Get the Most Out of Group Fitness

How ’bout this crummy weather we’ve been having in New York? Literally all I want to do is stay in bed and read. As I mentioned in my May round-up post I’m transitioning jobs right now, Friday was my last day working at Yelp and I’m slowly easing into the new job. I thought having down time in June would be perfect, I’d spend my day reading in Washington Square Park, tan at my parent’s pool… obviously that hasn’t happened yet with this weather.

This morning I slept-in (sleeping past 5:30AM on a weekday is a rare treat!) and headed to Core Fusion Extreme at Exhale. I’ll admit it’s not my favorite class ever, the format is 1 big circuit of 5 stations with 2 exercises. Your repeat each move twice before moving onto the next station. After completing all the stations you do it again another time. I won’t deny that it’s a good workout,  although bit repetitive for my easily distracted mind.

After a very necessary shower I quickly cooked fish FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER before a work meeting.

I didn’t start eating fish until more recently. I know, I know. Now that I eat it again, I can’t get enough of it. I’ve still been too nervous to actually cook it myself though. First attempt was relatively simple almond crusted tilapia with a side of roasted asparagus. It was pretty tasty and I didn’t get food poisoning, a success in my book.

Super easy recipe to follow, if I can do it so can you.

After meeting with my new boss for a bit (!!) I headed over to the Brookfield Place where I was meeting my friends for dinner. Have you ever seen this place? It’s kind of like a mall but a million times fancier with Lululemon, JCrew and other stores I definitely can’t afford.

What’s even more magical is the food court– there’s Dig Inn, Dos Toros and Num Pang to name a few. I couldn’t resist getting pizza with vegan cheese on it from SkinnyPizza

Topped with barbecue chicken and zucchini. So not vegan, just made with daiya cheese.

Apparently this food has slowly become what I ate Tuesday– I just wanted to let y’all know that I successfully cooked fish and you should also check out Brookfield Place.

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I thought I’d talk a bit about group fitness and how to get the most out of classes. I adore group fitness, I think we’ve established that 🙂 . For me it just “made sense”—I grew up taking dance classes and karate so working out in a group was the norm.

Group fitness can have a bad connotation. I remember at the first gym I worked for wanting to smack some of the male personally trainers when they said cruel comments about the people that only go to classes. Hey buddy, these biceps are thanks to group fitness!

My workouts, minus running and a few strength training sessions, are predominately group fitness classes. I’m a firm believer that most of your workouts can be group fitness, as long as you plan your schedule well and do a few things to ensure you’re getting the best workout possible in a group setting.

How to get the most out of group fitness classes

— Chat it up with the instructor. If it’s your first time taking the class ask what they recommend for weight selection, what you need, etc. I’m totally guilty of doing the awkward “I’ll just see what everyone else is doing” glance, and then I totally regret my weight selection during class.

If you’re a regular, introduce yourself! Once an instructor gets to know you they will be able to offer you additional challenges or modifications. My favorite instructors are the ones that know me really well at this point and will literally come over with heavier weights because they know I can handle more.

Also don’t be afraid to ask questions– still confused about the kettle bell swing? Ask the instructor about it after class. Doing the moves correctly will not only give you a better workout but will also keep you injury free.

— Grab a variety of weights. Don’t cheat yourself out of a more challenging workout because you didn’t choose the right weight selection! It’s fairly common to see people using weights that are actually way too light for them during a class. Get the most out of class by choosing your weight selection accordingly!

— Plan out a well balanced schedule. My usual weekly routine is 1 class with heavy lifting (Uplift!), 1-2 classes of metabolic training (i.e. Exceed, The Fhitting Room, Body Space Fitness), 1-2 cardio (i.e. spin, cardio dance, running) and 1 day of yoga. I like to vary the types of workout I do– there’s a healthy mix of modalities, however within that I try to stick to the same classes so I can progress and know what to expect. I’ve found this works for me and is better than just taking whatever class whenever.

Obviously my schedule gets shifted a little bit if I’m training for a race or participating in a special fitness challenge, but the above schedule (with a rest day of course!!) is what I try to stick to typically.

– Arrive on time and stay for the whole class. Don’t skip out on the warmup or cool down! They’re still an important part of the workout. If you absolutely have to leave class early, let the instructor know beforehand and choose a spot closer to the door.

Question: How do you get the most out of group fitness classes