The best workout is one that you'll do. Hey, cliches are cliches for a reason, and this cliche (wow, three times in one sentence!) is totally true. For me, that generally means ones that are convenient and fun or different. Or outside.
I've pretty much got the convenience thing covered - it can't get easier than having a gym in your building and getting from bed to your workout in 15 minutes, flat.The fun and different aspects are where I sometimes need to get a little creative, or sacrifice convenience.
My friend and I recently bought a Groupon for a series of HIIT-style boot camp classes. They were at a small studio in NYC and the classes were limited to about 16 people, max. There was an online sign-up system for each class that opened a week before (so if class was on Tuesday, you could sign up starting at midnight the Tuesday before). The classes were a great workout and a lot of fun. But the signup process was horrible.
Since we were trying to coordinate two schedules (my friend's and mine), it took a little doing just to figure out what day we could go. Plus, we'd have to plan more than a week in advance for each workout. And, the classes at the good times filled up within two minutes (my friend stays up way later than I do, so she registered us a few times, and said that the class at 7:10 p.m. - which was a perfect time - was full by 12:02. I'm not sure how people even did that). So, we ended up taking the class an hour later, which posed two issues: 1) there was an hour and a half or so between when we both got out of work and when class started, so we'd either have to kill time in midtown or go uptown to her apartment just to come back downtown an hour later and 2) I'd end up not getting home until around 10 p.m. each time we took class. Like I said, it was a good class and worth it for the five class package that we bought, but the inconvenience just made it not worth looking into continuing.
On the other hand, we just bought a new Groupon for a class that's super easy to sign up for and conveniently located for both of us. We haven't taken any classes yet - so, who knows, it could be a total bust - but in my book, it's already ahead of the game.
The best workout is the one that you'll do. I think it's also the one that won't give you too much stress just trying to plan the workout. It's great to take classes and it's great that some classes are incredibly popular (and most of them for good reason), but it's just not worth it to me to have to sign up weeks in advance or stress about getting a spot. I'd much rather take a class that's a bit less popular, but easier to plan. From my experience, there are tons of really great classes and fitness professionals out there that, for one reason or another, just haven't hit super popularity yet. I'm not looking for trendy, I'm just looking for a good workout.
Also, I get that gyms want to market themselves and that Groupons or other discounts are a great way to get people in the door in the hopes of hooking them for the longer-term, at the full-price rates. But, a word of advice - if you're going to offer a discount, make sure that you can handle the expected volume. You could have the greatest workout in the world going, but if it's a pain in the butt to even sign up for, you're going to turn a lot of people off.
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