89: 5 Real Reasons People Keep Coming Back to Group X Classes

If Group Fitness Was Only About the Workout, People Would Try It Once and Move On—But They Don't. Why?

On the surface, group fitness looks simple: music, movement, sweat. But underneath, something much deeper is happening. 

People aren't coming back week after week for calories burned - they're coming back for connection, identity, and how the experience makes them feel. So what's really keeping them hooked?

In this revealing episode of Group X Appeal, Kimberly and Terry pull back the curtain on the real reasons people stay committed to group exercise classes. Discover the five psychological and emotional drivers that transform casual participants into lifelong devotees - from feeling seen and acknowledged to finding their people and experiencing mental therapy without the couch.

Learn why "I take group exercise" becomes "I AM a part of the Group X family," how classes serve as escape and emotional reset, and the surprising difference between physical results and the emotional transformation that can't be replicated alone. 

Whether you're an instructor wondering how to build loyalty or someone curious about what makes group fitness so addictive, this conversation reveals the invisible forces at work.

What is group fitness really providing that keeps people coming back again and again?

Spoiler: it's not just the workout.

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Stay Connected with Kimberly:
- @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

Let's be honest, if group fitness was only about the workout, people would try it once and move on. Yeah, but they don't. They come back again and again. So what's really bringing people back?

Kimberly/terry (00:14)
On the surface, group fitness looks like music, movement, sweat, but underneath there is something much deeper happening. That's right. People aren't just coming back for calories burned. They're coming back for connection, for identity, for how the experience makes them feel. This episode today, episode 89, it pulls back the curtain on the real reasons people stay. I'm Terry Shorter. I'm Kimberly Spreen Glick.

Welcome to Group X Appeal. So today is all about five reasons people keep coming back to their group exercise class. I think there's a lot more than that. Many, many more, but we're going to focus on five. Probably a five that we find most valuable that came up for us. So the first one, a reason that people keep coming back to group exercise is they feel seen.

You know, when someone think about it, when someone knows your name ⁓ or your effort is acknowledged or they remember something about your life, your passions, what you do outside of class, it matters. You know, it matters. You feel seen and there's something about that. You know, we've talked about this before, but it's really interesting how in life as humans, like our greatest desire is to be seen. It is also our greatest fear.

So when we can minimize that fear in in group exercise and help people be seen in a positive way, it can be really powerful and absolutely can be what makes them come back again and again. So who is the first person that made you feel seen in a class? Do you have a, do you have a story around that? Yeah, I mentioned that in the last episode in 88 when we talked about the first experience, your very first experience in a group exercise class. If you haven't heard or seen that.

please go back to episode 88. We talked about that first experience and for me, I talked about Shalene Johnson. She made me feel seen right out of the gate, stepping, walking into the class before it even started, before the music turned on, before everyone was all hot, sweaty messes and before anybody knew who I was at all, they made me feel like, okay, we see you, this is your place, this is home and it's been home ever since in the studio. What about you? I love that.

You know, I don't remember names. My first class was when I was 18, so I don't remember much about that That wasn't that long ago. That was only three years ago. long ago. Oh my gosh. What are we looking at, like 30, almost 34 years? Holy moly. Wow. It's like 34 years ago, peeps. Wow. So yeah, so don't remember names, but I do remember these women who, you know, as I mentioned in the last episode, they were older, a bit older than me. They were not old. They were not old.

but they were older than me. was only 18. And so they took a very mothering approach. they definitely, I definitely felt seen with them. They missed me when I wasn't there and I felt like when I was there, I was seen for sure. Love it. Love it. Love it. Yeah. And that leads us to part number two. When people feel seen, what happens, it becomes part of their identity, right? It's no longer, I go to class, you know, I go to, you know, this cycle class or this yoga class.

it really becomes more of like, this is who I am. This is who I've become. And so, ⁓ when it becomes part of that, their identity, you know that they are in it. They are committed and, ⁓ they found their, their place. found their people. Yeah. There is something that feels significantly different between saying I take group exercise or I am a group exercise participant, or I am part of this group exercise community to feel like you're really part of it. That is a huge identity shift. Absolutely.

Absolutely, that's when you know, you're in it. Yeah in it to win it. So the third thing that we think really helps people Continue to come back is that it's a mental reset. Mm-hmm I mean, I don't know about you, but I know for me and for a lot of people I know when that I see in class That class is therapy. Do you feel like a therapist? I do not feel like a therapist. Okay, Good answer I feel like an escape facilitator though

And I've often said that in class, whether it's 45 minutes or an hour, this is an opportunity to escape from the day to day, whether it's because it's maybe humdrum, boring to routine, or they're stressed. It's like they can leave that at the door or bring it in with them. And work through it. mean, it happens all the time. The class becomes a place where people can release stress to clear their mind.

We've talked before about the importance of connecting with others because it is a community experience But to also reconnect with yourself it can happen I was sharing before we started filming that in cycle class this morning a member shared with me at the end of class that she really appreciated class because It's her time to work stuff out in her head. She the word stuff. Um, she didn't

He knows she didn't use the word stuff. He's trying to get me to say the S word and I'm not going to. I'm not going to say that. mama won't be upset with me. But she she shared that she works stuff out during class. it's a great have more stuff than other people have stuff. But that mental reset, I mean, that is something worth coming back for. absolutely. And yeah, there's a lot of a lot of times we have a lot of stuff on our hands that we just need to release.

into the ethers and the group exercise environment is the perfect place to do it. It is right. Yeah. So it's also community. It's all about their community. That's what keeps people like keeps them committed, keeps them coming back because they see the familiar faces. They, know, they get to experience that shared effort and that again, that sense of belonging that you spoke about earlier. Everybody has, it's like a human, it's part of human nature, right? It's one of the

The basic human need is having that sense of belonging. ⁓ so think about it. When you attend a class, who in your class makes you feel like family? And I can guarantee you, as you're thinking about these people, you're probably smiling, maybe getting a little bit giddy, right? Because they're the people that kind of bring happiness into your life, bring joy into your life. And it all stems from showing up to your group exercise class. Isn't that wild? It is awesome.

that it can come from group exercise, that sense of community and belonging and, ⁓ it's so cool. So the fifth thing we wanted to share with you that keeps people coming back is very simple, but for me, this is the most powerful thing that we've mentioned, and that is they feel better when they leave. And there's a couple of different ways to look at this. One is just physically. The fact is, and one reason people continue to come back is they get results.

They feel better. It's the simplest truth, but you know, they get stronger. They, they get more, become more flexible. They improve their, their flexibility, their stability, you know, balance challenge. they prove improve their mobility, like all the abilities, abilities, abilities, get improved. And so there's this physical, your cardiovascular capacity, you can improve review to max all of these results from.

physical perspective, get improved and enhanced in the group exercise setting. So yes, they feel better when they leave because they have received these benefits, these, these results, but it's not just physical exercise goes far beyond the physical. When people walk out, they don't just feel better physically, stronger physically, more flexible physically, they feel better and stronger emotionally. And that

is something that we cannot ignore. For sure. Yeah, you can't duplicate that experience. I've tried to all by myself, all by myself. It's me, myself, and I. I worry what he might be doing to try to replicate. In a group exercise environment. No, on the fitness floor. all means. When it's time to do my strength work. Got it. By myself. By yourself. work. Just you, yourself, Just me, myself, and my headphones, of course. Yeah.

you know, I feel like I get really, really solid workouts, but that is pretty much it. I feel stronger. You know, I feel like I got a good lift in good pump and all a good pump and all that. But, ⁓ I don't leave with the emotional elements, Right. Right. And of course there's zero connection unless I'm connecting with myself, which is fine. I could do that, but there's no other connection that's happening. ⁓

Yeah, just it cannot be duplicated. Yeah, it's pretty cool. Yeah. And so and that, you know, there's research behind why group exercise is exploding. And we talked about that in episode number 87. So go back and listen to that one if you haven't already. Why, you know, it is way more effective just in terms of the results and the stick to it. This, you know, the consistency.

In a group exercise kind of environment as opposed to just training by yourself So listen to that by the way because it's not something that people just do it's something that people become a part of So if you ever ever wondered why people keep coming back Maybe if you wonder why why do I feel so drawn to continue to come back to class? now, you know, yeah

And if you haven't experienced it yet, well, this is your invitation. So you could go back and listen to the last episode, episode 88, because that was all about your first class. So if you haven't tried your first class, listen to that episode because we invite you to look into group exercise as a great way to not only get stronger, have a healthier way of life, but also to have a happier life. It's really cool. This is your invitation. Come play.

And if you have any other reasons why you stick with group exercise, your group exercise classes, regardless of what they are in any modality, we would love to know what those reasons are. Share them, please. Yeah, I would love to hear that. Inspire us. Yes. Definitely. You already do, but keep inspiring us. Yeah, exactly. Keep inspiring us. Yeah, we'd appreciate it. If you're watching on YouTube, just share in the comments. Or if you see a clip, this clip on YouTube somewhere, let us know on YouTube, on Instagram.

We're at the different places. I get confused. ⁓ But by all means, comments, like, share, follow, do all the things that help support the podcast. We so appreciate your support as we move through this journey. We're having so much fun. Always. value to you. And we hope that you are getting as much out of it and having as much fun with it as we are having fun putting it together.