Exercise Class Is Not Helping Your Health Goals
Exercise classes are fun! Dancing, socializing, loud music, an energetic instructor, sweating...the list of fun goes on. Despite this abundance of fun, the likelihood that this class is helping you achieve your fitness goals is slim to none. Of course, movement is better than no movement and exercise is better than no exercise, but there are always optimal and sub-optimal options.
Before I get into a list of cons, I want to state that I am an advocate for going to exercise classes! Especially if it is a fun social activity and you enjoy the class. I cannot advocate going to a fitness class to progress toward a fitness goal. If you want to have a blast of a time and have your exercise be social, exercise class is definitely for you!
There are millions of ways to get fit, and everyone's body is different. But, there are some general rules that are the most effective ways to train toward a specific goal. Fitness is multifactorial: cardiovascular, strength, agility, aesthetic. Each factor has an optimal way to achieve it. While it is difficult to excel at all facets, using optimal training methods will create the best balance. A very common misconception that any exercise that makes you tired is effective. It is true that you will burn calories with just about any sustained movement, but this does not mean that you will see improvement in your fitness or figure by burning calories alone. Here of some examples of optimal exercise programming for a goal:
Improve Cardiovascular Fitness:
>1 hour of exercise sustaining 60-70% of max heart rate OR 10 sets of 15-30 second interval of >85% max heart rate with 15-30 seconds of rest
Example: 1 hour walk OR ten 15 second sprints with 30 seconds rest each
Improve Strength:
5 sets of 3-5 repetitions at a weight >85% of most weight you can perform for 1 rep. Two workouts per muscle group each week
Example: if you could only perform 1 repetition of a lunge with 40 lb dumbbells, 5 sets of 5 reps lunges with 35 lb dumbbells would be appropriate for strengthening
Improve Muscle Tone or Size:
4-6 sets of 8-12 reps per muscle group at least 2x per week with nutrition tailored for your goal
Example: just hire a professional (wink wink)
Lose Weight:
Eat less calories than you burn (exercise has minimal bearing on this, don't shoot the messenger)
You may ask, "Why do I care if I pick the optimal exercise? I just want to do what I want!"
I have a few answers to this question. Some are important to me because I am a professional, but others should be important to everyone in order to live a healthy and sustainable life.
Optimal is smarter not harder- Effort is great. We love effort. It is the bare minimum requirement to get going in the direction of your goals. BUT.. working harder at the wrong things can eventually become counterproductive.
Sub-optimal causes plateaus- you will see some minor progress with just about anything you do for the first time. Unorganized and unplanned exercise will eventually lead to a plateau as your body improves its efficiency at the task you are asking it to do.
Optimal is efficient- we all want to reach our goals as fast as we can. For example, lifting weights in general, will get you stronger but adhering to a strict 5 sets of 5 repetitions program will get you stronger in less time.
Optimal is safe- Exercise should be added and progressed to your specific capabilities. Not every person has the same capabilities, and certain people will be better at specific things as compared to others. Make sure not only each exercise is safe for you, but your program is designed for the amount of exercise you are ready for.
Optimal is consistent- the body reacts best to similar movements and tasks repeated so that they are progressed over time. It is challenging to make progress when the task is changed frequently. Variety may be the spice of life, but consistency is key for progress.
I often wind up in a long conversation with patients about their classes because they have such strong feelings about why it is good for them. I never discourage going to a class, as long as you are working on your weaknesses on an individual basis and performing some sort of consistent and planned training to work toward a goal. I hope you can add some of the principles listed above into your fitness routine and develop a plan to work on them consistently. You may be surprised how much progress you can make!