Hate the Gym - now what?

[Cat Nap]

Hi,

I'm a petite lady into Wing Tsun/JKD. I love what I do but my parents are always after me to join a gym. When we lived in a house, it was easy to exercise on the treadmill as we weren't dealing with the same problems of condo life. People hear us on the treadmill so now it's going to be sold (still new too...)

Anyway, I looked into Judo at Pedro's Gym (MA residents may know of the school) which is supposed to be great but the cost was a tad bit expensive (let's leave it at that) and no way I could afford it. (I'm fortunate to have the martial art teachers I've got which allow for either drop in classes or charge little.) Next week I'll be looking into Tae Kwon Do because there's a small school down the street from my condo. They have hours that fit my schedule so I thought, why not? I don't know if I can afford them either but it's worth a shot to check it out, and no, I've never studied. I'm 38, not flexiable, and have a navel ring.... They won't give out price information over the phone so that's a tip off, but they do allow drop in classes, which is what I wanted to do in the first place since I'm not big in Karate. I just want something that will force me to move and give me a workout but be close to home as my schedule is tight. Any thoughts?

P.S. Should mention that I've been considering Northern Praying Mantis which isn't far from my home - not as close as the TKD but far. I like the Chinese styles but my main goal is excerise and not sure I could afford the Praying Mantis. I do recall they don't allow drop in classes.

[Wheezy]

You can always try TKD, it gives people good workouts. You dont have to be flexible to take TKD, they will train you until you get more flexible. From what I heard.

Check out the class, if its amazing then maybe the price is worth it... If not then you can always try finding something else close to your home and that fits into your time..

Or, buying dumbdells and do jump roping at spare time.

I hope this helped

[Meguro]

Don't get trapped into thinking you can't exercise without a treadmill. Just run outside. You've got to visit all the places before making a decision. Don't rely on a telephone conversation or our advice. We haven't seen the places you have in mind. Trust your gut. Speaking of which, you might want to consider removing the navel ring when you train.

[lordtariel]

I would probably check out all of them and go with the one that excites you the most. It'll be easier to avoid burnout that way.

[bushido_man96]

Check them all out. Then decide. As always, check out the instructor as well.

[Aodhan]

Hi,

I'm a petite lady into Wing Tsun/JKD. I love what I do but my parents are always after me to join a gym. When we lived in a house, it was easy to exercise on the treadmill as we weren't dealing with the same problems of condo life. People hear us on the treadmill so now it's going to be sold (still new too...)

Anyway, I looked into Judo at Pedro's Gym (MA residents may know of the school) which is supposed to be great but the cost was a tad bit expensive (let's leave it at that) and no way I could afford it. (I'm fortunate to have the martial art teachers I've got which allow for either drop in classes or charge little.) Next week I'll be looking into Tae Kwon Do because there's a small school down the street from my condo. They have hours that fit my schedule so I thought, why not? I don't know if I can afford them either but it's worth a shot to check it out, and no, I've never studied. I'm 38, not flexiable, and have a navel ring.... They won't give out price information over the phone so that's a tip off, but they do allow drop in classes, which is what I wanted to do in the first place since I'm not big in Karate. I just want something that will force me to move and give me a workout but be close to home as my schedule is tight. Any thoughts?

P.S. Should mention that I've been considering Northern Praying Mantis which isn't far from my home - not as close as the TKD but far. I like the Chinese styles but my main goal is excerise and not sure I could afford the Praying Mantis. I do recall they don't allow drop in classes.

Don't let the price thing scare you away. Many business savvy schools won't give out prices, as 99% of people that ask a price won't come in if theirs isn't the lowest, and price shopping alone is a terrible way to pick a dojangh/dojo/whatever your term is.

Visit a ton of schools, different styles, different philosophies, and find out which one you like the best. Then find a school in that style that you can afford or that will work with you. Some instructors will let you work in the school to help pay your tuition, etc.

Aodhan