No Gym, No Problem: Five Reasons Why A Gym Membership Is Not Necessary For Fitness Excellence

As recently as a couple years ago, I would have found my own claim to be completely outlandish. I was an avid gym-goer and tenured personal trainer. On a daily basis, I preached the benefits of regular gym visits, cardio sessions and frequent weight training days. The gym world was a second home for me and had been part of my routine since my youth. This environment actually sparked my own passion for health, fitness, nutrition and overall wellness. However, I started to notice trends and behavior that ultimately opened up my eyes to why a gym is not practical or necessary for most fitness goals. Read on to learn the five biggest reasons why a gym can actually prevent one from reaching their fitness goals.

1. Most Gym Equipment is Not Effective For Burning Body Fat

The biggest draw to a typical corporate style gym is cardio equipment. In reality, this is what most are paying for (either cardio equipment or classes). Either way, most classes and cardio equipment are formatted and designed for LISS (low intensity, steady, state) cardiovascular activity. Even with this being a primary draw for gym-goers, reality is, this is not an effective method of burning body fat. In fact, studies show that long durations of LISS training are more likely to burn muscle (muscle catabolism) then body fat. Sure, over time one will lose weight with long, boring treadmill sessions, but this is mostly due to a combination of fat and muscle lost.

There is an unfortunate term used in the training world for cardio addicts. That is "skinny fat." In all honesty, it describes the true exercise physiology of what endurance activity does for the average human. If someone has more body fat to lose or maybe has a pear shaped body, running, biking, hiking, walking or swimming generally shrinks the pear shape into a smaller pear. Without optimal lean muscle building exercises, one's physique has an extremely difficult time promoting change. Basically, long durations of aerobic activity, with little to no rest creates an environment that burns body fat for awhile, but switches over to muscle as a fuel source. In short, think of the physique of distance runners as opposed to sprinters. Not everyone can look like a sprinter, but the science is the same. For optimal fat loss and lean muscle gains (physique redefining) add H.I.I.T.

As a side note, I know one of the biggest myths holding most women back from the strength training and the physique of their dreams is the belief that weight training will cause a woman to become big and bulky. This huge misconception is completely false. Even under most ideal circumstances, guys have trouble obtaining this status and men are naturally at an advantage for this end result (men naturally produce higher volumes of the hormone testosterone). As well, weight training can serve any fitness goal, but for the big, bulky, bodybuilder look, one needs to train in a hypertrophy, concentrated, strength-building regimen. This usually involves periods of slow; heavy repetitions and can take years to produce substantial growth in men. If women train this way, they are naturally at a huge disadvantage for this goal due to hormones and other physiological factors. There are a number of strength training regimens that promote gradual lean muscle growth (physique changing) and optimal body fat reduction. Read on to learn more.

2. Weights Are Not the Only/Best Way To Build Strength

One of the biggest myths of the gym world is the misconception that strength gains require weights. In contrast, gymnasts are some of the strongest pound-for-pound athletes around and their training regimen consists of mostly bodyweight movements. Bodyweight movements can be manipulated into beginner, intermediate and advanced level exercises that require a tremendous amount of total body strength, power, core stability and balance. As well, one will burn more calories with movements like plyometrics and total body exercises in comparison to concentrated weight training movements or machines with only a couple exercise variations. Literally, the more muscle groups one can add safely into an exercise, the more efficient and effective the exercise is towards total calories burned. As well, the opportunities are endless with bodyweight and total body movements, because these exercises combine several exercises into one. Using these moves along with a band, suspension trainer or medicine ball can increase the range of potential exercises and difficulty exponentially. As well, these pieces of equipment are affordable and transportable.

3. Social hour does not improve one's overall fitness

If one desires a social outlet, then going to the gym provides just that. However, if you find yourself turning a 30 minute workout into an hour, two or even three hour workout, then not only have you lost the effectiveness of your gym session, but you have squandered valuable time that could have been at home or else where. Don't get me wrong, it's great to socialize with your friends, but if your fitness is the primary reason for joining an expensive gym, then one should stay focused on their workout. Generally the main factors that can diminish one's exercise gains are taking inconsistent rest periods and going over meal periods.

Ultimately, nutrition is the fuel for any desired fitness goal. Whether it's fat loss or muscle gain, one's metabolism needs meals every 2.5-3.5 hours apart. If one eats a pre-workout snack an hour or more before their workout and jabbers for two to three hours, they have missed the optimal window for a post-workout meal.

4. Is your gym membership worth it?

When it boils down to it, is a gym membership worth the cost of dues, enrollment fees, training fees, class fees and sometimes miscellaneous fees that can wind up on one's bill? On average, this can range from $50-150 a month and if personal training is added to the mix, tack on another $300 to $500. As another unsettling point, signing up for a gym membership does not equate to results and the same thing goes for personal training. A number of trainers have a poor comprehension on nutrition, motivation and exercise programming. As well, most are there purely for a paycheck. Results don't necessarily fully rely on the trainer, but getting your money's worth is important.

5. Superior Fitness Results Come From Anywhere Workouts

Low cost or no cost, short time engagements, no distractions, no equipment necessary and the freedom/peace of mind to be your goofy self while obtaining fitness excellence is why anywhere workouts are becoming the fitness revolution. Whether using strictly bodyweight exercises, or incorporating a portable suspension trainer into a fifteen-minute, fat burning workout; results are obtainable anywhere and in a fraction of the time it takes to workout at a gym. Even better one can do this from home, a park, while traveling or while on a lunch break.

There are no boundaries, making anywhere workouts the wave of the future. Anywhere workouts are for those determined to reach fitness excellence, meaning, their goals matter and they are laser focused towards dominating their before pictures.