The "DVDs/videos don't work" mentality

[eyefit]

People can be incredibly judgemental about dvd fitness, as I've just discovered recently. Nobody in my real life was this crazy awful about it. Check out what this...okay douchebag seems to be the only word I can think of that isn't a curse word ...on reddit said to me today:

imo people who do workout dvds in their living room as a primary mode of exercise aren't strong, aren't that in shape, and are typically associated either with low IQ or a mild personality disorder

Yeah, you have to develop a pretty thick skin to post on reddit.

[4leftlimbs]

I think that besides what's already been mentioned on this thread, another big factor is that people like to feel that they are a part of something (part of the buzz). So workouts that are known (via infomercials and buzz), like P90X, get well-known, while the other workouts (without infomercials that promise you life-changing results leading to all your dreams fulfilled) stay "other" or invisible. (Also, people probably think, "well, this [XXX] workout is popular because its effective. I've never heard of [YYY], so that probably means it's not effective.") Along the same train of thought, gyms are part of the buzz...so gyms trump those other videos.

I personally never thought that working out at home was ineffective, but it took me over a decade to figure out how well workout videos suit me. This is my personal (long-winded) experience:

I started working out in the late 1990s at home, but, even as I did that and enjoyed it and was very consistent about working out, I still thought that working out in a gym was superior. I mean, I only stumbled on workout videos. But gyms I've heard of - they have a whole system of weights and "experts" that came up with this concept, so how could it not be better?

When I moved to a different area, where there were more gym choices, I joined a gym and enjoyed it for a while. Later it became a chore. I'll admit though that I didn't take any classes there - just used the elliptical and stationary weights. I wanted to try some of the classes offered at the gym, but would end up feeling too intimidated, so I never did that. I felt like everyone there will know all the moves and be experts at them, while I'll just be floundering. (If I were to join a gym now, I would take advantage of yoga and kettlebell classes - well, if I feel they have good instructors.)

Since that time and now, I've worked out on and off. At a gym or at home. In the last handful of years I had been working out at home, but just doing my own routine, some of the moves taken from videos I had used from my first foray into exercising. It was inevitable that I ended up getting bored and was sporadic in my efforts. Then - I know it sounds silly and "why would this particular moment change things for me 'cause it's not like it hasn't happened before" - I had to pass on a pair of pants at a bargain price because I could no longer fit into that size any longer! Lol. So I decided that I would really put in the time and effort into really working out, like I use to. At this time, I still considered joining a gym, but because of cost, I decided to stick with working out at home. I bought my first workout dvd (since, back in the '90s, it was VHS). It was a Billy Blanks one. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I then bought another one from the Firm (a compilation of their express workouts taken from their full-length workouts). I LOVED IT! I think it helped that my THE go-to video from the '90s was a Firm (I didn't know they had a huge following until I started reading the General Discussion Forum at VF about a year ago). I was SO pumped after doing that workout (I'm sure part of it was that it reminded me of my younger self!), and I started researching for other workout videos right away...thus leading to my intense lurking at VF. I've come to realize that I prefer, overall, working out at home than at a gym. I do miss some of the equipment at a gym and I am still open to joining one in the future, but I've really enjoyed working out at home. I love the variety and convenience. I also think that if I were to take classes at a gym, being the easily distracted person that I am, I would end up focusing more on how well other people are keeping up with the instructor than on my own efforts.

[RedPanda]

imo people who do workout dvds in their living room as a primary mode of exercise aren't strong, aren't that in shape, and are typically associated either with low IQ or a mild personality disorder

Obviously that guy (I assume the poster was male) hasn't seen Tony Horton or Shaun T.

[IrishOT]

I agree with a lot of the points here, and my thought is that people have a difficult time believing that some people actually enjoy working out and have the intrinsic motivation to work out at home.
I never really went to a gym and started my home fitness in college with the Firm Fanny Lifter and one of Leslie's sets with the belt that had the resistance tubes attached; and I haven't looked back.

I have gone to the gym a few times with DH, and feel like it is not time effective.

I do live in a rural area and the closest gym is 40 minutes away, so for me working out at home and running is the only way I can stay fit. And I really enjoy my DVD collection.

[Wanda]

Originally Posted by RedPanda

Obviously that guy (I assume the poster was male) hasn't seen Tony Horton or Shaun T.

Mild personality disorder? Maybe they have seen Tony.

[seabliss]

I think it's interesting that in 2013, many people don't think working out to videos could be effective. Think about the way our entire culture has gone--online friendships, online work, online entertainment. People don't need to leave the house for anything. No one is criticizing the value of the other things they choose to do at home. So why not working out? Why couldn't this be up to par? Just like bring the greatest entertainment into your home, bringing the greatest personal trainers (or "trainers to the stars" if that's your thing) into your home to give you a super-effective workout should not be far-fetched in our home-centered, cloud-based society. Most people remember movies where the hero or heroine gets in shape with pushups, pullups, hammering hanging meat (lol), running up steps ... That should be enough to recognize that machines and/or gym classes aren't necessary.

P.S. I am mostly an introvert, but I would go to a gym if I could afford it and the clothing I would need to appear in public (I wear ratty old workout stuff), and I had the time to schedule the trip over and back (absolutely do not).

[Nuggie's Auntie]

Obviously, the guy eyefit quoted is a complete ignoramus. Personality disorder?? Please. That's absurd.

Honestly, I would never say that 'most' or even 'many' people I know think videos are ineffective. When I tell people I use videos, the most common response I get is admiration: "Wow, that's great. I would never have the discipline to workout at home."

I really don't care what people think about them. We know they work!

[DonnaG]

I'm trying to remember why it took me so long to get into this 'video craze', and someone mentioned earlier about only buying 1 and working out to it over and over. I think that was my mentality...to be thrifty. I was not able to understand the value of investing in videos (other than the entertainment ones) to do something I already could do on my own.

Where it really took off is when I discovered forums, like this one, where I found validation and 'real' info, versus just so-called facts. I think those of us into the home videos just plain LIKE working out which is alien to the rest of those around us.

[neatski]

This is such a great thread. My gym vs. workout video ratio changes cyclically, and I'm always amused when I go back to the gym and start doing my own circuits because people ask me about how I got into such great shape, and when I say "working out at home and workout videos," they get these little condescending grins on their faces, like, "Yeah, but now you've gotten yourself back into REAL shape by working out in the gym."

I wish I could make each one of them trade just one lame hour of mindless pedaling for Paul Katami's Hollywood Bootcamp 4x4.

[Leonana]

Originally Posted by eyefit

People can be incredibly judgemental about dvd fitness, as I've just discovered recently. Nobody in my real life was this crazy awful about it. Check out what this...okay douchebag seems to be the only word I can think of that isn't a curse word ...on reddit said to me today:



Yeah, you have to develop a pretty thick skin to post on reddit.

Oh my! Now there's an insecure person!