To be or not to be - that is the question! Or rather I should say: to be a member of the gym or not to be? While benefits of exercising are obvious for everyone (almost), spending few hundred dollars on gym membership or gym equipment requires some consideration. This article is dedicated for those only who decide to start an active life or those who have doubts about sense of paying hundreds for being healthier.

Let’s focus on benefits of attending a gym first:

1. Gym is a great place for beginners! Professional trainers, quality equipment, good atmosphere and constant supervision make gym safe and friendly work-out environment for those who start their sport adventure.
2. Gym membership is a good motivator! Once you get to the gym it is very likely you will finish all planned exercises. Gym instructors will help you to follow your work-out plan and very often motivate you by an assistance. Some of the gyms have competition charts, where you can add your results and become motivated by comparing them to other members’ results. Gym instructors will help you to set your goals and then help you to achieve them.
3. Every gym will provide enough space for each exercise. You will get access to modern and safety-tested equipment which will help you achieve what you aim for.
4. It is very possible you will meet new, very often gym-advanced, friends. They will guide you through exercises and give you few valuable tips which will improve your achievements record.
5. Many gyms are overcrowded and performing all scheduled exercises can often be impossible.

As gym is a good place to be, there are issues about the gym you should know before signing up:

1. Despite the fact that a gym is a good place for beginners, many of them find it embarrassing to make any moves in front of strangers. Know that feeling then you think that everyone is looking at you while you dance? Many beginners find it difficult to perform exercises in front of other members and very often never come back for another session (unfortunately a lot of gyms prefer that kind of customers, people who will pay for a whole year but attend gym very rarely)
2. A lot of people sign up for a fully equipped gym just to perform one exercise (ex. running). They pay a lot of money for something that can be done without or with cheap equipment.
3. Unfortunately gym is very often placed far from your home, and therefore it is time consuming. Not only you spend some time at the gym but also need to add travelling time.
4. Not all gyms are suitable for advanced users and many of them can meet frustrating limitations (ex. not enough free weights, weights not big enough for progress)

Despite few cons gym is a good place to be for beginners. After you become more advanced it is time to consider alternative solutions for physical activity. The good idea is to build your own home-gym. There is a number of props of having your own equipment at home:

1. You can buy equipment focusing only on your needs. A gym need to consider all members, therefore training individualisation is very limited.
2. You do not need to consider others comfort, so your comfort is unlimited. You can make funny sounds while performing exercise, listen to music you like, dress as you want etc.
3. You do not waste time on travelling, and more important, your gym is for every time you need it, never closed or overcrowded.

Unfortunately buying your own equipment is reasonable only when you have some experience. There are some things to thinks about, before you decide to start your own gym:

1. Lack of spotter, very often you have to perform on your own; therefore you use smaller weight and limit number of reps or sets.
2. Sometimes gym is being set up in place it should not be set up. Lack of space or dangerous surrounding can lead to accidents and ruin your health or injure you.
3. No advice from professional staff often leads to exercises being perform with a poor technique.
4. Lack of motivation - difficult choice between watching TV and hard work-out.

So which option is the best for you? You need to consider your fitness level and your knowledge about exercise planning, exercises techniques etc. Then you need to estimate how much can you spend on equipment and calculate what is more economical: a gym or home exercise. One thing is sure, both are better than no exercising.