Workout classes you liked or loathed
A house full of chocolate….
and veggies.
Not a bad mix 😉
When the Pilot makes it home for dinner, I loooooove it when he grills our meal. He can make pretty much anything (burgers, chicken, pizza, quiche), but my absolute favorite is the chicken. Something about grilling in the summer makes the food taste so much better. (Ok, and something about not cooking the food yourself also makes it taste better.) Since he’ll be doing the cooking, I try to make what I can to help out before he gets home. Veggie packs, salads, and sweet potatoes are staples, but we’ve also been grilling corn lately. Liv goes crazy for it!
For last night’s summery dinner, I chopped up some mushrooms, eggplant and zucchini, and put it in the bag in the fridge to marinate with balsamic, olive oil, sliced garlic, thyme and rosemary from our little garden.
I soaked the corn for an hour,
and then when the Pilot got home, I threw the veggies in the oven, he put the corn and chicken on the grill and BOOM. Dinner was served!
It was a great end to a fun day, which consisted of swimming with friends and a visit to the madre’s.
This post was originally supposed to be a Focus On post for Les Mills Grit. I knew it was coming out but haven’t been able to take a class, so I put the call out on Twitter to see if I might be able to have a guest poster. All of the people who had taken it didn’t like it! I guess enjoying the class or topic isn’t a requirement for a Focus On post, but I think it’s harder to be objective about something if you have a bad taste in your mouth. So instead, I thought we could talk about workout classes we didn’t like.
I was trying to think of some classes I’ve tried and didn’t like, but in the end, most of them had to do with the instructor or the music. These key things can have a huge impact on a class, and it’s always interesting to see what type of personality or music some participants will despise, while others love. It really is about finding the best mix for you! Some of the classes I’ve left:
-Spinning. I usually love spinning, but for this class the music was atrocious. Hearing “Hey There, Delilah” sucked the mojo out of my soul.
-Gym yoga. I’ve taken a couple of yoga classes in traditional gym settings and adored them, but prefer the studio vibe. It’s entirely different.
-Drumming with a stability ball. I’ve taken the class for work, taught it a few times, and I don’t think it will ever be my fave. If I teach it, I play awesome music and have fun with it (and it’s a killer workout!) but… not my fave.
Some of the best classes I’ve ever taken:
-Dance Trance Orlando. If you live in O-town, take a class. You will not regret it!
-Bikram Yoga Jacksonville with Rob. He’s a super laidback and kind dude- very different than some of the Bikram drill sergeants out there
-Orlando Power Yoga with Kelly
-Yoga with Laura at the Yoga Room in OKC
-Hot power flow with Alex here in Tucson (Yoga on 4th Ave)
Is there a workout or class you tried and didn’t like? Did you try it again with a different instructor?
If you could think of the WORST song to be played during a class, what would it be? For me: “Raspberry Beret” <— my least favorite song of all time, haha
Have a wonderful day <3
xoxo
Gina
Happy, happy birthday to my beautiful Madre <3 Oliv and I are so lucky to have you.
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Best Class: I love spin with Mike at Sweat Fitness in Philly.
Worst Class: I’ve taken some really bad yoga classes, but it’s hard to tell if it’s me or the instructor!
Worst Song: Umbrella by Rihanna…OVERPLAYED!
I love grilling! My husband is a great griller too, so he fires up the grill everyweekend during the warm weather months. All your food looks yummy!
I’m kind of new to the group fitness scene, so I can’t say I really ever attended a bad class. I’ve had all good experiences at my zumba classes so far, but I really think a lot of that has to the with the instructor. You need a person who is fun and motivating!
Chocolate and veggies are two must have items in my household. Not together though.
Everything looks marvelous.
Happy Birthday to your Madre:)
I loooove most spin and pilates class but the worst class I ever went to was a yoga class (my first ever), who was the worst instructor of all time. Ugh. I felt bad for her kind of, since a bunch of people got up and left after 20 minutes, but if that doesn’t show you something about your class…then hmm..
Best: Flow to Your Edge Yoga at Thrive Houston with Larry – I walk out of his classes feeling so privileged to practice with him. Knowledgeable, humble, funny, encouraging.
Worst: any class where the instructor isn’t actually present/just going through the motions. I feel like I could be doing a DVD workout at home if the instructor isn’t offering feedback. I love the motivation I get from hearing both positive feedback and constructive criticisms.
… and I totally agree about gym yoga. Why can’t they get it together?! The first time I went to yoga at my old gym I had to fight back giggles the entire time. We used a CHAIR.
I love Les Mills Grit!!! But I love Les Mills in general! My favorite classes are Body Attack with Natalie in Gilbert and Body Combat with Kim! They are sisters and they rock these classes!
Best class: My Thursday afternoon yoga class at my gym with Brian. He is just completely awesome and makes the class fun and enjoyable for everyone.
Worst class: I’ve mentioned this before, but I had to stop taking Zumba at my primary gym location because I could not stand the new instructor. Everything was way too slow and easy, plus I didn’t really care for most of the music she used.
One time, “I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz 2 Men came on while my trainer was all up on me stretching me out.
That was the most awkward song selection at my gym.
hahahah!! omg
Oh man, I LOVE Raspberry Beret… or any other Prince song, actually! I try to train my Pandora station to only play Michael Jackson and Prince sometimes, haha.
I am going to Orlando in August. I hope to take in a few classes while my husband is at this conference. Thanks for the 2 Orlando recommendations! Any other places I should check out?
I have so many faves: Hot Flow with Lindsey in Edmonton, AB; SPX at Bodyfactory in Baton Rouge; Reformer/ Cardio at the Pilates Room in San Diego; Barre 3 with Sadie in Portland.
I did soul cycle in NYC and absolutely loved it! Then I took a spinning class back home in PA and it was nowhere near as fun. I hope when I get to Omaha I find fun spinning classes.
I’ve never been a huge fan of dance classes, but that’s just because I’m not a dancer! Also, Annette from Enjoy Your Healthy Life (www.enjoyyourhealthylife.com) teaches Les Mills Grit classes! You might want to talk to her more about it!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Rob! He is the reason why I fell in love with Bikram. I always compare my teachers in Charleston to him. I moved here a year ago but have family still in Jax and I always visit him. P.S he just opened a new studio and it is amazing! He even has volunteer baby sitters during certain times for the Moms!!!!
I’ve always had difficulty with choreography so after months of taking a favorite kickboxing class where it was all about punching and kicking and sweating and not at all about choreography, my gym switched instructors and I just couldn’t keep up with the new instructor’s choreography. It happened to fall during a not so opportune time of the month, also, and I left the class crying! Definitely the worst class ever. I never went back. Now I’m taking private kickboxing lessons and absolutely love it. My favorite class is the one that got me into that – a power circuit class with strength, cardio, abs and one station of boxing. It kicks my rear in all the best ways.
Best class I have liked that was really fun is a Zumba class that this lady Amy teaches. She brings it every week. It is fun, great music. she is always so energetic and I get a great cardio workout, because she does a lot of fast paced songs. I also loved body attack class. There is an instructor who is so energetic and fun and the class kicks my butt. I also love bootcamp class, because I never know what to expect from that. I love it that she kicks me in the butt. I love classes that have great music, fun energetic teachers and that really kick my butt, I like to be pushed.
The classes I haven’t liked. I like spinning classes, but there have been some where they play this music with no words and it is weird relaxing type music that should not be in a spinning class. I just can’t bike to that. I also don’t like the zumba classes where the teacher does a bunch of slower songs.
By the way my upper back is sore today, from that workout yesterday
I took a Body Combat class that had a substitute instructor. It was horrible. Both my girlfriend and I commented afterwards that we were glad that wasn’t the first time we’d tried that class. If it had been, we never would have gone back and it’s one of our favorite classes.
So, I would just like to make the comment not to totally give up on a class just because the teacher wasn’t working for you. Try to get a feel for the style of the class to determine if you think you’ll enjoy it and if you think you will, then try and find a teacher that fits into what you’re looking for.
Favorite class: Saturday morning BodyPump. The teacher is phenomenal and sings along with the songs. She is great for waking tired people up in the morning and keeps me smiling and enjoying the class!
I TOTALLY agree with Ali’s statement here, not to decide a class isn’t for you if the instructor doesn’t work. I’d say… try somone else. I LOVE my Zumba instructor Markee. She is AWESOME and a class I never miss if I can help it. It motivates me to continue in some form of exercise during the week. I had the opportunity to try another zumba class at a different club and the instructor was just not my taste, so I didn’t like the class too much! I often thought that if I had attended that class as my 1st class, I don’t know that I would have gone back again. I’m fortunate to have really good instructors for all the group classes I take. I really like the motivation that group classes bring. Good topic!
Favorite classes: Fusion Fitness in Kansas City!
It’s amazing what a difference music makes- it’s one of the reasons I stopped going to my last gym….pandora w/o upgrade = too many commercials/interruptions during workouts, and dated, unmotivating (to me) CDs. My biggest pet peeve has to be instructors using the same playlist for the same class forever.
Body combat is my favorite fitness class!!!! The teachers at the Lab Gym in Saint Louis are awesome!
i recently took a yoga class where the instructor was just bad. she was not encouraging or enthusiastic and she said ‘um’ A LOT which was distracting, especially before saying something like ‘keeps your elbows at your…um…side’
it was a good work out, but it was hard to get the typical yoga awesome vibe!
I once took a spin class and the instructor yelled at us the whole time. Not in an encouraging “pump you up” way, more of a “I hate all of you” way. It was like she genuinely HATED us. She kept calling people out for being lazy. It was awful. It felt like the longest class ever and didn’t feel like a good workout. I never saw her at that gym again so maybe I wasn’t the only one that didn’t like her class!
Not a big fan of the yelling method either – I am not sure why that is considered motivating. That sounds worse than anything I have dealt with.
Absolutely agree with this. I have an early morning spin instructor who always tells us that we should not have gotten up early to work out if we weren’t going to try and that she wouldn’t miss us. She really uses the yelling method and it bothers me … so much more now that I’m a certified yoga instructor and that’s SO not how I motivate.
ughhh. reading that made me cringe!
I went to a bodypump class with the same kind of instructor. Agreed – it’s awful. I never went back.
The first Zumba class I took I loved! The instructor was upbeat, played great music, and went over the routine before jumping right into it (key for a newbie like me!) However, I have tried taking it a few times recently with a different instructor and it is a far cry from my first experience…She just jumps from routine to routine making it really hard to follow…and she just isn’t that motivating to be honestly. Needless to say, I’m pumped about your YouTube channel!!
Oh man. Any time the music is so bad that you start to hate the workout just because you want the music over…totally been there. I would rather not have music at all. Can’t name a specific song, although totally with you on that spinning one. That isn’t even a good song on a good day.
And yes, I have taken the same class, and had my enjoyment and workout vary greatly based on the instructor.
Loving week two!
Worst class- gym yoga. It was one of my first times trying yoga and it was sooooo slow moving. I know it was suppose to be relaxing but I could’ve slept during that class! I never went back and it took me another 5 months to be willing to try another class- thankfully, I found a great one and never looked back.
Best class- vinyasa flow yoga. Kicks my butt everytime and I leave feeling like I got a great workout AND feeling very zen.
The worst song would for sure be “Tiptoe Through The Tulips”
When that song came on I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the fact that it was playing!! Haha probably the weirdest song I’ve ever heard.
That was a few years ago and I remember telling my parents about it and to this day, every now and then when I see them, my dad will start singing that song just to annoy me!!
I’ve taken Les Mills’ Body Attack a couple times and although I did sweat my butt off, I wasn’t really a big fan of the constant jumping around. I take Body Pump pretty regularly and LOVE it. I agree that the instructor or music can be a downer though. I have a couple instructors that I love and wish I could take it with them all the time.
This week I started the Jamie Eason 12-week LiveFit Trainer so we’ll see how that goes. I do like group fitness classes because I feel more motivated than working on my own so this could be a challenge.
I also LOVE Bikram Yoga, I used to go pretty regularly at Bikram Yoga Charleston. I’ve done studio and gym yoga classes as well and agree that the studio vibe it a little more preferable 🙂
I have to say, for me, SPX pilates. I’m a spin and yoga instructor who got turned on to SPX and now teach it. Love it.
Only thing better that that, a half and half class (30 minutes cycle/30 SPX). MMmmm.
I honestly thought I would hate hot yoga, then I took a class at Core Power Yoga (thank you Groupon!) and loved it so much I start instructor training in two weeks.
Something guaranteed to ruin any class I’m taking? Taylor Swift. I absolutely can not stand her and if any of her songs come on it ruins my mood. In irrational celebrity hate, she is second only to Gwyneth.
Best Classes:
Bosu Class (now discontinued! booo!) at 24 Fitness
Zumba and Spin are my faves as well
Worst Classes:
Step — feels so 80s to me and not in a good way
Hip Hop — not as effective of a workout and felt ridiculous with all the pro dancers
Right now I am loving spinning. I got a stress fracture in my tibia from running a few months back and it was the only thing that kept me sane while I couldn’t run! Now I am looking to start doing more high impact exercises again. I tried a “quickie” Body Attack class last week and I’m still not sure how I feel about it… Also, is it too late to sign up for the Shape Up? I’m always looking for new things to incorporate into my workout plan and new recipes to try!
I agree with you that it is usually the instructor or the music that turns me off to a class. Recently I went to one of my spinning studios and I was really turned off by the fact that the instructor came up to me and gave me a hard time for bringing my phone into class with me (it was really the way he approached me about it). For the record, there is a no cell phone use during class rule, however I was NOT planning on using it once class started, I just happened to be tweeting about how excited I was to take the class and forgot to lock in my locker when I went in. Go figure! Other than that I usually just don’t care for classes where the instructor seems disorganized or unprepared.
I love classes that make me feel good, inspire me and have great music! I could list all the studios but we’d be here forever!
I’m surprised about the Grit feedback. Normally Les Mills classes are really great. Maybe I’ll check out Twitter to find out more about what people are saying!
Best:
Bikram yoga!!!
Worst:
Zumba
Maybe it was because I was the only person under the age of 50 in my Zumba class, but I couldn’t ever get into it. I felt awkward!
I’ve been traumatized for life from my first spinning class and ill probably never go back ! I didn’t know how to fix my bike so I was like a mile away from the handlebars and the whole time I was leaning so far forward I didn’t know how to change the intensity so I was on probably the hardest setting on the bike the whole time and the instructor called me out in front of everyone it was soooooo embarrassing! I left that class soaked and near passing out lol ..:(
I’ve just gotten back into group fitness after a 10 year hiatus, and I LOVE the instructors at my gym! The step aerobics class is really good (WAY more intense than what I took in college), and there’s a weight lifting class (similar to body pump, but it changes every day) that I really love.
I think the worst song choices though tend to be any country music…something about a slow song talking about drinking beer and laying on the porch just makes me want to go home and take a nap instead of finish my workout!
I love taking classes! It’s so much easier for me to push myself and get a schweaty workout out in when I’ve got someone telling me what to do and pushing me.
Least fave class- Dance classes. But really that’s only because I have 2 left feet, no rhythm and spend the whole class flailing about, barely breaking a sweat. I love the idea of dancing your booty off as a workout but I just can’t. 🙁 womp womp woooomp.
Faves- Spin (I fought this for so long b/c I thought it would be boor-ing. So glad I gave it a shot. I loves it now!), Pilates, most Les Mill classes (BodyPump, BodyCombat, BodyVive)
I really want to take a Barre class, but they’re aren’t any offered in my area. So for now I’m just doing Barre youtube videos and the 2 that you posted! Oy! Holy burning buns. Please keep posting barre workouts, they are killller! 🙂
The worst class I’ve ever taken was Zumba at my old gym. The instructor was really nice but she didn’t play any latin music…ever. It was all 80s music, every single time, and the pace was suuuper slow. I never even broke a sweat. I wish I could take your Zumba class instead, since you describe it as being totally different than my experience!
I generally love dance classes, but the worst ever was a hip hop class I took in college. The instructor just did not break anything down even though it was a PE credit course, not advanced or for dance credit. I felt uncoordinated and embarrassed the whole time.
I tend to love group fitness, even if it’s not a style I particularly like (such as Spin, which makes me feel like vomiting). My favorites were probably the Saturday yoga I used to take back at the Y in my hometown (before the instructor left to lead her own studio) and adult ballet through the local community college. I miss that teacher so much! She made us feel so strong and graceful even though we were far from ballerinas.
And I can’t stand any workout music that is the cleaned-up version of songs with a lot of vulgar language. I get too distracted by the censored/changed words to concentrate. I’d rather hear the bad words!
I love the idea of marinating the veggies for a little, I will defiantly try that the next time we grill!!!
I would have to say Zumba, Pilates, and Bosu Blast are my favorite workout classes right now. The Zumba instructor, Christy, at my gym is super energetic and has a good mix of hip hop and typical Zumba music. She’s actually on vacation this week and her sub is a little more low impact. I prefer sweating my face off:-)
My least favorite workout would have to be step classes. They remind me of Richard Simmons:-) I just can’t seem to get into them.
The worst song selection I have ever experienced was during a Chisel class at my current gym. Ugh… the instructor put us through an entire hour of listening to the Mama Mia soundtrack!! Don’t get me wrong I can rock out to some Mama Mia, maybe a song or two, but not the whole soundtrack! I have never had the guts to walk out of a class so I pushed through and endured the agony!
I tried a step class one time and it was horrible. The instructor wasn’t very accommodating to my lack of coordination and knowledge of the steps. Never gone back.
i LOVE workout classes, so only the truly bad stand out. worst: one zumba instructor in my home town has ZERO rhythm. so the whole hour, its as if the music isn’t even on, since we are completely disregarding any beat. horrible. I also once had a turbokick instructor who would YELL at women when they had to redo their ponytails. She would say, “secure it before class, or leave. This isn’t a place to do your hair ladies.” so odd.. why did she care? also, I think it’s my choice if I want to take 30 seconds to tighten my ponytail and continue my workout.
grilling makes everything taste better =) I love zumba, but I’ve had to leave classes before with instructors that I just didn’t flow with. Worst song ever = Roxanne <–I hate it in everyday life, can't imagine exercising to it!
It depresses me that we don’t have a balcony or deck (and therefore, no grill) for our apartment. I might be making lots of dinner trips out to my parents – my dad makes amazing BBQ chicken on the grill!
My favourite class was BodyAttack, which I adored taking at my list gym. I can’t really think of too many I haven’t liked, but then again I’ve only taken a few different ones!
Happy Birthday to your Madre!
I am SO sad to hear you got such terrible feedback on Les Mills GRIT. I LOVE the program!! If you decide you do want to do a focus on, a dear friend of mine I teach with at Golds Gym is a master training for GRIT as well as Body Pump and I could see if he would be interested in guest posting…
yes, i would love that! let me know!
I’m visiting a friend at Ramstein AB in Germany, and I went with her to the Delicious Abs class tonight, and it was amazing. The whole gym was filled with people of all fitness ability, and the music was great. It was pretty much death, too.
Worst classes? Any of the variety of spin classes I’ve taken over time with AWFUL music. Country and spin? No thanks.
I agree – grilling in the summer makes the food taste so much better!! 🙂
Worst class: yoga in a gym. The instructor allowed late comers AND you can hear the next class. Was not relaxing at all
Best class-my boot camp classes I am taking now. My instructor is a huge motivating factor (and looks good…hey, nothing wrong with some eye candy)
Worst song-any Katy Perry song…overplayed
I do LesMills CXworx once a week, it’s a really good core class. Has any of you guys done it before?
I agree about Zumba, it depends so much on the instructor. I once went to a class where the instructor had no feeling for rythm or beat whatsoever and just kept on counting loudly throughout the class (really off the beat). Luckily, my gym has 7-8 different instructors and most of them are great at it 🙂
The worst workout song would probably be “Smooth Operator”.. so awkward in almost any kind of situation.
/Lena
PS: I really like your blog; have been following it for a couple of months now. Greetings from Sweden 🙂
I’ve taken Spin classes where the instructors are downright mean. There is one woman who’s classes I’ve gone to a few times who is just not a very nice person.
Yoga was the worst for me. I still haven’t found yoga that I like.