Group Exercise Classes are Suboptimal

Nick Smoot- Owner of Smoot Fitness

Smootfitness.com

Group exercise and boot camp classes have been rapidly growing in popularity over the last decade.  I would attribute this to the camaraderie of training with a group of likeminded individuals, the accountability to maintain an exercise regimen, and the constant variance of activities/exercises that makes the session more “fun” than traditional workouts.  Although these exercise classes have some benefits, they are far from optimal when looking at performance and physique development, and can actually be dangerous for the individuals participating.

Individualization

The big problem with group exercise and boot camp style classes is that they don’t follow the principle of individualization.  Each person is unique, has unique needs and goals, and therefore needs a unique training program.  Throwing a group of people that all differ in training history, injury history, biological age, movement capabilities, mobility/flexibility limitations, etc. and having them all do the same workout is a recipe for disaster.

If the workout is programmed for advanced athletes, not only does the risk of injury for the deconditioned individuals shoot sky high, but the loading parameters are so high that they will actually cause maladaptions.  On the contrary, a workout geared for novice athletes will not provide a large enough overload for the more advanced lifters to see any measurable progress.  In order to receive the most optimal results from your training, the program must be individualized for you and you alone.

Coach>Experimentation>Partner/Group

Ok so there are three things I recommend if you want to maximize your athletic potential.  First and foremost, I think everyone should hire a coach.  A coach not only designs programs geared towards your needs as an individual athlete, but he/she pushes you out of your comfort zone and forces you to get better.  Now not everyone can afford to hire a coach and it’s really not a necessity.   However if you are someone who has access to this luxury, I advise you to take advantage of it.

The second thing I recommend is experimentation.  At the end of the day, you are the one who knows your body best.  Research different training methods/philosophies and experiment with them to see what yields the best results.  If it works, keep it.  If it doesn’t work, move on.  Using trial and error is really the only way to determine what style of training fits you the best.

Lastly, I recommend finding a good training partner (something I have yet to do myself) or a group of people all focused on similar goals.  Training with individuals who are all close or slightly above your physical capacity is one of the best things you can do to improve your performance.  Other people will always push you harder than you can push yourself alone, and they provide motivation to get better and hold you accountable for making progress.

Training In a Group VS Group Exercise Classes

Now I want to note that training with a group of people and signing up for a group exercise class are two different things.   When training in a group, each athlete still has variance in their programs that coincide with their individual needs.  They all understand what intensity and volume they can handle at their current physical capacity, and they work to improve their own numbers without worrying about what the person next to them is lifting.

Things become dangerous when every member of the group (despite being at completely different levels of fitness) does the same exercises with the exact same loading parameters (group exercise).  That is no different than giving a 200 pound male bodybuilder the same macros and calories during his contest prep that a 100 pound female figure competitor uses.  It just doesn’t work, and ends up causing a ton of adverse problems in the long run.  Whether you train by yourself or in a group, adapt the workout to your needs as an athlete and focus on setting personal records every time you step foot in the gym.

Summing Up

I want to leave you with a quote I heard from world renowned strength coach Martin Rooney; “anyone can make you tired; only a great coach can get you results.”  Group exercise classes get you sweating, breathless, and extremely sore the next day, but do they actually get you the results you are looking for?  Nine times out of ten, people leave a group exercise class not any closer to their goals than they were before they started.  If you really like doing group exercise or boot camp classes, I recommend fitting them around your normal training schedule and adapting the programming to your current goals and needs as an athlete.  A program designed for a group of people may be fun and tiring, but a program designed for you alone is optimal and will provide results.