Regularly working out delivers concrete benefits for your health. According to the CDC, a physically active lifestyle can help with weight loss, muscle growth, bone strength and even mental health. Does it matter where you exercise? Are home workouts effective or do you get better results at the gym? ZOZOFIT explores these questions below.

Are Home Workouts Effective for Fitness Goals?

To get a fantastic workout that burns plenty of calories, you don’t technically need any equipment. You can boost your heart rate and crank out pulse-pounding aerobic activity by going for a jog, running in place, doing jumping jacks or climbing stairs. Toss in a jump rope and you’re more than equipped for your cardio goals.

What about resistance training? Again, equipment is nice to have, but it’s not a necessity. You can do strength training with bodyweight exercises, such as:

• Planks
• Push-ups
• Pull-ups
• Squats
• Lunges

Add some resistance bands and your strength training skyrockets. Bands work for curls, shoulder presses, triceps extensions, lunges and many other exercises.

Should I Join a Gym or Workout at Home?

Home workouts are effective, but not automatically. A gym membership offers important advantages.

Specialized Equipment

Gyms have a larger range of available equipment, and many of those machines make it easier to target specific muscle groups. For example, a pulldown machine can provide results for your lats that are harder to achieve with pull-ups. Cable machines are another gym favorite that gives you more control over weights.

Classes and Personal Trainers

Experience can make a huge difference in reaching your exercise goals. Having access to classes or one-on-one training at a gym gives you structured goals to work toward. Professionals show you the right way to do new exercises so you get more “gain” and less “pain.”

Pool, Tennis Courts, Etc.

Adding variety to your workouts can keep you excited about working out. Playing basketball with friends may not build muscle like squats with free weights, but it’s more fun. And unless you have a large pool at home, the gym is your main option for swimming exercises.

How Can You Create an Effective Home Workout?

Home workouts do offer advantages over the gym:

• Low (or no) cost
• Privacy for self-conscious individuals
• Major flexibility — any time and any clothing
• No wasted time traveling

Before you burn your gym membership card, though, you need to consider a few important factors:

• Personality: Are you a naturally driven person, or is it hard to motivate yourself to exercise?
• Circumstances: Do you have small kids that like to interrupt every time you start to exercise?
• Home: Is your home large enough to have a dedicated workout area or do you move things every time you exercise?
• Experience: Do you know how to get your heart rate where it needs to be and when to push yourself?

For exercise to be effective, you need sets, repetitions and weights that challenge your body. You also want to avoid injuring yourself.

Are Home Workouts Effective for You?

Every person has a different answer to the question, “Are home workouts effective?” Your personality, goals, skills and available equipment all come into play. One way to tell if you’re getting results is to measure your muscles with ZOZOFIT. See changes in 360 degrees with the ZOZOSUIT and let the ZOZOFIT app become your digital accountability coach that you can check in with as you continue to workout in the future.