« Home | Wow!! This is just wrong!! » | Getting on Track With Your Eating. » | Continuing with yesterday's theme » | Ever Watch Trainers Train? »

Aerobics Class Rant

Did anyone see this article in the NY Times this week?

Yikes

It was all about aerobics classes and how some people who really hit the aerobics class scence hard in the 80s and 90s are now paying the price with painful joints and other problems.

I don't know if it was the classes per se or the fact that some of those women were taking way to many of those classes through the week for several years and just overtrained themselves to hell.

But, that is not my rant. My rant is....Have you even seen what goes on in those clases?

I used to work in a large commecrial gym (thank god I don't do that anymore) and I remeber watching those classes and wodering, "what the hell is going on here? Is this person even qualifed to teach exercise?" Those classes can be a complete zoo. I have seen some of the worst attempt at plyometric exericises ever in those classes. Do they even teach proper jumping and landing mechanics? The participants are all over the place! Knees buckling inward, landing straight legged, etc....It gets pretty ugly. The strange thing is, the teacher never goes around and corrects the problem. Which makes me think that the teacher doesn't even understand that there is a problem! What about those classes that do endless reps upon reps of dumbell curls (with 2.5-5lb DBs no less....Don't want to get to bulky!)? Another good exercises is the dumbell bench press performed standing up, arms pressing out parallel to the ground....what the hell is that? My all time favorite though, by FAR, is the Quasi-modo bent over row! Is everyones back supposed to be bent like a "U"? Does the teacher know how to coach this lift? What about the instructors themselves? I don't know about you, but the last person I would want teaching me about being healthy is that Buffalo standing in the front of the room with the ear piece on her fat head barking orders. Is she going to teach us something or eat the microphone?

Now, I am sure there is someone, somewhere, that teaches a really great group fitness class. I just have not seen that person. When I come across them, I will shake their hand. Hopefully their class is:

A) Not to big and has a limit to the amount of people that can attend to assure quality control and that they can give everyone the attention they need in order to PROPERLY learn how to jump, land, lunge, squat, move, etc..

and

B) Is intense! God for bid people actually work hard when they go to a gym! Here is a great way to know if you are working hard enough in your group fitness class....If you can curl your dumbells while walking back and forth bitching about how the nanny was late and you had to change your own kids diaper this morning (gasp!) you are not working hard enough. Shut your fat face, pick up some heavier dumbells and lift some actual weight.

More fun Tomorrow!!

Patrick

Shut your fat face.

haha. I knew someone would like that.

Oh, crap, there goes my plan to do cardio twice a day... I'm afraid of wearing out my knee joints now... Crap. Seriously.

I liked the phrase "shut your fat face" too. LOL

Post a Comment