Boot camp? Pilates? Cardio?

[peggyfromwastate]

What do you recommend? Boot camp scares me bc it starts at 530 am and it sounds scary. What kind of exercises do they do?

Pilates- is that just sort of stretching? I don't have great balance. I can't hold a tree lol. I failed yoga on the wii fit.

Cardio classes? My spin teacher is fabu and she is a trainer as well. She really doesn't approve of classes like body pump where you do a lot of high rep with low weights-- she says it's bad for your joints and ligaments (I think she said ligaments). What kinds of good ol cardio classes do you do? Step? Kickboxing?

Any opinions or thoughts would be helpful. I'm trying to add a day to my week. Right now I have two days where I do treadmill and weights, and 1 day of spin class. I don't want to do treadmill another day lol. It's boring!

[L.Jane]

I hated yoga, loved pilates. That is, if I had the right teacher. I loved loved my first teacher, the others, eh... Its more working your muscles along with the stretching than the just poses of Yoga. Think push up and then contort your body to do them to reach every possible muscle.

Pilates is NOT just sort of stretching. I attribute about 90% of my weight loss, and absolutely my shape & physical condition to pilates. It builds your strength from your core out, combining yoga-like movements with resistance, repetition, and holds. If you are talking mat pilates only (no reformer) there's not as much resistance, but it's still strength building. There aren't the balance moves (like tree), but more curl up, extend the legs, raise/lower, etc.

I adore pilates.

[diggitydot]

Pilates and yoga both can be really fucking difficult. Not just stretching, at all.

[peggyfromwastate]

I know they both have great results-- jenn for one, and I have a cousin who's really into Pilates. She's in super shape. I'm just so out of shape!!! But all the classes are free at my gym so I feel like I should try it...

[L.Jane]

But all the classes are free at my gym so I feel like I should try it...

If the classes are part of your membership, you should definitely try it. Also, like I said, it depends on the teacher, so if different teachers are teaching it at different times and you don't like the first one, if you can make it to a different time, try it again with a new teacher.

If they're free, it's probably mat pilates. Still, it's great. Try it. It's true - quality varies greatly by teacher, but give it a try.

[HeyMeganZ]

pilates really are great, i'm a huge fan of them (and barre classes) and have seen them change the shape of my body. i've heard amazing things re: boot camp but it is intimidating. people love it though!

[moonlight]

Can I ask what the goal you are going for with a new class? Are you trying to lose or maintain your current weight?

[v-girl]

I love the bootcamp I attend 3 days a week. But it's all moms (even the instructor).

[samssugarmomma]

I did an adventure boot camp class and loved it! It wasn't at a gym - it was in the parking lot of the sports center where my kids take swimming lessons. They have another session where they do it in the parking lot of a huge church. The class started with a 5-6 minute warm-up and then the action started! Most days we did a series of interval training. Wait - I don't think that "interval" is the word that I want....but we'd do three exercises with weights and then a cardio exercie - each exercise was done for 30 seconds. Then 30 seconds of rest. Then repeat that series 2 more times. Then we'd move on to a different series of exercises.

Somedays we do weights/cardio for half of the class and then we would do running drills or relay races or polymetric training. It was a lot of fun!



I did a boot camp class at the Y once and it was not too bad. We used the gym and did running drills, jump rope and then some ab work. I think we used weights too. I remember that we did sprints using the lines that were painted for the basketball court too.

[samssugarmomma]

Jenn,

Did you do pilates mat classes or reformer classes? Do you have any DVD recommendations?

[peggyfromwastate]

My goal is just to stay interested in exercising and do something "fun" but a good cardio workout for one day a week. I'll keep my spin and 2 days of run/weights.

I would like to tone up though-- my abs are kinda hopeless lol.

I don't really want to lose weight- maybe 5 pounds. That's my goal on lose it anyway.

[Sheherezade]

I'm a power yoga addict now. I've found a good studio that close and has a LOT of classes with times that work for me. I think that's half the battle. Find something that fits in to your schedule and that you enjoy. I know Jenn P is totally addicted to Pilates and I'd say that addiction is what keeps her going back even when it's not so much "fun". It's the same for me with the yoga studio. I had a class with a truly evil slave driver on Monday, complained bitterly in the afternoon and now I'm already planning to make it to his class again tomorrow AM. It's an addiction. I know people that are the same with spinning. Maybe you should try a bunch of different things and see what grabs you?

Angie is exactly right. In fact, when we were messaging about Pilates / yoga / exercising in general & she shares her rejuvinnatved love for power yoga I said " You found your Pilates!". It's all about finding what you like & will do.

Kate - I take reformer 2 xs/week. The weight loss / fitness I've gained has then also inspired, encouraged, enabled me to add walking, biking, elliptical on as well.