Benefits of In-Person Workouts

BY EMA DANTAS

Over the last couple of years, virtual fitness has become a popular way to work out at home and stay connected with others while doing it. It’s convenient, cost effective, and comfortable, but let’s be honest, it doesn’t give us all the benefits of an in-person group workout.

Community

Many of us have found a great sense of community in our virtual fitness programs however, if you are like me, these don’t quite replace the connections made in person. It’s just easier to forge a more personal relationship when people meet face-to-face.

When being part of an in-person community, my chances of staying committed and reaching my goals increase. My mindset is improved and simply having others on the same fitness journey, regardless of our levels, provides positive feelings, support and motivation that can’t be entirely replicated online.

Knowing specific people are going to there helps get me moving, keeps me consistent and accountable.

Motivation

We all know that it’s hard to stay motivated every day. There are some days where our motivation is high and other days, it’s nowhere to be found. Having a strong “why” is key to working through those days our motivation is low.

Some days we need a little help and support of others to remind us of our “why”. When we work out online, it’s hard to pick up on individual subtle cues and get a sense of someone’s energy. In-person, we can “feel” the energy, and help motivate one another. In-person gives us that push to keep going, whereas at home, we may just dip beneath the screen and take a break.

Accountability

The one benefit of in-person group fitness is accountability. When you don’t show up, other people may wonder where you are, why you aren’t there or how you’re doing. It stimulates that little voice in the back of your head telling you not to let anyone down by not showing up.

You can also create accountability touch points with group members to help keep you on track with your goals. Things like weekly or daily check-ins, goal setting or even friendly competition help keep you accountable.

Injury Prevention

Part of the benefit of in-person workouts is injury prevention. For example, a typical workout includes a warmup at the beginning and a proper cool down at the end. When we workout at home, we tend to skip these parts to save time. No one is there to stop us, right?

We also tend to modify exercises to make them easier when they feel hard but do so without knowing if the form is correct. Not doing them correctly or modifying properly can lead to injuries. Nothing is worse than getting injured and having to be sidelined!

Having an instructor available in-person to correct your form, help you modify and to push you to the next level is the best preventative measure to avoid injury.  

Overall

Virtual workouts have been a tremendous opportunity for us to stay fit during the past few years, and they are likely here to stay. That said, being in-person still excels in the feeling of community, increased motivation, accountability, and injury prevention.