Classes or machines??

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Elibeth3
Elibeth3 Posts: 7
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been going to the gym about 4 - 5 times a week for a few weeks now but I've been mainly doing the classes they have such as zumba, step and pilates. I haven't been noticing any changes in my fitness or weight at all.. I know I need to start counting calories more but I was wondering if the classes are just as good as the machines? Is there any difference between them? I'm just getting a little discouraged :( Thanks everyone!!

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  • slieber
    slieber Posts: 765 Member
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    If you haven't been counting calories, then you might be eating "maintenance" - which means no matter if you use machines or classes, you won't have many changes.

    First is to count your calories. THEN, see what happens. Finally, you might want to mix classes and machines. There are benefits to both.
  • eates
    eates Posts: 334 Member
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    I only take classes since with my membership I had to choose classes or machines & there isn't childcare available if you use the machines.
    M/F are more intense days and I usually burn 800-900 calories, T/Th I usually burn 5-600 and Sat I burn 3-400. I think it's comparable to a workout that I would get with a machine but I have strength classes incorporated into my schedule and going to Zumba/Body Fusion/Weights/Bootcamp is a lot more fun for me than running on an elliptical and I have the added incentive of knowing that someone will notice if I'm not at class that day so it's extra motivation to get there.
  • trimom63
    trimom63 Posts: 351 Member
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    I do mostly classes...I like the "interaction" and the "peer pressure" that I feel more of through the classes. Does your gym have a "LesMills BodyPump" class? Basically, it's lifting weights to music...an awesome weight workout, and it's so much more fun that trying to negotiate those silly machines!! ;) Other than that, I do the zumba classes, and yet other days, I do my own thing on the treadmill, track, or elliptical. But I make SURE and do the bodypump class at least twice a week.
  • okaypanda
    okaypanda Posts: 5 Member
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    If you have the chance to take Circuit Training classes, do it! The best part of these classes is that you're working every part of your body at once. When you're on a machine, you're just using your arms or your legs. The more you push your body, the better off you are.
  • ceschwartz
    ceschwartz Posts: 240 Member
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    What's nice about the machines is they'll tell you your heart rate. It's harder to slack on them. You can end up just going through the motions in a class after awhile. However, I love the human interaction of the classes. So I don't know, I'll be unhelpful and say both are good for you.
  • fit4everyoung
    fit4everyoung Posts: 395
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    Dear Elibeth 3:

    You will certainly notice a difference by the variety of exercise. I personally combined elliptical, stair climber, dvds, walking mainly on the weekend, and boot camp classes. You want to have at least one strength class a week to maintain your muscle tone, specially for us women we start loosing muscle at an early age. The most simple way is to log your food intake consistently and reduce your calories; this process is the most simple effective way and helpful. Of course exercise is great, but sometimes you may be eating all the calories you exercise. Any form of exercise is helpful to loose weight, but careful not to eat all those calories. Perhaps you may want to log your food first (consistency is the key) and know you calorie intake, than gradually incorporate exercise.

    Best,

    Rosie
  • Elibeth3
    Elibeth3 Posts: 7
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    Thank you everyone!! I agree, the motivation from the classes is great! It's a small gym too so it's all the same people who go and they always notice if I miss a class :P They don't have anything on Friday's so I usually run the track and then machines and sometimes I'll play racquetball with my sister for an hour. They have a step pump class which has the cardio on the step and then intervals with weights. How heavy should I use to build muscle? I used a 3 pound the first time and then realized it was pretty small so used an 8? Also should I be aiming to work out for more than 45 minutes a day or more than 5 times a week? Sorry for all the silly questions! I don't have healthy people in my life who know these things :P
  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
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    It's not a matter of classes vs machine. You have to count calories as well. You may very well be either eating more since you think you are burning so much exercising that you can splurge here and there, or you are actually eating just enough to maintain your current weight instead of gaining. Start counting calories and analyzing your diary. That's where you'll see the changes you need to make. Any exercise, whether it's a class or machines done regularly will help, but it's the combined forces of eating AND exercising that will make the difference.

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