With people's busy schedules, they tend to put working out on the back burner. Group exercise or group x, gives women and men the opportunity to take a small portion of their day to get an intense workout. Group x is typically described as exercise performed by a group of individuals led by an instructor.
There are several benefits of participating in group x classes, both physical and social. First, they are led by certified instructors who are responsible for designing the components, as well as the intensity, of the workouts.1 This helps ensure each class is appropriately designed to improve cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness.1 However, you don’t have to do any heavy weight lifting that is strenuous to your body, most classes use body weight. Second, there are a variety of classes that meet any and every ones needs (e.g. kickboxing, Zumba, Yoga, etc.). You don’t have to just pick one and stick to it, you can switch it up and go to a different one each time. This variety keeps you motivated, interested and you will never get bored; “a common reason given for quitting an exercise program [can be] boredom.”1 These classes provide not only health benefits, but social as well. You get to go work out with friends and even meet new people that relate to you. “Working out with friends can be fun and being seen may give you motivation to show up for future classes.”2 Participation can help you build your confidence. Some people don't like working out in the weight room area because they feel like people will look at and judge them. Attending these classes can help you get to a target weight and boost your confidence so that you will want to go and work out in the weight room area. You may feel like you don't know where to start or what you should be doing. That's the great thing about group x, you don't have to prepare or do anything but show up for class.
1Dolan, S. (2012, January 20). ACSM | Articles. Retrieved September 14, 2014, from http://www.acsm.org/access-public-information/articles/2012/01/20/benefits-of-group-exercise
2Matz, J. (2013, August 19). Social Sweating: The Benefits of Group Fitness. Retrieved September 14, 2014, from http://tinyurl.com/mrl6374
It has been my experience that people who attend Group X Classes with friends are much more likely to return and try different classes as well. Having a workout buddy in a closed environment, free from judgement as you mentioned, does help people feel more confident and comfortable.
ReplyDeleteI personally have not been to any kind of Group X class, but it seems as if it will make people come back for the same, if not a different type of class. People tend to not want others to judge them, so doing a group activity kind of hides them and feel like they aren't the center of attention.
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