Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should go to OTF because you find it fun and because it will improve your cardiovascular system. If you want to change the shape of your body, eating, lifting, and walking are more effectively ways to get there.

absolutely this!

Another agreement.

Also, you wrote that if you went 3x a week for years YOU hope for a certain outcome and you are using pictures of other people to judge your likelihood of results and implicitly judge them. You don't know what their goals are, what their outside lives are like, or what they put into OTF workouts or any other workouts. Be happy for them that they are showing up for themselves in their way, then focus on your goals and what you put into it.

Yes! OTF is a really fun workout and I loved it for many years. My body did not significantly change until I stopped worrying so much about burning calories and started lifting weights more seriously. I really hope there is more of a change in health and fitness guidance to impress upon people, women especially, that calorie burn is not a benchmark for physical fitness. You need to eat to fuel your workouts with the goal of building more muscle.

Anonymous wrote:I love OTF because I work harder than I will at a gym on on own. But like others have pointed out, you can't outrun the fork.

I gave up OTF because my gym has similar classes and doesn't kick met out after the class. So I'm able to get a better and longer work out in because I can get there whenever I want to warm up and can stay later to continue the work out. OTF is too restrictive in that sense and less useful than a regular gym that has a good offering of classes.

I love OTF because I work harder than I will at a gym on on own. But like others have pointed out, you can't outrun the fork.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should go to OTF because you find it fun and because it will improve your cardiovascular system. If you want to change the shape of your body, eating, lifting, and walking are more effectively ways to get there.

absolutely this!

Another agreement.

Also, you wrote that if you went 3x a week for years YOU hope for a certain outcome and you are using pictures of other people to judge your likelihood of results and implicitly judge them. You don't know what their goals are, what their outside lives are like, or what they put into OTF workouts or any other workouts. Be happy for them that they are showing up for themselves in their way, then focus on your goals and what you put into it.

Anonymous wrote:You should go to OTF because you find it fun and because it will improve your cardiovascular system. If you want to change the shape of your body, eating, lifting, and walking are more effectively ways to get there.

absolutely this!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Peoples bodies are different and respond differently to exercise. My sense is that this notion is perpetually lost on most DCUMers.

A thousand times, this.

Yep! I find the workout challenging and efficient. It may not be difficult enough for some on here but it works for me. I am in better health and more toned than I was when I started. Lots of negatives on this thread but it’s been great for me. That said, I am not doing it to lose weight.

OPs question of "does it work" meaning will she have the body of someone who works out intensely is being answered here. No, OTF does not work in that sense because it's not that intense of a workout. But if the question was is it better than nothing, then of course, yes. Like anything else you get out of it what you put into it, but it's not going to help you win a fitness contest if that's what you're after.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Peoples bodies are different and respond differently to exercise. My sense is that this notion is perpetually lost on most DCUMers.

A thousand times, this.

Yep! I find the workout challenging and efficient. It may not be difficult enough for some on here but it works for me. I am in better health and more toned than I was when I started. Lots of negatives on this thread but it’s been great for me. That said, I am not doing it to lose weight.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can’t out-cardio a bad diet.

Marathon training could. But OTF isn’t that - just as the weight training isn’t all that, the cardio isn’t *that* much. It’s not a super rigorous workout, though it gets people moving and that itself is great.

Nah. I’ve known a lot of overweight marathoners. Cardio stimulates appetite and it’s not that hard to eat back even marathon training calories. Even when eating “clean.”

Yes, and these “marathoners” are “running” over 9 minute miles. See, I can be judgmental too!

You’ve misunderstood me entirely. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being overweight. Some of them make perfectly respectable times. But it’s just false that marathon training will let you out-run the fork. Your hormones are working overtime to prevent exactly that.

Everybody is different. When I’m training for half or full marathons, and any kind of long course triathlon, I struggle to keep weight on. So yes, I can outrun my diet. Running doesn’t increase my appetite wildly like it does for others, and I’m not toodling around either.

You should stop making assumptions. That’s what you are missing about this whole thread. The whole thread is premised on being judgmental about exercise, diet, or both.

People should figure out what works for them and stop commenting and comparing others.

With that, I’m going to eat again so I don’t wake up hungry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can’t out-cardio a bad diet.

Marathon training could. But OTF isn’t that - just as the weight training isn’t all that, the cardio isn’t *that* much. It’s not a super rigorous workout, though it gets people moving and that itself is great.

Nah. I’ve known a lot of overweight marathoners. Cardio stimulates appetite and it’s not that hard to eat back even marathon training calories. Even when eating “clean.”

Yes, and these “marathoners” are “running” over 9 minute miles. See, I can be judgmental too!

You’ve misunderstood me entirely. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being overweight. Some of them make perfectly respectable times. But it’s just false that marathon training will let you out-run the fork. Your hormones are working overtime to prevent exactly that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can’t out-cardio a bad diet.

Marathon training could. But OTF isn’t that - just as the weight training isn’t all that, the cardio isn’t *that* much. It’s not a super rigorous workout, though it gets people moving and that itself is great.

Nah. I’ve known a lot of overweight marathoners. Cardio stimulates appetite and it’s not that hard to eat back even marathon training calories. Even when eating “clean.”

Yes, and these “marathoners” are “running” over 9 minute miles. See, I can be judgmental too!

There is a woman at my wife’s main studio that has done like 1000+ classes and probably “looks” as the OP describes. She is also a multiple remission survivor. So you don’t know what people are going through. My wife has been through two major knee surgeries and enjoys OTF because it’s organized. Like many middle aged women, her size and shape goes up and down.

Sometimes I wonder if this forum is some sort of contest of who can be the most judgmental.

For me, OTF is as hard as you want to make it. I can go and dunk in everybody but I don’t really like it. I think it’s a great way to stay active in a safe an organized environment.

It’s also advisable to not eat piles of garbage.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can’t out-cardio a bad diet.

Marathon training could. But OTF isn’t that - just as the weight training isn’t all that, the cardio isn’t *that* much. It’s not a super rigorous workout, though it gets people moving and that itself is great.

Nah. I’ve known a lot of overweight marathoners. Cardio stimulates appetite and it’s not that hard to eat back even marathon training calories. Even when eating “clean.”

Anonymous wrote:You can’t out-cardio a bad diet.

Marathon training could. But OTF isn’t that - just as the weight training isn’t all that, the cardio isn’t *that* much. It’s not a super rigorous workout, though it gets people moving and that itself is great.

You can’t out-cardio a bad diet.

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't call OTF an intense workout. The people who look like they work out, are toned fit and muscular with bodies you would think look good, don't do OTF. The OTF gym I went to definitely skewed older. It's an approachable, safe, go at your own pace kind of workout for people who don't really want to work out that intensely.

It’s like the modern Curves. You do a circuit, inspirational language and you leave.