The opening of our new studio in January gave Tring Sports Centre the opportunity to up our game with our group exercise offering. We now offer over 20 classes a week, retaining old favourites such as Zumba and Pilates, while adding popular new classes, such as Body Pump and Body Attack, from the renowned Les Mills programme. Underpinning this great choice is our utter faith in the benefits of group exercise. Here are six of them:
- Peers drive appearance
Exercising on your own can feel a bit of a slog. And when you are not quite in the mood, it’s all too easy to give it a miss. There’s no one else involved to make you feel accountable. Being part of a group is a different kettle of fish. The commitment is not just to yourself, but to the others who have signed up for that class with you and to the instructor, who has made themselves available to support you at the agreed time. Result: you are far more likely to make a group session a regular part of your weekly routine.
- You work harder
Runners out there know that when they run as a part of a group, taking part in a Park Run for example, they will tend to push themselves a little harder than they do when they run on their own. The same applies to group exercise. The Köhler Motivation Gain Effect, identified in the 1920s (Kohler 1926) explains that members of a group are more motivated than individual performers. This very much applies to modern day group exercise. When you look around the room and see everyone else busting a gut, it drives you on to do similar. Naturally, an energetic instructor and some high tempo music also play a part!
As one of our happy customers says: “Space, coaching and stretching yourself are the major benefits” (Matt – March 2022)
- Sweat with smiles
Let’s be honest, there isn’t too much smiling when you are working out on your own. In class it’s a bit different. In group exercise, you smile a lot more because you appreciate the efforts made by others in the room, you want to show support for your co-exercisers and yes, maybe the instructor will crack the odd joke to take away the pain! And when it’s all done and dusted, you can bask in a shared smile of satisfaction for a great team effort.
- Variation
We are creatures of habit and tend to stick to what we know. Group exercise can take you out of your natural comfort zone and tempt you to try something different. Mixing up your routine, will stave of boredom, maintain freshness and make it more likely that you will establish regular exercise as a part of your way of life.
- Meet new people
Put a group of strangers in a room together and they don’t stay strangers for long. We’re social animals and, generally speaking, we like to mix with others, particularly those with shared interests. And what better shared interest than a workout. Connections made in the studio can often blossom into genuine friendship and who doesn’t want a bit more of that?
- Structured workouts
Which routine, where, how long? You can forget about these questions because they have all been taken care of for you. Your class instructor has designed the session for you and will show you how to do each of the exercises. This takes all the pressure off you. All you have to do is watch, listen and go for it. Of course, you can get the same benefit by using a personal trainer, but it will cost you more and you lose some of the other benefits outlined above.
Tempted? Go on, give it a go.
For more information on the range of classes available at Tring Sports Centre: https://tringsportscentre.org/studio/
