To gym or not to gym?

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go the gym brah

id stick to home workouts first and see how you get on with them there is some great HIIT workouts on youtube from fitness blender and thebodycoach that are very enjoyable and dont take up much time.You can find all sorts of body part focused workouts on many youtube workout channels to add variation and prevent boredom plus its free.when its raining, cold and horrible weather you can exercise in warm indoors wearing without having to walk or travel far.

Reply 22

gutenberg

Original post by Natalierm2707

Simple question here, wanting to get healthy and fit having lost a lot of my fitness over the past couple of years.

Uni Gym membership is £165 for the academic year, but considering I am not wanting to use many of the weights and would be mainly going for cycling, running, rowing machine etc. is it worth me spending the money when I can run outside for free and get some basic weights to use back at home? The other issue is the gym is a good walk away to (no car or bike so would be walking).

Wanted some outside opinions on this as im getting mixed opinions from friends and family and being new to this im not sure whats best for me. is it really worth paying for a gym membership just to use the aerobic equipment?

Opinions?

My biggest concern would be the fact that even the uni gym is a good walk away. I think that if a gym is not very convenient to get to, after a while when that initial motivation has died away a little, it becomes very easy to just stop going, or going less regularly. I can attest this somewhat myself - the swimming pool where I do a few sessions a week is a 10-15 minute bike ride away from me, and some days that is enough to put me off going, especially if it's raining, cold or whatever :tongue:

That might be worth considering. If the gym was on the way to/from uni that would be ideal, but if you have to go a bit out of your way to get there each time, it may not be sustainable in the long run. Whereas, if you're happy to just run on the road or in parks etc., you can just pull on your runners and go from home, immediately, rather than trek to the gym to run on a treadmill. Invest in a good waterproof running jacket! :smile:

I use some light weights at home as part of HIIT/basic strength sessions, and have found that it is a sustainable way for me to exercise, since I don't have to go anywhere and it's harder to avoid, so maybe also think about the possibility of incorporating that into your fitness regime, and save the gym fee.

Reply 23

Unistudent77

£165 is so cheap.

What about if it is bad weather? You won't go outside and run.

You can get a lift/drive/bus to the gym.

Secondly, weights will be a huge help in changing your body.

You'll probably not like your body if you just run, becoming v skinny. Weights plus cardio will enable you to eat (almost) how you want to with say 75% healthy food and 25% 'cheat' and maintain a stable weight.

Up to you but £165 is really nothing, you can have both if you so choose.

Reply 24

Aristotle's' Disciple

Do whichever you'll enjoy more, I have many friends who run cross country and they're all in great shape. Health wise it's the easy choice but it's up to you. :smile:

Gym is better if you want to get stronger or have a big butt which, let's be honest, is the reason 90% of women lift weights.

Reply 25

Mutmit287

Original post by Unistudent77

not on a student budget haha, but i guess for a gym it is. No options of lifts/buses/drive at all here.

think im going to stick with the running and weights at home.

Reply 26

Mutmit287

Original post by XxKingSniprxX

Working out in general = +

£165/1 year = £13.75 which is hardly anything if you take away couple drinks.

Blunt truth is majority of people won't go work outside to do cardio and if they do, doubt they'll adhere to it long enough to see any results. :yep:

Surround yourself with like minded people + you might even make a friend or two, especially in classes if that's your thing. :smile:

I don't know where girls get in their head that if they even pick up a single dumbbell they'll turn into Dana Bailey. :facepalm:

unless you want to do cardio 24/7 its best to do a combination of both weightlifting + cardio overall.

:facepalm:

Uni gyms are amongst the cheapest gyms you'll come across especially if you're a student. External ones such as commercial chain gyms are expensive af.

dont drink already, but its not to expensive at all. Just recieved an email back from the uni after asking about the gym and the one close to me is now closed due to refurbishing our SU, so it will be an even longer walk to the other which will now be even more crowded. I will do the weights and running from home, I am not going to want to walk the 30-40 minutes to the gym in cold weather either so I would rather just go for it and run. Thanks for the help though.

Reply 27

Mutmit287

Original post by 41b

I dunno, if it's anything like your face it can't be great

2/3 means I'm still winning #winning #sweetphysiciantears

You seriously need to go away and get a hobby or something rather than insulting the way people look on the internet. Trolls like you dont realise how much hurt they can cause to somebody (especially if they are fragile) by saying something slightly out of line, let alone calling me ugly (which tbh im really not, proud to be who I am and I am so happy with the way I look)... Shove off and find someone else to annoy.

Reply 28

Mutmit287

Original post by Aristotle's' Disciple

Do whichever you'll enjoy more, I have many friends who run cross country and they're all in great shape. Health wise it's the easy choice but it's up to you. :smile:

Gym is better if you want to get stronger or have a big butt which, let's be honest, is the reason 90% of women lift weights.

My main problem is my stomach, I am such an odd body shape and thats where I have all the weight distributed, so many people have had amazing results with running as it tones up their thighs as well as helping with the excess fat on the stomach. The main reason I am doing is because I want to keep fit and remove the area of my body which is causing me to feel a little self conscious.

Reply 29

samina_ay

The membership is cheap and
running outside is hard - try it and see how you do - however it's more effective cos you'll burn more calories
I pay 24.95 monthly for my local gym

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 30

Unistudent77

Original post by Natalierm2707

not on a student budget haha, but i guess for a gym it is. No options of lifts/buses/drive at all here.

think im going to stick with the running and weights at home.

I'm a student! :tongue:

double SAAS at start of September pays for gym etc.

Also, you don't drink so tonnes of money you are saving compared with most students (certainly freshers).

But i can see how you've chosen to not take the gym option as a 30/40 min walk to it is rather pointless.

See what running does for you but that classic 'too much tummy fat, want to "tone up" etc' complaint will be solved by strengthening your core through weight training. It'll pack on the muscle (relatively speaking) on your legs, ass, core (not so much upper body as you're female. You will see an improvement -certainly in strength - but your arms won't look muscly at all.

Then after training for a bit, next spring you lose (fat) weight for the summer, you'd see significant changes.

Just my advice, something to think about going forwards :smile:

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 31

Mutmit287

Original post by Unistudent77

I'm a student! :tongue:

So what kind of weight training (and what kind of weights) do you reccomend me doing at home, I am willing to invest in the weights because for me the 30/40 minute walk to the gym will mean I never go with my busy schedule.

Reply 32

999tigger

Original post by Natalierm2707

You cant spot reduce. the body stores it where it does and it comes off in different places for everyone. The only thing that reduces it is a calorie deficit. Running is mostly cardio and burng calories. Wweights help you retain muscle which looks better. If you only do cardio then you will just become skinny fat. If you wnat to look better then you should do both.

Reply 33

Sacred Ground

Original post by 41b

I dunno, if it's anything like your face it can't be great

2/3 means I'm still winning #winning #sweetphysiciantears

Hark at him not even posting a face picture, pfft.

Reply 34

Convex

Dont be one of them *****es who do squats in front of 5 guys intentionally (that's if you've a big ass)

Reply 35

Pra99

Original post by 41b

I dunno, if it's anything like your face it can't be great

2/3 means I'm still winning #winning #sweetphysiciantears

I've seen you before. You're that med school reject that hates doctors aren't you?

Reply 36

Mutmit287

Original post by Convex

Dont be one of them *****es who do squats in front of 5 guys intentionally (that's if you've a big ass)

haha no way i do them in the comfort of my bedroom away from people staring.

Reply 37

Smack

Volunteer Team

Original post by Natalierm2707

If it's running that you want to do, and you're willing to run outside on a cold November evening, then it is a bit unnecessary to pay for a gym membership.

But if you want to use weights equipment then gyms (generally!) are much superior in that regard.