The Truth About Group Fitness
I am a HUGE advocate for finding a healthy community of people to work out with! I’ve coached classes like Orange Theory, Bootcamps, and Strength Training. I love to see others cheering on their classmates, celebrating PR’s, and boosting each other up!
While group fitness classes have a lot to offer in comradery, it’s important to note that they cannot offer all of the needs to get you to the next level of your fitness journey. From my experience as a coach, group fitness does not offer:
The stimulus you need to reach your full potential.- This is a really big one! Group fitness is supposed to be FUN and engaging. Coaches try to provide a variety of exercises so they can switch things up in class. This does make the class more interesting and exciting, BUT it usually doesn’t give members the opportunity to complete more than 2-3 sets. For seasoned athletes, it often takes 4-5 sets to really fatigue out a muscle group (and the magic really happens on that last set)
The time you need to rest between sets so you can perform your best- Rest between sets is SO important to be able to perform your best. Performing your best could mean picking up the heavier weight and/or keeping great form so you get the most out of each exercise. Fast-paced classes often don’t leave much room for resting between sets, which means you’re likely not getting the most out of the exercises you’re performing.
A personalized program that moves you towards your SPECIFIC goals or works around injuries/dysfunctions.- Everybody has different goals. Some people want to get stronger, others want to get leaner, and some people just want to improve their health, etc. These are 3 examples of very different goals that require completely different fitness programming. It is impossible to program a class to fit everyone’s needs.
There is a high risk of injury! It is impossible for a coach/trainer to keep an eye on the form of an entire class. I promise we do our best, but for people who are working out on an injury or are just starting to lift weights- a group class may not be the safest place to start. It is best to work closely with a professional who can give you tips to modify movement patterns to keep you safe!
So how do you get the fun and community of group fitness AND work towards your personal goals?
MIX IT UP! Group fitness is a great way to get the blood pumping to your muscles and get your cardio in! It’s also a great way to work on form, practice, and listen for cues that will help you find more success when you’re working out on your own! I encourage you to add personalized workouts that are built specifically for YOU. I typically recommend my clients take 2 group fitness classes/week and 2-3 days of personal training/goal-specific workouts to give them a good balance & get the best of both worlds!
