5 Things Your Group Fitness Instructor Wants You to Know
We don't care how fit or unfit you are. We’re here to meet you where you are and help you grow.
One of the best parts of group fitness is the shared suffering camaraderie. Even if you’re super fit, trying new classes is a great way to mix up your training. Exercising with others can be incredibly motivating, but if you’re comparing yourself to the instructor (or to anyone else in the room for that matter), you’ll miss your own personal growth. Fitness is lifelong. There is no “destination”.
We were all beginners once and we’ve all felt like beginners when we’ve taken breaks (looking at you post-partum sabbaticals). When I first started teaching Spin, I could barely talk and ride at the same time. I was constantly pulling my mic away from my mouth because I didn’t want my class to hear me gasping for air!
We know how it feels to start new and we know how scary it can be to show up to a class. Rest assured that we have been in your shoes. Oh, and just know that aside from the instructor, no one in class is paying attention to you. They’re busy worrying about themselves.
We love when you take our classes. But, you shouldn’t only take our classes.
Seriously. I love when my regulars show up. I love having newbies! But, I also love when folks try new classes (and I don’t just mean the new ones I’m teaching). If you only do the same format, week in and week out, you’re likely either plateauing, putting yourself at risk for overuse injuries, and/or missing out on the benefits of a well-structured training program.
A few facts to consider:
-Lifting for strength is different from lifting for endurance. There are different sets, reps, and loads required for each. You should have both strength and endurance in your routine.
-You still need dedicated cardio for heart health.
-You can be strong and have zero mobility because you always skip the recovery.
-You can overtrain your core (and any other muscle group). More core classes aren't your answer.
If you’ve been at this for a while, you probably need to lift more weight.
If you’ve been training for more than 6 months, and your weight selection is the same as when you started, you need to lift more weight. Oftentimes, participants will just grab the same dumbbells for class without a second thought. However, without progressing the weight selection every 8-12 weeks, you’re missing out on musculoskeletal and metabolic benefits.
Another common mistake I see is folks intentionally choosing small weights because “they can’t lift a lot of weight”. While that may be true, relatively speaking, the key is choosing the maximum amount of weight that you can lift for the duration of the class. I get that it’s hard sometimes in a fast moving class to have the perfect weight selection for everything, but having a couple sets of weights that you can choose from allows you to start heavier and drop down to lighter weights (or bodyweight) when you need to.
Prepping for a class is no small feat.
From curating the perfect playlist (here are mine on Spotify!) to designing a scientifically sound workout, the prep put into coming up with programming is worth noting. For choreographed formats, the time it takes to learn and memorize an entire class takes hours.
We pay for premium streaming services ($), quarterly releases for our choreography ($$), continuing education units to maintain our certifications ($$$), and additional training ($$$$) to be the best we can be.
While we don’t teach for the money, if we showed you the math, you’d see we end up teaching a few classes for free before we “break even”. Your instructors commit a lot of time, money, and effort to deliver great programming because we want to. Delivering a great workout disguised as a great time brings us loads of joy.
Try your best + be kind.
If you show up to work out, give it your best shot. Sure, that looks different for everyone, but the energy you bring helps carry the class vibe. The planning, instruction, and effort that goes into making a class happen takes a ton of work, but that doesn't mean the spotlight should be on us. It’s a collective space of support, sweat, and strength.
You owe it to yourself to have the best possible experience we can provide. If the class requires equipment, or extra time to get you fitted to a bike, then that’s a key component of you having a great time. Give yourself a few extra minutes to meet with your instructor and figure out what you need. It’s a game changer.
One more thing: We fitness instructors know that you have favorites and that’s okay! We know we can’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But, if you show up for your intended class, and there’s a sub, or maybe it’s a different format than what you were expecting, guess what?
That instructor still spent time designing and prepping a workout to deliver, knowing they had someone else’s shoes to fill. Plus, you put in the time and energy to come the gym to work out. Running your mouth to your friends about the instructor or class doesn’t burn calories. Just. do. the. class. Try sticking around. You may just find your new favorite format (or instructor)… and you probably needed to mix it up, anyway.
Simply Fit is a free, weekly newsletter written by Dr. Amanda Durall, a Kinesiology professor, fitness professional, and busy mom of three aiming to simplify exercise science and deliver practical recommendations to help you achieve your fitness goals. Want more free content like this delivered straight to your inbox? Subscribe for weekly training tips, technique overviews, and more evidence-based fitness content!