Turn Off that Phone!
For those of you who follow this weblog, you might conclude that I am an advocate of the home workout. You would be correct in coming to this conclusion. I do believe that there are pros and cons to both the home workout and the gym workout. I have done both. I was a member at two fitness clubs and I also worked at a third fitness club. I taught aerobics classes also for several years at both a community college and a martial arts dojo. I have also spent a lot of time at home doing workouts, whether they are following a workout video, a fitness television show or just doing my own thing to some music on the stereo.
I think to be fair, I should review the pros and cons of both types of workouts. The biggest benefit to going to a fitness club is the variety of equipment and classes that are offered. Personally, I am not a fan of treadmills or ellipticals for cardio so that is not a big drawing point for me but I do like the weight machines, especially if they are set up in a circuit. I think I enjoyed the group fitness classes that were offered at the gym that I attended. There was a really intense kickbox class called Body Combat and a strength training class called Body Pump that I really enjoyed. Both were done to very motivating music and they were both a lot of fun.
Access to personal trainers is another plus for the fitness clubs. Since you already pay your monthly fees, the cost of a trainer is a little less than hiring a trainer who works for themselves. I had a personal trainer at the club I attended. The reason I requested a trainer was to help me with my own training to be a personal trainer. I never had a trainer myself so I thought it would be good to have some sessions with a club trainer. The cost was $20.00 for a 30 minute session. She had to go through the program that the club told her to do so I was not really satisfied with what she had to offer. I also found out that she was taking the personal trainer program that I had already completed and was waiting to do her certification just as I was.
The convenience of having no interruptions is another plus for clubs. There are no phones, no kids or husbands asking what is for dinner. There are no doorbells to answer.
So the club sounds much better than the home workout in many ways. Not always! You have to be very careful when you chose a club. If you go to a small, privately owned club, you may get a program tailored to your own needs with more personalized attention but small clubs often do not make money. In my city, several clubs have closed their doors to their clients after they have payed for a full year or more of membership dues. The money was never reimbursed to the members because the club went banrrupt. If you want to join a club, make sure that dues are taken out monthly or even weekly in case you aren't happy with the service or to avoid them closing with your money already paid. This problem is less likely to occur with a bigger club or franchise.
Another common problem with clubs is that often times the trainers and instructors are not certified. When I worked at the club several years ago, I was the only instructor who was certified to teach aerobics and yet there were several instructors teaching. If you are in a club and your trainer or instructor is not certified, find out if they are at least going through the process. Sometimes clubs will hire a trainer who is doing their certification. They are given a certain timeframe to actually become certified as part of the employment agreement.
Clubs are an option and it depends if what they have to offer is what you need in a fitness program.
Home workouts, as much as I love them, do have their problems also. My biggest problem in trying to do a workout is interruptions. The phone will ring, or the doorbell rings. Sometimes my dogs decide to lay right in the spot where I am going to do my workout. Sometimes I flick on the TV and something will catch my eye and I never end up doing the workout. I don't have this problem any more, but often times my children would have some major problem that just could not wait for mom to finish her workout.
But the home workout can compete very well with the gym workout. You can purchase just about any type of equipment for the home that can be found in the gym if you have the room and the money. I found that I can do just as much in my workout using smaller pieces of equipment such as a step, dumbbells, body bars, resistance bands, Bosus and stability balls. For cardio you can walk or run outdoors when the weather is nice and when the weather is not so nice, you workout indoors to your favorite fitness DVD. The variety of DVDs available is just crazy now so there will be something out there that you will like.
Another plus to working out at home is that you do not feel the need to buy expensive workout wear. You can wear shorts and a t-shirt if that suits you. You can use your own shower afterwards and you do not have to pack up your gym bag and then drive home afterwards. You will already be home to watch your favorite show.
So if you want work out at home don't forget to turn off that phone!
I think to be fair, I should review the pros and cons of both types of workouts. The biggest benefit to going to a fitness club is the variety of equipment and classes that are offered. Personally, I am not a fan of treadmills or ellipticals for cardio so that is not a big drawing point for me but I do like the weight machines, especially if they are set up in a circuit. I think I enjoyed the group fitness classes that were offered at the gym that I attended. There was a really intense kickbox class called Body Combat and a strength training class called Body Pump that I really enjoyed. Both were done to very motivating music and they were both a lot of fun.
Access to personal trainers is another plus for the fitness clubs. Since you already pay your monthly fees, the cost of a trainer is a little less than hiring a trainer who works for themselves. I had a personal trainer at the club I attended. The reason I requested a trainer was to help me with my own training to be a personal trainer. I never had a trainer myself so I thought it would be good to have some sessions with a club trainer. The cost was $20.00 for a 30 minute session. She had to go through the program that the club told her to do so I was not really satisfied with what she had to offer. I also found out that she was taking the personal trainer program that I had already completed and was waiting to do her certification just as I was.
The convenience of having no interruptions is another plus for clubs. There are no phones, no kids or husbands asking what is for dinner. There are no doorbells to answer.
So the club sounds much better than the home workout in many ways. Not always! You have to be very careful when you chose a club. If you go to a small, privately owned club, you may get a program tailored to your own needs with more personalized attention but small clubs often do not make money. In my city, several clubs have closed their doors to their clients after they have payed for a full year or more of membership dues. The money was never reimbursed to the members because the club went banrrupt. If you want to join a club, make sure that dues are taken out monthly or even weekly in case you aren't happy with the service or to avoid them closing with your money already paid. This problem is less likely to occur with a bigger club or franchise.
Another common problem with clubs is that often times the trainers and instructors are not certified. When I worked at the club several years ago, I was the only instructor who was certified to teach aerobics and yet there were several instructors teaching. If you are in a club and your trainer or instructor is not certified, find out if they are at least going through the process. Sometimes clubs will hire a trainer who is doing their certification. They are given a certain timeframe to actually become certified as part of the employment agreement.
Clubs are an option and it depends if what they have to offer is what you need in a fitness program.
Home workouts, as much as I love them, do have their problems also. My biggest problem in trying to do a workout is interruptions. The phone will ring, or the doorbell rings. Sometimes my dogs decide to lay right in the spot where I am going to do my workout. Sometimes I flick on the TV and something will catch my eye and I never end up doing the workout. I don't have this problem any more, but often times my children would have some major problem that just could not wait for mom to finish her workout.
But the home workout can compete very well with the gym workout. You can purchase just about any type of equipment for the home that can be found in the gym if you have the room and the money. I found that I can do just as much in my workout using smaller pieces of equipment such as a step, dumbbells, body bars, resistance bands, Bosus and stability balls. For cardio you can walk or run outdoors when the weather is nice and when the weather is not so nice, you workout indoors to your favorite fitness DVD. The variety of DVDs available is just crazy now so there will be something out there that you will like.
Another plus to working out at home is that you do not feel the need to buy expensive workout wear. You can wear shorts and a t-shirt if that suits you. You can use your own shower afterwards and you do not have to pack up your gym bag and then drive home afterwards. You will already be home to watch your favorite show.
So if you want work out at home don't forget to turn off that phone!
posted by fitkix @ 1:14 PM
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