62: Top 5 Group X Formats Dominating 2025

What are the most popular group fitness formats dominating studios today? In this trend-focused episode of Group X Appeal, Kimberly and Terry break down the top 5 group exercise formats that are currently leading the industry. 

Discover WHY these formats resonate with participants, what makes each one effective, and how understanding these trends can help you diversify your teaching skills or find the perfect workout style for your fitness journey. 

Whether you're an instructor looking to expand your repertoire or a participant searching for your next fitness obsession, this episode reveals what's working and why.

Essential viewing for group exercise instructors ready to stay current with industry trends and participants seeking formats that deliver community, variety, and results that enhance their overall fitness experience.

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- @kimberlyspreenglick on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube
- email: kimberly@theinspiredlifeuniversity.com
- website: www.theinspiredlifeuniversity.com

Stay Connected with Terry:
- @terryshorter on Instagram & Facebook
- email: terry@rippedplanet.com
- website: www.rippedplanet.com

Transcript

Ever notice how some classes are packed week after week while others kind of fade away fast? Well today we're breaking down the top five group exercise formats that are not only the most popular but also offer the most effective real results. Whether you're teaching, taking or creating your next killer class, this episode will show you what's working, why it's working and how you can bring that same magic into your own fitness experience.

Kimberly/terry (01:01)
Welcome back to Group X Appeal, the show that dives into the life, culture, and community of group exercise. I am Kimberly Spreen Glick. And I'm Terry Shorter. We are here to inspire you to live your healthiest, happiest life through movement, music, mindset, and community. Woo hoo! Today, I'm excited because today we are talking about the heart of what we do, group exercise formats that people just can't seem to get enough of.

And we're going from the classics that never seem to die to the new school blends that keep classes fresh. And we're going to break that down today with the top five formats that are leading the industry right now and really what makes them the most effective. Right? today we're going to do a countdown and Kimberly's going to us off and you're not going to want to go anywhere. And as we go through these, got to see what's number one. Absolutely. And whether you teach these formats, take these formats,

We would love to know which ones you participate in, which ones you teach and why you love them the most. Absolutely. So you want to start this off? Let's get started. What's number five? five. Number five on our list. What came in was no surprise. And that is interval training. So we know it as HIIT, high intensity interval training. Sometimes we call it circuit training. Some familiar brands would be RIPPED.

And my gosh, here's Terry Shorter of Ripped Fame. Things like F45, Orange Theory, any kind of bootcamp classes. If you want efficiency, like bang for your buck, like this is your jam. These interval style classes, they get you in out. It's high effort, high reward. You're combining ⁓ strength training and bursts of cardio. Your body keeps burning, by the way, long after the class. There is a higher caloric burn rate that you receive during the class because you're constantly shifting modalities.

But then your caloric burn rate studies has shown stays elevated far beyond the class. So it is intensity, but with a purpose and the challenge keeps people coming back for more. And there's a lot of different ways it comes to life, right? Like I actually even use interval training in a straight cardio class. I think you do as well with rumble, but even when I teach cycle, I'll bring in Tabata sprints and breakaways where it's the 30, 10, where you push really hard for a certain amount of time. Then you pull back and recover and then do it again. Like interval training.

has been a game changer I know for me. How about you? It's a winner for sure. For me, yeah, that's why ⁓ Ripped came to life was because I loved not only the variety, but it keeps you engaged too because of the variety. You want to know what's coming next. And just when you think you're right at that maximum output where you can't go anymore, then you get to ease back and get that active recovery in.

That way you can come back strong again for another burst. ⁓ I love it for, it really serves my ADD, I think. That's what it is. And I love that it can come together in a cardio strength format. It can come to life in a cardio format. I'm actually kind of surprised it's five and not higher up towards one. Well, it's been a top five now for almost two decades now.

Right? That's It's hung in there. You know, when you were saying in the intro that the formats that don't die, they don't die for a reason. Right. Because they're solid. They give great results. Absolutely. For sure. So if there is any other HIIT programs that you like to do or circuit training programs, please let us know. Another one that I love and I

teach is the fight conditioning class. absolutely. Yeah. So we do strength. We'll do something. Sometimes you just want to hit something. Sometimes you need to hit something right instead of somebody. And I want you to know it does not make you a violent person. No, that's what the bags are for. Let it out. Let it out. Let it out. So that's number five. And I think it'll stick around, you know, top five for many years to come for sure. Definitely. So number four, you know, this one right here worldwide. And by the way,

Speaking of these sources, just so you know, if you're wondering, okay, where'd these guys get this information? We just made it up. Yeah, we just completely made it up based on what we like. Well, no, because then, yeah, no. Where did we find out this stuff? Well, good question. So this is from several sources from ACSM. It also comes from Les Mills. They do a global survey from all their participants, all their instructors, as well as Men's Health, Men's Health Magazine.

I used to subscribe to them long ago when I loved to get the paper back when you to be healthy. Yes, when I used to love to be healthy. they every single year annually, they would do their top five, you know, fitness programs or formats that are again, the most popular, the most effective. And so we kind of pulled all this information together and aggregate. you're so fancy, you know.

It's not just a heart. So that's where it came from. And so coming in at number four, which I'm super excited about is and I know you are too, because she is the mambo queen. These hips don't lie. That's right. Dance fitness came in at number four. if you like to shake that butt a little bit or a lot, if you are a Zumba enthusiast,

If you are a U-Jam person, if you are a Groove 3 person, my buddy Ben Allen who created U-Jam, excuse me, Groove 3, I'm sorry. ⁓ sorry Ben. Right. Any dance program that allows you to move to the groove. To feel like you're not working out at all. Absolutely. you're just partying. Yes, you know that we had to include this one because dance fitness really does. It brings pure joy to the floor.

And it's really not about perfection. That's one of the things I share with all of my participants, many of which none of them are professional dancers or cheerleaders, pro team cheerleaders or anything like that. It's really about connection. It's really about learning something new and you get cardio, you get coordination, you build your confidence. And really the best part is that you forget that you're even working out and there's really just something magical about sweating with a smile. That's why I do it.

It is no surprise at all that that's on the top five list. And I gotta tell you, anytime I walk by and see his class or I'll post clips, if you don't follow him, like on Instagram, Terry Shorter, he'll post clips of his dance, his Friday morning dance class. It's amazing. They look like, they're not professional dancers, but by the time they've learned the routine, he's taught them and they're just performing it. I would pay to see it. Like they're awesome. It's just so fun.

So fun. And the fact they always show up. Yeah. They always show up and they play full out. So for example, every October we do like ⁓ a tribute to Michael Jackson, the thriller choreographer from the music video, from the epic music And everyone gets in costume. Yes. There's not a single person who does not show up in costume. So that's always Cause if they don't, you don't let them in? No, they let him, we just dress them up. We dress them up. He brings wigs and masks just in case. It's awesome.

All right, well coming in at number three. Ooh, this is a good one. We have yoga, but not just traditional yoga. mean, I think yoga has been big for a long time. It's going to be big kind of forever just because of all the reasons, the mindfulness, the accessibility, et cetera. But not just yoga, but yoga. What we refer to as yoga sculpt is how most refer to it. But it's a fusion type class where you bring yoga and strength training together.

So specifically with yoga sculpt, this is going to be for people who love yoga, but they want a little extra burn. So they add usually light hand weights, still fuses the mindfulness together, but then brings more focus into the muscular engagements, the strength training. So like traditional yoga, you're building stability, mobility and strength all at one time. ⁓ but with a little added toy in the mix. you know, at lifetime we have one, Hey, stop it. I was, I,

I would like it to be known for the record. I was being very professional and she was short-lived and then he got all giggly. Perhaps instead of toy, I should have said hand weights, specifically, light hand weights. Yes, at lifetime, we have a class called warrior sculpt and they, they bring out the light hand weights or doing a kind of a vinyasa flow, but they bring weights into it.

When you walk out, your body feels challenged. feels worked, but the mind just feels a bit lighter sometimes. That's a rare combo and yoga and yoga sculpt. Those types of classes are able to provide that, which is awesome. It's quite a journey. is yoga is yes. It is with your bring in your toy, especially it makes it really awesome. So that is number three, number two in a countdown to top five. ⁓

fitness modalities out there. Guess what? It is indoor cycling. We talked about those, you know, those programs that just don't die. It just won't die. We both teach cycling on a regular basis. love it. Yes, we do love it. You know, indoor cycling and slash also rhythm ride. Yeah. like to ride to the rhythm. Um, I love both. I love the traditional, you know, uh, training, ride training, cycling, training, and also the, you know, riding to the beat. Um, it's had.

a fantastic evolution. ⁓ how many years would you say, like 30? Probably, yeah, about 30. Yeah, indoor cycling, about 30 years. It went from data-driven to soul-driven. It is cardio. It is rhythm. It is connection. And you get that low impact intensity that allows just about anyone to go hard without hurting. Yeah. Right? Unless you like the hurt. don't know. Hey, wait a minute. And what's awesome is,

You know, when the lights drop and the beat hits, that's where transformation happens. That's where the party starts, starts going down and very much like dance. You really do forget that you're, you're training hard and you're working out and getting your butt kicked. It's physical and it's also emotional as well. I love it. I love it so much. I, and the cycle community. if, if anyone, if, if you're watching this and you take cycle classes with us, my gosh, you got to give it, give a shout out to yourself because when those lights go down and the music turns up,

It is a party. Like they hoot and they're just having a good time and they're kind of smacking each other with a towel to challenge each other and just having a really good time. Do you know what I did last week in cycle? Now, Laura, I know Laura, Laura challenged me to play a Taylor Swift song. Okay. Which one? It was called the Ophelia. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And apparently there's a dance to this. Okay. So I was teaching on Thursday morning. I put it on the playlist.

So Wednesday night, I opened up YouTube. It was called Fate of Ophelia. And I turned on YouTube to learn the Fate of Ophelia dance. Look at you. And you know I did it. All right. You know I did it. how did that look like? Should I put the song on right now so we can all see it for the YouTube viewers? You know, I think we can make that like a separate clip.

But luckily it was a pretty simple dance because she just kind of acted, was like, is the land, the sea, the sky, you know, that kind of thing. But, was really good. Look at that choreo. Do you see that? Do you see that? You can either rewind it or she can do it again in slow motion. It's kind like you could hear the song in, in your head as I did it, right? Cause there's the land and the sea and the sky, right? As I know, right? ⁓ but we just do fun things like that. You know, in other classes, sometimes you can't really break away from the queuing and the instruction to have that kind of fun. To put on the show.

But some people think, oh, cycling, it's that like continuous, you know, no intensity. It could be monotonous. is not monotonous. If you get a good instructor, good music and a good community, it's one of the best times you'll ever have in a group X room. sure. Yeah. And you don't need fancy cycling shoes or you don't need to wear the cycling shorts, the tight cycling shorts. Oh, I don't? Oh, shoot. That's not necessary. have to anymore? You don't to wear anything. Well, I saw you do it, so I The bib. The cycling bib.

⁓ And my helmet I do bring my helmet because you never know I just wish you'd take the knee pads off. That's embarrassing I don't want to get road rash. I be careful I Bring my elbow pads and my knee pads and my cycling club. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it on Tuesday night. Watch out

I don't even think I have it in me to go to number one. You know what? They're waiting. They want to know what number one. number one? Let me pull myself together. Compose yourself. Number one. Here it goes. On our top five list. Drum roll. Number one is functional strength training. Oh my gosh. It made me so happy to see this hit number one. Ask me why. Why? Why Kimberly? I'm so glad Why were you happy that this hit number one? This is such a,

Such an area of love and passion for me, especially right now, as I'm of a certain age. Yeah. 30 Which shall not be disclosed. No. Yeah. But you know, we're in our 50s. I'm in my 50s. I don't know about him. He's probably more like 40s. She's She's way older than me. Two days. days.

Okay, as we're looking at our later years, what do we not want to do? We don't want to fall. Right. Cause that's, that's often the downturn. mean, there are a lot of statistics around this and many of us have probably had family members who have gone through this. certainly have had a couple. Um, I mean, it's how my father passed. He fell and just a hit of the head done. And so functional strength training is where we bring in strength.

but then we make it more functional. We create movement patterns that mimic more of what we do in real life. Our daily life. And you know, I'd say like strength is in, but strength has been in for a long time. Since the dawn of man. Right. And woman and, and whoa man. Whoa man. Okay. But when you bring in strength and, and different movement patterns for mobility,

And then a class that I teach every week is called fit functional integrated training. bring in the BOSU balance trainers. Now we're bringing in stability. we have strength, mobility, stability, so many abilities. Yeah. Cause you have the ability. You have the ability. We have the capability as well. these are all longevity markers. Strength is a longevity marker. Mobility is a longevity marker, stability, longevity marker. And of course then VO2 max, but we cover that in the cardio.

It really is a powerful class. These classes are scalable. Like people can continue to create progression as they go picking up heavier weights and such community driven. It's so empowering because when you feel stronger, you stand more confidently in the body that you're in, you know, strength training, it builds lean muscle. It keeps your metabolism humming all day. The moves being functional and means they help you move and feel better. makes you more effective in life, makes you

⁓ more efficient and less likely to risk injury. And that's huge. So it's not just a class. It is, is training for life. It really is. And I think another couple of key benefits. Number one, ⁓ bone density improvement. We lose bone density, you know, as we age, the number one, the second thing is, and some people may not be into this, but you look super sexy. ⁓ do you see my seam stretching?

That's right, right there. All right, she-hulk. Slow down.

I'm so me. I'm so swole. You're so swole. I'm so so. But those are those are our top five. And we really want to know again, number five is hit training and circuit training. Number four, dance fitness, right? Number three, some yoga, yoga, yoga sculpt. Number two, indoor cycling. And then number one is that functional strength training. Yeah. So I'll tell you what, at the end of the day, truly the best format

isn't just about the workout. It's really about the experience. You know, if you notice what we talked about, we're talking about the engagement. We talked about the energy in the room, the connection between the instructor, the participant, fellow participants as well, and just the feeling that you carry with you long after class is all over. Yeah. It's so huge. So whether you are teaching or whether you're taking, we really encourage you to find the format that

Makes you feel alive. That makes you feel That's the key right there. Absolutely. The one that the one or ones, the ones that light up Hopefully many. Yeah. Yeah. Several. Let us know which ones light up your mind, your body, your spirit, because that's really what keeps you showing up. It's what keeps you growing stronger. And it also helps you keep coming back and becoming your best self. Truly, that's what it's about. So yeah, we would definitely love to hear from you. What is your?

favorite group exercise class and why I'm dying to know. So definitely if you're on YouTube, put it in the comments or if you see a clip of this on the clip of this will be on Instagram. So head over to Instagram and put it in the comments there, but let us know, tag us, um, group X appeal or drop us a DM, but definitely let us know. And, and next time you take a class, go ahead and take a photo. Maybe it's with the whole class, maybe with just a few friends that you took class with post that photo tag us so that we can celebrate you enjoying.

group exercise. And if today's episode inspired you, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, share this episode with fellow fitness friend or an instructor who brings energy every week that you just want to be able to share with, because you got to remember movement is medicine. Community is the cure. So keep showing up, stay connected, and we will see you in the next episode of group X appeal. Awesome. Awesome. So again, make it a great day. I'm Terry shorter.

Kimberly Spreen Glick, sending you much love. And why do we need them to make a great day, by the way? because it's a great day to have. It sure is. It is. Peace out. Take care.