Each of us at least once in our lives has encountered a problem when we wanted to get our weight in order as quickly as possible and make our body fit and slender. Today, there are many sports programs and solutions, but their essence comes down to the main question: “What is better for losing weight – fitness or Gym?».
How to lose weight: act decisively
IN modern world It is important to be not just fashionable and beautiful, but, first of all, healthy, fit and slim. This is a sign that a person takes care of himself, he is successful, active and knows what he wants from life.
To maintain a figure in excellent condition, diets alone are not enough. Even with a very busy schedule, it is important to find time at least 2-3 times a week and devote it to physical activity. At the same time, you should skip classes only as a last resort, and not when “you’re not in the mood” or “friends invited you to another party.” Regardless of what was chosen (fitness or gym), only regular exercise can give tangible results. It’s not without reason that they say that every workout is a step forward, and every missed workout is two steps back.
Having decided to get your figure in order, first of all you should decide on the tasks and deadlines for their implementation. Indeed, in this case, the classes themselves, their essence and intensity will differ.
You can quickly destroy those hated kilograms in fitness, where the main emphasis is on cardio exercise. Such activities not only effectively burn calories, but also develop endurance. Energetic music and not too difficult exercises lift your spirits and instill confidence in your own abilities.
Having chosen a gym, you need to be prepared to “sweat” hard. Only in this case will the body begin to process fat deposits into energy. This means that by exercising vigorously on exercise machines, you can burn calories in the shortest possible time. Women should not be intimidated by lifting weights - building mountains of muscle is much more difficult than it might seem, but making your body slim and proportional is quite possible.
Advantages and disadvantages of fitness classes
Fitness classes are group training sessions led by a professional instructor. As a rule, each team has 10-30 people, depending on the popularity of the sports club and seasonality. It's no secret that the fair half decides to lose weight closer to the beach season, and fitness centers become crowded already in March-April. This kind of excitement lasts for a couple of months. Then you can practice in a more relaxed manner.
Currently, there are many types of fitness: strength training, using steps, dance variations, Zumba and others.
- One of the important advantages of fitness is its accessibility and versatility - even a beginner who has never attended a sports section before will be able to master basic movements. At the same time, visiting the gym, especially without the sensitive guidance of a trainer, will require knowledge of the basics and subtleties of performing the exercises.
- If you have problems with self-organization, then prefer better fitness. When working out in a group, it is impossible to be distracted, to shirk, or to do exercises incorrectly or poorly - the trainer simply will not allow this.
- You have the opportunity to choose the method that suits you best. Some clubs offer to attend different training sessions each time. So you can try the main fitness programs and then choose your favorite one.
To the disadvantages group classes fitness should include their cost (as a rule, they are more expensive than visiting a gym), as well as the need to adapt to their schedule. You should always structure your day in such a way as to find time to visit the club on strictly defined days and times.
In some centers, there is also a pre-registration for classes, since for small rooms there are restrictions on the number of people. This can also be inconvenient.
Strengths and weaknesses of the gym
The well-equipped room includes a variety of exercise equipment (strength and cardio), as well as sports equipment (dumbbells and barbells with different weights, mats, jump ropes, harnesses, balls of different sizes).
The undeniable advantages of the gym include the following.
- Quantitative and qualitative diversity: even in small towns you can find a couple of gyms, while there may not be any fitness clubs at all.
- The ability to attend classes at any convenient time and study for as long as necessary. You can also independently control the load and intensity of exercise, focusing on your own well-being, physical capabilities and simply your mood.
- You can always diversify your classes with new exercises so as not to get bored and work out different groups muscles.
- The ability to focus on the desired result: if the goal is to lose a couple extra pounds, then more attention is paid to cardio exercises on the appropriate simulators (treadmill, orbit-track, exercise bike), but if the task is to correct the shape, then the main emphasis is on working with free weights.
- As a rule, people who go to the gym have already achieved certain success in fitness, who know how to exercise correctly and what needs to be done to get the desired result. Looking at their excellent shape, there is an additional incentive to make your body ideal. In addition, it is in the gym that you can endlessly improve your skills, each time learning something new and useful for yourself.
- In most cases, the “gym” services are cheaper, and the visiting conditions are much more flexible.
Despite all the obvious advantages, working out in the gym also has its disadvantages.
First, the following fact should be noted. If a person first appeared in the hall with big amount all sorts of devices, he may simply get confused, start chaotically trying his hand at one thing or another, and in the end he will be disappointed and not come again.
In the absence of any experience, it is necessary, at least at first, to exercise under the guidance of a coach or a more competent friend who could control the quality of the exercises and advise the required number of approaches and repetitions. And only with the emergence of self-confidence can you begin to study independently.
Visiting the gym will only be useful and, most importantly, effective when you have strong motivation and a desire to build a truly beautiful body.
In the absence of external control, there must be self-discipline so that classes are carried out to their full potential.
It is worth noting such an unpleasant, but, alas, vital moment as the excessive fullness of the halls in the evenings. The majority of visitors come to practice in the evening, after work.
What should you choose?
To sum up, what is more effective and better – group fitness classes or a gym, we should highlight the main points.
- For beginners, it is certainly better to opt for fitness - a ready-made, well-developed training plan and the attention of the instructor will be provided.
- Rigid fitness schedules may not fit into your daily routine. If you are late, the most inconvenient and distant seats in the hall remain, and passes often simply “burn out.” In this case, it is better to choose a gym. If you lack knowledge and experience, you can always practice under the guidance of a trainer, at least for the first few lessons.
- In the absence of strong motivation and self-control, it is better to give preference to classes in a group - the general mood and movement towards a common goal works flawlessly.
It should immediately be noted that aerobics and fitness have much in common - both of these concepts imply healthy image life, which is what the set of exercises is aimed at. Fitness and aerobics classes are extremely popular today. However, there are many differences between these two concepts that have a direct impact on the choice of one or another set of exercises.
Definition
Aerobics was created by the American Kenneth Cooper, which, in fact, determines its wide popularity among residents of the United States. Aerobic exercise has an impact on strengthening the cardiovascular system. It has already been scientifically proven that they significantly reduce the risk of serious heart and respiratory diseases. In addition, aerobics provides good ventilation of the lungs and helps improve tone. As for the movements themselves, they are very simple, so people of any age can do aerobics.
Fitness was invented so that a person, with the help of special classes, could correct his figure. Of course, fitness has many different functions, but body shaping is one of priority tasks. A set of exercises in fitness is noticeably more complicated, because a person must, among other things, strengthen his muscles and improve stretching. Plus, don’t forget that fitness classes should be closely intertwined with proper nutrition. If a person includes fatty and sweet foods in his diet, then fitness will not be able to help him. Therefore, before starting exercise, people are advised to visit a nutritionist to create a program proper nutrition during fitness classes.
Comparison
Of course, fitness and aerobics are two very useful and effective ways improve your health. However, we should not forget that they have different functions that directly affect right choice exercises. And so that this choice is made correctly, we will present the main differences between fitness and aerobics:
- A different set of exercises. Doing fitness is much more difficult, since some exercises need to be performed with the help of an instructor (at least at the initial stage). Aerobic movements are very simple and do not require any special training.
- You can do aerobics both in gyms and at home. For example, you can often see on TV how experienced instructors offer to repeat various movements after them. But fitness should only be done in sports and gyms.
- Aerobics helps improve the condition of internal organs, in particular the cardiovascular system and lungs. It is extremely important to choose an individual set of exercises for a person suffering from such diseases. Fitness is very popular among the fair half of humanity because it helps to correct your figure in the shortest possible time.
Conclusions website
- Aerobics and fitness have different functions: aerobics is designed to strengthen the cardiovascular system, and fitness is designed to quickly lose weight.
- Aerobics classes are much simpler: a set of exercises can be performed even at home.
- Fitness is much more popular among women who want to have a slim figure.
- Fitness classes must be accompanied by various diets.
- Unlike fitness, aerobics does not require constant visits to gyms or exercise equipment.
- Time consumption. More time is spent on fitness.
Fitness or aerobics for weight loss: what to choose? How are these activities different and which one is better for losing fat? - these are the most common questions asked by newcomers to sports clubs. To avoid asking them, read this short educational program.
So, you’ve decided to say goodbye to oversized clothes and the shock of weighing yourself, and you can’t choose what’s better: fitness or aerobics for weight loss. Let's dot all the i's right away: fitness, in the correct, broad sense of the word, is generally any sports physical activity aimed at improving physical health and losing weight. In everyday life, we often understand this term as something completely different - going to the gym. In fact, this is wrong.
So what is the real difference between fitness and aerobics?
Fitness is a set of complex exercises that takes a lot of time and is designed to correct weight and figure. Its main directions today are Pilates, callanetics, bodyflex, tai-bo.
Aerobics is a complex simple exercises, which does not take much time and is designed to correct problem areas and reduce weight. Today there are many types of it: aqua, dance, step, shaping. In fact, aerobics itself is a form of fitness.
Most of us are at least verbally aware of all the types of sports listed above, so general outline you can imagine it. Fitness, as is already clear, is multifaceted, often strength or complex training that requires a certain level of dexterity. Aerobics has no such requirements.
Fitness or aerobics for weight loss? Advantages and disadvantages
Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of both sports.
1. Fitness is difficult for people who are far from sports, the elderly and those with musculoskeletal injuries. His exercises are often complex and it is problematic to remember them right away (therefore you need to repeat after the instructor for a long time), each has a precise technique of execution on which all effectiveness rests.
Aerobics is usually a class accompanied by upbeat music and is somewhat shorter than fitness. The exercises are simple, even an old man and a child can repeat them, and the effect is based on repeated repetition and control of the intensity of the exercise.
2. Fitness, due to increased loads, seems to be more effective for losing weight, but it is difficult to do outside the gym. Aerobics is not as effective in this regard, but it is more accessible.
3. Aerobics has many very different directions, among which it is easy to choose the right one for any problem and any temperament. For example, step aerobics is perfect for those who have too full hips and legs or problems with joints, aqua aerobics is useful for people suffering from rheumatism, pain in the spine or high degree of obesity, pregnant women, and dance aerobics, except beautiful figure, will give you a confident gait, good posture and the title of dance floor star.
Fitness perfectly corrects problem areas, but all its directions combine combinations of several types of loads: strength, cardio, stretching. You can spend half of the session on exercise machines, before doing stretching, and then doing rhythmic exercises to maintain muscle tone. It is suitable for those who want to take their weight seriously.
In general, if you choose between fitness or aerobics for weight loss, the first is, of course, better. During the workout, you will burn more calories, and all the muscles of the body will work. In combination with proper diet This is an excellent remedy for the treatment of obesity.
But if you have health problems or are simply very bored at your next Pilates class, choose aerobics. You will spend more time losing weight, but it will be more interesting.
A large number of people have now realized that being sick is harmful to themselves and have begun to become interested in the question of how best to maintain their health. In many cities, various health institutions have been created and are successfully operating. For an inexperienced person who has decided to spend his free time on health, it is difficult to figure out what is better: a gym or fitness.
To tell the truth, no one can give an exact answer to this question. It's the same as asking someone which is better: a bun with butter or grapes. Among the buns, you can choose the most delicious one; with grapes, this won’t work, because some people like it with sourness, while others like it sweet, but still, there is something to compare with.
So it is with our question, which is better: a gym or a fitness center. Among the gyms located in your locality, you can advise which one is better. And among the fitness clubs, you can also choose the best establishment. But if there is only one gym and fitness club, then you will have to choose which is better.
Our task is to tell you what awaits you within the walls of these health institutions and how classes at strength training equipment from those equipment and training methods that are offered by fitness clubs.
Let's define the concepts and consider what is meant by the word fitness. This term is usually used to refer to any physical activity, which helps improve health and more. This is the same aerobics, if you like, but only a slightly expanded concept. You can simply choose simple exercises for yourself and practice according to this system without leaving your home.
But once you have a desire to go somewhere and start playing sports under the guidance of a coach or experienced mentor, then you need to decide what you expect from these activities. In the gym, everything will be aimed at increasing the volume of your muscles, making them stronger and, just like in fitness, losing extra pounds.
What is better: gym or fitness? In a fitness center the task is different. There, the training program is entirely aimed at burning excess fat. The muscles, of course, will become stronger, but you won’t have to expect a big increase in them, because there is no such thing there. But you will gain stamina, a fresh glow and increased performance.
Now it becomes a little clearer what awaits us behind the door. Men, naturally, will want to immediately go to the gym to become like a real macho. For some reason, women go there with great reluctance. There is a persistent prejudice that if a woman has “small” muscles, then it is not beautiful.
And this prejudice, there’s no other way to put it, scares away many girls from studying heavy subjects. For some reason, nowhere and no one says that due to the characteristics of the female body, it is simply impossible to pump up large muscles. They will grow a little, it is true, but their appearance will not disfigure the figure in the least. On the contrary, it will give her grace and harmony.
In the fitness center, you will mainly do cardio training. These will be long and exhausting exercises that will help you get rid of extra pounds over time, if you don’t overdo it in your diet and find the strength to limit your appetite. And he will appear, rest assured. And the more calories you spend, the more you will want to eat that same forbidden fruit.
Fitness classes include a treadmill or exercise bike. And again there will be a problem with choice. In fact, which is better. It turns out that both are very good. Both the bike and the track can shed weight well, the main thing is to choose the load so that you have enough strength to ride or run to the end of the class. Just don’t get carried away with light loads. Apart from increasing your appetite, they will not give you anything. Fat must be burned, and “not heated over low heat”...
Now we can summarize. As you can see, we haven’t discovered anything new, but now it should be clear where to start and what to expect from playing sports. The decision, of course, is yours. We can only add that moderation and variety are needed in everything. And it doesn’t matter where you go to work out to find out what is better: a gym or a fitness club.
Believe me, doing the same thing for a long time sooner or later exhausts you. nervous system and there may come a time when you no longer want to go anywhere and train again. There is one cure for this. This is a variety of exercises. You need running, cycling, just a hike in the mountains or training with dumbbells.
Of course, you can’t do without an instructor who will help you put all these workouts together correctly. And it’s easier to find it in centers where they work with people who want to improve their health. And there you can find out where it would be best for you to train in a fitness club or gym.
Many people think that working out with iron is not a woman’s business, suddenly I will become like a man. I'd rather go to group classes and jump with the girls. Girls look at fitness instructors and think that they will soon become as slim. But I assure you, it is unlikely that you will become similar in figure. These instructors have been jumping for 20 years to look like this. I have worked in many gyms and I will tell you the truth. These instructors, after conducting a lesson, run to the buffet, bursting cakes, and then jump again so as not to gain weight. You have 1 lesson for an hour, three times a week, and they have 5-8 lessons every day, and now imagine what you can achieve in this hour? I always teased the new girls by showing them two posters hanging in the gym. The first one hung on the door of the fitness instructor, the second one in the gym. And now I say, look who looks better visually in photographs and who does what. The answer is obvious, the one who works out with iron looks much more attractive and will achieve results much faster. I personally know many instructors who have been working in group fitness programs for 20 years and look worse than girls who have been working out correctly in the gym for a year. Well, okay, this is all lyrics, and now I will give reasons.
Group exercise or just running on a treadmill burns about 350 kcal per hour. Usually they exercise 3 times a week, and it turns out that they burn about 1000 kcal. Since time for doing cardio is one of the most important factors for losing weight, I wrote about this in the article “how to do cardio correctly,” I can say with confidence that you spent these 1000 kcal without burning your fat reserves, but burned carbohydrates from food. 1 gram of fat is 9 kcal. If your diet, suppose, has not changed, and you just go to fitness, then it turns out that 1000 divided by 9 = 111 grams of fat burned in a week. Agree, this is negligible.
Since training with weights also helps us gain weight muscle mass this gives a big plus in losing weight. Strength training for weight loss much more effective than fitness and group exercises for many reasons:
1. The more muscles you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest, since maintaining muscles requires a lot of energy.
2. After exercising with weights, our metabolism is increased for more than a day (since it takes a lot of energy to restore damaged muscles and create new ones). And after cardio for just a few hours. As soon as you eat, the fat burning process stops.
3. When exercising in machines, you have the opportunity to adjust certain parts of your body, unlike aerobics.
For maximum effect in losing weight, it is advisable to combine exercise in the gym and aerobics.