Aparently I'm a total workout snob. :(

Joannafit said:
Ignore the entire lot
Keep going if the class is beneficial to your goals.
You dont need anyones approval (of grief for that matter!)

I wish I lived near ya, I would come just to aggrevate them:p
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Me too! and I would wear my Cathlete shirt :D

Geez.....I'm going to go with these women are b***es opinion...are these really the kind of women you want to be socializing with anyway?? Really???? If I was at a class and they said to me afterward, I believe my gut reaction would have been something like "are you here to workout or to watch me workout? why don't you try focusing on yourselves instead of on me?" then I would smile sweetly and say "have a nice day!" and walk away.....to another gym. :p Sorry...but again...do you REALLY want to be friends with these people??
 
All of this is reminds me again why I do all my workouts at home. The only one there to aggravate me is ME, or Cathe, if she's trying to get me to do those roll-up thingies in Shock Cardio...:D

I don't understand why some women have to be so catty and judgmental...They're definitely jealous. I would get out of that class, but that's just me, because I can't stand confrontation and crappy behavior. You have every right to be there, so if you like the class, just flex those muscles and show 'em all what you've got! Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
 
janie1234 said:
Thanks everyone!


Today 2 women behind me actually confronted me and said that I should not try to out shine the teacher and that it was rude. That I should look for an advanced class and not a low impact class.
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That's just kind of crazy, seriously, why do they even care??? I'm not a big fan of group workouts, but I would either leave or stay and lift heavier and go even harder.
 
I'm with NY25, Janie. It doesn't sound like it is challenging you physically in any way and you are obviously far more advanced than the others in the class. For that matter, as the heaviest weights are your lightest ones, it will never live up to your standards. And if your goal was to find camaraderie and social interaction, it doesn't sound like this will ever be the answer. If it isn't meeting your physical or social needs, the only reason to keep going would be to prove them wrong or show you aren't going to back down. But, in my experience, you will always leave that kind of situation feeling exhausted rather than empowered. I know it's a blow to the ego and you might feel like these women have won by making it so uncomfortable for you to stay. But do you really want to be there anyway?

:)Jonezie
 
Maybe you can find another type of class that challenges you in a different way, such as spinning and leave the weight work to Cathe?

I struggled at our local Y to find a class that challenged me. I would come for the socialization and then go home and work out because the class seldom did it for me. I finally dropped my membership.....
 
I wonder if they think you talking about Cathe is a dis to the instructor? Seems like they have concerns about her which I don't really understand. I would think an instructor would welcome a stong person in the class to set an example for the group. Do you think the instructor said something to others in the class or are they being weirdly protective of her for some reason of their own making?

Regardless - I agree with others, if it's not a good workout for you and the group isn't making you feel welcome, time to find another option. I hope this incident doesn't discourage your from going to other classes. I've had some great group experience classes.
 
I agree with Cindi1.
In your first post, you mentioned you keep talking about "Cathe this" and "Cathe that," which may sound to others like you're dissing the instructor or them.
It just seems like the class is not a good fit for you.
If the vast majority of the people in class seem to have some problem with what you are doing, doesn't it seem like there is a problem?

If I were you, I'd approach the instructor and ask if there is another more advanced class available.
 
It doesn't sound like this class is helping you meet your goal (you mentioned you picked it partly because it was close, and partly because it would help you socialize).

If you're getting used to socializing while working out, there are more enjoyable ways than to join a group that is openly hostile like this - unless you are someone who likes the challenge of winning people over, and I'm not hearing that in your emails.

If convenience is a big part of the decision as to which gym to use, perhaps what would make sense is to switch to the free weights in the gym? Then you will be working out with others, and you'll also be free to focus on your own form. You could even bring one of your Cathe workouts as a download on an ipod (I like to do that on travel some times). Then you'd have the fun of getting fit, being around others, and you might meet a workout partner who would be a pleasure to know.

ETA: I don't mean the 'annoying socializing' here with a lot of distracting chatter - I mean the kind where you work-in with someone, sharing weights, helping spot one another, and so on. Just going back to your original note where it sounds like you don't want to have a high-touch interaction with people. A light social interaction of this type might be a good fit for you, better than a class that has been working together for awhile.
 
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NRG Woman said:
I am thinking you are messing with the self-perception of the people in the class, this is why... In most of my classes I find that most people want to get away with as little work as possible while wondering why they don't get the results they are looking for. There becomes this sort of group think that 5's are heavy and that is the most we can lift. I have this new student in my class who is willing to try anything and I just love her. My classes like to stick to 3 and 5's and yesterday I was really going into depth why you would want to lift to failure. Bless this woman, she picked up the 15's just to see what they would feel like. She then settled on 12's so she could do the right amount of reps. I was so excited I can hardly tell you. The rest of the class (who she is personal friends with) just sat there with their jaws on the floor using their 5's. I could tell that the others in the class were debating increasing their weight because she was willing to lead the way. Next week I am sure she will pick up the 12's and hopefully the other students will venture up to 8. She is my new pied piper.

So my take...if you don't like the class it may not be the place for you. Any one on these boards derives a lot of pleasure from working out and I would hate to see that taken from you. On the other side you may be influencing people in that class to work harder and improve. These are the people who will quietly watch you and follow you and not tell you how much you mean to them. You may be changing their lives without even knowing it.

Good luck with whatever you chose to do.

Shayne
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I agree with Shayne. I taught group fitness classes for many years and found that there were a lot of people who who seemed to have the attitude that just showing up to class was all that mattered. I had people who would actually get mad if they had to work too hard. These were usually the people in the back of the class just going through the motions and only socializing. The instructors where I taught were supposed to teach to the needs of the majority of the class and that may be what's happening here. That's why I loved to teach the early morning classes because those people were there to work! Like Shayne, I loved it when someone came in and had all kinds of energy and was really working hard. That would really energize me as an instructor. My guess is that those women are not worried about you showing up the instructor, they are worried that you are showing them up. In the end it's your workout and I always used to tell my classes that if you cheat you are only cheating yourself. It really does sound like you are not getting what you want out of this class though so maybe another class would be a good idea if it works for your schedule. I also noticed you said they mentioned you shouldn't be in a low impact class. It sounds like they are equating low impact with low intensity and that should not be the case!

Good luck!
Pam
 
Good for you that you are strong and in good shape. It is not the group's fault that they are beginners, it is simply their status. If I were you I would go and find a very advanced class where I'm the weakest link so I could improve more.
 
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Women at the gym are brutal. It's worse than high school. My experience is to keep doing what you are doing (in the workout) and politely laugh off their comments. The chatter may not stop but it may after they realize that you are there to workout and you are just doing your best for you. As much as you are there to work out with others, you aren't there to meet your lifelong friends. Sure if you meet friends, great, but its secondary to your reason for being there (working out).
 
Timber99 said:
Women at the gym are brutal. It's worse than high school.
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Yes, . . Timber99 it is. I remember girls being really mean in high school. Really hurtful mean, . . .it just does not go away and you never forget it. You find a way to be nice and fit in but you just can't. The opening scene to the movie "Carrie" comes to mind. Something similar to that happened to me in middle school and it left emotional scars that cannot be erased.

Unfortunately I live in a really small town and I mean small. I would have to drive 45 minutes away to a city where they offer advanced classes. Which would mean an almost 2 hour commute just to take a class.

I guess my options are to devlope a thicker skin or quit. I think I've pretty much just decided to quit and stick with Cathe and the inspirational people I've met here. No I've never met her or any of you, . . . but Cathe and the people on this forum help push and inspire me to reach my goals and know how to laugh WITH me NOT at me along the way.

Thank everyone for listening.
 
If you are there for human contact, it looks like you are not getting what you want except agitation. They seem to be so jealous of you. Why do people do that? (shaking head back and forth). Sorry some people have to be such butt heads.

I'd say bye and find another/or a different class to go to. Life is too short to put up with that kind of nonsense. Do your workouts with us and Cathe. We'll all give you much support. It's working isn't it?

Examples of a different class: Do what you enjoy/a passion

art
karate
quilting
glass work
writing

Janie
 
LastTango said:
Sounds to me like they are jealous. Just smile and flex those muscles. They show how hard you work.
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I agree -- sounds like they are totally jealous. I would just continue doing things the way you are not worry about it! That's what I would do if I was in your situation!

Julie
 
Geeze thanks everyone. Truly, . .thanks. I may sound like a wimp with this regard but I quit and I'm sticking with Cathe. Tonight is Muscle Max. I don't need the drama. I gotta wonder what Cathe and other people that are instructors on this forum do when they want to check out a class. Oh well, . . . it is a small town, . . really small and I don't want to burn any bridges. . .you literally can't pass gas without the newspaper writing a story about it. :(
 
janiejoey said:
Do your workouts with us and Cathe. We'll all give you much support. It's working isn't it?



Janie
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Thanks Janie (((hugs)))

Yes, . . . nothing has worked better for me and I've never been stronger and more fit in all my life than I have been when working out with Cathe.

I work from home part time and I'm a stay at home mom the rest of that time. I'm not the most social butterfly out there. With children I'm great, . . and goofy, . . confident and fun. With adults, . . . well, . . I'm not so great. I just don't ever have anything to say and nothing in common, . . . no one I know in this town likes to workout for fun. Deep sighs, . . at least I have my kids to play with.

My husband thinks I'm like a hermit crab that hides away from everyone and tries to encourage me to get out and make friends.

Janie,. . . I'm going to take your advice though. I'm going to sign up for dance classes ballet and ballroom. Wish me luck.
 
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