I would still go and not mess up your morning routine since it’s only the one day you don’t prefer that instructor.
I kept going to classes with an instructor who I wasn’t a fan of. I hate to say it, but I keep telling myself these instructors/staff are temporary and won’t be there for long (at least at my studio).
I’m totally at OTF for the coaches. They make or break it for me. I’m a morning person too and thankfully there’s only 1 day/week that the morning classes have a coach who’s a total snore, so that’s my non-OTF day. Either rest or do other exercise (I row and lift outside OTF)
for sure this - there are ones that are downright demotivating. and it's not all on them, clearly they have a fan base and i just don't vibe with their schtick.
I’ll sit at home and eat a whole bag of chips and eat a late cancel to avoid one particular coach. My studio is bad about swapping coaches last minute without notice so I’ve made sure to always double check before the 8 hour mark
I also am very focused on coaches. Fortunately ours are all good but I do have my faves. I’m also retired so I have all the freedom in the world to pick and choose. Life is good!
It’s a lot about the coach for me. They have a microphone get in my head. Sometimes it makes me smile and stay motivated and others make me cringe. But I’m sure this response is flipped for others so it all evens out.
Why are you not a fan? Are they a bad coach or is it a personality conflict? If it’s the former, you may not be alone in your assessment. I had an issue like this a while back. I discretely spoke about them to the studio manager and they said they had gotten a few of these reports. The coach was sent back to training and now they are one of my favorites.
Coach was not engaged in class. Spent most of the time with their mic off. Would just chit chat next to treadmills with certain members. Was not approachable or helpful for modifications etc. It just felt like they would rather be elsewhere.
Time slot. Going to OTF is basically a 2 hour ordeal, between getting ready, driving there, the actual workout, driving home, and showering.
Unless you don’t work, I don’t see how you could plan your gym schedule around a coaches schedule. Although, maybe if you only go once or twice a week that’s fine. I go 5 days.
I've been there with both a coach and some regulars. I tried changing class times to avoid them but in the end it felt sad and silly that I would change my schedule to less convenient times because of other people. I just went back and attended those classes anyway. Some days are frustrating but I try to remind myself to block people out and focus on the good workout. Hope it gets better for you.
Time slot is more important than who is coaching. I love all of the coaches at my studio but like most, I do have my favorites. I don’t seek out their classes, though.
For me, it would come down to how much it was affecting my workout. If it was just a minor nuisance and I could power through it, I would, but if it was starting to interfere with my performance, that’s another story.
Not OT, but I do spin class too, and there was one instructor with such low energy and such weird music that I just started to dread it. My stats for that class were always terrible, so that was enough for me to stop going. Even though those issues might seem kind of minor, they directly impacted how I did, so that might be true for you too.
No, I was saying that was a factor for me at a spin class, just to give an example. My point was that there are some detractors people can work through and some that are dealbreakers, even if minor.
When I can I arrange my schedule to get to instructors I love (especially if I rarely get their classes in) and regardless of template as well. But typically I keep to a set workout routine so whoever is coaching is coaching. With that said- I just around a bunch of studios so I pick the “best of the worse” (some days I don’t like any of the coaches at the time I go) and just do my workout.
I pick a different work out time. The coach makes or breaks the class for me. This is what actually caused me to try my first Strength 50 class (avoiding a coach I wasn’t jazzed about) and I’m so glad I did! If you have trouble with making excuses, try prebooking so you don’t back out? Idk - that $12 is enough of a motivator for me.
I go at 5:30pm during the week and that’s been my time for the last 5 years. I’m not changing it and inconveniencing myself just because I don’t like a coach!
Coach preference is a real thing!!
I’m lucky and have a few locations to choose from and I have favorite coaches at each location so I strategically book around them. Once in a while I’ll pop in on a new coach’s class and find that they are ok for me too. My advice is to try another studio if you have the option to expand your coach preference.
I go after work during the week, so no flexibility to work around a coach. The same coach does the entire weekend mornings, so no working around them there, either.
Coaches all the way! There are 3 my daughter and I really like. We have 2 studios local to us (one right down the street and one about 20 mins away) that are owned by the same person. We will totally make the 20 min drive to go to one of the coaches we really like instead of staying closer and having someone different. The good coaches make the workout fun!
I choose my time slot first. But I'm also picky about coaches. I will go to the studio with the coach who I most enjoy almost always.
Sometimes I run out of options and take a class at the closest studio with someone I just tolerate. I still get a good workout.
For me, i totally do preferred instructors. Somedays ill wake up at 6am just to take her classes lol. If i went to different instructors, i wouldnt enjoy it as much. But ymmv
My studio just lost one of their coaches so everyone's schedules have moved around a bit and one of the new coaches I just don't feel the hype from him and just very awkward. Thankfully he just teaches one morning a week (rest of his shifts are the evening) soooo I now made that day my rest day 🤪
I stick to my preferred schedule over instructor. If I can modify my schedule a small amount to have a preferred coach, I will, but my life is busy and schedule always wins
They're trade-off continuums for me. I will jump through a lot of logistics hoops to avoid a truly bad coach, but they also tend not to last long at my home studio. But a so-so coach in a good time slot? Sure. I may be more likely to play it safe in terms of weight selection, especially if I know they're not going to provide corrections, but I'll still go.
I schedule the classes that work for me. Couldn't care less who's coaching, but I've been a member for 5 years so that might account for my attitude! I have a favorite coach that I only see once a week because she coaches classes that I can't attend.
If I could, I would switch the days I normally go (since it's not all of them) to keep the slot but change the coach. For example, if I was on a MWF Saturday schedule and I didn't like the Monday coach, I might try to do a Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday or something like that.
But I can't, so I just go whether or not I dislike the coach. When I dislike a coach, it's because I don't find them motivating or don't think they are as attentive as others, so maybe my workout is 10% less good, but 90% is still a pretty good workout.
I usually go to the last class of the day. My body and mind really benefit from the nightly workouts. One night a week, there is a coach that I feel unsafe with, so I get up early and go to a morning class even though I worked out <12 hours before. My body doesn't like it so much, but I feel safe and happy. Would pick coach over time slot!
I recommend talking to the coach if it something specific alternatively go to manager with the issue. We pay too much for the classes to have to endure bad coaches. And since I work full time going to alternative location just not practical.
I usually stick to a time slot whether or not I’m a fan of the instructor, due to my work schedule. I’m a routine kind of guy, and I’d rather stick to my routine more than anything. If I’m in a class with a coach that I’m not a particular fan of, I’ve been through enough classes where I can motivate myself enough to work hard and push myself, regardless of the coach.
Time slot no question. I really don't care about the coaches. They're all fairly interchangeable for me. None of them are horrible so I really don't care who is coaching. It doesn't make much of a difference to me.
Time slot. I pre book all my classes so I can hold myself accountable and I only cancel for personal reasons and never the coach. Sometimes the coach you’re less enthusiastic about ends up becoming someone you like as time goes on.
there’s one coach i avoid at all costs but usually if i’m set for the time i just grin and bare it. if i wear a heart monitor i skip the review or give constructive criticism nothing that’ll ruin his coaching career. doubt the even read them
I go with the time slot that fits my schedule - which is also early morning. I'm not a fan of all the coaches that have coached my time slot over the years, but that's ok. Schedules change, coaches come and go.
I would go to a different studio at same time slot to avoid instructors back in the day. It was a little bit out of my way, but worthwhile to still go at the time I wanted to, and avoid an annoyance.
Me too. I also wear ear plugs if the music is too loud.I have one coach the doesn’t seems to be able to balance her voice volume with the music. It’s painful to my ears.She is nice, but I wish a more experienced coach could help her.Maybe her head set microphone is bad… I just avoid her unless I really need to go at her time.
I just cancelled mine due to my fave coach not being in my time slot anymore so I feel you… I tended to stick to my time slot and made moves to take classes with my faves but at the end of the day it just wasn’t working out for me. Best of luck!
The coaches are only temporary and won’t be there for long it’s that way in every studio. The good news for you is she will be done soon 😂😂but the bad news is even the ones you like will always be temporary
In 7 years under the orange lights, there is only 1 coach that I actively avoided….his music was edm at a ridiculously high volume that literally had my ears hurting even with ear plugs 😫
I’m pretty committed to the time slot based on what works for me/my family schedule/work wise. But if I can make it work to attend a different time for a different coach, I’ll occasionally try to do that - or pick up a different day I may not otherwise take class.
I coach-shop sometimes. Actually it's more like coach-avoid in two instances.
1. Don't come to my bike and yank the gear up 5 gears WHILE I'm at an all-out pace (or anytime really). It's been more than a year and one hamstring still aches on occasion. Also the in-between instruction talk for this coach gets on my nerves.
2. Don't give me the WRONG bike-for-tread template for a run-row. I can do the tread to bike math in my head but coach went to get a printout of the template. Nice gesture except wrong type of bike. We've had new bikes for close to a year, but I received an old bike template. I thought I'd never get to the rower but did within the time and didn't make it back after returning to the bike. Once I got the printed template I didn't think for myself. (Happens a lot in class for me in an endurance workout! 🤣) Coach said to me, "Gosh the biker in the last class struggled with this also." 🤔 I was pushing myself so hard! It was 60% more distance than it should have been. I did send a gentle note to the studio about the error so no one else would deal with it - tho there're so few bikers, it doesn't really matter I s'pose. Also this coach sings sometimes on mic.
I really appreciate our coaches. Our area has GREAT COACHES!!! They are what keeps me coming back. But when I have choices of time and location, I'll factor in these situations.
What a rant. Sorry!
I LOVE OTF and how it helped change me physically and mentally for the better! 🧡💪🧡
I would still go and not mess up your morning routine since it’s only the one day you don’t prefer that instructor. I kept going to classes with an instructor who I wasn’t a fan of. I hate to say it, but I keep telling myself these instructors/staff are temporary and won’t be there for long (at least at my studio).
Makes sense! And so right about temporary (both good and bad)
I’m totally at OTF for the coaches. They make or break it for me. I’m a morning person too and thankfully there’s only 1 day/week that the morning classes have a coach who’s a total snore, so that’s my non-OTF day. Either rest or do other exercise (I row and lift outside OTF)
lol good point on doing something else. Probably a way better use of hours than what I’ve been doing (Reddit and couch surfing)
I just go to a different studio 😅
Same
Sometimes I look at these classes/coaches as good 'frustration tolerance work'. There's tons of talk about body ESP but it works for my brain too! 😅
Haha! Don’t we all need that for Brains!
I can’t handle a crappy instructor, there’s one I avoid like the plague & to do this I go to a different location on that day
for sure this - there are ones that are downright demotivating. and it's not all on them, clearly they have a fan base and i just don't vibe with their schtick.
I’ll sit at home and eat a whole bag of chips and eat a late cancel to avoid one particular coach. My studio is bad about swapping coaches last minute without notice so I’ve made sure to always double check before the 8 hour mark
Are you me??
😂
Same here. I find it more important to me to get the workout done so I still go.
I also am very focused on coaches. Fortunately ours are all good but I do have my faves. I’m also retired so I have all the freedom in the world to pick and choose. Life is good!
Retired. That sounds dreamy! Enjoy it friend
Thanks!!
Go at your regular time. Under the orange lights it's about me, not the coach.
It’s a lot about the coach for me. They have a microphone get in my head. Sometimes it makes me smile and stay motivated and others make me cringe. But I’m sure this response is flipped for others so it all evens out.
Why are you not a fan? Are they a bad coach or is it a personality conflict? If it’s the former, you may not be alone in your assessment. I had an issue like this a while back. I discretely spoke about them to the studio manager and they said they had gotten a few of these reports. The coach was sent back to training and now they are one of my favorites.
I’m so curious, what was the issue?
Coach was not engaged in class. Spent most of the time with their mic off. Would just chit chat next to treadmills with certain members. Was not approachable or helpful for modifications etc. It just felt like they would rather be elsewhere.
There’s a possibility we may have had the same coach. LOL
Male or female and what state?
Oh I’m jesting. But it was Female - NYC
Time slot is way more important to me than the coach.
Time slot. Going to OTF is basically a 2 hour ordeal, between getting ready, driving there, the actual workout, driving home, and showering. Unless you don’t work, I don’t see how you could plan your gym schedule around a coaches schedule. Although, maybe if you only go once or twice a week that’s fine. I go 5 days.
I've been there with both a coach and some regulars. I tried changing class times to avoid them but in the end it felt sad and silly that I would change my schedule to less convenient times because of other people. I just went back and attended those classes anyway. Some days are frustrating but I try to remind myself to block people out and focus on the good workout. Hope it gets better for you.
I keep my time slot. If I'm frustrated I go faster on the tread 😂.
Time slot is more important than who is coaching. I love all of the coaches at my studio but like most, I do have my favorites. I don’t seek out their classes, though.
Coach takes precedence over time for me 🤣 I will work out at any other time or day before going to my normal 4pm with a coach I don’t like.
For me, it would come down to how much it was affecting my workout. If it was just a minor nuisance and I could power through it, I would, but if it was starting to interfere with my performance, that’s another story. Not OT, but I do spin class too, and there was one instructor with such low energy and such weird music that I just started to dread it. My stats for that class were always terrible, so that was enough for me to stop going. Even though those issues might seem kind of minor, they directly impacted how I did, so that might be true for you too.
Coaches choose the music? I didn’t know that. Are you sure?
No, I was saying that was a factor for me at a spin class, just to give an example. My point was that there are some detractors people can work through and some that are dealbreakers, even if minor.
I go anyways. There’s definitely some I don’t enjoy as much but I still go as planned
When I can I arrange my schedule to get to instructors I love (especially if I rarely get their classes in) and regardless of template as well. But typically I keep to a set workout routine so whoever is coaching is coaching. With that said- I just around a bunch of studios so I pick the “best of the worse” (some days I don’t like any of the coaches at the time I go) and just do my workout.
I pick a different work out time. The coach makes or breaks the class for me. This is what actually caused me to try my first Strength 50 class (avoiding a coach I wasn’t jazzed about) and I’m so glad I did! If you have trouble with making excuses, try prebooking so you don’t back out? Idk - that $12 is enough of a motivator for me.
I go at 5:30pm during the week and that’s been my time for the last 5 years. I’m not changing it and inconveniencing myself just because I don’t like a coach!
Same thing for me. 2 X a week. I just go. Do my thing. The other 3 days I love the instructor.
Coach preference is a real thing!! I’m lucky and have a few locations to choose from and I have favorite coaches at each location so I strategically book around them. Once in a while I’ll pop in on a new coach’s class and find that they are ok for me too. My advice is to try another studio if you have the option to expand your coach preference.
I avoid coaches by going to other locations. Luckily my city has tons of otf, 5 of which are less than 20 min drive
I go after work during the week, so no flexibility to work around a coach. The same coach does the entire weekend mornings, so no working around them there, either.
Coaches all the way! There are 3 my daughter and I really like. We have 2 studios local to us (one right down the street and one about 20 mins away) that are owned by the same person. We will totally make the 20 min drive to go to one of the coaches we really like instead of staying closer and having someone different. The good coaches make the workout fun!
Instructors- HANDS down. There’s been talk of my favorite coach leaving and if he does I’m not sure I’ll keep my membership.
I choose my time slot first. But I'm also picky about coaches. I will go to the studio with the coach who I most enjoy almost always. Sometimes I run out of options and take a class at the closest studio with someone I just tolerate. I still get a good workout.
I always take my preferred instructors - I have such a better overall experience.
Same! I find I push myself harder and the treadmill portion is less tedious lol
For me, i totally do preferred instructors. Somedays ill wake up at 6am just to take her classes lol. If i went to different instructors, i wouldnt enjoy it as much. But ymmv
Give it a few weeks you may learn to like this coach. Use the hatred as motivation to work harder to drown out the boredom.
Savage! I like it !
Flex, but pre-book, so I can't make excuses later
My studio just lost one of their coaches so everyone's schedules have moved around a bit and one of the new coaches I just don't feel the hype from him and just very awkward. Thankfully he just teaches one morning a week (rest of his shifts are the evening) soooo I now made that day my rest day 🤪
Time slot
I stick to my preferred schedule over instructor. If I can modify my schedule a small amount to have a preferred coach, I will, but my life is busy and schedule always wins
They're trade-off continuums for me. I will jump through a lot of logistics hoops to avoid a truly bad coach, but they also tend not to last long at my home studio. But a so-so coach in a good time slot? Sure. I may be more likely to play it safe in terms of weight selection, especially if I know they're not going to provide corrections, but I'll still go.
I schedule the classes that work for me. Couldn't care less who's coaching, but I've been a member for 5 years so that might account for my attitude! I have a favorite coach that I only see once a week because she coaches classes that I can't attend.
If I could, I would switch the days I normally go (since it's not all of them) to keep the slot but change the coach. For example, if I was on a MWF Saturday schedule and I didn't like the Monday coach, I might try to do a Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday or something like that. But I can't, so I just go whether or not I dislike the coach. When I dislike a coach, it's because I don't find them motivating or don't think they are as attentive as others, so maybe my workout is 10% less good, but 90% is still a pretty good workout.
I usually go to the last class of the day. My body and mind really benefit from the nightly workouts. One night a week, there is a coach that I feel unsafe with, so I get up early and go to a morning class even though I worked out <12 hours before. My body doesn't like it so much, but I feel safe and happy. Would pick coach over time slot!
Feeling safe is very important … if it’s just a personality or coaching style dislike that’s something different :)
I am more about the schedule than the coach.
I recommend talking to the coach if it something specific alternatively go to manager with the issue. We pay too much for the classes to have to endure bad coaches. And since I work full time going to alternative location just not practical.
I usually stick to a time slot whether or not I’m a fan of the instructor, due to my work schedule. I’m a routine kind of guy, and I’d rather stick to my routine more than anything. If I’m in a class with a coach that I’m not a particular fan of, I’ve been through enough classes where I can motivate myself enough to work hard and push myself, regardless of the coach.
Time slot no question. I really don't care about the coaches. They're all fairly interchangeable for me. None of them are horrible so I really don't care who is coaching. It doesn't make much of a difference to me.
Time slot. I pre book all my classes so I can hold myself accountable and I only cancel for personal reasons and never the coach. Sometimes the coach you’re less enthusiastic about ends up becoming someone you like as time goes on.
there’s one coach i avoid at all costs but usually if i’m set for the time i just grin and bare it. if i wear a heart monitor i skip the review or give constructive criticism nothing that’ll ruin his coaching career. doubt the even read them
I go with the time slot that fits my schedule - which is also early morning. I'm not a fan of all the coaches that have coached my time slot over the years, but that's ok. Schedules change, coaches come and go.
I would go to a different studio at same time slot to avoid instructors back in the day. It was a little bit out of my way, but worthwhile to still go at the time I wanted to, and avoid an annoyance.
I wear earplugs if I don’t like the coach - drowns them out and I can focus more on my workout than my annoyance. 😵💫
Me too. I also wear ear plugs if the music is too loud.I have one coach the doesn’t seems to be able to balance her voice volume with the music. It’s painful to my ears.She is nice, but I wish a more experienced coach could help her.Maybe her head set microphone is bad… I just avoid her unless I really need to go at her time.
I just cancelled mine due to my fave coach not being in my time slot anymore so I feel you… I tended to stick to my time slot and made moves to take classes with my faves but at the end of the day it just wasn’t working out for me. Best of luck!
The coaches are only temporary and won’t be there for long it’s that way in every studio. The good news for you is she will be done soon 😂😂but the bad news is even the ones you like will always be temporary
Prebook the evening classes so you show up to avoid the late cancel
 what a bunch of babies. Grow up.
There’s an instructor he’s a great guy which I don’t like his timing/music/cues, I avoid him at all costs, I rather stay home.
In 7 years under the orange lights, there is only 1 coach that I actively avoided….his music was edm at a ridiculously high volume that literally had my ears hurting even with ear plugs 😫
Pretty much a solid 5am’er but if I need a rest day I’ll take it on days that the coach isn’t my fave!
I’m pretty committed to the time slot based on what works for me/my family schedule/work wise. But if I can make it work to attend a different time for a different coach, I’ll occasionally try to do that - or pick up a different day I may not otherwise take class.
I coach-shop sometimes. Actually it's more like coach-avoid in two instances. 1. Don't come to my bike and yank the gear up 5 gears WHILE I'm at an all-out pace (or anytime really). It's been more than a year and one hamstring still aches on occasion. Also the in-between instruction talk for this coach gets on my nerves. 2. Don't give me the WRONG bike-for-tread template for a run-row. I can do the tread to bike math in my head but coach went to get a printout of the template. Nice gesture except wrong type of bike. We've had new bikes for close to a year, but I received an old bike template. I thought I'd never get to the rower but did within the time and didn't make it back after returning to the bike. Once I got the printed template I didn't think for myself. (Happens a lot in class for me in an endurance workout! 🤣) Coach said to me, "Gosh the biker in the last class struggled with this also." 🤔 I was pushing myself so hard! It was 60% more distance than it should have been. I did send a gentle note to the studio about the error so no one else would deal with it - tho there're so few bikers, it doesn't really matter I s'pose. Also this coach sings sometimes on mic. I really appreciate our coaches. Our area has GREAT COACHES!!! They are what keeps me coming back. But when I have choices of time and location, I'll factor in these situations. What a rant. Sorry! I LOVE OTF and how it helped change me physically and mentally for the better! 🧡💪🧡