I decided to ask some of my audience to write in and ask questions about what interested them about fitness or triathlon. The question of the week is this: Is is better to exercise with a club or alone? I can certainly give my opinion on the subject but I thought it would be interesting to see what some other fitness enthusiasts thought as well.
This entry is about the pros and cons of group exercise. We are lucky because there are more options available for exercise than ever. My friend, Karen Francis Jones, who I've known for over twenty years (that's scary) wanted to know my opinion on exercise clubs and the pros and cons. She is an exercise enthusiast herself who shared some of her opinions on a class she does.
Karen participates in "Boot Camp" in the fall and spring months in her hometown of Rivervale, NJ. Boot Camp consists of showing up at 5:30 am (in the dark) at a local high school track. They use the field made of turf as well. The class is different each day which she likes because it keeps it "fresh." They do things like push-ups, sit-ups, weights, squats, sprints etc. The class has a very young and funny coach who gets them pumped and ready to start their day; sounds like a lot of positives so far. The coach also does an assessment on all of the participants at the beginning and then at the end of the session to see how each person has progressed. Each person gets timed in the mile and doing sit ups and push ups. Karen loves it because she has seen her own improvement. Instant feedback is such a good thing when it comes to fitness; can you say a positive?
The negatives of "Boot Camp"( although you know I'm going to say none) are that she doesn't always want to get up so early in the morning and that sometimes some of the exercises hurt her knees. Okay so suck up the early morning thing, no one likes that, but my advice on the things that hurt; don't do it. Listen to your body and do the things that you can do, it still counts.
Karen said that sometimes she gets frustrated with the exercises that she is unable to do and that frustration makes her want to quit. I say again , focus on the exercise you can do and forget the rest. You want to do things that you enjoy; that is the only way you will stick with it. If you are miserable and your knees hurt, you aren't going to go back. Do some extra push-ups or sit-ups if the squats hurt.Your coach will not mind, especially if you let her/him know.
I take a spin class every once in a while at the YMCA. I love the class, the camaraderie from the other participants and the music really rocks. The instructor is funny and I love to hear about her kids and what is going on with her. The one thing that I hate about her class is the,"climbs." These are done standing up on the spin bike for long segments. These hurt my knees so I opt to sit in the saddle and crank it up a notch(increase my cadence) instead of standing. I've told the entire class that I'm not going to do that part. I'm still in class and doing something, just not the thing that hurts my knees. The instructor, named Angie, always says,"Kelly you know what you are doing." There are no worries and I don't feel the least bit funny doing it that way now.
Karen is interested in joining a running group but has some hesitations. She is worried that she may not be able to find someone who is at her pace ; a totally common fear. Karen said that a lot of runners she has come in contact with have already formed their running "cliche" and she worries that she might not fit in. Again, I think a common worry but also a misconception. Of course there are always crummy people out there no matter what you are doing. But there are always people in the same boat that would be willing to welcome in newcomers. My advice here is to give it try. It may take more than one club until you meet the right people, with the right pace, and the right attitude. When you think about it, everything in life is like that.
My experience with running clubs has been positive. I don't usually work out with groups because of time constraints but a few years ago, when I was training for my first half marathon, I worked out with a running group at the YMCA on Saturday mornings. I thought the exact same thing as Mrs. Jones. I didn't want to get stuck with some die hard runner that I couldn't keep up with. The Saturday group provided me with some of the best runners that were paced just like me. It took me a few times going to figure out who I liked running with but after that it was great. The group also had smaller groups within the large group who did different distances. I loved this because usually on Saturday I needed to do a long run for my training, and I could always find someone to run with. I prefer to run with someone for the longs runs over six miles because, lets face it, after an hour of running it can get really boring.
My good friend, Shellie Sierra-Gruber, shared some interesting thoughts about her first triathlon group. Shellie is an age group triathlete( I like to take a little credit for the fact that she is a triathlete because I recruited her ten years ago). She wanted group exercise to help her with her triathlon training. Initially she did not find people that she could regularly swim,bike, and run with. But what she did find was a,"community of support, healthy competition, and friendships. " She feels those ingredients helped her grow as an athlete and a person. Humm, sounds like a positive to me.
Eventually, Shellie did find people in her group to train with and those people are able to "push" her further and "pull" her back if she is overdoing it or facing an injury. The triathlon group she is with now organizes group runs, swims and bikes. They communicate via email and she is always able to find someone to work out with now. Shellie has developed many meaningful relationships from working out with a group. "When you're out in the woods for long periods of time, things come out." The tri group also gets together for social gatherings where they'll go out to dinner or do non-exercise things which also helps to promote cohesion in the group. The club also provides nutrition information, bike maintenance, and training programs. Sounds like another positive to me!
Anson Flake, a friend and CEO of HydroWorx in Middletown, PA also likes to group spin. His real love however, is running on the underwater treadmill, solo, around three or four days per week. His knees won't take the pounding of the pavement and while he is alone he can listen to music or watch videos and get a great workout. In regards to exercise Anson said,"It's all good, but I do prefer a workout in the HydroWorx pool."
One more comment I have about group working out is that I think it is safer. I like to cycle on some remote, country roads, and have had some wild and scary experiences out there alone. While it takes some coordinating, I would recommend going cycling with at least another person in case you break down or get chased by dogs. The world is such a wonderful place, but there are some weirdos out there too, so riding with a buddy is always a good idea. I feel the same way about running. Sometimes I like to go on trails in the woods, so it is always better to bring a friend if not an entire group.
I think the bottom line here is that there are many benefits of group exercise. There are pros and cons to everything we do in life. Finding your group or maybe just a work-out buddy might take a little time but slowly and surely you'll find your niche and who knows what new goals you'll reach!
Tri-On, Boot Camp on, Walk-On, or Zumba on Friends!
Bottom Line; find something you love and get moving.
Kelly
No comments:
Post a Comment