Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Getty Images
From their spot at the front of the studio, group-fitness instructors can see the people running in late, doing their own thing, talking to their friends, taking selfies, texting, taking off their socks, or recording the whole thing — in other words, our worst, or maybe just most annoying, versions of ourselves.
Group fitness is (ideally) a time where everyone should be on their best, most considerate behavior. The stakes feel high: There are a bunch of sweaty strangers in a room who have all paid an exorbitant amount to work out side by side. You’re vulnerable, you’re winded, you want to get your money’s worth. But not everyone shows up as their best self to class, which can be amusing at best and disorienting — even dangerous — at worst. Below, seven New York City–based fitness instructors weigh in on the biggest workout misconceptions, their pet peeves, and the distractions they see most during classes.
“People often think they’re going to fight each other in class. It’s so funny to me because we could never sanction 60 people to throw hands. With Rumble, you’ll never be punching anyone. Also, for whatever reason, people always get their hands wrong. It’s hard. Even with left and right, people genuinely don’t know that. No shade, but it is crazy how often you have to tell people, ‘Your other left.’ I started telling people to make an L with their hand, and if you can make an L, that hand is your left hand, and the other one is your right hand. People laugh, but I’m so serious. People need it.
Sometimes, people are just there to party. If it’s an influencer event, you know for a fact that it’s just partying and videos. We had Swae Lee come in one time, and there was no boxing in that class: It was a music video. One guy came in a full button-up shirt, jeans, and a hat. One time, I overheard two girls talking about sweat. They were models, and one of them was like, ‘Oh my God, what am I going to do with my sweaty clothes?’ The other was like, ‘Babe, we don’t sweat.’”
“People will come, they’ll move, and they’ll be so happy they’re there, but they’re not actually listening to what you’re telling them to do. Cycling is the hardest to teach if you want people to do the cycling work, not just move their legs. In running, people assume that you have to go fast and sprint, and that’s the only way to get a good workout. Similarly, in Pilates, people assume that you don’t need to warm up or cool down. The amount of times people start off at 100 percent and just finish class and walk away.
A big thing, though, is coming really late or just going off and doing your own thing during the class. I’ve seen people who, not because they have an injury or something, just started literally doing a different class. One time, I was leading a sound bath — so everyone is lying down in deep meditation and most people have a towel over their eyes — and someone walked in 20 minutes into class, grabbed the yoga equipment, got on a mat, and started practicing. I was almost frozen in disbelief. I tried walking up, in silence, to tell them they have to lie down: You can’t do this. They verbally started saying, ‘No, I pay, so I can stay.’”
“I just wish people knew the front desk was way more human than you think. We’re the people answering every single email you send — I started at the front desk, but I’ve been coaching since January. Group fitness is a luxury, and it’s expensive. You encounter a lot of entitlement. For instance, clients might not be the most excited to hear that it’s a five-minute cutoff to enter class if you’re late. It’s very strict, but it really is for safety. I get that life comes up, but I’ve seen very different reactions when people are late to class.
Also: Socks aren’t required at Solidcore, but I don’t want to see people’s toes. I don’t like shorts at Solidcore either, because I have to correct people’s forms and lift up their legs. Skin-to-skin contact is more than when somebody’s wearing leggings. And socks on, ideally.
A big misconception that I see is that Solidcore is Pilates — it’s a strength-training workout on a reformer. Sometimes, people tune me out while I’m giving the demo because they think they’ve done it before, but it truly is its own workout.”
“People think that if their goal is to lose weight, they don’t need strength training. I have to remind people that strength training is cardio. Pilates is obviously fantastic: They’ll feel the burn there, but you’re not going to build the muscle you do in traditional, heavier-weight strength training.
But being late is my biggest pet peeve because, in all the modalities, you need to properly warm up your body. You show up cold and then you injure yourself, you’re going to be looking at us crazy like we did something, but your body needs that prep.
I’m trying to get used to the cameras, especially those who want to post on Instagram. You can have dual cameras going on sometimes, and in my classes, we’re moving across the room. Half of the time, they have to adjust the camera while I’m explaining what to do, so they don’t really know what I’m doing once I’m into it. They were trying to get the right angle.”
“I love my clients and think I make a difference in their lives. That being said: Don’t be 25 minutes late for a 45-minute group class. The ten-minute grace period is generous. Don’t be that person disrupting the flow. Also, beginners don’t belong in advanced classes, no matter how fit you think you are. And a sprinkle of venting is okay, but please don’t use me as a built-in therapist, complaining about everything and everyone under the sun. We absolutely can connect on a human level (otherwise, are you just going to sweat in silence?) — include me in that party invite you pass along to the person next to you on the mat whose name you don’t know or remember. I’ve been here for you through it all, know what snack you eat before bed, and don’t even get me started on your mother-in-law drama.
There’s a lot of talk about AI disrupting our field, but there’s another, more powerful force that’s already disrupted us: influence. By and large, a trainer’s level of fame is right up there (or higher) with skill, experience, and tenure. I can imagine a genius, perfect-looking AI trainer available 24/7 anywhere on a moment’s notice, and it being less appealing to high-end clientele than someone with clout.”
“The biggest one for me is when people take their shirts off in my classes. I don’t think it’s respectful; you never know if somebody has body dysmorphia. Also, just from a hygienic standpoint, I don’t think that’s cool. It doesn’t happen often in group classes, but it does happen. I just don’t personally like peacocking in the gym. There are some situations where you could do it: If no one is really in the gym or it’s an outdoor workout with your boys. You could probably get away with it in a yoga class because you have your own personal space. But if it’s a co-ed group class, I’m not a big believer in it.
One of the most fun things that has happened in a group class is when I did an open event, and an older woman came who really wanted to work out, but she was in jeans. She was kicking ass the whole time, and it made me happy. I’ve never seen someone do that. It was a hybrid workout of yoga mixed with strength and bodywork. She did everything in the class with three of her friends. It was sick. I like seeing people from all walks of life get involved.”
“When I’m instructing a treadmill group, I program everything with intention. Everyone’s getting efficient timing and use of their equipment, because you’re in each spot for maybe 13 minutes on the floor. There’s enough time but not a ton of time, so if you’re wasting it not listening or being slow in the transition, you can easily lose a lot of the workout. Modifications are welcome, but my pet peeve is when someone comes to class and then they’re drastically doing their own thing. It’s a little disrespectful to the experience of group fitness, where you’re choosing to be part of a group.
We don’t have a strict phone policy because we try to think of everyone using their best judgment. But I have seen some wild things — I’ve seen people taking selfies or taking phone calls while on the treadmill. One time, we saw a girl taking a selfie on the treadmill. She hopped off to ask the instructor to play a certain song, but she left her treadmill going. When she got back up, she did a face-plant right on the treadmill and then hopped back up like nothing was going on.”
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