Which group fitness class?

icck

I'm looking at adding a fitness class to my routine once a week (will only have time for one), but there are so many options in my area and I'm not sure what to go for. I prefer strength training over cardio, and hate swimming, but I'm looking to shake it up a bit.

Soooo... what do YOU go to and enjoy? What do you like about it?

Marie047

I don`t do any classes, but I used to do spinning, pump and combat all has been superseded by running, cycling and strength training. Why not take a look at the ones that you like the sound of and try them out then pick the one you enjoyed most

tucan_75

Love Spinning! Great workout in a short period, and if you're like me and don't want to interact with anyone else its perfect.

dougpconnell219

I want to try krav maga. Hitting stuff looks like a good psychological workout.

leggup

Why not try 1 per week and do a different one each week?

As for strength training- I have yet to find a strength training group fitness class. all of those body-pump-whatever classes that use weights do extremely high rep, low weight exercises. That's cardio, not strength.

All group classes I've seen are cardio or cardio and flexibility.

My favorite class I've taken is Zumba, but it can be sucky if you have a boring instructor.

WickyDunn

I go to Step Combo which is step aerobics plus a bit of ab work, pilates, and tone zone (weights, body weight exercises etc) and also body pump (weights on a bar, squats, lunges, arms etc) love them all!

italysharon

I love my pump class. I have definitely gained a lot of muscle and strength from it. It forces me to do weights for an hour twice a week. I also do it on my own about once a week, but I find it soooo boring. I don't lift as much in class as I do on my own, but I do more reps. Depends on what you want.

I agree with the pp about Zumba too. I have taken classes that I love that are very intense, but the last few I have tried have been very low intensity with a lot of 'breaks' which I don't think are even part of true Zumba.

Try a bunch out, I'm sure you will like at least one.

TRX was interesting too. …and my gym has a boot camp class in the gymnasium that does stations that is great, unfortunately for me the time doesn't work.

bos10fit

Pump, Combat, Cycle. Best calorie burn per hour in combat and cycle. Pump is great for strength training.

racheljonel

I also much prefer strength training over cardio (I HATED SPIN CLASS), but the muscle pump class at my gym is so fun, even though it's pretty cardio-ish. Just try a bunch until you find one you like.

icck

Ah thanks for the responses, interesting. I'll definitely try a few, but need to decide which ones.

I could just fit in another gym session a week, or go for a run, but I thought it would be interesting to get out of my comfort zone as such. I love lifting, so really anything else is game.
I wouldn't say that any of them jump out at me though, so it's useful to get an idea of what other people enjoy and what that class could be like if I went.

bos10fit

icck wrote: »

Ah thanks for the responses, interesting. I'll definitely try a few, but need to decide which ones.

I could just fit in another gym session a week, or go for a run, but I thought it would be interesting to get out of my comfort zone as such. I love lifting, so really anything else is game.
I wouldn't say that any of them jump out at me though, so it's useful to get an idea of what other people enjoy and what that class could be like if I went.

My clients love tabata. It's interval training. It's hard. The most common mistake is too much of HIIT. ACE (American Counsel on Exercise) just released in their personal training magazine, that too much HIIT is counterproductive due to the strain it has on your body. They recommend 48 hours after an HIIT before you do intervals again.

I myself, chose not to do fitness classes. They aren't really my cup of tea. Everyone is different. My personal preference is adding in long steady state cardio. I do better with head phones in and no one in my way. Haha.

jessica_beats

I just did Zumba for the first time. Omg. It was so not intimidating, I thought it would be. I expect more often than not you will have a good instructor. It was very comfortable because there were women of all shapes and sizes, and a man (I think he was gay, hahaha. He rocked though). It is very intense and fast paced, so I sugge suggest you try it if you're in to that!

wreath7

i do spinning now but i always found kickboxing to be fun (not "cardio kickboxing but more at a martial arts studio)

jessica_beats

I lift and run on my own. I am very social as well (though it is not very obvious) so I am experimenting with fitness classes. I feel they will make me more comfortable because I enjoy being with others who are going through the same experience.

lacewitch

Pole fitness ., because it changed my body and gave me the confidence to change my life
(plus it is fun so i keep going back)

cbhubbybubble

britishbroccoli wrote: »

As for strength training- I have yet to find a strength training group fitness class. all of those body-pump-whatever classes that use weights do extremely high rep, low weight exercises. That's cardio, not strength.

All group classes I've seen are cardio or cardio and flexibility.

My thoughts, too.

I do yoga. I find it helps my flexibility for lifting and the stretching is a good thing. My main exercise is lifting. I do some cardio on the side, but not at the gym. Most of the classes like listed above are really more cardio than strength.

Saphira291

Zumba is so awesome because it's like getting a bunch of workouts in one; plus it's fun.

goddessofawesome

I don't have any group exercises classes at my gym. The gym I used to go to where I used to work had them and I'd do the step class and the cardio kick boxing classes in addition to my lifting.

kjm3579

I currently don't do any classes but plan to add spinning -- did Bikram yoga for over 10 months and loved it so that is an option as well.

artemis222

(If I had an opportunity for Pole fitness, I'd jump on that!) I do Healthy Postures (that's like a yoga/Pilates/physical therapy mixture) Extreme Barre (like a Pilates/ballet mixture) Zumba and Yoga. These are all in conjunction with my normal weight lifting and cardio schedule, as well.

bebdinosaur

Right now I am taking kickboxing (not cardio kickboxing) twice a week. I find it to be a rather fun, as well as a fulfilling, exercise. Plus, I get the bonus of learning how to fight.
In the past I have also done pole-dancing (had a blast), Zumba (not my thing- I'm too uncoordinated), and yoga (depends on the type of yoga).

jdhcm2006

I love spinning, yoga, kettlebells, and pole fitness. If there is a TRX class in your area, give that a try to. I own a TRX, so I just use it at home. But spinning is great for cardio, yoga is great for flexibility, kettlebells are great for strength and cardio, pole fitness is great for strength and its a mild cardio workout, and TRX is a good strength and cardio workout as well.

I'm sure once I get better at pole fitness, the cardio aspect of it will increase.

If I had to pick which one I would keep it would definitely be pole fitness. It's so much fun, but it's a really tough workout as well. It really is a drug.

jgnatca

britishbroccoli wrote: »

Why not try 1 per week and do a different one each week?

This.

Everyone is so different. I have to be having fun so I love my Zumba and my Yoga. They may not be "ideal" for weight loss or strength training but because I enjoy them so much I keep doing them.

My health club has a "power" lifting class set to music, thirty minutes of an instructor-led workout. If you enjoy strength training you might enjoy that. I also see a new kind of class, a thirty minute HIIT based workout for busy people.

icck

Ha I'd love pole fitness, but that's the one thing we don't have. I did consider some sort of kickboxing or self defense class but there aren't any at a convenient time that I've seen.

The less said about the classes at my gym the better, but I live in the middle of a cluster of sports and fitness centres so there's a good variety.