Better Together
When we ponder adding a new angle to our fitness routine, we tend to think about it in terms of our individual goals: What will make me smaller, bigger, stronger, or more agile? Group exercise—known as Group-X around the Club—it turns out, has been shown to increase one thing solo training can’t: community.
While group exercise certainly isn’t new—Jazzercise has been around since 1969—the number of group classes the Club offers has exploded over the last 20 years, with the arrival of spin classes and HIIT among them. The desire for more socially focused workout experiences has proliferated in our post-pandemic world, where the importance of being together has taken on new meaning. But what exactly is it about Group-X classes that creates community?
Camaraderie Creates Endorphins but Connection Is Its Own Reward
Human beings are social creatures. We like to interact and thrive off that connection. Whether it’s congratulating each other or commiserating, a strong bond develops when enduring burpees together. Your first day in a Group-X class might be a little intimidating—being new at something always is—but welcoming words of encouragement from other group members make the magic that removes many of the barriers to exercise.
“A sense of camaraderie creates endorphins,” explains Bellevue Club Group-X instructor Caroline Fuller. “It’s a way to be social together in a healthy way, even if you only see each other in class.”
That connection is its own reward, agrees member Jill Bowles, who regularly attends Mat Pilates classes. “It’s not just about the exercise,” she says. “We discuss our lives, our zucchini crop from the garden, and the books we’re reading. We look forward to talking with each other.”
Community Increases Accountability
If sticking with something is your Achilles’ heel, you’ll be interested to know that a 2016 study in the journal “Obesity” found that people are 95% more likely to finish a weight loss program when done with friends. That’s thanks to the sense of accountability that comes from feeling like people are counting on you. You’re less likely to skip a class and stay in bed on a rainy winter morning if you know that your exercise mates are going to be happy to see you or notice your absence.
“People are here for the same reasons,” explains group fitness instructor John A. McKinnon Sr., “to change their current state while enjoying the process of being in a supportive and accountable community.” That’s the power of a high five.
Take It Up a Notch
While a little healthy competition sparks a fire to improve, studies have shown that exercising with people of all levels also increases mastery and endurance. Watching others do it simply makes us work harder. Those motivational gains do wonders for your own sense of self-confidence, and the feeling that you’re positively influencing someone can’t be beat.
“I’ve seen members go from being shy and insecure about their abilities to becoming teachers who create their own amazingly loving community of people committed to fitness,” says John. “It’s extremely gratifying.”
All those good vibes between like-minded people also create a workout space that feels safe and accommodating. Attendees then are more likely to be inspired to try new things, which keeps the experience fresh—a key component to avoiding monotony and plateauing. As a bonus, the more comfortable you feel while exercising, the more likely you are to speak up when you need some extra help.
“When people are comfortable asking for a modification to suit their specific fitness needs, it gives other members permission to do what feels comfortable for them as well,” says Fuller.