anyone else sick of people trying to sell you workouts?

my best friend is a beachbody coach. she loves it, and i'm happy for her.

at the same time, i really hate everything about that crap. my feed here, and now on fb thanks to her, seems to have more and more posts/comments about 'you should try this. message me, i'll tell you how to get it'

it seems almost underhanded to coerce people into buying these workouts. sure, they work. so does running. so does freaking jumping jacks. you don't have to sign up for some nonsense group or pay strangers money to get exercise! it infuriates me. am I the only one bugged by this?

Replies

  • Well you are not alone.i get the odd one of those pathetic videos were the secret is at the end then you have to buy a load of crap for it to actually work. Drives me nuts personally any form of diet/exercise plan you have to pay for is a scam. yeah it might work but you could have figured out how to do it without spending a single penny lol.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
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  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
    Everything can be found for free, indeed. You can get education equal to PhD in astrophysics just by using free info online, some cheap 2nd hand books and library card, without paying thousands for collage.

    People don't play for information. They pay for less work and trouble. They want already stuff that works on their table without spending hours to research and experiment. They don't want confusion. They just want a workout plan what works. And nothing wrong with that. That's only fair that people who sell stuff or train people get money for their work and time they put in to train them and write a program.

    Now the very thing of spamming people feeds to sell stuff might be annoying. But not because of spammers, cos of you. Cos that is your attitude that you get annoyed. You might as well ignore them with a smile if you would want to. It's your choice. :)
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    Wait u til tomorrow when p90x3 is out. We'll be bombarded by 'coaches'.
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    Well I don't have this problem, but I like what you said there. Exercise is exercise, nothing particularly special about one or the other, it's just stringing them together.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    Wait u til tomorrow when p90x3 is out. We'll be bombarded by 'coaches'.

    What do you mean "wait"? I can count 3 posts offhand in the last week counting down until the release. I'm pretty sure they also crossed their forearms in an "X" facing in the direction of Tony after they hit "post reply."

    To answer the OP, I have one friend on FB who became a coach and was like that, and I just blocked her posts from my newsfeed. I don't need a daily update that she worked out, complete with sweaty pics. And every post of course came with a marketing ploy, which is so not what I want to hear from someone, especially when they have a separate page dedicated to their coaching business.

    This place is ridiculous. I actually have a question about two different programs and people's experience with them, and I've refrained from asking because the coaches are so unethical that I have no way of knowing whether I'm seeing the results of an unaffiliated person trying to follow the program or a BB coach who is doing the program, following the meal program exactly, and drinking who-knows-what product because they have a financial stake in being successful. It's discouraging and really turns me off to BB products, when I am pretty much their target demographic.
  • sammyantics
    sammyantics Posts: 191 Member
    It's discouraging and really turns me off to BB products, when I am pretty much their target demographic.

    That's exactly what I'm saying!!! That'd be like asking Jillian Michaels if 30Day Shred is a good workout for you. Of course she's going to say yes. Then you'll buy her stupid DVDs and she'll get richer and richer.

    The worst is that my friend who's trying to sell this crap is not exactly proof that it works, either. If you're going to sell people on an exercise, maybe you should get your *kitten* in shape first.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Beachbody sucks. Pyramid schemes. Trying to say you agree to never sell your DVDs after you purchase them. Snake oil supplements. Discriminatory pricing. I know their workouts are popular but there are thousands of exercise DVDs out there from companies and people that don't use such lousy business practices.

    You can throw Jillian on the pile with BB, too, as far as I'm concerned.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    my best friend is a beachbody coach. she loves it, and i'm happy for her.

    at the same time, i really hate everything about that crap. my feed here, and now on fb thanks to her, seems to have more and more posts/comments about 'you should try this. message me, i'll tell you how to get it'

    it seems almost underhanded to coerce people into buying these workouts. sure, they work. so does running. so does freaking jumping jacks. you don't have to sign up for some nonsense group or pay strangers money to get exercise! it infuriates me. am I the only one bugged by this?

    it bugs me for a couple days. Then I delete them, and it doesn't bug me anymore.
  • Trimi
    Trimi Posts: 57
    Honestly, anything you need to "buy" so you can "lose fast" is probably horsecrap. Now, I'm not saying you won't lose weight doing it, but it is most certainly not a faster or healthier way to lose weight than, say, running.

    People have been gaining and losing weight for millennia, and they didn't need Px90 or beachbody or whatever other "programs" and "coaches" out there trying to sell you information you can find yourself if you spent a few hours doing some research online.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
    "beachbody coach" rhymes with "cockroach".

    coincidence?
  • It's discouraging and really turns me off to BB products, when I am pretty much their target demographic.

    That's exactly what I'm saying!!! That'd be like asking Jillian Michaels if 30Day Shred is a good workout for you. Of course she's going to say yes. Then you'll buy her stupid DVDs and she'll get richer and richer.

    The worst is that my friend who's trying to sell this crap is not exactly proof that it works, either. If you're going to sell people on an exercise, maybe you should get your *kitten* in shape first.

    Amen to this! I have the same situation and the thing is, I could kick her *kitten* in running, lifting and I'm quite sure arm wrestling. She's skinny but that's it.
  • kbolton322
    kbolton322 Posts: 358 Member
    I have a few friends who are BB coaches and they don't really push the selling part of it but then I get these messages on here when I start talking to others bout doing Insanity bout making them my coach and this and that.. Just the other day I got a meesage bout p90x3 coming out and I should order it for christmas... like I have that much extra to spend on myself for christmas... I have 3 kids of my own to by for first... some of the coaches don't care bout anything bout making money and some care about the people they are coaching and dont care bout making money... I know some of both...
  • ajaxe432
    ajaxe432 Posts: 608 Member
    "beachbody coach" rhymes with "cockroach".

    coincidence?
    The funny part is, I picture the toon(profile pic) saying that! lol
  • mmm_drop
    mmm_drop Posts: 1,126 Member
    my best friend is a beachbody coach. she loves it, and i'm happy for her.

    at the same time, i really hate everything about that crap. my feed here, and now on fb thanks to her, seems to have more and more posts/comments about 'you should try this. message me, i'll tell you how to get it'

    it seems almost underhanded to coerce people into buying these workouts. sure, they work. so does running. so does freaking jumping jacks. you don't have to sign up for some nonsense group or pay strangers money to get exercise! it infuriates me. am I the only one bugged by this?

    it bugs me for a couple days. Then I delete them, and it doesn't bug me anymore.

    ^THIS.

    However, I do use Focus T25 and love it, so I talk to others about it around here. Inevitably every time I talk about it I get FRs and PMs from BB coaches, all of which I ignore or deny.
  • PriceK01
    PriceK01 Posts: 834 Member
    I'm pretty sure they also crossed their forearms in an "X" facing in the direction of Tony after they hit "post reply."

    This made me laugh :)
  • jbee27
    jbee27 Posts: 356 Member
    Yes. It's annoying. As a mid-20's female, I've watched a few waves of "programs" through the past few years. First it was Body by Vi, then herbology, now it's Shakeology/Beachbody.

    I keep my mouth shut for the most part, and ignore it. Soon enough, they slowly taper off (as I think the realization starts to set in that they are now involved in a pyramid scheme that they are not profiting from.)
  • mamacoates
    mamacoates Posts: 430 Member
    "beachbody coach" rhymes with "cockroach".

    coincidence?
    The funny part is, I picture the toon(profile pic) saying that! lol

    Funny! I thought the same thing!!
  • mamacoates
    mamacoates Posts: 430 Member
    I can appreciate your friend's new-found enthusiasm, but maybe you could share with her that in order to preserve the friendship, you'd rather keep business out of the mix and assure her that if you do find you are interested in purchasing something, you will go to her first before anyone else. Maybe if you acknowledge her efforts to promote good health to those she is connected with, but also vocalize your boundaries, she will relax a bit and stop bugging you ...
  • WannabeStressFree
    WannabeStressFree Posts: 340 Member
    I don't mind people doing their thing, but the BB "coaches" aren't really necessarily qualified. I've fallen to other schemes, twice fooled shame on me, so I just ignore these peeps. I'm sure some people benefit from them, but I tried working out a home and it didn't work for me. A lot of these coaches coach you online, that's not what I need! I love my local Y, I love swimming and lifting.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Now the very thing of spamming people feeds to sell stuff might be annoying. But not because of spammers, cos of you. Cos that is your attitude that you get annoyed. You might as well ignore them with a smile if you would want to. It's your choice. :)

    Let me get what you're saying......it's the spamee's fault not the spammer's? So it's your fault if you get annoyed with telemarketers calling your house during dinner?

    I think you have it backwards.....the spammer (especially friends who have drank the MLM kool-aid) is the one creating the annoyance.
  • sammyantics
    sammyantics Posts: 191 Member
    It's discouraging and really turns me off to BB products, when I am pretty much their target demographic.

    That's exactly what I'm saying!!! That'd be like asking Jillian Michaels if 30Day Shred is a good workout for you. Of course she's going to say yes. Then you'll buy her stupid DVDs and she'll get richer and richer.

    The worst is that my friend who's trying to sell this crap is not exactly proof that it works, either. If you're going to sell people on an exercise, maybe you should get your *kitten* in shape first.

    Amen to this! I have the same situation and the thing is, I could kick her *kitten* in running, lifting and I'm quite sure arm wrestling. She's skinny but that's it.

    haha my friend is...not skinny. quite far from it. she says these workouts are really changing her body, but all the photos she sends me (we live far apart) are myspace-angled and really hard to tell. but, don't worry, because if the workouts arent working, the BB shakes are sure to compensate! ugh. no. i've told her at least 5 times that i have no interest. explained the whole thing was a pyramid scheme when she signed up, but she did it anyway. some people just aren't bright. i love her though, and hope she continues to not use mfp, so she never reads this. hahaha
  • sammyantics
    sammyantics Posts: 191 Member
    I don't mind people doing their thing, but the BB "coaches" aren't really necessarily qualified. I've fallen to other schemes, twice fooled shame on me, so I just ignore these peeps. I'm sure some people benefit from them, but I tried working out a home and it didn't work for me. A lot of these coaches coach you online, that's not what I need! I love my local Y, I love swimming and lifting.

    I love my Y too!!! I had to give up my membership for financial reasons a few months ago, but I'm rejoining as soon as I can. I've been to bally's and planet fitness and a few other gyms, but never felt comfortable at any of them. the y though, i could spend hours there and feel so at home.

    i've actually been working out at home since losing my membership, and i feel great, do stuff that makes me sweat, and don't pay out the a-- for it.
  • explosivedonut
    explosivedonut Posts: 419 Member
    I like the BB workouts, simply because it was easy. Once I finished a couple, I just hit the gym, though. It's much better for my goals. I still use them to supplement my workouts, however. If I want to get some cardio in, I pop in a DVD. I hate the treadmill, and sometimes I don't feel like going for a run, or the weather doesn't want me to. Granted, I never paid full price for one....

    I like my coach, I feel like he actually cares about our journey, though he obviously does try to sell us stuff. It's his job. He actually believes it, and that is good for him. When I worked sales and my friends would come in, I would make sure they got what they needed, no more and no less. Would I try and sell them stuff they didn't "need"? Yes, but only if I actually believed in it and not because of the money.

    I personally don't want to be a coach, though my coach keeps trying to make me one (it's the only thing I don't like). I am done with sales. I hated it, and I wasn't good at it. If I really wanted to do something like that, I would just start up a fitness group on facebook where we all talk about workouts, what works for us, and nobody makes any money off of it. Recommend a product? Sure! So long as you don't make money off of it.
  • Matiara
    Matiara Posts: 377 Member
    my best friend is a beachbody coach. she loves it, and i'm happy for her.

    at the same time, i really hate everything about that crap. my feed here, and now on fb thanks to her, seems to have more and more posts/comments about 'you should try this. message me, i'll tell you how to get it'

    it seems almost underhanded to coerce people into buying these workouts. sure, they work. so does running. so does freaking jumping jacks. you don't have to sign up for some nonsense group or pay strangers money to get exercise! it infuriates me. am I the only one bugged by this?

    The methods that a lot of BB coaches use may be aggressive and annoying, but ultimately, they can't force anyone to buy anything. All advertising is manipulation and if someone falls for it and buys a product while having unrealistic expectations, it's on them.

    With that being said, I own three of Beachbody's programs. I bought them because when I looked at clips, I felt that they were the types of workouts that I enjoy and would get years of use out of. I didn't buy them because I saw the infomercial and expected a miracle. I watch a *lot* of exercise informercials because they inspire me to keep working out, but I rarely buy any.

    When I ordered my workouts from BB, I bought them through the website and declined all of the prompts asking me to add other things to my order. I've never used Shakeology, supplements, the recovery formula, etc., nor have I been tempted. I'm also not a member of the Beachbody boards because you're required to have a coach in order to join and I don't want or need a coach. I've had a couple of PMs here from coaches when I mention that I have the programs, but I just flat ignored them and it's been over a year since I've heard from one.

    As someone who exercises soley at home and will never join a gym, I buy workout videos/DVDs for convenience and to add variety to my workout library. I know that no one needs to pay videos to exercise any more than someone needs a gym membership to get in shape, but if I had to make up a routine on my own, it wouldn't get done. I don't have the the patience. And even if I did get fussed to make up a routine, I likely would last long doing it just staring at my four walls. I know myself and know that I need something ready made that I can follow along to on a screen. I'm willing to pay the price for convenience. Just wanted you to know that not everyone who purchases workout DVDs are rubes falling for hucksterism. :)
  • aliencheesecake
    aliencheesecake Posts: 569 Member
    Now the very thing of spamming people feeds to sell stuff might be annoying. But not because of spammers, cos of you. Cos that is your attitude that you get annoyed. You might as well ignore them with a smile if you would want to. It's your choice. :)

    Let me get what you're saying......it's the spamee's fault not the spammer's? So it's your fault if you get annoyed with telemarketers calling your house during dinner?

    I think you have it backwards.....the spammer (especially friends who have drank the MLM kool-aid) is the one creating the annoyance.

    Yeah...I was thinking the same thing. Kind of like that bullsh*t about how people can only hurt your feelings if you "let" them. Way to teach someone to feel like they have to take literally NO responsibility for how they treat others...
  • Robin1117
    Robin1117 Posts: 1,768 Member
    I know what you mean, some people do come on strong. I do a lot of BB workouts, and I LOVE them...they really are so well-thought out and for someone like me who wants to be told what to do, wants a well-rounded workout, and likes to workout at home, they work great for me.

    I have dealt with the annoying coaches though, but basically tell them what I'm looking for, and that would be ideas for new workouts. Not interested in eating plans, or shakeology, challenge groups, or anything like that. And my coach respects that. If something on your newsfeed doesn't work for you, or causes you even a minute of angst, I'd definitely get rid of it! Being aggravated is not what logging into mfp or facebook is all about....
    I started one of the workouts a few months ago and I was added to this facebook group and after about 3 days I left the group; just told the coach it wasn't motivating to me, that's not what I need. I had a different coach who basically did nothing, she wasn't supportive on mfp and just sent challenge group emails all the time, so I dropped her and found one who is more my style...

    Anyway, you can like the products but don't have to buy-in to that sales-y stuff.....