Yes, going to the gym can be fun. Once you start feeling better and seeing results, there is a feedback cycle that makes you want more.

You should buy a pair of gym shorts and have a spare tshirt for working out.

Without knowing your goals it is hard to tell you what to do when you arrive to the gym. Typically you check in by scanning your card. If you don’t want to change at the gym, show up in your shorts and shirt ready to work.

So now you’ve entered the gym with some proper attire, then what? If you don’t have a plan, a good default is to limber up by stretching for a bit. Then find your favorite cardio machine and warm up on that, maybe for 15 mins or so.

Then you can do what you please. Go lift weights, continue with the cardio, play a game like basketball with some people; variety is the spice of life.

If you don’t know how to lift weights, there are tons of resources out there ranging from books and YouTube to personal training.

Circuit training on machines is a great way to get started, especially if you don’t have someone to work out with.

Home training is ok, but you have to have a lot of discipline to not end up on your phone or the couch. Going to a gym, especially with a workout partner, seems to work best for me.

I wear jeans and a t shirt pretty much daily

I have some guys in my gym that wear very similar. If you have generally free-range of motion, you’ll be fine. Will just be hotter than normal. Walmart has some decent clothes for not a lot of money that you can get a set of and just use that. Nobody at the gym is going to judge you for wearing the same thing every day.

I don’t get what you do there

This depends on what you are looking to get done. Each person is there for their own thing, and it depends on their goals. Weight-loss, muscle toning, strength training, socializing…

I don’t do anything on the treadmills or bikes because I structure my weights to do the cardio bits as well. This is just a personal preference because I get bored and zone out during long walks, runs, or rides.

Get a plan together and be consistent with it. I have 3 plans in circulation depending on what my needs and schedule is. Arms, legs, and combination. If I have the time, I’ll do arms Monday, Wednesday, Friday; Legs will happen on Tuesday and Thursday. If I know I can’t get to things on a timely basis because of schedules I’ll do a combination MWF. I’m flexible with my time so I don’t beat myself up for not going.

I could do home workouts just fine, but the cost of equipment is too high and I need the space in the house, which I don’t have. I’d love to get a place that has a finished basement, or unfinished, and have a place to go that doesn’t cost me monthly. The only issue with home workouts is replacing broken or worn equipment. Also, my gym has a row machine that I wouldn’t have access to or money to purchase. Just little things like that. Weights are super expensive for full sets.

If you have the funds, I’d recommend finding a local gym that has a trainer that you can utilize. Even if it’s for just a few sessions to get you going.

Good luck if you decide to get into it. Don’t make it part of your personality and have a goal.

Figuring out what to do is a big part of the challenge for me too. I workout at home and follow video guided exercises using the Fiton App which is free for most content. I started with no weights, but have since gotten a few sets of dumbbells at different weights.

Just go and do whatever you feel like. Eventually you will set up a routine and might even get into science based optimisations. Don’t overthink it. Doing anything is better than doing nothing.

I mean, I guess it depends. I row often, and I don’t wanna do it in a gym, so I purchased a rower. But if I didn’t want to spend the ~$800 on a nice Concept 2 rower, a gym membership for $20/mo would give me about about 3.25 years of rowing before I hit the cost of the rower. Then I also get access to every other machine they offer, free weights, other amenities such as pool and basketball court, classes they offer, trainer access (probably not great but better than winging it). That may be valuable to you or it may not, but it’s an option. You could run on a treadmill or lift weights at home, if you purchased the items. Sure, running outside is free and you can pick up/put down stuff whenever, but weather gets in the way, and unbalanced or unwieldy weight isn’t always safe.

Home workouts can be effective and many make it work, but some people like/need the separation. Sometimes when I get home, if I sit down, I’m just not gonna get up and workout at that point. Stopping at a gym in the way home gives a clear delineation between still working physically and being done with your days work when you get home. Or if they go in the morning, I can’t row at odd hours I may want to because of neighbors (it’s not quiet). I can go to some gyms at 5am or 2am if I really wanted to, where I couldn’t currently at home.

you use the stuff that you can’t reasonably have a whole separate collection of. Weight machines, swimming pool, etc.

It also provides a place and time to do group fitness activities.

You should exercise but you don’t have to do it at a gym. The weather is lovely right now (depending on where you live), go run around a park. You can do free yoga classes at home.

Exercise doesn’t need to be expensive if you can’t or don’t want to pay for it. I got a lot of mileage out of running around a park and throwing Olympic rings over a tree to do bodyweight exercises.

Nowadays I love the gym though, I go several times a week and use stuff I just don’t have space for or can’t afford.

You’re absolutely correct that you can do all that at home. Will you? I find that going to a place puts me in the right state of mind to do the thing. They do have a lot of equipment available, but you can mostly replace it at low cost by running outdoors or buying a few dumbells.

Likewise for the costume - when I started going, I was very worried about making sure I had gym shorts and running shoes and a sweat wicking shirt and a gym bag. I got that stuff and it did help, just mentally put me into the place for it. But after a while I realized I could just go in casual clothes (though my gym bans jeans) and it’s fine. Up to you what’s more motivating - workout clothes or reducing friction by wearing what you’ve got.

It just depends on what your goals are.

Are you just wanting to burn off calories? You may as well go for a run in your neighborhood.

Are you wanting to build muscle? That’s what I used to do. The gym has a lot of equipment that I wouldn’t be able to have room for at home. All the variety of free weights, barbells, racks, etc.

They also have classes and trainers you can hire to help you reach a goal. There’s also basketball courts, tennis, and often swimming pools.

But really at the end of the day, you gotta have a goal in mind I’m order to plan an effective workout routine. Randomly running on treadmill or lifting whatever won’t do much.

Also I didn’t really wear anything special. Just a T-shirt and some sweat pants. I did pick up some shoes for the gym because my others were too squishy and causing me problems when doing squats.

Very good questions. I think the primary is that some form of workout is very important to your overall health, and you should just pick which type of workout works for you in the long run.

It doesn’t really matter if you get a home gym, or go to parks, or to a gym, as long as you are consistent and have fun. For many people, the gym is intimidating, they might be better off with a home gym. I find the place semi-social, which means I get distracted by people watching, but don’t have to chat with anyone. Works for me.

The key, I think, is to shift from “I can do all of that at home” to “I will do all of that at home.” An insane number of home treadmills and exercise bikes collect dust because the mind is willing, but the flesh lazy. I love the distraction, others love the camaraderie or the friendships you make at a gym. They push you to go even when you don’t feel like it, and that’s the important part.

Depends how consistently I’ve been going. Early on I’ll pick majority muscles like bi/triceps, glutes, pecs, or abs to break them into work out routine. Like I’ll pick 3 and wear them out because that easy to do early on. As conditioning kicks in over the weeks then I can pick 2 category for a day like chest/abs, arms/legs, shoulders/back, etc so that more specific muscles get trained.

When I was working out regularly I’ll say that home workouts are great. I didn’t have the equipment or weights at the gym but dumbbells can be used to target very specific muscles that won’t get in the way of next two workouts days

Yo could do that at home. I do.

For many people a gym is a matter of discipline. To force them go and do it.

But for me it works the opposite way, the extra time going to another place dissuades me from going at all. So workout at home works better for me.

Run on a treadmill and lift some weights?

Yup.

Gym memberships are insanely expensive. Are home workouts actually effective?

They can be. Depends in your goals and all that. Home gyms require space and money up front.

I’ve been following this routine for a while at home. It’s been pretty good. I initially started with their 3 day a week dumbbell exercises.

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/6-day-dumbbell-only-workout

I’ve also probably spent over $1.5k on a quality bench and adjustable dumbbells. A far cry from what you can use at a gym, but it’s good enough for me.

You can probably buy some cheap weights to start out and then move on from there.

Also, don’t expect immediate results. Give it a solid 3 months.

I’ve seen plenty of jeans at my rural gym. Just don’t wear them on leg day.

Run on a treadmill and lift some weights?

Yes, that is exactly what you do at a gym.

I feel like I could do all of that at home. Gym memberships are insanely expensive.

Absolutely correct.

Are home workouts actually effective?

Yes.

Does one even enjoy gym time?

Yes.