My morning walks here on the west coast take me past a new Orangetheory "gym" which hasn't been able to open due to the pandemic but has started holding outdoor group classes. I'm not going to get into my thoughts on the Orangetheory concept (good and bad) but I do have some thoughts on general group fitness classes. (You knew I would.)

First, the good part about group fitness classes in general: they can provide a social dynamic that many people enjoy. Some may like the camaraderie, some the competition, but whatever the reason having other folks around participating in the same activity can raise the collective energy level and get things moving.

The biggest downside is that everyone is doing the same thing even if they're not all qualified to perform the activities or are needing to do them. It's what makes group training different from "personal" training. Even in just the few seconds I see these groups working outside, it's evident that some (sometimes most) of the participants have no business doing the prescribed exercise. For example, they were doing "Spider-man pushups" and almost no one was doing them well. They're a difficult exercise! Since they were being done as part of an interval workout, they only had 30 seconds for a coach to come around and try to correct their form. No one did.

Something like a spinning class where everyone is riding a bike is a better way to train groups. There are no steep learning curves and no serious form degradation with fatigue. (Unless someone gets really tired and falls off the bike.) But most strength exercises (including something as seeming simple as planks) should be done well or not at all to avoid wasting time by rendering an exercise ineffective or, worse, getting injured.

Something to keep in mind if you do any group training.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay strong. Literally.