To think 3 or 4 exercise classes a week is enough

[Academiahell]

I’ve been trying to improve my fitness for a while after not exercising at all during the first half of my 20s. I currently do around 3 classes a week (one weights, one cardio, one Pilates) and feel pretty happy with that.

I’ve noticed that +++ people at my gym do multiple classes per day and are there most days so do around 7-10 per week. For me this seems excessive but maybe I am just lazy?

AIBU to think that 3 classes a week are enough!

Memberships near me are SO expensive. I used to do two a day sometimes (a cardio then a stretch). When I see people going multiple times a day to the gym on our street I assume it's to get their money's worth!!

I do 3-5 a week but over 3 trips, the two yoga classes I do I do after other classes, yoga is great for core balance and flexibility but it's not enough of a workout for me so I go after two other classes I do I don't think it's too much i see it as an extended warm down.

I've been debating this. I'm really trying to lose weight, get healthier etc and I have joined my local gym. I think classes are best for me as I don't really know how to push myself in a solo workout. But with a full time job, kids etc it's not easy to fit in classes! I've managed about 3x per week since I joined and I'm wondering if that's enough to help weight loss (along with healthy eating)? Last week I went 5 times as I was WFH and went in my lunch break, but this week I'll probably only make 3.

I just want to lose weight and not feel so awful anymore!

@TheTerribleMaster what you eat is the most significant factor in weight loss. I found that I actually lost more weight when I focused on food preparation and cut down on some classes.
Three classes a week is great and achievable in the long term, rather than doing absolutely loads and injuring yourself or feeling bad if you can't keep it up .

If you really want to do more, can you reorganise things slightly so you can fit another one in? I was doing 3 until last year but wanted to do another one so started taking my kit to work, the only way I could get there due to the class timings. It takes a bit more planning but worth it for me!

I'd say you're doing a lot more than most people, you do what works for you especially if you're enjoying it. I'm also very jealous of anyone who has enough free time to do 7-10 classes per week!

There is no definitive answer here. Every person has to choose what is enough for them. I do 1 yoga class a week and 3-4 long/brisk dog walks a week (plus a few short, less brisk walks). Of course that's not really enough, but that's all I can manage right now and it's better than nothing.

3 classes a week is great... for you.

I suspect that the ideal is probably something like 5 workouts a week for general fitness and health but DH works in gyms and I have lots of friends who are very fit and active and I know that not a single one of them would look down on someone doing 3 classes a week.

If your goal is maintenance or growth of muscle mass, resting is as important as working. Working out creates microscopic tears in the muscle and rest days are where these tears heal and through that process the muscles grow stronger. If you're constantly working the muscles by going every day you're not giving any time for that process to take place.

Pay no attention to what anyone else is doing. Do you feel like you're working to the best of your ability when you're working out but also giving yourself enough time to rest and recover? If yes then you have nothing to worry about.

Some people just enjoy making the gym their whole personality. They are thorough bores.
3 classes a week is more than adequate!

To see change it's recommended to do 4 classes/trainings a week.

When I went to the gym, I would often do a High intensity followed by something more weights based or Pilates.

It depends how much free time you have.

I now do 4 cross training sessions on the beach every week, I'm a single parent working full time so have zero extra time. When I do, I would rather go for a sauna/ice bath session as it's social and relaxing. Plus it feels like a nice recovery and bit of self care, looking after your whole self.

Depending on the classes, 3 a week could be more like barely adequate.

I think you're doing great OP. I think 3 a week is really good.

I do know what you mean, I remember when I used to do some classes and there were people that were present in almost every one I attended.

I guess some people have a lot more free time and enjoy the classes.

I go to the gym most days. Sometimes I do a workout and a class, sometimes I might do two classes, sometimes I just do one thing. Depends how I feel.

I do it because I enjoy it and I like getting fitter/being toned. If other people don't want to do it, that's up to them - maybe they do a lot of other forms of exercise.

As for whether it's enough, it depends on whether you're achieving your goals. If you're aiming to lose weight and you are then great. But I know from past experience that it's not always enough - I used to swim every day but I needed to do a HIIT workout at least twice a week plus other classes/sessions to actually lose weight.

As a society we do often seem to think that people who eat well/exercise a lot are "overdoing it" when often that's what we should be doing. And those who eat well/exercise get knocked - like the comments above about how they must have no life or be boring

Which type of fitness are you trying to improve? (Cardio, endurance etc)? I'd probably add something endurance based like an hour's swim or a long bike ride or run if I were really trying to get fit. Right now I'm just trying to survive though lol.

Could be they enjoy the social aspect, want to feel they get their money's worth etc but what you are doing is also fine. As I've gotten older I've moved away from quantity to quality as I have less time so focus on 100% effort in shorter bursts and the outcome is probably better. So I use weights, kettles, push myself. But if I had more time I would probably enjoy going to more classes as I do enjoy them.

Lucky shes not judging other people then isnt it.

I couldn’t tell you who does what at my gym, why are you so bothered about everyone else? When I joined and was a bit worried about going my son told me that nobody else cared what I did, they were all there for themselves.

Unless you do other activity away from the gym or the classes are longer than at most gyms, you’re not meeting the recommended amount of exercise as advised by the nhs so to keep yourself more healthy if would be a good idea to have a think about how you can meet these guidelines

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/#:~:text=do%20at%20least%20150%20minutes,not%20moving%20with%20some%20activity

The NHS Physical Guidelines are 150 mins moderate cardio a week (or 75 mins vigorous) plus strength training 2x a week.

Remember that there's lots of things that are exercise but not organised classes so walking, housework, gardening, all count as well. So think about how you are doing against the guidelines but 3x a week is much better than most people do.

I swim every day before work which works for me because it's just my morning routine.

OP if you're happy with what you're doing then crack on!

There's a group of people at my gym who LOVE to attend multiple classes a day, they are usually early retiree's and the gym is their entire personality, they also seem v keen to impress the young hot trainers 😂

It depends what you want to achieve. If you're looking at improving your general fitness and strength, three or four classes is probably fine (although you might want to make sure you do a bit more cardio at home, like getting out for a jog or a brisk walk now and again).

If you're looking to get to an athlete's level fitness, or lose a lot of weight quickly or something, that would be different. Basically everyone at your gym will be exercising for different reasons and with different goals in mind, so don't worry about how many classes they're doing and do whatever's working for you and whatever fits your lifestyle.

Thanks everyone. The feelings are coming from a place of insecurity myself not judgement of others. I have tried to up my classes occasionally but find I’m knackered and/or then feel guilty that I can’t keep it up. I’m in a demanding job and it’s difficult to fit it all in.
I think I’ll stick with my main 3 and then try and do an extra spin class where I can to up my cardio :)

I’ve been that person doing multiple classes- did it cos I was bored rather than for any fitness goal.

If you wanted to do more you could try YouTube/Netflix/Apple fitness work outs at home.
I do one face to face class a week, one online (with the same instructor) and then usually 2 Apple fitness. It's much easier to do it at home because there's no travel time but appreciate that you're paying for the gym so prob want to get your money's worth. You have to be quite disciplined to do them at home too

At a practical level, increasing movement outside of your actual classes can be useful. As you get fitter and stronger, the thought of, for example, walking from the station rather than taking the bus to work or hitting the gym floor for a 20 minute strength circuit after a cardio class becomes a lot more possible, and has a knock-on positive effect.

Three lessons/classes a week wouldn't be nearly enough for me, but would be too much for some other people. It depends on so many factors. They clearly have very different lives to you and comparison truly is the thief of joy.