The Student Room Group

Is going to the gym worth it?

i go swimming twice a week... if i paid for a gym membership swimming would be included. at the moment just swimming twice a week, getting a gym membership (£30/month) wouldn't save me money... but IF i went to the gym like, 1-2 times a week as well as swimming, i WOULD save. is it worth it?

i want to get fitter (i am not overweight or chubby or anything but it would be good for my health)... but at the same time i don't have a huge budget, summer is coming up and i have to buy clothes (yes, have to :wink:) and also i am saving up for travelling/uni etc. and at the moment i earn about £60/week but soon it will only be about £20/week..

what is your opinion? is swimming 2ce a week good enough or should i do gym memership, allowing me to use the gym (i would probably only use cardio)?

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It blows my mind that people pay for the gym purely for cardio purposes.
Reply 2
Original post by SpaghettiFellOut
It blows my mind that people pay for the gym purely for cardio purposes.


well i would just start off cardio and then maybe do weights later.. they just look a bit intimidating..
Reply 3
No, if you want to save money, just go jogging outside and do some exercises at home.
Reply 4
Original post by Bellissima
well i would just start off cardio and then maybe do weights later.. they just look a bit intimidating..


Speaking from experience you should do weights straight away, the longer you leave it, the more intimidating they become.
Reply 5
If you're only doing cardio, can't you do all that stuff outside of a gym?
Reply 6
i say always have gym membership....cos at least that way...if your feeling lazy you know your just wasting money by not using it...it'll give u the motivation to go 4-5 times a week.....

warning....u might end up getting addicted to the gym...
Reply 7
Original post by catjaum


warning....u might end up getting addicted to the gym...


Lol this, I've seen it happen so many times to the point it actually causes people to wreck decent gains.
Reply 8
Original post by Ocassus
Lol this, I've seen it happen so many times to the point it actually causes people to wreck decent gains.


or on the other extreme..become totally obsessed with how their body looks....i fell for that for a few years :frown:
Reply 9
Original post by catjaum
or on the other extreme..become totally obsessed with how their body looks....i fell for that for a few years :frown:


Tbh the only time I look in the mirror at the gym is to see my veins.

They say girls love vascular men. :colone:
Original post by bax121
Speaking from experience you should do weights straight away, the longer you leave it, the more intimidating they become.


This. Seriously, take it from me, I was doing cardio (didn't even know what I was doing) and just observed the weights section and watched everyone make awesome gains. What you want to do is narrow up your goals and get clued up on a good and effective method to reach it - all the best. :smile:
Original post by Ocassus
Lol this, I've seen it happen so many times to the point it actually causes people to wreck decent gains.


really? I heard it's almost impossible for the average person to overtain :dontknow:
Reply 12
Original post by sil3nt_cha0s
really? I heard it's almost impossible for the average person to overtain :dontknow:


I introduced a mate to the gym about 6 months ago.

He got superkeen and got to the stage where he was going twice a day, five days a week. I'd get a text early Sunday morning (Which is my morning rest day) to go to the gym with him, after having a beasty session the night before.
Reply 13
Original post by catjaum
i say always have gym membership....cos at least that way...if your feeling lazy you know your just wasting money by not using it...it'll give u the motivation to go 4-5 times a week.....

warning....u might end up getting addicted to the gym...


i'm too lazy to get addicted to the gym
Reply 14
If you're not keen on gym weights, get a set of weights at home? I used to swim competitively, and still train now, and because I hated the gym in school (it was pretty small, and in upper/lower school could only go at lunch times and in 6th form didn't have anyone to go with) I bought a set of 15kg York dumbbells (a maximum of 7.5kg on two bars) for about £15/£20. With them you can curl, squat, etc, without anyone judging you. Recently got a 35kg York barbell and dumbbell set from Argos for about £30 and it's been great :biggrin:
This way, after the initial investment, you can save money by only paying for the swimming, doing cycling and running for extra cardio, add in some sit ups/push ups/burpees and get comfortable with weights. Then, if you want more weight action, you won't be so intimidated by the gym weights and can justify the cost more? :smile:
Original post by catjaum
i say always have gym membership....cos at least that way...if your feeling lazy you know your just wasting money by not using it...it'll give u the motivation to go 4-5 times a week.....

warning....u might end up getting addicted to the gym...


mirin traps brah.
Original post by Bellissima
i'm too lazy to get addicted to the gym


You might think that but it's actually satisfying as hell seeing your lifts go up. It gets people hooked.
Original post by Bellissima
well i would just start off cardio and then maybe do weights later.. they just look a bit intimidating..


Why do you think cardio would suddenly make the weights less intimidating?

Personally I have never seen how an inanimate lump of metal could be intimidating. It just sits there.
Original post by Bellissima
i go swimming twice a week... if i paid for a gym membership swimming would be included. at the moment just swimming twice a week, getting a gym membership (£30/month) wouldn't save me money... but IF i went to the gym like, 1-2 times a week as well as swimming, i WOULD save. is it worth it?

i want to get fitter (i am not overweight or chubby or anything but it would be good for my health)... but at the same time i don't have a huge budget, summer is coming up and i have to buy clothes (yes, have to :wink:) and also i am saving up for travelling/uni etc. and at the moment i earn about £60/week but soon it will only be about £20/week..

what is your opinion? is swimming 2ce a week good enough or should i do gym memership, allowing me to use the gym (i would probably only use cardio)?


Get a membership and give it a try.
Also as people have said, try weights asap - start off with the machines though just to ease into it.
Reply 19
Original post by mikestraws
Why do you think cardio would suddenly make the weights less intimidating?

Personally I have never seen how an inanimate lump of metal could be intimidating. It just sits there.


its big and it looks heavy

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