Sometimes we all need a good push. And for that, workout classes are super handy. But there’s a fine line between “wow, that class was killer in an awesome way!” and bruised egos, horrendous form, and actual walkouts.
Case in point: One Women’s Health editor recently came back from a strength-training class shocked at how hard the instructor was on everyone. At one point, she looked around the studio’s 10 to 15 class-goers, and only a couple of people were actually completing the moves. The rest were panting and guzzling water. One woman got up and left.
That’s a pretty extreme case, sure, but unfortunately it’s still pretty common that instructors try to push their students too hard, says certified personal trainer Idalis Velazquez, owner of IV Fitness in Florida and a Women's Health Next Fitness Star finalist. “Some instructors tend go for ‘tired’ instead of quality,” says Velazquez. "But you don’t need to give in to this mentality. Doing more work can’t replace effectiveness.”
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Monitoring your performance can be a great gauge of how hard you should—and shouldn’t—be pushing yourself. If at any point your form suffers, you are instructed to perform an advanced version of an exercise when you still haven’t mastered the basic movement, you just can’t catch your breath, or you feel nauseated or faint, it’s time to ease up a bit—no matter how hard your instructor wants you to hit it, says Velazquez.
On the flip side, though, if you can perform an exercise’s prescribed number of reps with perfect form, it’s time to kick things up a notch. “In order to get your body to change, it has to exert itself greater than what it’s used to," says Velazquez. "It should never feel easy."
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That’s why a strong instructor will coach the class on different exercise variations to make any particular exercise simpler or more challenging, says Tony Gentilcore, C.S.C.S., co-founder of Cressey Performance in Hudson, Massachusetts. “Everyone has different goals, injury histories, needs, and experience levels," he explains. "We can't expect someone who's taking a class for her first time to perform at the same level as someone who's been taking the same class for an extended period of time.”
If you don't feel like you're getting what you need from your instructor, then it's time for a chat. “Before the [next] class begins, introduce yourself and give the instructor a heads-up of any conditions that he or she should be aware of, as well as your fitness level," says Gentilcore. "Ninety-nine times out of 100, the instructor will go out of his or her way to accommodate you and your needs." And if your instructor doesn't? "If he or she ignores you, makes you feel out of place, doesn’t take the time to explain things, or gives you a hard time... absolutely walk out," says Gentilcore.
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