Is It Better to Exercise at Home or Join a Gym After 60?

Exercising at home can be convenient, while joining a gym can offer structure, equipment, and support. If you’re trying to decide which option makes the most sense after 60, there are a few important differences worth considering before you choose.

Many women in Peters Township, Mt. Lebanon, and Upper St. Clair already have some exercise equipment at home. Some even have an entire home gym.

That can be helpful. But I’ve also talked with many women who were unsure whether they were doing the right exercises on their own, while others were concerned about getting hurt.

There are real benefits to exercising at home, just as there are benefits to joining a local South Hills gym or personal training program.

So which option is better after 60?

It really depends on what you need, what will help you stay consistent, and how much guidance you want along the way. Let’s break down the pros and cons of each so you can decide for yourself.

Option #1: Working out at home

Working out at home has one clear and obvious benefit, and that is convenience.

Having exercise equipment in your home allows you to stay home and get started almost any time of the day. For some women living in the South Hills, that is a wonderful benefit and can’t be denied.

But with that convenience come a couple of downsides that are not always discussed.

The first is that you have to become your own personal trainer, which can be tricky. When you work out alone, you are the one responsible for choosing the exercises, putting together the workout, watching your form, and deciding whether an exercise is appropriate for you.

The second downside is the lack of accountability.

Sure, training at home is extremely convenient. But it also makes not training very convenient.

One of my clients recently said, “I need an appointment, a place to be.”

I’ve heard some version of this many times before. What she meant was that if she doesn’t have a real appointment and someone expecting her to show up, it becomes much easier to put exercise on the back burner and never get it done.

Distractions can also become a problem at home. There may be family around, a dog that needs something, a phone ringing, laundry to do, or a dozen other things competing for your attention.

So while exercising at home may be the most convenient option, it can also come with some significant obstacles.

Who is it best for?

Working out at home can be a great fit for someone who has the necessary equipment, is highly self-motivated, and already knows how to exercise safely on her own.

That person does exist, but in my experience, she is fairly rare. Most women I meet do better with some level of structure, guidance, and accountability.

Option #2: Working out at a big gym

Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair, and Peters Township have some beautiful gyms and recreation centers. I would say we have some of the best options in the Pittsburgh area.

One of the biggest benefits of joining a large South Hills gym is the amount of equipment available.

From exercise machines to just about every size dumbbell you could ever need, these gyms give you a lot of options.

The downside is something I hear from women over 60 all the time:

“I went to the gym that had a lot of stuff, but I wasn’t sure what to do.”

It’s one of the most common things I hear when I meet someone new at our personal training studio, and it’s completely understandable.

A big gym can feel intimidating when you don’t have much experience exercising. There may be people of all ages around you, including people who have been working out for years and seem to know exactly what they’re doing.

Many larger gyms also offer group fitness classes. For some women over 60, those can be a great fit. For others, the pace, size of the class, or exercises being used may not feel appropriate for where they are starting.

So who tends to do well in a large gym?

Often, it’s someone similar to the woman who does well exercising at home. She is self-motivated and already has a good understanding of what exercises to do and how to put together a workout.

The major difference is that a large gym gives her access to far more equipment than she may have at home. For some women, that variety is important.

Option #3: Working out with a personal trainer

Personal training can be a little more complicated because the title “personal trainer” does not automatically tell you how experienced someone is or whether they are a good fit for you.

That is one reason some women over 60 are skeptical of personal trainers. Many have already had an experience with a trainer at a gym, in a fitness class, or even in their home that wasn’t what they were hoping for.

I wrote an entire article about this called How to Find the Right Personal Trainer After 50, but the short version is that the right personal trainer can make a big difference.

A good personal trainer can provide coaching, direction, accountability, and support. Instead of trying to figure everything out on your own, you have someone helping you decide where to begin and what exercises are appropriate for you.

But how do you find the right trainer and avoid hiring someone who isn’t a good fit?

There are a few questions worth asking.

The first is, “How long have you been training clients?”

Experience matters. There is a big difference between someone who has spent years working with real clients and someone who is just getting started.

You may also want to ask whether personal training is their primary career or something they are doing temporarily or on the side. There are certainly excellent part-time trainers, but it is still helpful to understand how committed they are to the profession and how long they expect to continue doing it.

Lastly, ask how much experience they have helping women your age.

There are a lot of good personal trainers in the South Hills, but many specialize in working with athletes, younger adults, bodybuilders, or other people whose goals may be very different from yours.

If you are a woman over 60 who is trying to get stronger, become more flexible, avoid getting hurt, and feel more capable in everyday life, you want someone who understands what that starting point looks like.

Working with a personal trainer can be a great fit for someone who doesn’t have the time, energy, experience, or desire to figure everything out on her own.

But the key is finding the right person for you.

A better fit may be more personal

There is nothing wrong with exercising at home or joining a large gym. For the right person, either one can work very well.

But if you already know you’re unlikely to stay consistent on your own, you’re unsure which exercises are right for you, or you simply want someone there to guide you, a more personalized approach may be a better fit.

That is exactly what we provide at A50 Personal Training.

Our South Hills personal training studio is built specifically for women over 50 who want to get stronger and more flexible without having to figure everything out on their own.

If you live in Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair, Peters Township, or the surrounding South Hills, you can apply for a complimentary week of personal training.

You’ll have a chance to experience the studio, receive personal guidance, and see whether A50 feels like the right fit for you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jason Zawodniak is the Co-founder of A50 Personal Training, the first personal training studio in the South Hills built exclusively to serve women over 50. With nearly two decades of experience in the fitness industry, Jason noticed early in his career that women over 50 were consistently underserved — showing up to gyms where they felt out of place, unsure of what to do, and afraid of getting hurt. After hearing those same stories from his own clients year after year, he made a decision: in 2017, he opened A50 to create the program he knew this demographic deserved. Today, Jason specializes in helping women over 50 build the strength and flexibility they need to stay active, prevent injury, and keep up with the people and activities they love most.