At home workout DVDs are a great option for people who want to get fit without stepping outside their front door.
The reasons people choose to use fitness DVDs at home vary. Some don’t have access to a gym or can’t afford to join one.
Some don’t want to exercise in a group setting. For others, family commitments, a busy lifestyle, or long work hours leaves little free time for exercise, let alone time to travel to and from a gym.
Personally, I like the convenience and flexibility that workout DVDs offer. I use them a couple of times a week to add variety to my fitness program.
Sometimes I use the same ones, other times I rotate them to keep things interesting.
If a new workout DVD takes my fancy, I can buy it, without spending a lot of money or worrying about finding the space to house exercise equipment.
While at home workout DVDs have genuine advantages, they also have drawbacks.
In this article, we will look at both to give you a better idea of whether or not you should make workout DVDs a part of your fitness regimen.
Table of Contents
3 Positives of At Home Workout DVDs
- Price
Gym equipment can be expensive to purchase. And if you get bored quickly or like to vary your exercise routines, you may need to buy two or three pieces of equipment.
Joining a gym can also be expensive, and some require members to commit to an annual subscription.
For most of us, getting to and from a gym involves travel. With the price of gas these days, the cost soon adds up.
Buying a fitness DVD to use at home is a great alternative. For a start, they’re inexpensive.
And, because you will be exercising in private you won’t need any special fitness gear other than comfortable and supportive shoes.
Some workout DVDs require the use of basic fitness tools such as weights, a jump rope, or an exercise ball.
These are relatively inexpensive, so should be affordable for most people.
- Convenience
Exercising at home couldn’t be more convenient. You can work out whenever you feel like it and have some time to spare. 
You won’t have to spend time traveling to and from a gym, and you won’t get stuck in traffic.
The biggest plus for some people is that working out at home means they can exercise in private.
Having your workout on hand, you won’t be able to justify telling yourself you can’t exercise because the weather is too bad for you to go out.
And moms with young children won’t need to find and pay for a babysitter if their gym doesn’t have a creche.
- Variety
While most gyms offer a range of machines and classes, we tend to stick to the ones we know. Always doing the same exercise can become boring after a while.
Fitness DVDs provide the variety that many other forms of exercise lack.
There are DVDs for everything from plyo to muscle sculpting and toning, to cardio and more.
Some are dance-based, others use bodyweight resistance or dumbbells, and the list goes on.
Whether your preference is Zumba, Pilates, yoga, weight-based workouts, or something else entirely, you will be spoiled for choice.
If you get bored or feel your fitness has plateaued, you can buy another workout DVD.
If money is tight, you can even borrow one from your local library or find something online that piques your interest.
As you can see, at home workout DVDs have a lot of positives. They also come with some negatives, which we will look at below.
37 Minute Cardio Workout for Women – No Equipment Required
3 Negatives of At Home Workout DVDs
- Easy to skips workouts
Many people find that it takes a lot of determination and willpower to stick with an exercise program.
When we hire a 
personal trainer or pay for a gym membership, we may feel obligated to attend class.
When exercising with at home workout DVDs, there will be no one to keep you accountable.
If you lack discipline, you may continually put off working out for another day.
Tip: If you lack motivation, ask your spouse or kids to work out with you.
This is a fun way of spending time together as a family, doing something that will benefit you all. If you are single with no family, invite a friend or a work colleague to work out with you.
- No one-on-one access to a trainer
Most at home workout DVDs are hosted by one or more certified fitness instructors.
While the quality of many such DVDs is usually high and you will get an effective workout, you won’t have personal access to a trainer.
A fitness coach you pay to supervise your workouts will ensure you keep the correct form.
They will encourage you if you aren’t working hard enough and caution you to ease off if you are going too hard or too fast.
The latter is particularly significant if you plan to tackle a new type of exercise that has the potential for injury if not done correctly, such as HIIT or kettlebell workouts.
Generally speaking, though, if the DVD you purchase is from a reputable source and the workouts cater to your current fitness level, this shouldn’t be an issue.
If you are new to exercise, look for DVDs made for beginners.
If you are a little more experienced, choose DVDs that, along with the regular version, show a modifier demonstrating an easier version and another doing an advanced version of the moves.
This will enable you to ease back if some of the drills are too difficult and progress to the advanced version as your fitness improves.
- Unknown quality
The right at home workout DVD provides an inexpensive way to get a gym-quality workout.
Choose the wrong one, and you may end up with an ineffective workout. Or worse still, one that is too intense, in which case you could injure yourself.
To get the best results, consider your capabilities and limitations before making your choice, then decide upon the type of workout you would like to do.
Once you’ve determined this, look for recommendations and unbiased reviews, preferably from people in the fitness industry or those who have done the workouts.
Positives and Negatives of At Home Workout DVDs Summary
At home workout DVDs are a great option for exercisers who want to cut costs and avoid joining a gym.
While they have advantages, they also come with some disadvantages. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give them a go.
If you choose high-quality workout DVDs, maintain the correct form as you exercise, and stay disciplined, you can get as good a workout at home as you will at the gym.
Click this link for a short overviews of 10 of my favorite fitness DVDs
