Group Fitness Etiquette

Group Fitness Etiquette

Over the past five years that I have been teaching in-person group fitness classes, specifically barre, I have had overall the most respectful and considerate members take my class. There have really only been two things that irk me, and quite honestly surprise me, that some of my clients have done. Now that online classes have become more and more popular, I have found that those two pet peeves of mine have also manifested over to the virtual world. But I don’t blame my class participants, I honestly believe the majority of the culprits are completely unaware of what they are doing! Which is why I wanted to address here in the blog proper group fitness etiquette both in-person and virtually!

1.) Don’t Be Late! I know life can get cray cray sometimes, and this one is definitely not intended for the one-offs of coming into class a few minutes late. This is for my habitual Late Lacy’s (Or Larry’s!) who are always strolling into class third song in. When you are late arriving, it disrupts the flow of class and could throw off the instructor. Participants have to stop what they are doing to move their belongings to make room for yours and the instructor has to stop to take the time to repeat any information you may need to hear (what equipment is needed, getting setup, etc). 

For a virtual class, the instructor may have to stop teaching altogether to “accept” you into the class once it has already begun. For some platforms, participants aren’t even allowed to enter a “meeting” after the start time.

Your safety is also at risk when you aren’t at class on time. When coming into a class 10-15 minutes late and jumping right in, you have missed the proper warmup and could be at risk of an injury. Speaking of injuries, you also miss the opportunity to discuss with the instructor any modifications or alternative options you may need depending on what’s going on with your body that day. 

Know you are going to be late on occasion? Message the instructor in advance and ask her to set your spot up. If you are recovering from an injury, ask the instructor if there is anything you will be doing that may aggravate it and what modifications or options you can take. Even if you aren’t able to give advance notice of your tardiness, it’s always appreciated when late comers apologize after class! It just shows that you respect the instructor and their time! 

I know some instructors have a very strict “late policy,” so be sure to check what theirs is. A good rule of thumb is if you are going to be more than 15 minutes late (to an hour long class), it’s probably best to miss it altogether.

And just to quickly touch on the other side of the spectrum, if you know you will need to leave class early, I know I for one appreciate when participants let me know in advance so I don’t have to worry that you got injured, there was a family emergency or you weren’t enjoying the class! If you have to slip out before class ends, find a spot close to the exit so you aren’t super disruptive.

2.) Keep Distractions to a Minimum! One of my favorite things about group fitness classes is the community! I love coming to class to see my friends and catch up! But there is definitely a time and place for the chit chat, and while the instructor is talking is probably not one of them! I always encourage conversation throughout my class to help build camaraderie (especially during those beloved planks and push-ups) and get us through the pain! But when participants are talking loudly to their barre-mate while I am setting up an exercise, offering a modification or answering a question it can be disrespectful to the instructors and those around you as well. Speaking quietly to your neighbor during the exercise once the instructor has set everyone up and gotten started is totally OK! If you can, maybe try and get to class a few minutes early to get all the goss from your friend before class starts!

Having your phone out in class and texting or answering calls can also come across as rude to your instructor and fellow class participants. If you know there may be a call or text that you will need to take during class, let the instructor know ahead of time and take the conversation out of the class.

I personally love the distractions of my Barre Babe’s virtual home workouts and I know we all are having to deal with a lot going on at once when working out at home! Seeing kids do the workouts alongside their mom and dogs wanting in on the plank challenge definitely puts a smile on my face! But when taking a virtual class, be sure to keep your audio muted so everyone else can still hear the instructor and not little Johnny screaming he wants ice cream or the dogs barking at the mailman! And if you know you may have anything inappropriate going on in the background, you may also want to consider turning your video off as well!

Like I said earlier, overall, I have had the most respectful and considerate members take my classes. And for the times that someone did commit one of these faux pas, it was completely innocent and a one-off. And sometimes even for my habitual committers, they are doing it without even realizing the effects it has on anyone else! So aren’t we all glad we just got this all out there in the open so now that we know better we can do better?

Instructors and clients alike, do you have any other group fitness/class etiquette tips? Comment below with yours!

Have your tried our small group classes yet? If you are local to the Charleston South Carolina area, I would love to have you join me for our in-person classes! And if you aren’t nearby but still want in on the fun of a “live” class, we also offer live-streaming of all of our group classes that you can do wherever you are! More info can be found here!

Hope to see you at the barre soon!

Cheers,

Heather McCreight