Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with workout and training

Curious Yoga Novice Seeks Guidance

EatTheWeak — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:55:21 -0800

Tips, advice, recommendations, insight, cautions, suggestions and matters unforeseen concerning the addition of yoga to my fitness regimen. I'm considering adding yoga to my weekly exercises. I know very little about the practice, but what I've come to understand about it makes it sound quite appealing indeed. From what I've heard, yoga can help one build strength, burn fat, build flexibility, ease joint pain, ease anxiety and stress and is, on the whole, a tremendous benefit to one's overall health.

However, what I don't know about yoga could fill a stadium. I've come to understand that yoga is practiced in several variations and sub-variations, some of these variations call for special equipment, that there are mats and appropriate clothing to consider, that there are a dizzying number of books, websites and videos available, and, well, it's all more than a little overwhelming. I was hoping the hivemind could help me find the ideal way to add yoga to my fitness regimen.

I am a thirty-year-old male at an average level of fitness. I do, however, struggle a bit with some stiffness and inflexibility in my hips and lower back. My current workout routine includes a lot of compound-movement weight training and resistance band exercises, favoring work on large muscle groups rather than bodybuilder-style muscle pinpointing. I ride my bike everywhere and, starting in October, plan to also add lap-swimming to my routine. The weights happen 3-4 times a week and the cycling is just about daily.

My overall fitness goals are the building of muscle, the burning of fat, increasing overall energy and the suppression of sedentary hazards such as depression and anxiety. My goals for adding yoga, aside from those just mentioned and, assuming I understand its potential benefits correctly, would be to drastically improve my flexibility and balance as well as control sundry aches and pains.

What I would like to know from you, AskMe, is how shall I set about as a yoga beginner? Is it best to dive right into a formal class, or to first learn some basics so I'm not the stiff, unbalanced buffoon tipping over in the back of the studio? Which yoga variant is best-suited to my goals? What clothing and equipment will I require? What books, websites and videos do you recommend? What qualities distinguish the best yoga instructors, groups and studios? Is yoga compatible with my current routine and exercise schedule - if not, what needs adjusting? And what do you wish you would have known when you first made yoga a part of your life?

Thank you very much for your help.

The first session was free, but are the next ones worth it?

filthy light thief — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:45:39 -0800

FitnessFilter: how should I evaluate options for a personal trainer at a local gym? Lots more discussion inside. I recently joined a local gym with my wife, and I was told we received an evaluation or something of the sort with the membership. We're both gym novices, so I was glad to be shown around the gym and given help figuring out how things worked.

I went to the evaluation-type session today, and it was basically to get me to pay for personal training sessions. The work-out was good, and I'm sure I'd benefit from the sessions. I signed up today, after the initiation fee ($99) was waived, and I was given 5 free sessions ($35 per half-hour session).

It's $280 for 8 sessions per month, which doesn't sound that much right now, but we'd have to be tied into a year of training, or we have to pay a cancellation fee. I'm skeptical of gyms in general, and the sales pitch with fees that weren't disclosed up front today ($49 for processing, and the waived $99 initiation fee) didn't help.

I have a few days to try out the personal training set-up, and figured others would have some insight. Could I refer to training books or websites and come out fine? Or is it a good idea to invest in a trainer for a year while we get into working out at a gym? We're not looking to get bulging muscles, just to get fit and start some good work-out regimes.

Please help me find a cycling specific training plan.

sequential — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:20:12 -0800

Please help me find a cycling specific training plan. I am currently gathering information on training plans. There are two sites I am looking at specifically: activetrainer.com and Cyclo-CLUB. Unfortunately, I haven't found any useful reviews of either site's products. Does anyone have any experience with either site's plans?

I'm also open to any suggestions: books, coaches, other sites, and so forth. What I am looking for specifically are training plans that include strength and core training specifically for cyclists. I am already following an on the bike training plan, so any additional cycling workouts would be useful, but not necessarily critical.

One last word, since it's bound to come up, Joe Friel's Cyclist's Training Bible is an excellent resource that I already own. As useful as it is, it does not contain a training plan. Instead, it contains the tools to build your own training plan. Though I am a dedicated and a motivated athlete, I have found am much more likely to succeed if I have a clearly defined plan than if I am left to choose my own adventure. I tend to over train and not get enough variety or sport specific training if left to my own devices. As such I am looking for a ready to use training plan.

Thank you for your help.

Do weight training supplements do anything -- good or bad?

liquado — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:14:04 -0800

I'm looking to shake up my workouts, shed the excess poundage, and get some more definition -- basically, I'm bored, not making much headway, and would like to get over the hump to better health/muscle shape. Since it's hard to tell the difference between the shills and the real online reviews, advice, etc., I need some Mefite first-hand experience with hydroxycut or similar supplements. YANMD. I am not looking for a magic bullet. However, I've had a few friends who used creatine-type supplements in the past to get big/cut/etc, and while I'm no more vain than the normal person, it would be nice to turn some of my muscle into more defined muscle.

I'm not normally a supplement/pill/insert fad here, but I'm stalled in my workouts, and would love to get a little jump start to reinvigorate my drive to keep it up.

This is also potentially part of a reinvigorated calorie reduction and healthier eating pattern (stupid night-time snacking), so I do have the long view in mind, as well.

FWIW, I'm 34 and in good shape, other than carrying more weight that I should be -- no significant health problems of any kind (knocks wood).

Post workout sleeping disorder

Sharcho — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:50:08 -0800

After heading for the gym, I only manage to get a few hours of sleep. After the gym, I don't have any problems falling asleep, but I wake up for seemingly no reason after 4-5 hours of sleep. And I need about 7.5 hours of sleep. After waking up, I'm not tired enough to fall back asleep again for about two hours, but I get really tired later in the day.

I started going to the gym over a month ago. I go there in the evening after work twice a week. I run for 15 minutes and do weight training for 50 minutes. I go to bed 5 hours after returning from the gym.

Anybody experienced something similar, or has ideas how to prevent the post workout sleep disorder?

Do I really need to pump iron?

hamster — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 08:50:52 -0800

What's the bare minimum of strength training I can get away with? I've joined a gym, and I really like doing 45 minutes or so of cardio. I'm trained in yoga, so I also do about 30 minutes of stretching, which includes some balance and resistance work. Problem is, I know that I need to mix it up with some strength training. I don't think I'd be disciplined about free weights (and that area of my gym is always full). I go to the gym three times a week for at about an hour, but even making time for that is a huge struggle. Can I get away with taking one class a week on weight training, or just doing some pushups and crunches at home? Is there a way to build adequate core strength through my yoga routine?

Note: I do not need my gym routine to eat my life, as I'm just in for the minimum--more energy, maybe losing some weight, building strength. In short, I want arms like Sarah Jessica Parker's, but I treasure my time zoning out with a magazine on the elliptical trainer.