Have you ever been in the gym minding your own business, when all of a sudden you hear a bumping bass and echos of, "Wooo!" You turn to see a room full of people moving in sync to the insanely loud music, sweating like crazy, and having the time of their lives.... You my friend, have just witnessed the magic of a group fitness class.
Some people poo poo group fitness classes; which is just down right ridiculous. With good instructors and a solid format, a group fitness class can be JUST AS if not MORE effective than a good workout in the weight room. I'm not telling you to stop lifting weights, I'm just saying it doesn't' hurt to spice things up and change your routine so that your body doesn't plateau on you. But, to argue the other side, group fitness classes can cause a lot of issues and injuries to your body if:
1. You have zero clue what you're doing.
and
2. The instructor has zero time to teach you one-on-one how to do movements correctly.
Most of these instructors (especially the great ones) have a class full of 30+ people they are trying to watch, and correct, and cue, and stay in time with the music, AND demonstrate good form; the point is, unfortunately they don't have time to stop the class to fix your squat even if they want to.
Also unfortunately, not everyone is great at looking at a demonstration of a movement and making their body reflect the same movement correctly. This takes practice, lots of mirrors, and a certain level of mind-body connection.
So here's my fix for you, yea you, the one out in the weight room really wishing you could try something new, and fun, and feel like you were part of that awesome community at the gym (because let's be honest, who couldn't use a little bit of community right now?)! Here's my list of the 6 top moves you will see in any group fitness class, what you should look for in good form, and examples of the typical mistakes people make in the form. Use these tips in conjunction with the guidance from your group instructor and you're guaranteed to have a safe group fitness experience.
Move #1 - The Squat
Good squat form is:
✅Hips are back and down.
✅Back is a flat, not arched or rounded
✅Knees are behind the toes
✅Chest is open and lifted up tall
✅Shoulders are away from the ears
✅Core is pulled in tight
Poor squat form is (click the arrow on the picture above to see poor form):
👎🏻Knees in front of toes
👎🏻Heels coming off the ground
👎🏻Shoulders are rounded and closed
👎🏻Chest is dropped forward
Move #2 - The Lunge
Good lunge form is:
✅Shoulders stacked over hips and back knee
✅Knees as close to 90 degree angles as is comfortable
✅Knees are behind your toes
✅Shoulders back and down
✅Chest is open and lifted up tall
✅Core is pulled in tight
Poor lunge form is:
👎🏻Knees in front of toes
👎🏻Front heels coming off the ground
👎🏻Shoulders are rounded and closed
👎🏻Chest is dropped forward
Move #3 - The Hinge
Good hinge form is:
✅Flat back, no arching or rounding
✅Shoulders are back and down away from the ears
✅Slight buckle of the knees
✅Chest is open
✅Core is pulled in tight
Poor hinge form is:
👎🏻Rounded or arched back
👎🏻Shoulders are rounded and up by the ears
👎🏻Chest is dropped forward
👎🏻Knees are locked
Move #4 - The Plank
Good plank form is:
✅Flat back from shoulders to hips, no arching or rounding
✅Hips are in line with shoulders, not elevated
✅Shoulders are back and down away from the ears
✅Elbows are in line with your shoulders
✅Hands are shoulder width apart
✅Glutes are squeezed
✅Abdominals are pulled in tight
Poor hinge form is:
👎🏻Rounded or arched back
👎🏻Shoulders are collapsed and up by the ears
👎🏻Abdominals are pushed out instead of pulled in
👎🏻Glutes are relaxed
Move #5 - The Push Up
Good modified push up form is:
✅Flat back from shoulders to hips, no arching or rounding
✅Hips are in line with shoulders, not elevated
✅Hips are tucked under
✅Neck is in line with the spine
✅Shoulders are back and down away from the ears
✅Elbows are at a slight angle in towards your body (like you're squeezing a tennis ball
behind your arm pit)
✅Hands are 1-2 inches outside of the shoulders
✅Glutes are squeezed
✅Abdominals are pulled in tight
Poor push up form is:
👎🏻Rounded or arched back
👎🏻Shoulders are collapsed and up by the ears
👎🏻Abdominals are pushed out instead of pulled in
👎🏻Hips are high, not in line
👎🏻Elbows are at 90 or more away from the torso
👎🏻Head and neck are pulling towards the floor
Move #6 - The Crunch
Good crunch form is:
✅Lower back is pressed down firmly against the mat
✅Elbows and chest are open
✅Gaze is up towards the ceiling
✅Using the shoulders to lift up off the mat
✅Shoulders away from the ears
✅Fingertips touch lightly behind the head to offer neck support
Poor crunch form is:
👎🏻Lower back is arched
👎🏻Elbows and chest are closed
👎🏻Gaze is down and in towards the legs
👎🏻Using the hands to pull the neck and shoulders off the mat
Obviously these aren't ALL the moves you will see in group fitness classes, but these are the basic functional movements that you will need for any workout (even solid form checks for the weight room as well 😉). With these tips in your arsenal you should be able to walk into any class like the total BA you are and nail your workout. If you still feel uncomfortable with any of these moves please reach out to me. I can walk you through them one-on-one so that you feel confident!
No go forth and Pump, Combat, Zumba, Barre, Turbo, and Pilates your little heart out.
Love,
Rachel
**Special thanks to my favorite GroupX Instructor for helping me take these photos. I look forward to class every Saturday, you're the BEST! 😘**
Comments