Women and Group Exercise: Theories From a Male Instructor
Eric C. Stevens
Coach
There are two things that I have never really quite come to understand:People who love to work out first thing in the morning (I am not a morning guy).The fact that many women seem to love to work out together in big groups and classes, with or without the presence of men.
I frankly have no idea what makes morning people or women tick. Still, I like to hypothesize and I have developed some theories as it relates to women and group exercise. (Morning people are simply a different breed, so I’ll save the topic for a later date.)
Though I have been coaching teaching, training, and writing for years, I have never quite been able to put my finger on the dynamic of the majority of fitness classes being female-based. When I walk past a group exercise studio my mind is filled with a mixture of curiosity as to why it’s filled with so many women, as well as dash of regret for having chosen boxing instead of Zumba. I can tell you that from my estimation the average Zumba participant certainly is softer and gentler than the guys (and gals) hanging around the boxing gym. I’ve decided that surely, in my next life, I’ll be a Zumba instructor and participant. But, I digress.
So what is the deal with women and exercise? While many of us guys do some hanging out in a group, perhaps the golf course or maybe a martial arts studio, it seems that more of us are more loners when it comes to our daily exercise. Even when we do hang out together for such activities, we make them seem like a competition, be it pick-up basketball, sparring at the boxing gym, or city-wide sports leagues. Guys, on the golf course, how often do you play when there isn’t some wager per hole? I rest my case. Us guys play together, but we aren’t necessarily making friends, we’re competing. I coached boxing at the same