A few months ago, I took to my Instagram stories to talk about group training environments and the importance of following the group fitness workout as it’s designed. In the last two years or so, I’ve noticed a huge uptick in people coming to group training classes and “doing their own thing”. It’s distracting, it’s disrespectful, and it could be dangerous.
Let me be clear: there are several occasions when you should modify the workout, but these have to do with exercise restrictions (pregnancy, injury, extreme soreness, etc.)—not simply a dislike of the programming. Keep reading to see more about how and when to modify.
In general, this is why you should be following the group fitness workout as it was designed:
It Was Professionally Designed and Tested
Every studio is different, so I’m talking now from my experience at Orangetheory. The OTF workouts are designed by a team of exercise professionals. They’re tested in live class settings and adjusted based on feedback before they’re delivered to the network. The design team creates the workout with consideration for the workout yesterday, the one tomorrow, and in the context of the rest of the month.
When we talk about OTF being so darn effective, it’s effective when you follow the program.
It Demonstrates Respect for the Coach
The coach is responsible for leading those workouts safely while encouraging you to challenge yourself and meet your goals. When you deviate from that plan, the coach has to consider whether it’s safe, whether it’s in line with what we’re doing, and whether it distracts other members or diminishes their experience.
You put the coach in a position to have to take time away from coaching to speak with you about what you’re doing and why. In part, that’s why we’re there: listening, empathizing, educating. But all too often, people aren’t kind about it when the coach asks them to stop doing something. It creates an uncomfortable situation for the coach and for other members.
I was talking to someone about this, and they brought up a good point: “I would never go to someone else’s business and start doing something I wasn’t supposed to be doing.”
Working Through Exercises You Don’t Like Is a Good Mental and Physical Challenge
All too often, the reason someone tries to do something else in a class is because they don’t like a particular exercise. That’s not a good enough reason!
I’ve been working out my whole life. There are plenty of exercises that are not my favorite, but one thing I’ve learned is that the movements/exercises/challenges we feel resistant to are usually the ones we need the most. When you improve at something, you start to like it more.
If you change the exercise because you don’t prefer it, you’re missing out on an opportunity for growth. You may also be missing out on strengthening a particular part of your body. Functional strength is well-rounded strength. Don’t skip leg day, so to speak.
This Is What You Signed Up For
As a fitness brand, these classes are our product. This is what we have to offer. We are not an open gym—we do not advertise ourselves as such. When you join our studio, it’s because you want what we have to offer.
If that’s not what you want….then there might be another gym that’s a better fit for you. Of course I want you in my class—but more than that, I simply want you to be working out, and I’d prefer you do it in a way that you enjoy. If you don’t enjoy what we’re doing in the studio, it’s not the space for you.
“What’s the Harm In Doing My Own Thing? It’s My Workout!”
Yes, and I want you to get a great workout. There are a few issues with going rogue:
- OTF is a very effective workout program. It could become less effective if you’re not following that program. If you’re coming in every day and changing the exercises or skipping the rowing or trying to do the treadmill twice (not allowed), and you don’t see results—is it because it’s not effective or is it because you’re not following the group fitness workout as it was designed?
- When you do something different than what the coach presents, it can be distracting for a newer member who may already be struggling to follow along. It can distract long-time members, who may wonder if they misunderstood the instructions, or it can make other participants think, “Well, if they’re doing that, then I can, too.” If enough people start thinking that way and behaving that way, it’s not even a group fitness class anymore.
- Sometimes, people choose alternatives that are dangerous or simply outside the scope of what we do at OTF. (One woman tried to do snatches while standing on the BOSU! Not something we do in that room, and not something I’d recommend in general. She had to go so light on the weight, she really wasn’t getting anything out of it. It was wasting her time, deviating from the purpose of that exercise choice, and putting her and the people beside her at risk. Aaaaaand she argued with me when I asked her to stop.)
- You don’t necessarily know the content of the whole workout or how it fits in with the week or the month. I’ve had to tell people on several occasions, “Hey, that bicep curl is fine, but just so you know, we’re going to be doing them anyway in the next block.”
- As I mentioned above, it puts the coach in a bad situation. A very small percentage of the time, the person apologizes, corrects themselves, and there are no hard feelings. But far more often, the person argues with me, or leaves the class. The coach is also taking time away from whatever they should be doing to have that conversation with you, a conversation that often leaves a coach feeling bad and wondering if they did the right thing by doing the right thing.
So When Is It Okay to Change the Program and When Should I Be Following the Group Fitness Workout Without Question?
It’s always okay to question! Ask me why we’re doing it this way. There’s a reason. If you can’t do it that way, we’ll find an option that works for you.
When you have an injury or restriction that prevents you from doing a given exercise, it’s always okay to change things up. Some guidelines for that:
- Stay as close to the spirit of the original exercise as possible: same muscle group, same focus on strength/power/endurance, same piece of equipment.
- If that’s not possible, choose another exercise that you are able to perform.
- Stay within the scope of the studio. (For example, as I mentioned above, we don’t stand on the BOSU at OTF. In some environments, you do use the BOSU that way, but we don’t at OTF.)
- Ask the coach! That’s part of why we’re there. If you know which alternative you want to do, just touch base with us and tell us why. If you don’t know what you should do instead, we can help.
Different studios have different guidelines on altering a workout. Here are a few things specific to Orangetheory:
- You do one rotation at each station: treadmill and floor (or treadmill, rower, floor in a 3G). You’re not meant to do the treadmill twice, or skip half of the weight floor work to get a few more minutes on the treadmill. The treadmill is not an option for the weight floor or the rower.
- If you can’t use the treadmill, you can use the bike or strider as an option. Priority is given to those with injuries/restrictions that prevent them from using the treadmill.
- Striders and bikes can also be an option for the rower. Priority is given to people who can’t use the treadmill, but if you have an injury that prevents you using the rower and there is a bike/strider available, you can use it instead of the rower. We do our best to recreate the rower work on the bike/strider when needed, so talk to your coach about how long to bike, what gear to use, what your heart rate should be, etc.
- If you need alternatives for the floor exercises, see that bulleted list above. The rower or treadmill should not be used as an alternative to the weight floor.
I’ve been a group fitness instructor for more than 20 years, and I love that team training environment, where everyone’s working through the same challenges together. Following the group fitness workout as it’s designed has always been a given—up until the last few years.
It’s important to find a workout program that works for you. If you have a hard time following the group fitness workout because you don’t like the exercises or because you want to spend more time lifting or running than what the class setting allows, then that setting is probably not for you. That’s okay! Find something you love and go for it.