Is group fitness pt approved?

Are you a group fitness junkie? Here in Boston, we love our group fitness. Everything from spin, barre, boxing and strength classes, we have it all! But is it PT approved? Dr. Rachael McGuinness PT, DPT from The METHOD breaks it down for us!

I have always been obsessed with group fitness classes.  I literally love them all - spin, boxing, strength, barre, circuit training, you name it.  It’s something about the combination of the loud music & fun factor as well as the group accountability and sense of community that they bring.  I definitely owe the success of staying consistent with my fitness level over the past decade to group fitness because it fulfills the most important component of movement for me - it brings me joy.

As a physical therapist, I have always been a bit shy about my group fitness passion due to the responses I typically get from my industry. Most PTs I have known tend to discourage group fitness, as it doesn't account for individual skill levels or account for injuries.  Another argument is that there isn't enough progressive overload due to the perceived randomness and variety of the exercises.  Lastly, sometimes we see group fitness go-ers over exercise, working out >5x per week, or doing 2 classes in a day (By the way, I do not condone this!)

Let's pivot and talk about basketball. If a patient's goal coming into performance physical therapy was to return to basketball, I’m sure most PTs would agree that this is a great attainable goal! But basketball doesn't account for skill level/injuries, there is no progressive overload in basketball, and basketball players need to play long games with few breaks many times per week. 

Therefore, I’ve realized over the years that PTs need to reframe how we view group fitness, we need to think of it as our patients “sport”.  Participating in group fitness is an amazing goal for a patient to have if its their prefered version of exercise, brings them joy, and keeps them active. So as PTs, we need to help our patients train for group fitness just like it's a sport, just like if they were training for basketball. 

So to answer our question: Yes, group fitness is PT Approved (at The METHOD)! However, just as cross training is necessary for sports, cross training is necessary for group fitness classes. It is important to regularly perform strength training and mobility exercises that are specific to your body to supplement the classes. This will lead to less injuries, less frequent “tweaks”, as well as improve your performance in class. 

Have you been struggling with an injury that is side-lining you from class? Or are you looking to perform your best in your sport of group fitness? At The METHOD we are here to help you crush your long term group fitness career! Set up a free discovery call today to learn how we can help set up a cross training program to keep you [MOVING WELL] and committed to your group fitness!