Workout

[yorkville]

It seems almost everyone in my office goes to a gym and has a personal trainer. Water cooler discussions sometimes touch upon the latest workout programs of varying complexity designed by their trainers. I was really into weight training when I was in college, and had my share of different workout programs. In retrospect, I would honestly say almost any program would work if one does it with enough intensity and enough frequency. Its kind of funny when someone says a certain program really works because some particular combination of set, rep, and exercise selection. I guess the personal trainer did a good job selling.

[soccerluvof4]

^ I agree totally with +1

Everything you need is online these days BUT there are a multitude of things you need to look at in what your goals are.

There are 3 basic body types, define yours.

What are your goals?

What do you have or have not access to

Diet/Eating right.

How much time do you have

Just to name a few.

Do you have any injuries or problem areas you need to work around

What are your weakest areas that you need to improve on i.e. core, balance, strength etc.. all of the above

To many people worry about time at the gym as opposed to how they use that time.  Figure out the above , set a plan , get it done and you will be better off than most.

[Monkey Uncle]

It cracks me up that people spend so much time, money, and mental energy on staying fit.  Hey, this is MMM; remember the "muscle over motor" blog post? 

I've designed my life in a way that provides exercise as a side benefit with little or no extra investment of time and money required.  I walk to work, which gives me a couple miles a day of light cardio (brisk walk with hills).  I heat with wood, which involves a lot of cutting, splitting, loading, fetching, etc., and saves me a lot of dough to boot.  I use a push mower to mow my hilly lawn.  Rake leaves with an actual rake.  And so on.  Go for a hike if I have any spare time.  I never, ever go to a gym or use any exercise equipment, and pretty much every day I find an opportunity to sweat and get sore.  I'm no body builder or distance runner, but I'm in way better shape than most middle-aged American men. 

You don't have to worry so much about whether you're working every muscle group just the right amount and in just the right way.  Engage in a variety of physical activities, and you'll get a variety of exercise.  Ease into an unfamiliar activity until you get the hang of it.  If something hurts, stop doing it.  The human body was designed to work for its supper - just use what you got.

[spokey doke]

It seems almost everyone in my office goes to a gym and has a personal trainer.

another addition to the long list of things many people spend money on, and also subject to the same constantly changing fads that keep people paying...nice to have, but totally unnecessary for someone with even modest levels of badassity

[yorkville]

You can get plenty of training advice on Youtube for free.

Jeff Cavaliere of Athlean-X is a good one to follow.

As far as "...almost any program would work if one does it with enough intensity and enough frequency..." - I'd be a bit leery of making such a broad blanket statement.  You really should tailor your training to your goals (whether it is improving in a specific sport, losing weight, gaining muscle, increasing strength, increasing endurance).  Quite easy to do things that are damaging over the long term and you won't realize it until you finally get an injury (for example:  behind the neck military press).

I agree if the person is looking to improve in a particular sport and have very specifc fitness goals (increase my bench press by 25 pounds, run a 6 minute mile, prepare for a marathon), then an experience personal trainer is helpful. But most of my colleagues are not hiring personal trainer for specialized things. Almost everyone just has a vague idea encompassing "losing weight, gaining muscle, increasing strength, increasing endurance". I think for most people, there is a lot of progress to be made just by going to gym everyday without worrying about if the workout is designed for their body type or not.  Or as Monkey Uncle suggested, just be more active in general.

[Smevans]

I found a good way to avoid the gym. I tore two ligaments in my wrist. Now I run for free outside.

[Sailor Sam]

I found a good way to avoid the gym. I tore two ligaments in my wrist. Now I run for free outside.

Trade you? I tore a ligament in my knee, and the labrum in my hip. Now I run on a treadmill for $ inside. ;)

[BTDretire]

I found a good way to avoid the gym. I tore two ligaments in my wrist. Now I run for free outside.

Trade you? I tore a ligament in my knee, and the labrum in my hip. Now I run on a treadmill for $ inside. ;)

 Wouldn't an eliptical be easier on those body parts?

[Sailor Sam]

I found a good way to avoid the gym. I tore two ligaments in my wrist. Now I run for free outside.

Trade you? I tore a ligament in my knee, and the labrum in my hip. Now I run on a treadmill for $ inside. ;)

 Wouldn't an eliptical be easier on those body parts?

Probably, but I can never get the hang of an elliptical. Every model I've tried eventually makes my toes go numb.

[A Definite Beta Guy]

My current workplace has a free gym. Unfortunately we are moving gyms, where we will have a shared gym with a regular monthly charge....the company is looking into getting a subsidized rate for us, but I don't think anything is going to happen.

I do all my exercise at home. I don't have a squat cage, but meh. I'm looking to not be obese like the rest of my family. I'm down probably 40 pounds over the last 6 years and pack more strength. I'm with you, OP: a lot of these people just need to pick a routine and stick with it, doesn't even matter what they pick. Doing nothing is killing them.

[stoaX]

It cracks me up that people spend so much time, money, and mental energy on staying fit.  Hey, this is MMM; remember the "muscle over motor" blog post? 

I've designed my life in a way that provides exercise as a side benefit with little or no extra investment of time and money required.  I walk to work, which gives me a couple miles a day of light cardio (brisk walk with hills).  I heat with wood, which involves a lot of cutting, splitting, loading, fetching, etc., and saves me a lot of dough to boot.  I use a push mower to mow my hilly lawn.  Rake leaves with an actual rake.  And so on.  Go for a hike if I have any spare time.  I never, ever go to a gym or use any exercise equipment, and pretty much every day I find an opportunity to sweat and get sore.  I'm no body builder or distance runner, but I'm in way better shape than most middle-aged American men. 

You don't have to worry so much about whether you're working every muscle group just the right amount and in just the right way.  Engage in a variety of physical activities, and you'll get a variety of exercise.  Ease into an unfamiliar activity until you get the hang of it.  If something hurts, stop doing it.  The human body was designed to work for its supper - just use what you got.

Amen!  I would also add that if you have children, taking them to the park with a soccer ball (or whatever) can give you a good workout.  When my kids were small I would use them as "barbells".  I'd do curls, squats and benchpresses using them as the weights.  I've also been know to dance a bit when on conference calls at work.  After a while my co-workers no longer noticed...

[remizidae]

The amount of exercise you have to do purely for health is actually pretty minimal. You do need some strength training, but that doesn't need to be in the gym.

https://health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/chapter4.aspx

So, a gym is more of a luxury or a hobby than a necessity. But I don't agree with the reflexive "cancel your gym membership" comments I see on these forums. Fitness is a really, really great hobby to have--for mental health and attractiveness as well as physical health. All that for only $20-40 a month in my area. Now, active commuting is also a wonderful thing--I walk to work--but half an hour of walking is simply not going to get me the body I want.

A personal trainer is even more of a luxury, but I can't really find it in myself to condemn it if that is what you need to be motivated to achieve fitness, health and happiness.

[Nightwatchman9270]

I agree with the above poster.  A personal trainer is almost a necesity if you are new to lifing weights/workng out.  At best, you won't get great results, at worst you will get hurt.  If not a personal trainer then get to know someone who has the physique you want and find out what they do and how they do it.

Having said that, I would defintely agree that no one needs a personal trainer for months on end.  Many have 4-6 week packages to get you started. 

I don't work out in a gym currently (just a simple home gym) but I know a thing or too about musculoskeletal anatomy and physiology and worked out with people who were trainers.

[EmFrugal]

As a personal trainer, I would just like to add that you would be very surprised by how unmotivated people are to exercise on their own. So many people need that extra push. So many people do not know where to begin. Many injure themselves by finding something online and replicating it but not realizing how out of whack their sedentary body is before beginning.

Personal training is about so much more than just a bragging right. It incorporates proper movement patterns tailored to your specific body to avoid injury (something that is especially important as we age). It is tailored to where a person is starting out with fitness. For example, OP would start at a different level assuming he passed a variety of movement assessments vs a sedentary co-worker just starting out.

And in addition to the fitness part, people are also seeking personal rapport. They're looking for someone who encourages them. Someone who makes them feel good about themselves. Someone who listens to them.

If you are intrinsically motivated to design your own balanced workout plan, then I agree. Personal training is an excess. But if you are clueless and don't know how to begin or cannot stay self-motivated, then personal training can turn your physical and mental health around.

Obviously, my own biased opinion. But this is what I see with my clients.

[KarefulKactus15]

Man I gotta treat my body better in 2018....

2017 I went over zealous in finance at the expense of a balanced life. .  .

[starguru]

I bought some Insanity (original and “max 30”) and do those 4-5 times a week.  Relatively low cost per use.  I work from home so can just do them whenever I want.  The exercises are great and you can tailor them down as the workouts are extremely tough.  All the exercises are some variant of squats,  lunges, jumps,  or pushups.   If you do them for years they can get a little boring....but that’s a small price to pay for convenience.


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[o2bfree]

People like to equate spending money with results, and/or they have trouble with self-discipline and can't commit to an improvement program without spending money. "I bought a membership and training program, therefore I shall go," seems a common theme. It's definitely a status symbol. I've heard women in the locker room bragging about spending $300+/month on a personal trainer as though it were a new car or expensive piece of jewelry.

What I've seen over 30+ years of going to gyms is that most people who use trainers stop going after 2-5 months, with few or no positive results. In fact, most people in general stop going after some number of months. The small group of gym regulars who go year after year typically don't use trainers.

[spokey doke]

People like to equate spending money with results, and/or they have trouble with self-discipline and can't commit to an improvement program without spending money. "I bought a membership and training program, therefore I shall go," seems a common theme. It's definitely a status symbol. I've heard women in the locker room bragging about spending $300+/month on a personal trainer as though it were a new car or expensive piece of jewelry.

^This^is as likely an explanation as any for the water cooler talk the OP mentions...

[EmFrugal]

As a personal trainer, I would just like to add that you would be very surprised by how unmotivated people are to exercise on their own. So many people need that extra push. So many people do not know where to begin. Many injure themselves by finding something online and replicating it but not realizing how out of whack their sedentary body is before beginning.

Personal training is about so much more than just a bragging right. It incorporates proper movement patterns tailored to your specific body to avoid injury (something that is especially important as we age). It is tailored to where a person is starting out with fitness. For example, OP would start at a different level assuming he passed a variety of movement assessments vs a sedentary co-worker just starting out.

And in addition to the fitness part, people are also seeking personal rapport. They're looking for someone who encourages them. Someone who makes them feel good about themselves. Someone who listens to them.

If you are intrinsically motivated to design your own balanced workout plan, then I agree. Personal training is an excess. But if you are clueless and don't know how to begin or cannot stay self-motivated, then personal training can turn your physical and mental health around.

Obviously, my own biased opinion. But this is what I see with my clients.

You're not at all wrong, but paying a premium for motivation and rapport is pretty much the definition of a face-punch worthy expenditure around these parts. "I lack intrinsic motivation" isn't exactly a common refrain among mustachians.

That said, I totally agree that sedentary people benefit from assessment and instruction in order to benefit optimally from exercise. Personally though, I prefer doing it through a physiotherapist rather than a personal trainer. I've worked with both and the physio was far better at personally customizing exercises to optimize my particular weak points and has drastically improved my mobility and comfort, which has significantly improved my work situation. My sports medicine doctor would kill me if I walked into a gym and started working with a trainer. There's a reason all fitness programs have a medical disclaimer.

Most middle aged, overweight, sedentary people are typically injured to some degree and could benefit from personalized rehab before embarking on intense exercise. Which is why I think they should start with physio first and then graduate to personal trainers if they really want to step up the intensity of their exercise with specific goals in mind that could benefit from personalized training.

They aren't likely to do that though because on Jan 1st when they're hung over and have gained 8lbs over the holidays, they want fast results and the promise of a beach body, which doesn't lead them to the gentle stretches of physio, lol

So yeah, I deeply respect what you do and I do know that most people need that kind of motivation and with all the shit that most people blow money on, fitness motivation is by far one of the more productive luxuries that people choose to spend on.

Thanks for the respect! And I definitely agree that physical therapists are far more versed in proper alignment/movement patterns. Trainers often work in conjunction with physical therapists to develop appropriate plans with clients.

My line of work focuses on women. I'm the guru who tries to encourage other women to weight lift/strength train since it is so essential as we age due to bone mineral density loss. So many women are afraid of lifting/don't know how/are self-conscious, etc. So I help them gain that confidence and feel empowered to do this on their own.

Anyways, I definitely can vouch for the pros of personal training, but I also see the other perspective of it being a "bragging right" and excessive expenditure. It's a good choice of money well-spent for the right person. The one who needs help getting started and can use that knowledge to stay self-motivated.

[Nightwatchman9270]

FWIW...I've been using P90x and P90x3 and got better workouts/results than when I used to go to the gym and push plates.
Much cheaper over time  BUT you have to have enough self-discipline to actually do them daily.  Otherwise a gym make make sense.

[tralfamadorian]

Probably, but I can never get the hang of an elliptical. Every model I've tried eventually makes my toes go numb.

I used to have that problem. If you want to give it another go, try moving your center of gravity back and using your heels instead of the balls of your feet.

[HenryDavid]

Some kind of body weight program like 5BX (look it up) plus human powered commuting works for me. I modified the 5BX thing 'cause sit-ups wreck my back. Planks instead!
But the key is to do it every day! Or nearly. While the kettle boils in the morning is all the time you need, for basic body maintenance. Add an evening workout for more strength.
If there are heavy things to lift--cans, jugs of water, tires-- near you, and inclines to move yourself up, and kids' monkey bars . . . You got all you'll ever need. Make it fun. And free, of course.

[soccerluvof4]

I found a good way to avoid the gym. I tore two ligaments in my wrist. Now I run for free outside.

Trade you? I tore a ligament in my knee, and the labrum in my hip. Now I run on a treadmill for $ inside. ;)

 Wouldn't an eliptical be easier on those body parts?

Probably, but I can never get the hang of an elliptical. Every model I've tried eventually makes my toes go numb.

That happened to me for a long time and then it all of a sudden it stopped. I can only conclude it must of had something to do with my shoes or socks. But I know what your talking about.  Now that hasn't happen in a coupe years and the Y has numerous ones I use but when I row 20 minutes my leg goes numb now. Cant win,  I have tried sitting on a towel, different angles etc..

[LittleWanderer]

Trade you? I tore a ligament in my knee, and the labrum in my hip. Now I run on a treadmill for $ inside. ;)

Did you have surgery for the torn labrum?  Treadmills are supposed to be worse for torn labrums than running outside.  (I tore mine, had surgery, know too much about this stuff.)

[stoaX]

But the key is to do it every day! Or nearly.

Make it fun.

Those two thoughts are what works for me. 

[Sailor Sam]

Trade you? I tore a ligament in my knee, and the labrum in my hip. Now I run on a treadmill for $ inside. ;)

Did you have surgery for the torn labrum?  Treadmills are supposed to be worse for torn labrums than running outside.  (I tore mine, had surgery, know too much about this stuff.)

No surgery yet. I tore my ACL a few years ago, and while I'm pleased with the end result, the experience has made me reluctant to have more joint surgeries. So I'm trying to put it off as long as possible.

Interesting that treadmills are supposed to worse than running outside. I just assumed flat, easy, and predictable would be best. I'll ask my PT next session. Thanks!

[frugledoc]

I would rather see somebody pay a personal trainer for fitness advice than a typical financial advisor for financial advice