Group X classes continue to motivate and inspire members to achieve their fitness goals and passions. Even in the continued aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, industry leaders are reporting strong participation by offering a wide array of group fitness options.
Stephanie Gschwendtner, the group fitness coordinator at Club Greenwood in Denver, Colorado, said the club’s group fitness classes are almost back to pre-COVID popularity. She has noticed a growing interest in dance-style classes, as well as new, shorter self-care formats like Tai Chi, stretch-and-roll, and guided meditation.
“Our Barre program is exploding,” said Gschwendtner. “We have installed bars in a second studio and our 25-plus weekly classes are consistently above 95% capacity. Our members are seeing positive results from this format and can’t get enough of it. We’ve added, with great success, rebounding classes that are a very popular low-impact cardio option for our members. We also switched to the new Stages Studio+ interface in the cycling studio. This platform allows instructors to add more layered visual and audio elements, and displays accurate and detailed metrics to clients.”
Heather Healy, the wellness programs director at Waverley Oaks Athletic Club in Waltham, Massachusetts, said she is also seeing success with offering a variety of Group X selections.
“Pre-pandemic, we would see the same members in the same classes every day. Yet, we now see them trying classes that challenge them in different ways, with a renewed excitement to exploring,” said Healy. “It’s the social and emotional connections members are making that is the true power behind the resurgence of group fitness.”
To enhance classes, Healy said the best use of technology she has seen is the streaming of video programming to complement live programs. This strategy provides members with the option of coached workouts at off-peak times and acts as a beneficial avenue to bring energy into studios when live courses are not running.
“It encourages members to go in and take advantage of rooms that would otherwise be unused,” said Healy. “It also has the added bonus of being used in place of an absent instructor when occasion calls.”
Utilizing available technology is also a trend Joella Hopkins, the vice president of group fitness at EoS Fitness, said should be of the upmost importance for clubs.
Since we live in a high-technology world, Hopkins noted group fitness classes should not be any different. “We offer fun things like Indoor Cycling Group’s Coach by Color program in our cycling classes with projectors and screens, team competitions on our class app, marketing classes and instructors more intently through social media, and finding brand ambassadors within our current team members through digital class offerings,” she said. “The list goes on and on.”
For the types of Group X options trending up, Hopkins said weightlifting classes are very popular right now, particularly with Gen Z members. Because of this, more fitness studios need to consider creating the weight room experience in the studio setting.
“People are following fitness influencers and keying in on more lifting than cardio, but they don’t see those types of workouts available on a group fitness class schedule,” said Hopkins. “Many are not looking for the high-rep, lighter weight class, but heavier lifting with a large emphasis on technique. So, while we do service a large population with those type of high-rep and cardio classes, we now must focus on adding classes that are more lifting-specific as well.”
Hopkins said there isn’t as much buzz about HIIT anymore as people have acquired chronic injuries over time from so much jumping and pounding of the body. However, circuit-style classes are receiving a lot of hype in the fitness community. That’s why Hopkins said so many boutique studios opened and filled their smaller studios with people.
“Keeping people’s interest is huge and that’s where many boutiques failed because the workouts became too similar without enough variety,” said Hopkins. “People were doing the same workout structure over and over. If you want to offer true circuit-style classes you need to have a variety of equipment and workout plans so although people still rotate from one station to the next, it’s something different all the time. This is where some money needs to be invested.”
Maintaining member engagement is also a priority at Club Greenwood where Gschwendtner said they have a strong feedback loop with clients through members visiting with staff to share concerns, and by emailing or filling out comment forms.
“We get various data points we give a lot of weight to,” said Gschwendtner. “Our member surveys, administered through MXM, are another way in which we can glean insights into what we are doing well and where we need to improve.”
At Waverley Oaks Athletic Club, Healy said lines of communication are kept open with the team to learn about trends outside of the gym. This leads to the club trying new things and creating new programs like Friday Fun Night which has elements of Bollywood, belly dancing and even K-pop.
It’s this openness to change and willingness to do things differently that Hopkins said is essential to the success of any Group X program. Since COVID-19 changed the way many people live, Hopkins said it’s time for the industry to evolve as well.
“We are looking to talk to our Gen Z members to find exactly what we can do to get them to try a class,” said Hopkins. “Connection is so important, and the power of group fitness is undeniable. We want to make sure we have class offerings that cater to all age groups. The same old class schedules no longer work — or it won’t be very long until they don’t. Get out and see what the trends are and make sure you are not being left behind.”
This flexibility exists at EoS Fitness as the club creates its own branded classes like Ride and Define, Build the Peach, OTT (Over The Top), and Body ConfiDance, which is a dance program emphasizing style, attitude, sensuality and self-love.
“We have so much talent on our team of managers and instructors that we don’t feel the need to always look to the outside,” said Hopkins. “So far, these classes have been a huge success for us. We want the younger generation to fall in love with classes just like many of the people in older age groups did. Group X should be the coolest place in the gym. At EoS Fitness, we are researching, studying, questioning and surveying to find out what people want. We don’t assume we know everything — regardless of how long some of us have been doing this. There is always room to learn and grow.”
