What kind of workout should I do?

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Hello all. This is my first time posting to the forum, but I'm having a hard time making a decision and was hoping for some advice.

I recently decided to take the gym membership plunge. I am 5'1" and weight 260lbs, so I was thinking a pool may be my best bet to start to avoid injury. The problem is the only gym with a pool near me is LA Fitness, and I've read many negative reviews about them. I was hoping to get a membership and transition into having a personal trainer, but don't want to get taken advantage of.

I guess the question here is "is it worth a crappy gym membership to start in a pool, or should I just find a different gym and start with a personal trainer?"

Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • daniii756
    daniii756 Posts: 51 Member
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    I have a personal trainer and i have to say my workouts are amazing with him and im learning proper form so i can prevent injuries and my trainer doesnt take advantage of his clients at all. But even if you have a trainer if you dont put in the extra work like proper portions and diet , you wont see the results you want cause excercise only does so much having a good balanced diet is key
  • capaul42
    capaul42 Posts: 1,390 Member
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    Are there any hotels in your area with pools? I know we have on where I live that does memberships for their pool and gym.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    Do the workout that you enjoy and that will meet whatever goals you set for yourself.

    Walking, biking, running, rowing, swimming, etc... all serve generally the same purpose. Increased cardiovascular health and some additional calorie burn (if that is what you are after). Resistance training helps build/maintain muscle/strength and you can do that using bodyweight, barbell, dumbell, or other weights.

    For general overall health (CDC and other agencies recommendation) get 2.5 hours of cardiovascular exercise and 2x/week full body resistance training.

    So, should you join the gym with the pool? If you want to swim, it sounds like an easy choice as that is the only option. If you don't really care if you swim or not, then join whatever gym (or none) suits you. Walking in the street is free. A personal trainer is nice to have if you want to check form or you need someone to put together a routine for you, but most of that can be done for free. So, again, it is what you want and will get you exercising and in better health. Yes, that doesn't help, but if you asked my personal opinion it would be join a gym with a good weight room and do a full body barbell routine, skip the personal trainer, and walk/run/bike outside for cardio.
  • Shells918
    Shells918 Posts: 1,070 Member
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    Usually gyms will give you a free pass to try it out. You can go and see what you think, get the vibe and then decide.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
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    my vote is for a personal trainer for some general strength training a couple times a week , and lots and lots of walking as much as you can do and keep increasing until you can start a program like c25K . I like to suggest walking because you can do it anywhere and any time of the day and as much as you want, rather than having to plan a trip to a gym , wasting travel time, and only get to swim a set amount of time. And walking is great exercise at your weight, provided you don't have any major joint issues.
    And most important, eat right.