3 days at Gym, and I'm not sure this is for me.

pinkraynedropjacki

Gym is not for everyone. I went for about a week & then never again. Big mistake for me cause I never wanted to join anyway, just try to 14 free days they offered.... pity it meant being locked into a contract for 3 months..... ended up paying for the rest of the 3 months despite not going. I hated every moment & running on a treadmill is just wrong. Elliptical hurt me more than just walking anyway. Weights...forget it, the meatheads down there were rude. I didnt take classes (not a group person) and I got more of a workout on my own outside.


Don't feel you MUST join a gym.

kristennikco

Giddy, excited, "Look! Everything is cute magic ponies!" phase of it?? Please tell me you are joking! You are judging me in the same breath as asking me not to be judgmental! Every single day is an absolute struggle for me to stay on a healthy diet and fit time in to exercise when I am so exhausted all the time (I have a medical condition on top of the pure laziness) but I push through because it is important to me. The part that really struck a chord with me was where she blamed her children for her not having time. Children don't deserve the burden of her laziness on their shoulders. There has been person after person on this topic offering great suggestions (including working out with her children) and the posters response to everything is an excuse. Yes, we all have our own ways but excuses won't cut it. You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped.

NoExcusesFitnessCoach

I workout at home using DVD programs and have had incredible results. The gym isn't for everyone. You can get everything you need if you choose a program you will enjoy. You can also get support/motivation by creating a thread here or looking for online support groups on Facebook, etc. That always helps.

Really, it's just about finding the type of workout you like. For some people, that's the gym. For others, that's a DVD program they can do at home.

arabianhorselover

You seriously don't have to go anywhere if the roads are icy? The roads are icy here for most of five months of the year.

I do DVDs at home and have had GREAT success. I've never stepped foot in a gym before. This works for me because I'm a single mother of 2 5 year old twin boys who have severe disabilities and I also work full time and am enrolled in University. I work out at 6am while my kids are still asleep. I will never go to the gym because I can do enough at home and I do what I love. Right now I'm doing Les Mills Combat and I can't get enough of it.

Great response. I think the key for all of us is to find what works with us and what we can fit around our already busy lives.
Myself, I was going to the gym after five, but because I have to cover so many different events at night (sports, meetings, fund raisers, etc.) for my small town newspaper that it became impractical. So now I wake up earlier than I used to (5:40ish) and get an hour to 90 minutes in. Luckily I am in a small town where my home, gym and work are all so close to each other.

To the Original Poster: Find a schedule that you can keep. It might even be better to find a workout buddy that can match your schedule so that the two of you can encourage and keep each other on track. For example, this morning I woke up hoping there was ice on the roads so that I could go back and hibernate. No ice! So I drove in and got a text from my workout buddy "How are the roads?" I called him with "These weights aren't going to lift themselves. Get your *kitten* in there." For both of us, left to our own nature, we would have probably skipped the gym and slept in. Instead, I burned a few hundred calories and I feel better for it.

motivatethismom

Giddy, excited, "Look! Everything is cute magic ponies!" phase of it?? Please tell me you are joking! You are judging me in the same breath as asking me not to be judgmental! Every single day is an absolute struggle for me to stay on a healthy diet and fit time in to exercise when I am so exhausted all the time (I have a medical condition on top of the pure laziness) but I push through because it is important to me. The part that really struck a chord with me was where she blamed her children for her not having time. Children don't deserve the burden of her laziness on their shoulders. There has been person after person on this topic offering great suggestions (including working out with her children) and the posters response to everything is an excuse. Yes, we all have our own ways but excuses won't cut it. You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped.

FYI I was never making excuses! When I work full time, live an hour away from my work, I cherish the little time I have with my children so that's one reason why I gave up on the gym. The very next day I bought a treadmill and have been on it daily since along with dvd workouts. Yes im making time so stop judging and calling me lazy!! Keep yourself off of my post if you can't be nice. No one wants to hear someone be so negative and judgmental. I originally posted in the "motivation and support" area. Not for you to come criticize me bc I'm not doing things the way you think I should!!!! Have one more kid yourself, 3 is way harder than 2.

MissBabyJane

There is a great workout videos on youtube. IMO the best are fitnessblender. I also workout at home and the results are great!

IWILLBelieveAchieveInspire

how do i adjust them right to fit me, how many of each should i do? in what type of order?

First, the order for now is really not that important. Doing it is what matters. For adjusting it, you can always ask one of the trainers that's there at the time - this doesn't need to be a session. Also, some machines might have a description right on it. Lastly, for how many - shoot for 3 sets of 8-12 reps. Pick a weight you can do 8 of, then next time 9 and so on until 12. When you get to 12, next time increase the weight and go back to 8. Rinse and repeat.

I have a little book I carry with me around the gym in which I record all my exercises, how many sets, reps and weight I lift on that particular day. The next week I typically look back at how much weight I've lifted the previous week and determine if I am capable of lifting heavier, repeating those same exercises. I really like your suggestion of working up to 12reps and then upping the weight. I'd never heard of that before but it makes complete sense. Thanks for the information. I find doing my splits much easier this way because I don't have to try and remember what i did the week before and it ensures I am progressing and challenging myself. The little logging book wasn't expensive and i found it at indigo. You can record your food in it as well but I don't do that since i record it here. After 8wks I will change up the exercises.

hbwright74

I hope this is allowed here so if not please moderator delete, but I find the app jefit helpful. Sign up online and you can choose your workout or make your own according to what the trainer gives you and it syncs with your phone just like MFP. It keeps up with your workouts, reps, weights, etc, and gives you goals to increase your weights, which I love getting to that goal!! There are numerous workouts to choose from, even workout at home with no equipment, which I used when the gym was closed for the storm last week. No need to wonder what to do because it's all there for you. If your gym doesn't have a piece of equipment called for in the workout, you can chose another to take its place, or if you don't particularly like an exercise, say for your triceps, you can use the app to find another exercise that works the triceps that you like better. Just an idea to help you know what to do and how much to do while you are at the gym. My daughter and I use this all the time and love it.