Videos vs Gym

I sometimes do videos at home, but I much prefer group classes at the gym. Does your gym have classes?

I don't think it matters. But I know what I'm like.... If I were exercising at home it would be much easier to quit then it would be in a class at the gym. I walked out half way through a class ONCE at the gym, and all the disapproving eyes followed me all the way out. Embarrassment much

Lmao Lemon Thanks for giving me a laugh!

lemon629 wrote: »

christinev297 wrote: »

I don't think it matters. But I know what I'm like.... If I were exercising at home it would be much easier to quit then it would be in a class at the gym. I walked out half way through a class ONCE at the gym, and all the disapproving eyes followed me all the way out. Embarrassment much

LOL. I was in a similar situation once in a boot camp style class. I was about to die and wanted to leave but didn't dare because of the peer pressure. At the same time staying in the class was also embarrassing because the participants were paired and my partner was much more fit and athletic than I was! It was awful. Fortunately, after about 20-30 minutes, the fire alarm went off and we all had to go outside! (Someone had burned popcorn in the child care center.) The teacher was going to resume outside, and I thought about staying and finishing the class, but when he said to do lunges from one side of the SOCCER field to the other, I quietly disappeared and drove home. (A lot of people from the class had already left anyway and it was a bit chaotic (there were some people barely clothed who had been showering when the alarm went off!), so it was easy to slip out.)

Thank goodness for that burned popcorn!

LOL! This is pure perfection!

But OP, I used to primarily workout at home, it's the only way I would workout. I started with Shaun T's T25, then moved onto Insanity, P90X3, and now I'm doing his Insanity Max 30 program.

However, in December, I started to incorporate group classes, such as spinning, yoga, kettlebells, and pole fitness.

In the morning before, I do my Insanity Max 30 video, and in the evenings, I go to whatever class I have scheduled for that evening. The video in the morning gets me pumped and ready for work, and the class in the evening helps me burn off any stress from my workday. It also helps me make connections with other people. I love my pole classes, we all have so much fun together.

Do whatever is going to make sure you stay consistent.

just working out for the sake of working out and either droning away on cardio equipment or dancing around the living room to some DVD is boring...doesn't really matter whether it's home or the gym...it's boring.

Establish some fitness goals and do your work in support of those goals and fitness becomes a lot more fun...especially when you really start making fitness advances. Put a purpose behind your work...just moving to move is boring as all hell.

christinev297 wrote: »

I would freak OUT if I got paired up with someone. My luck he would be super hot and insanely fit!

He wasn't particularly hot, but he was certainly very fit. I was probably the least fit person in the class. To make matters worse, we alternated (like I would do lunges across the room to him, then he'd do lunges across, and so forth). He was much faster than I was, so I had hardly any time to rest between exercises. Plus, I felt guilty because I knew I was holding him back. We were a definite mis-match!

That is the only time I skipped out because a class was too hard. I do once in a rare while leave class early for other reasons, though, like if I have an appointment or something like that. I try to remember to tell the teacher in advance, though.

Frankly, I feel like a trained monkey doing workout videos. I torrented legitimately purchased P90X and, while I like the exercises, I felt really really stupid listening to the dude and flailing about. I'm also someone who finds group exercise classes that aren't martial arts, yoga or just everyone doing a list of exercises on their own to be unbearable. I would rather be stuck with teaching a horde of irritating little yellow belt children than do a step or dance-fitness class.

I'm not sure why, but that's just how I am. I really love the gym, by contrast. Give me a mostly empty gym at 6AM and I'm happy to just go around doing my thing or trying out all the new equipment. Last weekend, I went with a friend of mine to a big rec centre in her area of the city and they had all sorts of cool stuff that we just spent two hours trying out. The track had a hill built into it, there were all sorts of strange stretching contraptions, they had competition kettlebells (surprisingly easier on the forearms than the Russian-style I have at home), a heavy bag, a combatives room with mats, machines my gym didn't have and, the crowning jewel in my eyes, a pair of gymnastics rings that I spent a good ten minutes on hanging upside down.

Maybe there are some pieces of equipment you've never used before, like TRX bands or something. Or maybe there's a new group class, or a routine that you haven't tried before. While I follow Stronglifts and an HIIT protocol, about once a month I take a day off my regular routine to just try something new or just cycle through machines. At my old gym, we had a tire and sledgehammer, so if I had a particularly stressful day, I'd just go in and throw my regular routine out the window in favour of wailing on that tire and giving my back, shoulders and core a good workout.

ragan4bama wrote: »

What are your thoughts on going to the gym versus home work-out videos? I am bored with what I have been doing at the gym but don't really know how to spice it up?

It's really personal preference. I haven't been in a gym in years (last time was before I gained weight). For awhile I used video games like Just Dance, Dance Central, Your Shape, and EA Active 2.0. Currently I am using workout DVD's and have a little collection growing.

I have nothing against gyms. I just haven't been able to afford a membership. I'm actually excited that my husband is considering getting a YMCA membership for us with tax returns. The day care and the pool are the 2 features I'm looking forward to the most. However, even if we get the membership, I will probably still use DVD's from time to time. I get bored easily and have to change things up to keep interested.

Exercise is exercise no matter where you do it… but personally, I LOATHE working out at home. I get bored. I feel extremely self-conscious. And I have no f-ing clue what to do! Plus home is full of distractions and excuses. Going to the gym eliminates all of those excuses and distractions. Plus there is equipment there that I will never have. Plus there is free access to the fitness trainer who can TELL me what to do. Plus it's full of people doing the exact same thing… so I don't feel so self-conscious. And even if someone was judging me… it's not like it's anybody I care about… so what do I care? I'm a gym rat through and through. It's my happy place.

For me it`s definitely at the gym or a club or class. Occasionally I run cross country on my own just to enjoy the solitude and tranquillity but the rest of the time having that pre agreed time makes it so much easier to get up and go- and classes and clubs are a social environment - good for support but also just good to spend time with friends .
Even if I`m just doing weights on my own, once I`ve made the trip to the gym I`m not going to pack up without doing a decent amount.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

just working out for the sake of working out and either droning away on cardio equipment or dancing around the living room to some DVD is boring...doesn't really matter whether it's home or the gym...it's boring.

Establish some fitness goals and do your work in support of those goals and fitness becomes a lot more fun...especially when you really start making fitness advances. Put a purpose behind your work...just moving to move is boring as all hell.

I agree.

The only times that I've ever stuck to working out for longer than a few weeks is when I've had goals that I was working toward.

Like C25K. The first time I tried it, I was just "trying to start running" and never finished the program. Then I signed up for a 5k that was 4 months away and restarted the program. That time I finished it because I wanted to be able to run for my race.

I still set goals and that's how I keep myself motivated.

Switch it up if you're bored, but setting goals will help keep you engaged.

I love yoga in the studio.

But for everything else, I'd rather sweat in the comfort of my own living room. I find it much easier to just tell myself I have to get dressed and go downstairs, rather than needing to hop in a car, go to the gym, drive home and clean up, etc. It saves me lots of back-and-forth time, and I prefer to feel like I'm dying in private I get VERY flushed VERY quickly - before I even start sweating. I hate that people stop me in the middle of my workouts to ask if I'm OK.

I love love love working out at home. I plan my workouts, so I know what I'm doing each day, as you can see from my profile pic, I am not lacking in equipment (or a workout partner).

I'll admit when I first started this 3 years ago, I was distracted easily and thought I would eventually join a gym, but now the thought of actually joining a gym makes me kind of anxious, even though I would eventually like to try strongman training. I like my routine, don't have to worry about someone using the equipment I need, I can turn my music up load and sing and when I'm done...I'm already home.