With our Group Fitness schedule expanding at Active Life, and our Small Group Training sessions booming, it’s clear that people are flocking to Group Fitness classes – and with good reason! Group Fitness classes offer the opportunity to exercise exercise in a positive and purposeful way while still having fun. We asked the team at Active Life what they loved most about Group Fitness and this is what they had to say.
Tyler – “I personally receive so much energy and relax on such an amazing level, both exercising and teaching, in group fitness settings. I thrive off of other’s energy – so when the energy within a class is full due to all the unique individuals in the room sweating and smiling together, I just have the best time! I truly enjoy when an instructor relates, on a personal level, to the class sharing fun stories or an overall positive energy – equally I enjoy teaching a class and cracking some jokes to lighten the mood! Overall, I find the sense of community within group fitness settings beautiful, strong and inspiring. People truly bond over exercise – with fellow students, teachers, and becoming more in touch within themselves. To be in a room and push yourself to new limits, trying new things and being encouraged, with an equal amount of self-determination, is such a humbling challenge. Whether I am down-dogging in yoga, pressing a kettle bell above my head, or participating in a Tabata Workout, I feel grateful for my able body, the people around me, and the gift of exercising together. Let’s go group fitness!”
Annabelle – “I love Group Fitness due to a plethora of reasons; one of them being, I feel more motivated to push myself to work harder compared to doing a workout by myself. The environment, such as the music, the positive encouragement from the instructor, and the other like minded people in the room of any group fitness class really brightens my mood and makes me look forward to my next group fitness class. Another reason why I love Group Fitness is that I find I see results much quicker than doing my own thing. I love how the instructors switch up the routines each week making us work different muscle groups so our bodies are always challenged. I also love Group Fitness because I don’t have to try and organise my own workout routine, it is already set by the instructor, so after a big day I don’t have to stress about what workouts I am going to do.”
Todd – “I love Group Fitness classes because it’s good to just be able to do a workout without having to create your own workout. You feel as though you can push yourself harder when there is other people in the class who are also pushing themselves, and there’s nothing more satisfying then making it to the end of a really hard set and looking at the person beside you in absolute relief that you had both made it. I also love the different options of intensity and levels that each class provides for each person.”
Jess – “The best thing about Group Fitness is the expert guidance with no guesswork. I love that the choice of exercises, music, and motivation is set by the trainer; so turning up is the only part I need to play. Almost every session teaches me something new – whether it’s a new exercise to incorporate into my workout regime, or correct technique of a given exercise. Small Group Training in particular allows me to explore movement in a new way, and keeps me on my toes as I never know what I’m walking into. Most importantly, I love the feeling of completing a tough workout with people around me that equally feel just as exhausted; team work is definitely something that I thrive off.”
Amanda – “I particularly enjoy Todd’s Small Group Training sessions. He really helps you push yourself, and encourages the group to complete all sets and reps. It’s awesome to be able to encourage other people as well, and you build a supportive team within the class. Even on the days you may be sore or tired, being surrounded by like-minded people gets you through! I love the high of getting through a brutal workout!”
Liv – “I love Group Fitness! For so many reasons – as a participant I find that Group fitness allows me to come into a class and have a dedicated and specific time to a workout that I don’t need to plan myself or think about. The variety, especially in freestyle classes, keeps my body guessing and stops me from hitting plateaus in my training. It also give me a time that I can regularly schedule in to my weeks and means that I know when my exercise is planned in, making it much harder to make excuses or skip the appointment I’ve made with myself. The music and energy of the instructor helps me to ensure that I’m pushing myself and giving my all in order to really boost my results.
From an instructor’s perspective, absolutely nothing beats a packed Group Fitness Class! Having a full room and a group of people watching and ready to smash their health and fitness is a pretty cracking feeling and it’s a brilliant high to be able to motivate and hold the space for people to improve each time they walk through the door. Something that also makes my job even more rewarding is seeing the faces of my “regulars” that make it to my classes each week. I promise instructors take note of who’s in the room and they love knowing that there are some familiar faces there. I genuinely miss my regulars when they can’t make classes but know that life gets busy and sometimes things just crop up or exciting events have to take priority every now and then and that’s ok!”
Group Fitness is a great way to ensure that you can tap into the community that is at the club and ready to support you! If you’re standing on the sidelines wondering whether to give it a go, I urge you to be brave and take that jump for your first class or splash out and trial a new class, you won’t be disappointed!
