Fitness classes are a great way to reach your fitness and weight loss goals, but with such a dizzying array on offer, it can be hard to know where to start.
We take a look at what all the fuss is about and how to choose the right class for you.
Spoiler alert: This post contains advice that will definitely help you achieve your fitness goals!
You’ve made the commitment to get serious about your fitness? Great!
So why, despite your best intentions, do you find yourself, only a few weeks in and using every excuse in the book to skip that next workout?
Whether it was a new year’s resolution, a wake-up call about our health, or the harsh reality of the last time you tried on your skinny jeans – something that was once so important to us seems to have evaporated and suddenly it seems a whole lot easier to reach for that glass of wine on a Friday night, rather than your trainers.
The truth is – those first few weeks of enthusiasm are the easy bit.
Maybe we don’t see the results we want straight away, or our new fitness routine gets interrupted.
This is when the real work begins – the hard part. This is the part that counts.
What’s the secret to being able to crack that all-important motivation long-term? To being able to truly stick to something long enough for results to start to show?
The good news is: fitness classes can provide a lot of the answers to keeping us on track.
Let’s face it, it’s infinitely more motivating to be surrounded by a group of like-minded individuals than it is to be slogging it out alone on an elliptical trainer facing a TV playing the latest music videos on repeat. (Snore!)
And for those of us who are just starting out classes can be a great way to build the foundations of your fitness knowledge, learn great technique, and set you up for success long term.
But don’t take our word for it, it’s actually scientifically proven that working out in a group is better for you.
A recent study shows that medical students who attended regular group fitness classes for three months experienced significantly higher increases in their physical fitness, as well as their emotional and mental wellbeing.
Compared to a group who worked out on their own, and a control group who did no exercise at all, the students who attended just one fitness class a week over the course of the study achieved:
The group doing classes didn’t complete more hours of exercise each week to get these results, it was simply the benefit of being in a group that made the difference.
You may be looking at those numbers and thinking “I don’t care about my stress levels, I just want to lose some weight!” But don’t be so quick to dismiss the impact stress can have.
Stress management is a crucial part of a successful and sustainable weight loss plan and, if not addressed, can sabotage even the best-laid weight loss plans.
Stress leads to the production of a hormone called cortisol which, when chronically elevated, can lead to muscle loss, fat gain in the abdominal area and suppressed immune function. Eeek! So, it’s really important to make sure your stress levels are in check, otherwise all that hard work will be wasted!
At British Military Fitness our classes are designed to improve your fitness and help you reach your weight loss goals, all while having so much fun you barely realise it’s happening.
And if the word “military” almost sent you running for cover under the nearest bunker, we’ve got good news.
While it’s true our workouts are led by former members of the military, we’ve made BMF classes “civilian friendly”, so you can erase those images of a red-faced drill sergeant right now.
Very little equipment is required other than your own body weight to perform a wide range of speed, strength, agility and stamina exercises – all tried and tested by the military.
You’ll work not only individually but with a partner and, at times, as a team doing challenges and activities - in fact our members say the sense of community is one of their favourite things about us!
Find out more about what to expect in a British Military Fitness class or click here to get started with a free trial class.
We’ve already covered some of the benefits of fitness classes, but how effective are they really?
We all wish there was a fitness silver bullet, a quick fix to transform us in the space of a week.
But the reality is you’re only going to get out what you put in – and what’s more: you have to stick with it.
Fortunately, there are a few great advantages of fitness classes that mean you’ll put more effort in while you’re there, and you’ll keep coming back.
A crucial difference between taking a class and working out on your own is that your instructor is trained to push you harder. While we may find it almost impossible some days to push through that extra set of sit-ups or push-ups – your instructor will make sure you leave class having given your best.
British Military Fitness instructors are military-experienced, qualified fitness instructors and personal trainers who take their inspiration from the way they were trained. They’re some of the fittest individuals on the planet but they’re also there to help you achieve your goals, not to make you feel overwhelmed or inadequate.
Every BMF instructor has their own unique style, meaning no two sessions are ever the same.
However, you will always get a great, whole body workout that burns up to 600 calories and will improve your strength, speed and stamina.
Want to give one a try? Sign up for your free trial class here.
So, you’ve joined the local gym, but now what? We explore some of the reasons fitness classes might actually be a better match for achieving your goals.
With so many ways to achieve your fitness and weight loss goals these days, it can be hard to know where to start.
Many of us default to joining our local gym and while a gym membership can be great, for many the new love affair is often short lived.
The problem is two-fold:
Unless you supplement your membership with a personal trainer, (here’s when things start to get expensive), the gym can be an overwhelming expanse of unchartered territory.
On one hand you’ve got the guy staring so lovingly at his biceps in the mirror he might pop a vein.
On the other you’ve got the or the rows of treadmills and machines promising nothing but hours of monotonous cardio.
Back to the couch then?
Unfortunately, without a clear plan, and a strong knowledge of exercise technique, solo gym workouts can be an uphill struggle.
Here are just some of the huge advantages we think classes have over a traditional, solo gym workout:
The structure of each fitness class has already been planned for you, so you don’t need to worry about how many sets or reps or the order of the exercises, just turn up and follow along!
Even if you’re having one of those days where summoning the energy for a workout feels impossible, your instructor is there to push you through and encourage you.
All BMF classes include aspects of partner and teamwork and a real sense of community. Check out one of our members Gwenne’s story about how attending British Military Fitness has helped her overcome anxiety about working out in a group.
There are more than 500 British Military Fitness workouts run in 140 outdoor venues, seven days a week. So the chances are there’s one super handy to you – find your closest one and book your free trial now.
There’s nothing like an injury to set back a new fitness routine and throw you off track. In a BMF class you can rest assured you’re in good hands – our instructors come from a military background and are fully qualified fitness professionals, so they’ll be keeping a close eye on you and making sure your technique is great.
Getting a decent calorie burn from a workout is important, sure, but sometimes looking beyond calories is the best approach.
There are so many different training styles out there and they all offer different benefits. Some torch calories in a short space of time, while others build lean muscle which enable your body to sustainably burn calories, even while at rest. Other workouts encourage you to have so much fun you forget you’re even burning any calories!
However, focusing only on burning calories can be misleading as it can vary wildly depending on the particular workout that day, your technique, energy levels and a whole range of other factors.
If calories were all that mattered, we could all spend an hour on an elliptical trainer and burn between 600 – 800 calories and be done with it! Right?
Wrong.
This is where things get interesting.
There is so much more at stake than calories when it comes to exercise.
Things like:
These all come into play when assessing the effectiveness of any workout.
A Crossfit-style workout that incorporates strength training might only burn around 200-300 calories during the session, but the lean muscle you build during the session is going to improve your overall metabolic health, helping you to burn calories more efficiently.
At a BMF workout incorporates high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which leaves your body burning calories for hours after your workout as your metabolic rate will be raised. So, as well as burning around 600 calories during the session, you’ll clock up a few extra by the time you go to bed that evening!
Our advice? It’s important to be aware of your calories but they’re not everything. Things like muscle building, achieving maximum heart rates and enjoyment are all needed to lose weight, tone up and look great.
There are literally hundreds of different options when it comes to group workouts and, to be honest, the choice can be overwhelming.
Should you be getting your groove on at a Zumba class, setting our abs on fire at Pilates, donning a pair of boxing gloves or hitting the treadmill at Barry’s Bootcamp?
What are the advantages of one class over another and which one is going to be most effective when it comes to weight loss?
Here are a few things to consider when it comes to choosing your perfect match.
Factor 1: High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
HIIT has been a hot topic in the fitness scene for a few years now and shows no signs of going anywhere for a good reason – it really works
HIIT works by pushing your body to achieve maximum training zones, followed by periods of brief recovery, before pushing yourself again.
If this all sounds pretty scary and way too, well ….intense, never fear. The thing about the “intense” part of HIIT is that it’s your high-intensity – not anyone else’s. As you get fitter, you’ll be able to hit new, higher training zones.
Find out how to get the most out of a BMF Bootcamp workout,
Factor 2: Enjoyment
You need to find the class that works for you and makes you leave feeling great.
You might burn 700 calories in a spin class, but what good is that if the sight of the bike saddle makes your thighs quiver after your first workout?
The trick is to find something that you actually enjoy (yes, it is possible to enjoy exercise!)
Enjoyment is something we take seriously at BMF – but don’t take our word for it. Check out the story of one of our members Jane who tried her first class eight months ago and hasn’t looked back.
Factor 3: Weight loss isn’t everything!
“Losing weight” is a term that’s thrown around a lot, but what does it actually mean?
For many it means seeing the numbers on the bathroom scales go down, but this is misleading for a couple of important reasons:
Your weight fluctuates every day
Our bodies can fluctuate five pounds or more each day and this can depend on what you eat, drink, your bowel movements, exercise and hormones.
A sudden drop or rise in the number on your scales on any given day shouldn’t be a reason to panic (or celebrate!) immediately as it could be due to something as simple as the size of your lunch. Whether you weigh yourself in the morning or evening will also make a difference, so treat your scales with a healthy amount of skepticism.
Read more here about why the number on the scales can be misleading.
Muscle vs fat
A byproduct of any good fitness routine is that you will start to build lean muscle mass and lose fat at the same time.
And because it is denser than fat, a cubic centimeter of muscle is going to weigh more than the same size piece of fat. So, don’t be discouraged if you’re not seeing the dramatic changes you want on the scales, you could be losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time which would result in no change in your body weight.
Some experts actually recommend tossing out the scales altogether and focusing instead on how you feel, how your clothes are fitting and changes you can see in your body.
When it comes to choosing the right fitness class for your weight loss goals, it’s important to remember there’s not going to be a quick fix.
Weight loss should be viewed as a gradual process which you’re able to maintain long term, rather than seeking out huge weekly drops.
The truth is that any fitness class, if you stick with it, is going to help you lose weight, tone up and look great. The most important thing is to find one you’re going to enjoy and be able to maintain.
Whether you’re a seasoned exerciser looking to take your results to the next level, or a complete rookie, fitness classes are great because they cater for all abilities.
As an adult, putting yourself out of your comfort zone and trying something new can be daunting (why was it so much easier as a kid on the school playground?)
Every British Military Fitness class has a specific version designed for beginners, so you can get started slowly and enjoy your first experience surrounded by others who are in the same boat.
Take a look at what to expect in your first BMF experience, courtesy of first-timer, Francesca:
As you progress, and your fitness improves (and we promise it will), you can move on to the other levels of the class; intermediate and advanced.
You’re in a safe environment, so you’re much less likely to get injured from lifting anything too heavy or performing a movement with bad technique.
Whether you’re looking to lose weight, build strength, train for a challenge or simply make some new friends, British Military Fitness classes are a safe, effective and fun way to achieve your fitness goals.
Find a BMF session near you and sign up for your free class trial here.