Group Exercises Classes: The Skinny

Zumba, and CrossFit, and Orange Theory - OH MY!

Group exercise has been around for a LONG time. Jazzercise burst onto the scene in 1969, a first of its kind in the group exercise space. This music focus class represented one of the first formal group exercise classes to take off with the general public. Richard Simmons dominated the 1970's with his upbeat televised workouts. Jane Fonda and Step aerobics dominated the 1980's. The 80's also represented the takeoff of the "big-box" gym. With LA Fitness and 24 Hour fitness launching in the early '80s, group exercise classes went brick and mortar in sync with the growth of big gyms. The '80s came to a close with the introduction of the "spin class," a modality that is peaking now with the advent of brands like soul cycle and peloton. Zumba brought in the new millennia and brought with it the DVD home workout craze, P90X anyone? Point being, this type of stuff has been around for a long time. Elements of music and rhythm have been slightly phased out in favor of things like biometrics (heart rate, calories burned, etc.), but there is always some form of additional "stimulation."

As far as group exercise goes, there are a lot of pros and cons. I want to break them down in the hopes of providing you with some insight as to how to approach group exercise today. Let's start with the pros.

Pros:

Community: Perhaps the singular most positive aspect of ANYTHING done in a group is the community it provides. For people new to fitness, having the support and encouragement of a large group can be vital for getting things started on the right foot, and establishing habits.

Some form of cueing/coaching: While group exercise can't come close to providing the level of education that a one-on-one training experience can, having some level of oversight from a fitness professional can be valuable.

Movement is movement: Look, any trainer worth their salt can sit around and pick apart damn near ANY exercise modality. That being said, most people can benefit from increasing their exercise. Group exercise can help with that.

Cons:

Generally poor application of standard principles: I have yet to see a group training modality, yes that includes you CrossFit, that effectively allows EVERY member of a class to achieve some degree of progressive overload on crucial movement patterns. Most do not even address this fundamental concept. Randomness and output are prioritized over consistency and improvement, which, in my opinion, does not create an excellent educational foundation for attendees of these classes moving forward. While I do believe some CrossFit boxes exemplify the best application of these fundamental concepts, most group exercise modalities completely ignore them.

Too many gimmicks: Almost every single exercise class, modality, or gym embraces some gimmicky tactic. Whether it's hammers and tires, arbitrary point systems based on calorie output, or some other novelty, group classes often revolve around gimmicks. Instead of promoting technique, execution, and progression, there is an emphasis on speed, novelty, and output. These things are fine from time to time, but it does limit someones ability to build muscle, gain strength, and prevent injury.

Too little ACTUAL lifting: 90% of group exercises, in my opinion, does a horrible job of incorporating real resistance training. And while I admit, not everyone likes to lift; most people should. I love the amount of cardio and bodyweight training for someone new to fitness, but at some point, putting weight on a barbell is a must.

Take home points:

I think there are a LOT of positives when it comes to group training. If you are just not inclined to go to the gym on your own and workout, then a group setting can be amazing. If you prefer novelty, bodyweight training, and rhythm/music based classes - group exercise is SO much better than doing nothing at all.

My recommendation, if you are letting group exercise occupy a majority of your fitness allocated time, is to dedicate a small amount to real, progression based resistance training. Even if it is just ONE day per week working with a barbell, that's better than nothing. I GUARANTEE combining lifting and group exercise will get you better results than if you ONLY did a typical group exercise modality. Now, this does not mean add MORE on top of what you are doing; it means to replace some of that group exercise with real strength training.