Fitness fanatics of any skill level may benefit from group classes, personal trainer says
Using apps and getting social can help you stay motivated and connect with other gym junkies
The new year is a time to take stock of the past and move forward, and sometimes that takes the form of a lofty resolution.
Twitter Canada said the No. 1 resolution that Canadians set for themselves in 2017 was to go to the gym more, with eating healthier and losing weight close behind at No. 2 and No. 3.
If you're thinking about setting down a workout resolution, a Calgary-based personal trainer says joining a group fitness class could give you the motivational boost you need to see your resolution through to the finish line.
"There's an accountability aspect," fitness professional Geoff Starling told the Calgary Eyeopener about group fitness classes.
"You get to know the instructor, they'll notice if you're not there. The rest of the 'regular 9 a.m. Tuesday people' will notice if you're not there."
From Crossfit to spin to barre to TRX, Starling says there are group fitness options available to people of any skill level. There are even a few handy apps to help you track down the right class to fit your needs.
Spin and rowing classes
Starling says spin and rowing classes are well suited for a beginner looking to get into group fitness and find some motivation.
Budding workout warriors set up on a stationary bike or rowing machine and "it's up to the instructor to increase or decrease the intensity, kind of keep it interesting and keep it vibrant," Starling said.
Other beginner classes would include yoga, which has all sorts of variations now, including goat yoga.
TRX
Starling says the total resistance exercise system, or TRX for short, is in the suspension trainer category.
Two straps are anchored to the ground and the system uses gravity and the user's body weight to develop strength and flexibility.
TRX movements can be done while training solo but Starling says you can incorporate TRX exercises into group classes like spin and yoga.
"Where it really stands out is you can transition between exercises very smoothly and very quickly," said Starling. "So you could do a five-exercise rotation without any need to change equipment, really change position very much and do a variety of movements fairly quickly and efficiently."
Crossfit
Crossfit is high-intensity, interval training built on the foundations of Olympic weightlifting, basic gymnastics and bodyweight training.
"If you're in to Crossfit, you're really into Crossfit," said Starling.
"So you have a strength training component, you have a cardio training component and you have a skills-based component … and you kind of combine that all together and put it in a variety of components with time and volume and intensity and you get this quite comprehensive package."
Barre
While Crossfit is high-intensity, Barre is low-impact.
The workout incorporates elements of yoga, Pilates and dance, and Starling says it's a good combination of different fitness skills and approaches.
"[It's a] combination of ballet, dance and some light choreography with almost a Pilates feel, like kind of stretch and balance and yoga almost."
Which class is for me?
Check out an app called Class Pass if you're looking to try a few different types of classes before deciding which one is for you.
The app lets you try out different kinds of workouts and studios, and Starling says it is a great way to get exposed to group fitness.
If you've never tried this before, especially as an adult, this can be sort of a new and scary experience, so I think the class pass option is great," he said. "You get to try a variety of different things, and you'll know fairly quickly whether something is going to be right for you or not."
There's an app for that …
Starling is also an ambassador for another app called Play City, which he describes it as "a dating app through sport and exercise" that focuses on building community and relationships.
"It goes in through Facebook, so it creates a profile based on your geographic location. You then add the sports or activities you are interested in and your proficiency with each of those," Starling said.
"It will then pair you with people in your geographical area that are interested in the same activities at the same level of proficenecy."
You can download Play City on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
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With files from the Calgary Eyeopener