Why a Group Fitness Class?
Well, why not? Whether you’re looking to shake up your routine, get a full body workout in less than an hour, or meet people who have similar fitness goals, a group fitness class is just what you need!
Champions Fitness Center’s General Manager and Group Fitness Instructor Kelly Sherwood
Group exercise classes are more than the loud music, fast movements and shouts of encouragement that are seen and heard from inside of the fitness room. These one-hour blocks of time offer social inclusion opportunities, health benefits and emotional support. From Kickboxing and Barre, to Yoga and Spin, your group fitness instructor will challenge you, encourage you, and be another tool to help you reach your fitness goals.
If you are new to exercise, you are more likely to get better acquainted with exercise in a group setting than you would working out on your own. Is this your first time? Don’t worry about being the new kid in class! You don’t have to pick a spot front and center next to the instructor. You’re not teaching the class! Find a place in the room that makes you feel comfortable and remember that each class you attend will become more
familiar.
If you’ve tried a group fitness class in the past and didn’t think it was your “cup of tea,” I would encourage you to try another one. A different instructor can make all the difference in the world and everyone has their favorites!
Motivation Boost
Champions Fitness Center’s General Manager and Group Fitness Instructor Kelly Sherwood says it best. She says, “Participating in a group exercise class challenges you to get out of your comfort zone and try exercises that you wouldn’t regularly perform on your own.” She’s absolutely right! In a group setting you will work harder and beyond your perceived limitations. The instructors are trained to safely push you and other participants to your limits. There’s nothing more motivating than completing a class and leaving with a sense of accomplishment!
Participating in a group exercise class challenges you to get out of your comfort zone and try exercises that you wouldn’t regularly perform on your own
Health and Form Benefits
Most fitness centers have a variety of different group fitness classes for gym patrons to choose from. Champions Fitness Center offers over fifty! If your goals are
cardiovascular improvement and weight loss, select aerobic-based classes such as Insanity & Bag, Zumba, Kickboxing, Spin, or Cardio Splash. Select weight training, calisthenics or a class like Total Sculpt or 360 Fit if you also want to improve your muscular endurance and strength. If flexibility is your goal, a Pilates or Yoga class is a great option.
If you are new to the group fitness arena you would definitely benefit from using proper form. Doing things incorrectly can increase your risk of injury and the probability that you will come back for another class. The instructors are well aware of who is new in class and they will keep an eye on you to make sure you are doing things correctly.
Accountability and Support
A group exercise setting helps hold you accountable! If you attend class regularly, the instructor and other participants will know when you are absent. When they see you, they will most likely ask where you were! It’s not because they are nosey. Well, maybe a little bit. They are genuinely concerned about your well-being! Who doesn’t like to be missed?
How many calories are burned in a Group Fitness Class?
Group exercise classes come in all types and intensities, so an hour of Barre will definitively not burn the same as one hour of HIIT Challenge. Also, the more you weigh, the more calories you’ll burn doing the same activity. For example, a one hundred and fifty-five-pound person will burn four hundred and twenty-two calories in an hour of aerobics, while a one-hundred-and-thirty-pound person will burn three hundred and fifty-four calories. Keep in mind several other factors are involved as well.
Low-Intensity Classes
Low-intensity classes feature steady activity. They usually don’t have bursts of intense movement and aim to maintain the same heart rate throughout the class. Low-intensity classes usually have less effect on joints and bones. They’re a good choice for people with health issues that need a slower paced activity. Low-impact aerobics burns an average of three hundred and fifty-two calories per hour, while a dancing class (such as Zumba) can burn up to four hundred and twenty-two calories.
Laurie Beth Tyldesley Pestle’s Barre Class. In each class you will get a full body workout that focuses on creating a strong, lean, and toned dancer- like body.
High-Intensity Classes
High-impact aerobics can burn up to five hundred calories an hour. A Spin Class can burn up to five hundred calories in forty-five minutes. However, keep in mind that in high-intensity classes, the amount of calories can vary greatly depending on how much effort you put into the workout. For example, you can burn
anywhere from two hundred and eleven and seven hundred and thirty-nine calories an hour using a stationary bike, depending on the intensity of the
workout. Kickboxing is another high burner, with three hundred and fifty to four hundred and fifty calories burned during a standard fifty-five-minute class.
Non-Aerobic Classes
Yoga, Pilates and strength-training classes might not be your idea of high-calorie burning choices, but depending on the intensity used, they can burn lots of calories too. Thirty minutes of Pilates will burn about one hundred and forty calories. The calorie burn comes primarily from the repetition of movements, which increases muscle burn and strength intensity, even though the cardio workout doesn’t feel as intense. You can also burn a lot of calories taking a Yoga class. It all depends on the type of Yoga class you are attending. Thirty minutes of power yoga will burn up to three hundred calories.
In Conclusion:
So, what are you waiting for? If you want to get your heart pumping, blood flowing, and feel like a million bucks, a group fitness class is just what you need! A group fitness class is the perfect opportunity to meet people who have similar lifestyle goals. There’s no other place you can be social, get psychological support, get a great workout, and leave feeling better than when you arrived! So, before you say you’re not a “Group Fitness Kind of Person,” give it a try! It may just be what the doctor ordered! Good luck to you.
I have been a personal trainer for over seventeen years and I absolutely love what I do. I honestly feel that I have one of the best jobs out there! The most rewarding part of my profession is helping one of my clients succeed at reaching their personal fitness goals. Making a difference in someone’s life makes it all worthwhile. I am currently certified by the National Sports Conditioning Association, Apex Fitness Group, and the International Sports Science Association.
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