Harness the strength of numbers when you join a group fitness class. It helps you reach the 6 am boot camp in time, it ensures you complete the last round of squats or even finish your swimming laps. When you see others pumping it, it motivates you as well.
Yoactiv brings you this article so you take up group fitness classes as well in addition to your regular fitness regime.
Benefits of group fitness classes
How it helps the elderly?
What kind of group classes to enroll in?
Benefits of group fitness classes
Find motivation and inspiration: When you see others in the class completing their sets, you are sure to complete them as well. People who work out with you will also cheer you up. In case you see someone else doing better than you, let it not intimidate you. Take it as an inspiration and push through.
Follow the proper form: Consider a group fitness class as the middle ground between working out alone and having a personal trainer. The professional instructor will show you every move with proper form and will help you get it correct. What’s more, those around you can also help you with the form.
Meet new people, and be part of a community: When you join a group class, you will meet new people with common interests. You will also soon be part of a fit family. Those around you will support you through your fitness journey.
Get variety in your workout: Doing the same workout can get a little boring over time. You may also be hitting a plateau. With a group class, you can add variety and give your regular workout the necessary boost it requires.
Be accountable: Most difficult part of working out is reaching the gym itself. With most group classes you need to book your spot in advance and are likely charged a fine if you bail out. This ensures you stick to your regime.
It’s absolute fun: It’s undoubtedly a refreshing change from individual workouts. So, take a break from solo exercise and add some variety and inspiration to your fitness journey. The social aspect of group fitness classes obviously up the ante.
Mingle with people with different abilities: While there will be some people with better fitness levels than you some will be behind you. Find inspiration in all of this. When you help someone with a lower fitness level than yours, your own growth can inspire them as well as you. And looking at the super fit people are any ways inspiring.
Motivation to try new forms of exercise: Being part of a group class helps you try out new things and new forms of exercise that you would not have done otherwise. Mixing up various forms of exercise brings in variety, raises your interest and helps you improve your fitness.
Structured workout: The thinking and planning is done by someone else. Your form is being checked by the instructor and you are motivated by the whole room full of high-adrenaline people.
How group classes help the elderly
Many elderly people are taking care of their fitness and are joining fitness classes. Group classes help them stay motivated and reduce feelings of loneliness. So, even if their family is busy or elsewhere, being part of a group provides the opportunity to meet new people, interact and make new friends.
Exercise also helps them release endorphins that make them feel good about themselves. This uplifts their mood and negates any negative thoughts or feelings associated with loneliness.
Group fitness classes also ensure that they are healthier and reduce their risk of falls and injuries. It also improves their general health like overall immunity, heart disease, diabetes and more.
Find group classes near you
Types of group classes that you can try:
Water aerobics
This is a great sport for the summers and if you have an indoor pool then you can try this in other seasons as well. In this, all participants are immersed in water and follow the instructions together. What’s more, you don’t need to know swimming as your feet will be touching the floor of the pool. These classes focus on aerobic endurance and resistance training and are great for weight loss.
Pilates
This is a great group fitness class that focusses on strengthening the body with a focus on the core. It is similar to yoga as it focuses on posture, balance and flexibility. But different as yoga focuses on holding poses whereas pilates challenges your stability using movement.
Yoga
This was developed thousands of years ago and is still popular as it helps you connect the body, breath and mind.
Strength training
Popularly, this form is done solo. But many fitness studios offer group classes that combine strength exercises with functional training moves to make you fitter. The classes are characterised by high-rep training, athletic movements and periodized training approach.
Cycling or spinning
These are performed on stationary indoor cycles and are a great way to stay fit. It is intense and perfect for muscle toning and building cardiovascular fitness. It’s also low impact on knees and other joints.
Tai Chi
It contains slow movements that stress postural control. It is a great form of exercise that brings in calmness and is advised for the elderly.
Kickboxing
This form is inspired by martial arts like karate, Muay Thai and traditional boxing. It is a total body workout that gets your heart pumping and trains you in speed and agility. You will learn the main punches like jabs, crosses, hooks and uppercuts as well as the kicks like front, side, back and roundhouse kicks.
Zumba
This Latin-inspired dance workout helps you groove to the beats of salsa, flamenco and merengue music. It feels more like a party than a workout.
Bootcamp
Each fitness studio will have a different regime for this workout. But it is a kind of high-intensity interval training with calisthenics and military-style drills.
Step aerobics
This is a classic cardio workout that has lasted for decades. Using a raised platform, your instructor will make you step up, down, sideways or backward.
HIIT
This is an interval training exercise that alternates several rounds of high-intensity movements to take your heart racing up followed by short periods of lower-intensity movements.