Why is it that every time you look into a class
studio you see mostly or only women? Why are guys so afraid of doing a fitness
class? In my experience of teaching a range of fitness classes at Breadsall
Priory, from circuits to pump fx, kettlercise and even postural and stretch
classes I have noticed that if you were to take the top ten percent of the
fittest members we having training the majority are women. Their fitness,
strength, skill and adaptability is far greater and that’s not just in regards
to aerobic fitness and flexibility, I’m also talking about strength and
technique, the best lifters at dead lifts, squats and lunges are all women, the
guys are getting left behind, which is odd because most guys entering the gym
have similar goals, ‘I want to lose my gut and build some muscle’ and most men
have only ever dabbled with resistance work usually with a friend, they lift a
few dumb bells, swing a few curls and force out a few dozen old school sit ups.
Now let’s look at the class formats, most classes on our timetable are all
centred on fitness, weight loss and muscle building (or toning) which is what
most people are always after, men quite often think that they need to do very
heavy weights and have long rest periods to build muscle, which is simply not
the case. In circuit classes, pumpfx and blastfx classes the start is always
focused on technique, you can’t lift heavy until you can lift correctly. After the
proper form has been developed we can start increasing load and intensity which
will see that reduction in body fat and the building of some very functional
muscle. Another great thing about classes is you have a trainer there with you,
checking your form, showing you correct technique and coaching you through a
whole variety of different movements and exercises, remember you don’t need to
train longer you need top train smarter!
The fitness industry is changing and fast, the old school of pumping iron and
three sets of ten is becoming less and less of a focal point, now it’s about
looking the part and being able to walk the walk, you have to put that muscle
to the test, I bulging pair of biceps is good for filling out a t shirt, but
when your little sister starts beating you silly on the pull up bar maybe it’s
time to drop into a few classes and learn some real gym skills.
So don’t be shy gentlemen book onto some classes and try something new, in one
week you could sample a dozen different classes with more and half a dozen
different instructors, that’s a lot of skill and knowledge just ready for the
taking, so get involved before the women of Breadsall Priory show us up even
more!
Written by Karl O'Sullivan Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer
