Yesterday, I talked about types of workouts based on your learning style.

Today, I’ll give you a few specific programs in 3 basic categories to try in order to help you figure out your own style.

The simplest method is to just try 1 of each.  Most people learn or absorb information in 1 of the 3 following ways.  Now, there are definitely sub-categories and much more defined categories when applied to education learning for school, but these 3 are broad categories that seem to work for fitness.

Do you like to WATCH?

Here are 3 video/dvd programs you might want to choose from.

Pilates – On the Go Pilates with Maria Leone
Maria trained me to teach pilates and I love going to this video for inspiration on teaching my classes, but also getting in shape.  You will need a stretchy band – theraband.

Circuit Training – Action Hero Babe Training System
For more information about this program, please check out my review of the AHB program.  I’ve done it 2x already and will go back to it again when I want to build muscle or change up my current routine.

Yoga – On Demand
Check out your Direct TV, Cable system to try one of the free Yoga on demand workouts.  I’ve done some great short workouts through this service and highly recommend it if you don’t want to spend money just yet on a bunch of dvds.

Wanna try to LISTEN to your workout?

Lynda Lippin’s Audio Workouts
Lynda has several 30 minute audio workouts that are really easy to follow.  Back pain, Neck & Shoulder Pain…it’s all here.  Go check her out and also read my Rainy Day Pilates post for more information on her Pilates Ring & Roller Workout.

Click here to buy Pilates with Ring and Roller

Balanced Body Audio Workouts
Balanced Body provides a lot of different types of workouts and these audio instructions are really worth it.  Usually you get more than 1 workout when you order and they have programs designed for people interested in different sports like running and golf.

Do you want to READ your workout?

Check out these books, ebooks, and websites for some great workouts that you simply look at, read a description and then do!  Some have pictures, some don’t, but for the most part they are read and do.

The Female Body Breakthrough by Rachel Cosgrove
My review of this book is coming soon but the exercise program in the book is great, easy to do at home or at the gym, so if you are looking for a workout you can READ, check this one out.  There are a lot of mindset & nutrition strategies laid out in the book too!

Red Carpet Ready
Valerie Waters is my girl. I love this workout. This is the first and only ebook workout program I have ever purchased.  It’s an easy to read workout program with simple instruction and pictures that do show the start/end positions for the moves.  Highly recommend this to women looking to get in shape with a home program that requires little props/gear.

The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler
This has to be one of the best books on Pilates. There is a lot of great information on how to do pilates, the fundamentals to remember while performing exercises, and great descriptions of how to do the exercises.  I still use this book for my own workouts and love Siler’s use of imagery in some hard to get pilates moves.

The Abs Diet
I never followed this book to the T, but do still use the idea of eating the superfoods they suggest to keep your belly flat.  Also, I reviewed the exercises laid out in the book and they are straight forward, solid, core building moves.  You can get the original book and I think the author even has a For Women edition now.

Ok, now that you have some options…experiment and see which ones give you the best workout.  You might find that a combo of Reading/Listening works for you or WATCHING/READING might get your heart rate up.

If your workout leaves you feeling energetic, pumped and feeling amazing, you may have found the right one for you.

One MORE thing to Remember

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Something interesting happened recently.  I took a yoga class at a crowded studio here in Los Angeles.  The room was hot (not intentionally, but there were a lot of windows and it was sunny) and people were very close together.  I was a little nervous before we started that someone might actually sweat on me.  I wasn’t sure how long I could handle it.  I got a little cagey actually and almost left the class.

I rarely have a chance to take a class (instead of teaching for once), so I made myself stay.

Guess what. The class was amazing.

I felt overwhelming rejuvenation and energy as I walked out of the studio.  I started thinking about how different this in person workout was from my usual at home workouts.  I’ve tried them all, DVD, audio, personal trainers, group fitness classes, yoga, dance and ones completely alone with no dvd/audio guide.

Comparing all of these ways of getting the workout in, made me wonder which one was the best learning environment for me. Do I like to HEAR my workout, SEE my workout, or just READ MY WORKOUT! (ok…get the monkey reference now? I know…it’s a bit dilluted…hehe but hopefully you get my driift!)

I couldn’t help but ask the question, what if people chose their workouts based on their individual learning style?  Would they work harder and see results faster?

Without going into a whole discussion about learning styles – and the different ways people absorb information, I’ll explain what I know works for me.

I know that I do my best, most focused, most fat-burning workouts with a combination of audio and visual teaching.  Maybe you are the same.  I used to like DVDs, but now only tend to use them when I need a bit more focus or I’m having an “I don’t wannnaaa” day.

What’s funny is that I recently came back to DVDs while doing the Action Hero Babe Training System from Valerie Waters.  On the days I worked out with her, instead of just doing the listed exercises, I got a much intense workout and definitely felt more energized.

This all leads me to the realization that maybe I need to re-think doing DVDs or videos–especially since getting to a class is difficult with my work and Mila schedule.

Ok…so let’s try a few other workouts…

Written exercise lists that include 1 image and mostly text is what I normally follow.  After I know the exercise, have seen someone do it a few times, I’m usually confident enough to do the entire routine.  I rarely do it in complete silence, though, so I turn on the music to get going.  So, perhaps reading an exercise list is not the best workout for me…unless it’s paired with music or some sort of audio guide.

Audio instruction is interesting…unless I’m able to play audio workout on a computer and do the workout nearby, I find that I can never put my iphone/ipod in the right spot. I hate it strapped to me.  I get preoccupied with where to put the device rather than focusing on exercising.  But – I do like the audio workouts…it’s just harder for me to focus and move from exercise to exercise.

Group Classes are great because you get the general energy of everyone around you and a teacher guiding you through the movement. No distractions…just movement.  I think many people do classes because of this. It’s hard to dedicate a few moments to yourself at home when the laundry or your email or your children/husband are in the next room waiting for you…or worse yet, knocking on the door!

What about you?  Try a few “different” types of routines (time, place, public, private, group, solo, sports) and see if one stands out as making you feel more “worked out” and more energetic than the others.

You might find that some days you need a group class, but the other days you need to follow a dvd or video on the computer.  Either way – both fit the same basic visual learning style.

On the other hand, if you found that an audio workout really pushed you harder, you might want to do a few more of these in a week.  That doesn’t mean you can’t do a dvd or you can’t go to a group class.  An audio workout requires more mental visualization … which in turn might give you more challenge.  By shaking up your routine with this a few times per week, you might get to your goal that much faster.

Here are some tools to help you find your best way to workout:

Search Google for Learning Styles Quiz (I did this to see what it would say and they were all visual)

Fitness Personality Quiz

Checklist of different workout types/places

Over-analysis or Time Saver?

I know I’m a bit of a geek and like to analyze things that others might not consider, but training myself to evaluate/measure my progress has made a huge difference in the way I exercise and take care of myself.

Why spend countless hours doing activities that just annoy you or that you routinely cancel or put off?  Why not spend a few moments to figure out the best way for you to get yourself moving and doing something that actually keeps you moving and consistent?  You don’t need to take as much time as I do looking at this stuff, but you can simply try a few different ways of exercising and ask yourself the question:  How did this workout measure up?

You will set yourself up for more results in less time!

I look forward to hearing from you and seeing what you discover.

If you want help figuring out your workout learning style, email me or leave a comment below.  I’m happy to help you find your best learning style and workouts to go with it!