Gym Or Home Workouts?

Aquajock

Aquajock

Cathlete
Hi, all! I'm just curious: how many of the Cathe Faithful also have gym/club memberships, and which do you prefer if you have a preference - home workouts or gym workouts?

I instruct two water group fitness classes per week, and that is the ONLY time I go to the gym. I absolutely adore my home workouts and I'm kind of a Cathe Monogamist when it comes to video instruction. Although I've become a fairly skilled video stepper, I confess I've never taken a land/studio class in my life, and I have the feeling I'd klutz myself to death if I did. Plus, gyms are not exactly hotbeds of good manners or indeed cleanliness anymore, no matter how expensive they are!

I love home/video workouts. You have consistent quality, the variety YOU want, you don't have to worry about the instructor you like no-showing or being late, you're on your own schedule, and you don't have to spend half your time figuring out where to put your feet each and every session. I adore my water aerobics instruction, but if I could build my own pool and select my participants myself, I would.

Anyone have an opinion?

Annette
 
Hands down, no contest - HOME WORKOUTS! I must qualify that....Home Workouts with good tapes. I love being able to go to the basement at 6:00am and not care how I look or smell!;-) I don't have to get into a cold car, either.
 
Honeybunch, you and I are really kindred spirits.

I would never join a gym. I tried a few times on trial memberships and even for those two weeks had a hard time getting in the car, travelling back and forth, etc. I could be half done with Cathe at home if you look at the travel time alone.

Besides, when weight training at the gym using either free weights or machines I don't like counting to myself and trying to remember what comes next. Cathe does all that for me. And the results I have had with Cathe could not possibly be exceeded with any kind of gym equipement that I know of.

On top of all that, working out at home means I don't have to worry about how I look. Half the time my socks may not match either, but who cares? I have several old tee shirts I wear all the time and they are so old and tattered I would not want to be in public with them.
 
Hi Annette! I used to belong to Executive Fitness Center in downtown NY. The variety I got from a gym workout was great. Classes though you can forget about it. Too beginner/intermediate/lowkey for me. After you do Cathe's cardio tapes there's no instructor out there that can give you the same intensity. Also there are so many people in gyms that are intermediate that enter classes that the instructor must critique the class according to the students. However, the weight room was awesome! I miss the cable extensions, Smith machine, the one leg extension machine and the squat press. I had to give up my membership due to the fact of the cost. It was $1200 a year. When you take a shower in these gyms you have to make sure that you wear flip-flops on your feet. My husband never did and now suffers from planters warts on the bottom of both feet. Every 2 years surgery. Just terrible! But I'll tell you since I've been working out at home with strictly Cathe's tapes and changing up my rotations every 2-3 weeks and just using free weights, I don't miss the gym all that much. Seeing as how you already work at a gym, why not avail yourself of all the machines that are there? Just map out every time you go to the gym what your going to do plus an alternative exercise in case someone is using one of the machines. Have Fun! Kathy
 
Home! I joined Crunch for two years and never ever go. I'm too lazy to walk a block to the gym!

I prefer working out w/ Cathe or Firm tapes because I know I will get a time-efficient and total body cardio/weight workout in an hour or so.

At the gym, I may get on the elliptical trainer for a half hour and not get a very good workout.

The only good thing about the gym are the spinning classes, but since I never go, they don't do much good.
 
I gave up on gyms for the same reasons many of you listed - crowds, mediocre instructors, classes that never started on time, etc.

But nothing, nothing beats a great live instructor. Someone who will motivate & coach you. The one who inspires you to push harder, eat better & improve.

I take Pilates & Spinning classes on a walk-in basis. I look forward to seeing my Spinning buddies since I'm solo for most of my workouts. For a lot of gym members, this is the only way they carve out some time for themselves. They don't want to think or plan, they just want someone to lead them for an hour. Lots of people are not motivated to exercise alone. The gym does provide a lot of equipment choices too.
 
I very occasionally (5-6 times a year) either do a walk-in advanced kickboxing class or go to the pool at the Y and swim a mile. These adventures cost me $10 a pop. Otherwise I love my home workouts where I can wear shabby clothes, not worry if my armpits are perfectly shaved, keep an eye on my daughter, not have to drive anywhere. Cathe is so perfect. And in cool weather I run once a week in a state park, otherwise it's indoor workouts every day.
 
i like the gym :) several days a week and home for several.

i spend so much time alone in my life that its a nice pump of engery for me to go to the gym and have people be friendly to me!!
i have excellent instructors in the classes i go to ... and my gym is a wood panelled cozy kind of place that makes every effort to be a nice place to be..

i would like home much better if i had more privacy.
i have a 17 year old son and all his friends wandering in and out..... i feel silly being caught bouncing about with a tape...
As soon as i hear the front door open i turn down my tape and try to become invisible....
and i can never tell when i will have one hour of privacy.
At the gym however i feel in good company and tend to really want to put myself out.
 
OMG, I know what you mean, cinza. I feel the same way with my 16 yr old daughter. It is mortifying to be working out if any of her friends come in with her, only slightly embarassing if she is alone, as she's been watching me do what I call "The Blubber-Banishing Dance" since she was two. (That was when she was old enough to stay out of my way, so I started working out at home.) Fortunately, her friends don't come over much, since I have a 2 br townhouse, with no privacy, no junk food, I am using the TV for the workout and I can hear them on the phone, so they usually leave quickly. Actually, my daughter says they admire me since their own mothers are out of shape and much lumpier than I am. I think it's gotta be easier with a daughter, to be caught doing PowerMax or Rhythmic Step!
 
Definitely home workouts! The only time I was a gym rat was as a grad student, and the university weight room was free to use and conveniently located between school and home. I did have 10 sessions of cardio kickboxing classes at a karate studio two summers ago, just for something different, but I found the routines on tape to be so much better (well, after you weed out the bad ones!). The instructor said she was at first afraid I'd hurt myself by kicking so high, and asked me where I had studied! Mostly, being in a gym makes me more self-conscious than self aware, and it's easy to waste time. I also don't consider exercise to be a spectator sport. It's also hard enough to find the time sometimes to fit in an at-home workout. If I went to a gym, I'd probably miss even more than I do now!
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Nov-02-01 AT 08:26PM (Est)[/font][p]i am going to guess a daughter with girlfriends might be easier ....
i get a constant flow of boys..occasional girls....

On the other hand when i am dressed in the living room looking like a normal person i dont mind hearing his friends say...
"wow you're getting buff"

but then again, as with all my feminine artistry ..

i like to make it look like i look great naturally....

(i hate for them to know it really takes constant work and a good hair day for me to look good at all ! )
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Nov-02-01 AT 09:42PM (Est)[/font][p]I have had a gym membership since June and I love it. I also juggle Cathe in and out of my weekly routine to keep things fresh though. So, I'd have to say I enjoy home workouts and gym workouts.
Course, it helps that I belong to the best club in our area; Big Vanilla, in Arnold Md. It may be different for the ladies, but I feel no pressure to dress a certain way. And I have certainly seen the entire spectrum of dress while working out there. I've seen women in thong leotards(quite nice I must say!) to women in baggy sweats. Men mostly wear regular shorts,workouts pants, or sweats. Guys wearing black socks to workout in really raises my dander for some reason though! :) The club itself has top-notch trainers and great cardio and weight equipment. Everything you need, even those elliptical trainers which, by the way, do provide a great workout if used correctly. The showers are clean, the staff wipes down the equipment often(I do too!), and free coffee is available on the way out the door. There's also indoor tennis, internet access, racquetball, rock climbing, massage, juice bar, and swimming pools are going to be put in in the near future. Events such as ski trips are organized throughout the year. They offer every type of class you can think of. I have only done the spinning classes at this place. They are awesome with great instructors who lead the class well and push you.
For me working out at the gym is great motivation because I feel like I have to work harder than the person next to me. And...since it is on the way home from work, it's easy to get there, go inside, and just DO it!
Having said all that I still love Cathe's workouts very much. Bodymax and Imax are my faves. She's so down to earth while she kicks your ass!!....you gotta love it! :)
Trevor :) :-jumpy
 
Last year I did belong to a gym, but I stopped going after 4 months and instead started building a video collection and before long started purchasing exercise equipment, so I now have my own gym at home. I belonged to a smaller, women only gym and because it was a smaller facility, I always had to wait in line for whatever. I also did not get much in terms of being educated on proper form - my first day, I was shown the equipment and then left to fend for myself thereafter. I did ask the manager if she could review with me on how to make the most out of the equipment, but she told me to make an appointment with their personal trainer who would review everything with me - this bothered me. I paid $450 for the membership and I can't even have a staff member show me how to use a piece of equipment, unless I paid more.

I now have the leisure of working out at home and when it is convenient for me. I always did not have time to go to the gym before, but now I have no excuse since my "gym" is at home.
 
My vote goes to home workouts - mostly for the same positive reasons mentioned above. I used to go to the gym. I have always hated strength training then knowing the tremendous benefits from it - I found it to be too boring. Now I really enjoy weight lifting with Cathe. For me, that is the best thing about discovering Cathe. I do not think I will join a gym again - I don't have the time and money ... I am a stay-at-home mother of 2 small children.

Haslina
 
I joined 24-Hour Fitness a few months back. I like it for swimming, spinning classes, and the treadmills. I don't have a pool, a spinning bike, and it's nice to have a place to run after dark or in nasty weather. I'm starting with a personal trainer next week for just a few sessions. And it is nice to sit in the hot tub or the sauna on occasion.

Admittedly, I much prefer home workouts for weights. I like the small increments that my dumbbells and barbell provide, the no waiting, and the great motivation from Cathe.

http://www.plauder-smilies.de/pyth.gif Gretchen
 
For the most part, I do all my workouts at home or outside (running) when the weather permits. I have found throughout the years that working out in the morning is the best bet for me since my kids have activities going on after I get off work.

That being said, I do like to take in a live class every once in a while because I do like the social aspect of it, however, that only seems to happen these days when I am out of town on business or pleasure. My boyfriend is into working out with me and particularly likes the Slow Heavy series right now.

The other thing is that where I live, we really don't have much of a gym. Oh, there is one but the cardio equipment is all archaic and the rest is just free weight stations. So, for the money, I am better off at home. The only thing that might draw me there is the treadmill in the winter but since they don't have a walk in set up, I pretty much never go there.

Oh and did I mention that there are some aerobic classes which I used to take in? However, my boyfriend is the ex-husband of the women who teaches these classes and I find that the schedule she has for classes just don't fit into my time parametres any more. She is an excellent instructor and I would go if it worked for me but time and money wise, I am better off at home. Also, some of her friends have told me it would be tacky to attend her classes since my man of just about a year now used to be married to her. I don't agree and if I really wanted to go, I would, but.....I don't.

Sorry to ramble on so much but my money is best spent on new tapes for cardio and weight lifting.

Kim
 
I work out at home. It's so gorgeous here in Tucson that running is once again my favorite form of cardio. I suplement it with Cathe's wonderful strength DVD's and a CTX workout or two. I joined a all women gym here when my son, who is now four, was a baby. They brought him to me every time, wailing his little heart out. They were so wonderful with him but he hated it so I quit. I have been thinking about joing the same all-women gym again with a friend but only if they don't lock me in to a long membership. Cathe's workouts are so awesome, I can't imagine using the gym for anything but a supplement. I would like to use weight machines though!

Bobbi
 
Home!

I used to be a total gym-rat - I worked out every day at lunchtime when I worked full-time. Looking back, I realize I did cardio classes almost exclusively because I was too intimidated -- and time-crunched -- to wait in line with all the musclemen and musclewomen for weights. I was always self-conscious about doing weights at the gym and the people who were into weights seemed too serious and kind of jerky. Now that I have a toddler, working out at home makes the most sense because I can do my exercise when he takes a nap or when my husband's watching him. I occasionally take walk-in classes in San Francisco, but find I am so accustomed to doing my own thing that working out and sweating with other people feels really strange. As an example, I took this Pilates/yoga/ballet class (very cool, actually) and I was doing these slow plie squat-like exercises that were really hard and I was totally shaking and I was feeling embarrassed about shaking and then I smelled this really bad onion breath from the guy behind me! I was so disgusted that I couldn't concentrate. I'd just rather tremble through my weights alone, thank you very much, with no foreign odors infiltrating my nasal passages! Another thing about gyms - I've often had men bother me at gyms - either guys who work out there or guys who work there just "being friendly." And then I have to try and avoid them every time. I can do without that action!
 
Home workouts all the way! I used to be a group exercise director teaching 4-5 classes a week. I still used home videos on my off days. The quality of Cathe's teaching is superb, and I only have one of her tapes (Inteval Max-I hope I have the name right!).

I now have a full time job, a 4 year old and I teach a kickboxing and a step/hi/low/interval class twice a week. Those are the only times I go to the gym.

There are lots of great tapes out there, and investing in just a few quality fitness videos is much less than a health club membership.
 
I like doing both because I don't get bored. I like the convenience of home exercise (if I was home more). Iam away from home 10-13 hours a day during the week. And if I didn't go to the gym then I wouldn't get to workout. On Mon, Wed and Fri I go to a step class at noon. It is a great class. It is small and not intimidating and the instructor reminds me of Cathe. (Maybe that is due to the fact that she has sen Cathes videos and I have carried on about how great her workouts are) She also does a different routine every class. It is great! Then on Monday and Wednesday night my daughter has dance class in the same complex that the gym is. So to utilize the time I go to the gym and do a weight workout. Then on Tuesday night she goes to basketball class so I go to a circuit class on those nights. I do get to workout at home on the weekends.

So I guess at this time in my life going to the gym is much more convenient.

Also my daughter likes to go there and swim and play racketball and basketball.

And of course for the hot tub to soak these old muscles.

SusanR
 
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