5:14pm | Imagine a 24 year old CSULB graduate, who has just landed a high paying job. He is ready to take the next step in his life and has a crystal clear vision of the woman he wants to marry. This 24 year old decides to hire a dating professional. After having explained that he is looking for a woman the same age, 5’5’, blonde, blue eyed, and never married, his hired professional suggests speed dating. So this young man takes the advice and walks into a room full of brunettes. How does he feel?
In much the same way the above example illustrates, many fitness venues/services operate similarly, disregarding the approach necessary to accomplish individual wants/needs. I theorize that current trends in the fitness industry have diluted individualization in exercise instruction because of the very nature of large group settings. And because of this lack of individualization, personal motivation to adhere to the exercise program for the long term has a very short shelf life.
For example, if 100 people were to assemble for one routine, who’s to ensure that the instructor knows each client backwards and forwards, and if so- to what degree?
Two immediate objectives for knowing the client backwards and forwards would be to keep the participant safe and make sure the exercise bout is effective for their sought after goals, and not the instructors.
Assuming that a 30 pound overweight person who has no pre-existing musculoskeletal injuries or impairment embarks in group runs, how does it make sense to form a uniform group run for fat loss when each client has different aerobic capacities?
To help you understand the level of present disservice, let me provide a short example of how your body really works. Inside each of your cells you have limited supply of Adenosine Tri Phosphate (ATP). One needs ATP to move muscle, period. But when the ATP runs out, your body will select other fuels to make additional ATP based on the intensity of the exercise. One fuel selected to make more ATP is fatty acid which is derived from your fat cells (adipose tissue). Fatty tissue, the last time I checked, is usually not desired by most.
When the participant exercises at an intensity that provides enough oxygen at the cellular level, roughly 70% of the energy used to make more ATP comes from fatty acid. Contrary, when the intensity increases to a level where the body can’t deliver or extract enough oxygen, glucose (blood sugar) or glycogen (stored sugar) becomes the main fuel to make more ATP.
Case in point, those 100 participants that are in one class have different fitness levels. Meaning, each participant has different thresholds in which their bodies select preferred fuels. There is no solution other than to thoroughly assess and train each client at a level that is appropriate for their particular circumstance/ goal.
In closing, with the amount of work it takes to understand individual physiology, goals, behavioral resistances, and prior experiences, it is questionable that such large group settings serve as the optimal platform for long term adherence and goal accomplishment.