spartan_d Member

I think is a pretty good article. They state up front that the "science" behind BodyPump is bogus, i.e. doing scores of reps with ultra-light weights isn't an effective way to build strength. However, they do acknowledge other benefits of the program. Personally, I think there are much more time-efficient ways to get…

IMO, this is kinda like leaving one's plates or dumbbells in random locations around the gym. It's possible that the gym owner doesn't care, but that's no excuse. One shouldn't assume that it's okay, even in the absence of signage, and it's certainly inconsiderate to the other gym members.

I think that some common sense applies. If you're chatting to work out the dance moves in a dance class, then that's just a normal part of the partnered workout process. It's entirely different from having a prolonged conversation about something else altogether. One would have to strive mighty hard to find a situation in…

YES, I DO. As I mentioned earlier a few times earlier, he already asked these women to keep quiet at the start of the class. Moreover, the default assumption should be that the instructor and the other attendees would be bothered. Not "Hey, let's catch up! Let's start having a conversation and people can ask us to stop if…

It doesn't have to disrupt the whole class. If it's needlessly distracting to even one participant, that's more than enough reason. Heck, even if it doesn't actually disrupt any of the other class attendees, it's still disrespectful to the instructor.

Just FTR, I used the word "morons" to describe the people who use ridiculous logic like "If you find this distracting, that's your problem. Focus on what you're doing, not what others are doing." Not the gabby-gabbies. Them, I would simply describe as rude.

Yeah, I appreciate the fact that you proposed a gentle approach. Many gyms still don't want that. Heck, I was in a gym once where I simply pointed out to someone that she was walking in one of the runners-only track lanes. She tried to report me to the management. Even a gentle approach will often fail when it comes to…

Just FYI, I think this article presents a pretty balanced view of the pro/cons of Les Mills BodyPump. (I do agree that the whole "light weights for plenty of reps" approach isn't great for building strength, but the article does point out other advantages to their program.) https://www.stack.com/a/is-bodypump-a-good-workout

From past experience, I know that some gyms do NOT want the participants confronting other participants, due to the potential for unpleasant conflicts and possibly losing members. They ask the gym members to leave this to the staff. Whether the staff takes action or not is another thing. As I've said, sometimes instructors…

I think this instructor has just given up. I've known other instructors who have said that it's a losing battle. @cmriverside... YES, women can be chatty. That is no excuse. Most women are still respectful toward the instructor. The fault lies entirely on the shoulders of the offenders, not the innocent bystanders who are…

Some of you folks clearly don't understand why this is disrespectful to the instructor and the class. Through the years, I've heard many instructors complain about this kind of disrespect. They work hard to prepare a lesson and participants are expected to follow them -- modifying if necessary, but still following. If you…

Our experiences are certainly different. I have seen men converse during their personal workouts, but I have never seen them engage in extended conversations during a workout class. That is entirely different. (My Google search shows various other people observing these talky-talkies, and in every single case, they're…

Just to be contrary, I started landing age group podium spots after I started comparing myself to others more earnestly. I realized, "Those guys are my age and yet they're so much faster than I am. I can train harder and catch up to them." Having said that, I don't expect to outdo the best of these guys. They have less…

This is good advice. Women usually stick with doing push-ups on their needs, but that only loosely resembles a real push-up; It's therefore not a very good way to make progress. The push-ups that you described will engage the legs and core more and would be more effective at building up to a proper push-up.

Thanks for asking. I saw this same woman yesterday, and she was still walking slowly in the wrong lane. Except toward the end of her "workout," when she finally moved to one of the walking lanes. Perhaps she finally noticed me and feared that I might report her. I was looking for a staff member so that I could report her…

I am expressing an opinion and inviting contrary viewpoints. This may surprise you, but some people actually appreciate hearing other points of view, even when we disagree. There have certainly been times when I have changed my mind because others have offered compelling arguments and points of view that I had not…

This discussion shows how people tend to primarily think of exercise as a way to get rid of fat. In retrospect, this shouldn't be surprising given how overweight Americans have become... but it's not the right way to think about exercise.

Yes, you are totally misunderstanding what I said. I opined that this workout looks like it would be fun but comparatively ineffective, i.e. compared to other workouts, there's an awful lot of doing nothing. Obviously, that's not the same as saying that a workout is worthless if it's at all enjoyable. Surely you can see…

With regard to the point raised by @kimny72... I think that the those brief moments where they're pulling against the bungees do provide some resistance. My issue with that is that those moments are rare and brief in comparison to the times where they're being helped along by the bungees. As for the use of core and…

I already acknowledged the "fun" aspect in the OP. In fact, I think that's its primary benefit, since the workout itself isn't very demanding. As @jseams1234 and I said, it seems to be mostly beneficial for those who are infirm or otherwise badly out of shape. That's why I don't put much stock in the ”don’t let perfect be…

I quite agree. I've heard people say that it looks like a great workout. Like you though, I say that it looks fun but is unlikely to provide much of a workout except for those who are tremendously out of shape.

I don't know about that, Mike. Which muscles are being worked when you lift your feet off the ground and let the bungees swing you in a circle? Or those moves where you just sit back and let the bungee cords bounce you back up? I'm pretty sure that none are involved. Now as I said, there is some benefit to this. I never…

@lemurcat2 is right. In the situation that I described, the walking lane was not elevated or cambered. In fact, it's rather unusual that the walking lanes that @vim_n_vigor described are cambered in that manner. Also, when tracks have a bit of elevation on the outermost lane, it is typically to make running a bit easier.

You're a hero. You understand that gentle enforcement of the rules will prevent problems from occuring, whereas others let things slide (lack of track etiquette, etc) until a problem does occur.

Lack of trail etiquette -- in particular, refusing to make room for other people -- is surprisingly common. Mostly among hikers, but even among some runners. Heck, in one of the running groups on Facebook, I saw that a lot of people didn't understand that hikers and runners should avoid taking up the entire width of the…

Based on her previous comment ("I know! Tell that to the hundred other people doing the same thing!" her reasoning seemed to go as follows: "This guy's telling me that I'm in the wrong lane. Other people walk in the runners lane too, though. Therefore, I'm in the right and he's harassing me. I should report him to…

The woman's beef was that I was "harassing" her. Which is ridiculous. I only told her twice (without anger) that she was in the wrong lane -- and the second time only happened because she didn't seem to hear me at first. Twice is hardly harassment. Especially since it's now obvious that she deliberately ignored the first…

Came across another such walker last night--talking on her mobile phone, no less. As I said, this is ridiculously common. To her credit though, when she heard me exclaim, "Oh, come on!" she promptly moved over to the walkers lane. As I passed her, I said, "This lane is for runners only. The sign says so." and I pointed to…

EXACTLY. A lot of people don't understand this. So what if there aren't any runners around at that specific moment? The rules exist to prevent those problems from ever developing. People also underestimate how contagious disorder is. If you ignore the posted track signs, this encourages others to do the same. They'll say,…

Honestly, it annoys me even when I'm NOT using the track. Even if I'm just on the sidelines lifting. And even if they're not currently in anyone's way. That's because it broadcasts an attitude of "There are some perfectly good lanes that I could use, but I don't care. To hell with the rules. I'm going to use this one…