In a perfect world, physical form should be reduced to nothing more than building a habit and challenging your body. Unfortunately, a group fitness class It is seldom a perfect world. Whether you have signed up for pilates, cross fitor any other group training experienceit’s easy to let your ego get in the way.
Inspiration for this post comes from this r/Yoga thread, where the original poster gets upset when other people do their own poses and ignore instructions during group yoga classes. across the way on r/Crossfit, there is a common complaint about looking at others “cheating” in their workouts. I sympathize with the frustration: Why should others post impressive numbers, while you’re the idiot following the rules?
This is why you must reign in your judgment and learn to focus on yourself during any type of group training.
Yes, you should do your practice.
Even though you are in a group setting, you are still an individual who deserves to do your own training. More importantly, you probably paid money for this class.
In most fitness classes, the instructor or coach encourages everyone to “own the practice” and listen to their bodies. Just as someone might make modifications to accommodate an injury, you have the right to make your exercise more intense so that it is worth your time and money.
One person may tap for certain moves, while another throws in some additional repetitions. (Can you imagine a Zumba class moving perfect unison? Scary.) Still, as much as I want to focus on myself, I allow myself to get irritated, and to be honest, competitive, with people who come to the group gym seemingly just to “show off.”
If you are going to modify, be reasonable
Now that we’ve established that you have every right to make your practice your own, let’s be honest with ourselves. why are you Really making modifications?
Part of signing up for group fitness is the unofficial contract with everyone else in the group: You all show up today to motivate each other, hold each other accountable, and be part of the community. Don’t be surprised if your individualistic streak is seen as a bit selfish.
If the rest of your class is taking five breaths in triangle pose while you decide you’re in the mood for ten burpees, then it’s safe to say you’re being disruptive.
However, in that same example, let’s say that holding five breaths is too challenging or too boring for you. Do your best to make a suitable substitution, such as holding an adjacent pose for that length of time.
In more intense competitive environments like Crossfit, it’s very common to see other people “cheating.” They will sacrifice form and then report a record number of reps. This person is only fooling himself (assuming you’re not screwing over team members or actively being judged in a competition). So if this person is you: ask yourself why you feel the need to focus on numbers over training quality. You are hindering your own progress, physically and mentally.
If modifiers bother you: Focus on yourself
When someone’s freestyle distracts you in a group setting, use that time as an added challenge to practice mindfulness in your training. Position yourself so that the assailant is out of your line of sight. Let the rest of the room fade away and focus on your breath. If we’re talking about #profits… You gain nothing by judging others for what they are or aren’t doing.
Unless it’s hurting your training, it won’t be worth talking about. If it helps fuel your judging side, think of it this way: When you notice someone cheating in their training or selfishly bragging, the rest of the group is likely to notice, also.
In general, though, annoying people are a great opportunity to practice being a nicer person. A Reddit commenter who claims to be a yoga teacher, uidactinide, put it like this:
“Maybe they need to be modified to accommodate injuries, as others have said. Maybe your shoulder hurts and you’re adding a lace or twist to try to loosen it up. Perhaps they realized halfway through class that their hamstrings are very tight, and since they are there to relax before bed, they want to eliminate that tension. Maybe they live alone and work from home, and being in class is more about human connection for them than following teacher guidance. Maybe they’ve just learned how to do a handstand and are very proud of it and want to show it a little to people who they think will understand their enthusiasm. Maybe they really prefer the strong flow classes, but they have two jobs and this is the only class schedule that works for them.”
If someone is bothering you, think twice before involving other people or confronting them in any way. You never know the full story behind why they’re doing their thing.
The Bottom Line: This Is About You
In most group fitness settings, the only person you should be competing with is yourself. Similarly, when you cheat, the person you are really cheating on is yourself. For your physical gains and mental well-being, all you can do is focus on yourself.
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