym may be more to your liking. I originally applied for the card because I had been practicing at home for a year and wanted to build muscle, but the heaviest dumbbells at home were only 5kg. I practiced shoulder training for two months and didn’t feel any soreness at all. I went to the gym to do lateral raises with a gantry, and I found a sense of strength within a week. And for people who need an atmosphere to drive them, the gym is really a natural place of supervision - I have a friend who can't move at all at home. After applying for the card, he saw everyone around him banging and banging on the iron, and he was too embarrassed to sit there and check his cell phone. The training frequency increased directly from once a week to four times a week, and he gained 8 pounds of muscle in three months. If you have enough budget, find a reliable personal trainer to help you get started and correct your movement patterns. It will be much more efficient than trying to figure it out on your own for half a year, and it can also prevent sports injuries.

Of course, there are also a lot of troubles in the gym. There are a lot of people around me who have gone there no more than 5 times with an annual pass. It takes 20 minutes to wait for a Smithsonian during peak hours. In the middle of the training, there are salesmen chasing you to ask if you want to continue the private training class. It takes half an hour to change clothes and take a shower. These are real costs. Nowadays, many people in the self-respecting fitness circle insist that understanding your own body weight is enough. Convict fitness enthusiasts can also develop strength that can overwhelm most gym enthusiasts by relying on pull-ups and pull-ups. This is not wrong. Originally, different fitness schools pursue different goals, and no one is nobler than the other.

To put it bluntly, choosing a way to exercise is like choosing a place to eat. Some people like to go to restaurants to eat freshly cooked hot dishes, while others like to order takeout and eat on the sofa. As long as you can feel full and comfortable, you can do whatever you want. There is really no need to worry about which one is more "correct". If you are afraid that you won't be able to persist, you can practice at home for a month first. If you can maintain the frequency of 3 times a week, if you feel that the intensity is not enough, you can try to apply for a secondary card. If you don't make the impulse, buy a two-year annual card and pay IQ tax. After all, the core of fitness is to move. Even if you walk two extra stops after get off work every day, it will be more useful than searching the Internet a hundred times for "which fitness method is better."