The Truth About Group Fitness Classes

00:00I tried solid core for the first time. It's something that is very, very, very, very, very popular right now. Pilates is like very popular right now. Throughout the entire class, the instructor was telling us that we were doing progressive overload, that we were doing heavy squats, that we were building muscle. Like as somebody who has studied body composition for years, who has competed in bodybuilding, who has coached thousands of women through real strength training, I just, I was like, this is not accurate. Just speaking to the woman that is doing these classes, because again, I don't want to bash this. And this episode is not telling you guys to stop going. It's telling you to go with accurate information about what you are getting and what you will still need. If you love your reformer class, your Pilates studio, your low impact fitness routine, then keep going. Genuinely, like the enjoyment, the consistency habit that you're building, the mobility work, the community, those are all real and worth you protecting that and keeping it in your space.

00:53But please hear me clearly when I say this. Do not let those classes be your only resistance training. Do not skip the weight room because you think that your spring resistance classes is covering it because it's not. What's going on, everybody? Hey, you guys, welcome back to another episode of The WarriorBabe Show. We're on these podcasts. I talk about mindset, methodologies and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident. I am your host, Nikki Stott. And guys, in today's episode, I literally just got back from

01:36this class that I'm going to talk about this class that I'm going to talk about this class that I'm going to talk about in this episode today. And I had to just immediately sit down and start recording this podcast because it's so fresh of mind. And I want to get out my thoughts. So today, I tried solid core for the first time that it's the reformer based fitness class Pilates, reformer, you know, the like, low impact spring resistance, a lot of core work. It's something that is something that is very, very, very, very, very popular right now. Pilates is like very popular right now. And let me tell you this before I get into the episode. I went in like genuinely open minded, like I wanted to I've been wanting to do a solid core class for the last heavily for the last three months. And I wanted to do it with somebody that has never done it before. And it turns out that one of my other really good friends has never done it before.

02:31Because we're both like just strength gurus. So we both did it together. And it was a great experience. But I genuinely was open minded, like I genuinely wanted to experience this. And I wanted to understand what is the hype? And why are so many women doing this? Like, guys, we were talking to the woman that was working that was working behind the desk afterwards. And guys, girls come in and women come in and do this four or five days a week, and loving it. So I'm like, what is the hype? But here's what I here's what I didn't expect. During the class. Throughout the entire class, the instructor was telling us that we were doing progressive overload, that we were doing heavy squats that we were building muscle. And I like just looked at my friend. And I'm just like, what? Wow. Like if somebody who has studied,

03:24body composition for years, who has competed in bodybuilding, who has coached 1000s of women through real strength training, I just I was like, this is not accurate. And someone needs to say so clearly. So that is why I'm here. I'm like, I'm racing home. I'm like, I got to get behind that mic. I got to have this conversation with my people. So that's what I'm gonna talk about today. And I'm not going to bash. This isn't a bash session, bash, bash session.

03:54And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going

04:24bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I'm going to bash. And I

04:54because I want to be completely fair about before I get a little bit critical. Because these classes do have real value. And I want women who will love them to hear that before anything else. Reformer base, low impact studio classes. They're genuinely excellent for many reasons. And I'll also put this in there. Some of you guys know that I have done reformer base Pilates. And the way that I treated reformer base Pilates is I would strength train four days a week. And I would do one class of reformer base Pilates. Not like what the class I just did. Something that's a little bit more slower. Low impact, like I'm saying. Where you really get to get into the tension of the muscle. And also develop a skill set in specific movements that are going to help to give mobility and flexibility.

05:47So that's where like these classes do have real value. Also in terms of like the body aware. They build body awareness. What you do in those classes, you focus on controlled movement. You focus on alignment. You focus on that mind to muscle connection. And that is real and that is valuable. Especially for women who are new to fitness. Or they're returning after they've been injured or hurt. Like learning how to move intentionally is a legitimate skill.

06:18And like I said, they also improve flexibility. They improve mobility. Like the range of motion, the stretching, the lengthening. I mean, I was in some, some, uh, like, uh, exercise. Like I was in the middle of the exercise. And I'm like in it for like, you know, there's a lot of tension, uh, on the muscle. And there's a lot of you like lengthening the belly heads of the muscle. And you're really getting in there. So there's like, there's real benefits.

06:50You know, mobility is something that I've talked about as a very, and, uh, and like, I'm even saying this to myself is a very underrated piece of, of a complete fitness program. And I believe, you know, this class, Reform of Pilates I've done before, those classes really do deliver it really well. It's another, like I said, how I have like piggybacked it off of strength training in a week. It's just a, it's a way of getting active recovery, right? Like I've talked about active recovery days. This is a great way of doing that. Um, for those of you guys that strength train like I do, majority of the time,

07:23it's a way to get like low impact movement and keep the blood flowing that supports recovery without adding like, like training stress. Um, which I kind of like, I trained legs yesterday and I will never do solid core again after training legs because I didn't, that wasn't active recovery for me. That was a full blown leg trying to get, it was a full blown workout, but also I was shaking at some periods. And I was actually a little bit hesitant and I had to, I had to, you know, this is where like instructors will push you to be on, on pace with the rest of the class and the rest of the team.

08:03But at the same time, you got to know your own level and you got to kind of advocate for yourself in those moments. Like if you're going to push it too far, like you are the person that knows your body the most. I'm saying this to myself right now too. There are moments with that class that I had to stop because my hamstrings felt like they were ripping apart from doing legs yesterday. But, um, anyway, side note, but you know, the low impact kind of day, you know, you're, you're keeping the blood moving. Those classes fit that in well, right? If you're supplementing it for a day of active recovery and they're enjoyable for a lot of women.

08:34Um, like I genuinely saw a lot of joy in the women that were doing the class and that matters. Enjoyment matters. Like if you're inside of warrior babe and you're being coached by one of our coaches and you love Pilates or you love running marathons or you love CrossFit, like we're not going to take that away from you. We're going to find a way to work it into your programming while we put majority of your workouts being strength training. Right? So it's like, because we want, if you enjoy it, that matters. And a woman who goes, you know, to a class that she loves five days a week is doing more for her consistency habit than a woman who dreads a gym and only goes twice.

09:14So that's where like a lot of this stuff has real value. So I want to be clear that the classes are not worthless and I don't want to bash them in this episode. They are not bad for you. The problem is not the class themselves. The problem is what they're being marketed as. And what they're being marketed as is not what they really are. Like being in there and hearing like some of the terminology that was being used. I was just like, like I was kind of cringed to me with how things were talking, how things were being said.

09:47So what I want to talk through is some of the claims that I heard and why I believe that each one is misleading. So one of them being that I kept hearing the word, the key is progressive overload. We're doing progressive overload here. Progressive overload is one of the most foundational principles in exercise science, right? It means progressively increasing the demand placed on your muscles over time. Through more weight, through more reps, through more volume, through more complexity.

10:22So that your muscles are consistently challenged beyond what they can already do. And therefore they're forced to adapt and grow. That is what progressive overload is. In a reformer class, the resistance comes from springs. And then the springs have settings. Yes, lighter and heavier. And in some classes you move through them, you move through different spring tensions. So that is described as progressive overload, I guess, in the sense of the Pilates realm.

10:52But it is not progressive overload in any meaningful sense of the term, is I guess what I'm trying to say. Like true progressive overload requires that the stimulus exceeds what your neuromuscular system can currently handle. So trying to break this down a little bit more for you guys. Like creating enough mechanical tension on the muscle fiber to trigger the adaptation process. That is what is happening. Spring resistance in a reformer class for most women who are regularly active does not come close.

11:26It does not even come close to that type of threshold. The load is simply, it's not sufficient to create the mechanical tension required for meaningful muscle breakdown that you get from a dumbbell and that you get from a barbell and that you get from loading them with plates. Progressive overload is adding 10 pounds to your squat over the course of the month. The thing is with this, like calling spring resistance progressive overload is a marketing term.

11:56Because you're doing pretty much each class, at least especially from when I've done Pilates reformers and what I can expect to be what solid core is going to be. Unless you're doing pretty much less. Unless you're doing pretty much. Unless you are the one paying attention and recording and writing down what spring resistance you've had for each of those exercises, which that class goes ridiculously fast. Like ridiculously fast. Like I'm the one that learns by watching, like by actively looking at other people.

12:30Not really by hearing, because by hearing I was extremely overwhelmed by the amount, because the coaches don't stop. The instructors don't stop talking. They just keep going, keep going, literally the entire class. So like unless you're really paying attention, like spring resistance in a former class, that's not, you got to pay attention to the resistance that you're on. And then you have to remember what you did last time in that exercise, but then each class is different.

13:02So while I can understand there may be a potential progressive overload, progressive overload to me in the science of like of strength training and knowing like the mechanical stress that your body needs with resistance over time. You're going to get that from strength training, right? And it's like you are, you are progressively adding more weight over a course of time. It's going from like, or it's going from like three sets of eight to three sets of 10 with the same weight. It's increasing the demand in a measurable tracked way that consistently challenges the muscle beyond its current capacity.

13:38From what I see, from what I'm understanding from being a part of it, spring settings on a reformer do not do that. Because you've either got, what was the number she was saying? Like 25, 50, and 100. If I remember that correctly, they were white, gray, and black. And that was the weight. But that's it. There's no, like you can't, you're set, you're confined to a certain kind of weight is what I'm trying to say. So you're not doing progressive overload. Spring, calling spring, whatever resistance training, resistance progressive overload is just a marketing term.

14:13Like them saying that is just what they, is just a marketing term. Quick break. If you're finding this episode helpful so far, it would mean a lot if you could hit pause for just a second, leave a quick rating, or a review, or share it with someone who could benefit from it. Your support helps more women discover these tools to build muscle, lose fat, and feel confident. Thank you so much for being a part of this journey with me. The second thing that I, like, that was driving me nuts is, you, there were like, you, you're setting the weight, or the spring resistance on a reformer.

14:47You're standing on top of the reformer, and you're doing body weight squats. But they were saying you're doing heavy squats. Guys, a heavy squat is a, is a loaded squat. It's a loaded squat with a barbell, a dumbbell, or, or, or a loaded machine, where the external resistance significantly exceeds what your body weight alone creates. So, a body weight squat on a reformer, assisted, or resisted by springs is not a heavy squat.

15:19It may be a challenging movement for someone, like, new to exercise. Don't get me wrong. And it may require coordination and control, but it is not heavy in any physiological sense of the word. And that was driving me nuts. So, I just needed to get it off my chest. A, a, the language of heavy. Ladies, are you feeling frustrated with body changes you're experiencing during menopause?

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16:23Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warriorbabe.com forward slash apply today to start your transformation. That's warriorbabe.com forward slash apply. All right, let's get back to the show. Exists in fitness for a reason. It signals to the nervous system and to the muscle that a significant load is being managed. And so, describing spring-resisted body weight movements as heavy squats,

16:57it conflates two completely different stimuli and creates a false impression of what the body is actually experiencing. And like, even the instructor was adding in pulse and adding in like, come up for one and down for two and come up for three and down one. And like, you're pulsing. Yeah, but that's still your body weight and that's not a heavy squat. So, I just claim number two, not real. And then the last thing is, is that it builds muscle.

17:28This is a big claim. And the one that I want to spend, I think, a little bit of a little bit more time on. Because women are making significant decisions about their fitness based on this type of belief. They're doing these classes five days a week, thinking that they're doing the resistance training, thinking that they're building the muscle that protects their metabolism, that protects their bone density, that protects their hormonal health. And also that protects their long-term functionality capacity as they grow older. And so, I need to be direct with this one.

17:58Spring-based, low-load reformer classes do not produce the same muscle-building stimulus as progressive resistance training with external load does. The science is massive, big, huge on this. And this is where I want to spend a little bit more time with you guys on. Because I just want to drill this one in. Because thinking that you're building muscle on a low-resistant spring-based reformer

18:31is so far from the truth. And I'm here to bring you guys, be the source of truth. And I think that if I break it down from like a science term, I hope maybe it'll be, and I'm going to break it down also from like a level that you guys can understand. I think that you guys, if you understand what actually has to happen for muscle to grow, like the distinction between reformer classes and true resistance training becomes impossible to ignore. So, that being said, muscle growth, or I always say hypertrophy, I say hypertrophy or hypertrophy, whatever you want to say,

19:03however you want to say, because I say it like that way, it requires three primarily stimuli. And all three require the adequate mechanical tension on the muscle fiber. So, mechanical tension, let me talk about that. This is the most important driver of muscle growth. It is the force placed on the muscle fiber during a contraction against a significant external load. So, when you perform a heavy squat, the mechanical tension is on your quads,

19:38it's on your glutes, it's on your hamstrings. And that is what is creating, it's enough to create this, you guys have heard me talk about this before, it's breaking down these and causing this micro trauma to the muscle fiber that triggers the repair and growth response. Like, you guys have heard me say this a million times, if you've been listening to this podcast for years, is you do not build muscle inside of the gym, you break it down. And that is what mechanical tension is doing.

20:11How you build muscle is a 24 to 48 hours after and what you eat to fuel the growth and repair process, aka your nutrition. That's why they go so hand in hand together. But the key word is like significant. Significant external load, but the key word is significant. Mechanical tension, that is enough to trigger the hypertrophy, hypertrophy, I can never say this word. It requires a load that brings the muscle close to its maximum capacity.

20:42So, what I mean by that is, and this is explained in research, is that that is approximately you hitting 60 to 85% of your one rep max. That is what is required of you to stimulate this process happening and also to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. For most women, spring resistance on a reformer falls well beyond that threshold. As you guys heard me say, like, the numbers earlier,

21:12it is falling way beyond someone's ability and threshold. Not to mention the, what was it? A five pound and an eight pound dumbbell that you pick up to do some shoulder raises. Granted, if you're starting out, again, yes, new to fitness, yes. But like, long-term progressive overload, that's not, you're not going to get progressive overload from a five pound, eight pound dumbbell. The other thing that I want to talk about, the other stimuli, I've touched on this a little bit earlier, I threw out this word, is metabolic stress. The burning, the fatiguing, that sensation,

21:43and muscle during doing a high rep training, like the pump, the burn, that contributes to you doing hypertrophy over time, but as a secondary driver. So like, reformer classes produce that metabolic stress, but metabolic stress without you having adequate mechanical tension, which was that first stimuli I just talked about, it produces like limited muscular adaptation and like temporary muscular adaptation. It's not the progressive structural muscle development

22:17that changes body composition and your metabolic rate over time. So yes, what I noticed in that, how I was saying, like you're holding positions for a really long time, you're doing multiple reps of this same exercise for a long period of time, then you're pulsing and you're adding in more reps, like you're getting those slow twitch fibers in there or fast twitch fibers in there, but it doesn't contribute to you adding in the mechanical tension that is needed

22:48for the processes to be happening here to build muscle and change your body composition. Also, when you are creating that muscle damage, right, controlled microtrauma to the muscle fibers, it's going to trigger an inflammatory repair response that results in muscle growth. So heavy resistance training produces this. When you do low spring resistance training, generally, that is not going to do this type of damage

23:21to the muscle fiber that you need it to do, right? Like as a, at least not a meaningful level for women who are already somewhat conditioned, right? Like, again, I've talked about this for people that are maybe just getting, said this earlier, just getting new to fitness, it's great. It forms, it serves its purpose. But for me, going into this type of class, I'm going to make sure it's just a supplement to what I'm doing on top of my strength training, right? It's not going to get me the results that I'm looking for, but it will help with mobility and flexibility. So here's a practical way of putting all of this,

23:51of what I kind of just threw like science at you guys, right? Those were the stimuli that are needed in order to build muscle. And you need all three of them in order to create that process to happen. And doing reformer classes like this is not going to give you all three of them, okay? Oh, so breaking it down like this, say a woman is doing reformer classes like five days a week, right? You're doing movement. She's building some muscular endurance. She's maintaining mobility. She's creating metabolic stress, right?

24:22As I talked about doing high repetitions, but she's not building the kind of progressive structural muscle mass that drives your metabolism, that protects your bones, that balances your hormones, that produces the body composition, that change that I know a lot of women want and are striving for. Like when a lot of women say they want to build muscle, the concepts, the theories, the methodologies, the science I'm putting at you is what is necessary of doing that. And this is where it can get tricky because this world is marketing,

24:54you're building muscle, right? And if she believes this, that she is, if the class is telling her that she is, then she's making training decisions based on false information. And I know, or maybe, you know, she could be skipping the weight room entirely because she thinks that her reformer sessions or doing this like these classes are covering that. And that gap between what she thinks she is doing and what she is actually doing shows up in her results over months and over years.

25:25So when women are going to this and they're not seeing the results that they thought they would expect after six months of doing it or a year of doing it, which you're doing the strength training, you're gonna see some type of difference. And this is why like it can be misleading and also, you know, frustrating and confusing because people think that they're not, they're getting, they're working towards these goals because it's being marketed that way, but they're not, they're not,

25:55it doesn't, it's not showing up for her. So really quick, just speaking to the woman that is doing these classes, because again, I don't want to bash this. And this episode is not telling you guys to stop going. It's telling you to go with accurate information about what you are getting and what you will still need. If you love your reform art class, your Pilates studio, your low impact fitness routine, then keep going genuinely. Like the enjoyment, the consistency habit that you're building, the mobility work, the community, those are all real and worth you protecting that

26:25and keeping it in your space and keeping it part of your team. But please hear me clearly when I say this, do not let those classes be your only resistance training. Do not skip the weight room because you think that your spring resistance classes is covering it because it's not. A complete program for a woman who wants a real body composition change, wants long-term physical capacity and capability and making sure that your metabolic health is in check,

26:55doing three to four days of progressive strength training with external load. And what I mean by that is dumbbells, barbells, cable machines, loaded machines, compound movements, progressive overload tracked over time. This is a non-negotiable foundation. Everything else like reformer classes, Pilates, yoga, cardio, walking, it fills in around that foundation. And think about it as like,

27:26again, like active recovery, mobility work, your cardiovascular health, like an enjoyment. Because all of it has value. And I want to put that and make sure you guys know that. But none of it replaces the foundation. So like the reformer class is great, is a great Thursday thing. But it's a terrible substitute for you focusing on it five days a week and ignoring like you having to do your squat day or your leg day or your back day, right?

27:58And if you are somebody who has been doing these classes and wondering why your body composition isn't changing like as you thought it would despite five days of you having put in consistent effort, this is your answer. You're moving. You're doing the exercises, but you're not building. And building is the piece that changes everything. So let me just like also zoom out for a second here

28:30and talk about the marketing of this, the broader problem for a second. Because misleading language in these types of classes is not an isolated problem. It is a part of a broader problem in the entire women's fitness industry that I think deserves to be named. The industry has known for decades that women are afraid of getting bulky from lifting heavy. It has known that women respond better to language like tone, tighten, sculpt, leanness, defined

29:01rather than heavy, load, progressive overload. It sounds so masculine. And it has built this entire business or these business categories around that fear. Selling these like low, low, low impact fitness classes to women using the language of strength training without the reality of it. And in my opinion, this is not accidental. It is strategic. And it keeps women spending significant money and significant time on fitness modalities

29:35that feel productive. Because let me tell you, getting out of that class, I surely felt productive. But they do not produce the physiological outcomes that you are after. And the consequence is not just waste of time and money either, though it is that. But the consequence is that women are not building the muscle that they need for metabolic health, for bone density, for home. And then you guys are very passionate about this. And that's why I will die on the hill

30:05of strength training. And I will die on the hill of progressive overload. And I will die on the hill of heavy and load and all of these terms that sound so masculine. But they're not, you're not going to get bulky from strength training. But they're just sitting on people's insecurities with that. So the consequence is, it's not building muscle for metabolic health, for functional longevity. They're, they're spending their fitness hours in feeling challenging without providing the specific stimulus

30:37that their body actually needs. And as a result of that, or absence of that, then, then the way you get blamed, why, or your diet gets blamed, or your genetics gets blamed, or your hormones gets blamed, why you're not getting the results that you want. And then, and then it feels like it's your fault. But it's, it's the fact that you've been sold a product that does not do what it claimed. So I just want to give you validation. If you are somebody that has experienced this or thinking that you're going to get some type of result by doing just Pilates

31:09and you haven't, it's because you've been sold a product that does not do what it claimed. And I will just be direct and straightforward with you guys. You guys know, I'm no BS around this kind of stuff. Okay. So overall, in regards to this whole episode, the bottom line is low impact reformer and Pilates style classes have real value. Do not get me wrong. For mobility, for active recovery, for body awareness, for you having, learning controlled movements, coming off an injury, you know, and enjoyment.

31:39If you enjoy them, amazing. They belong in a complete fitness program, but they do not belong at the centerpiece of it. That is progressive overload. Progressive overload requires progressive load. Muscle building requires mechanical tension, mechanical stress, the ability to break down muscle fibers. Heavy squats require external weight. They are, these are not options. They are literally exercise science fundamentals.

32:10And when a fitness class tells you that it's delivering these things through spring resistance and body weight, that is a marketing claim, not a physiological one. You deserve accurate information guys, about the time and the money that you are spending, about what your training is and what it, and what it is and what it is not doing for you and your body. Because the information is what allows you to make choices that actually serve your long-term health.

32:40So please pick up those weights, add them to, add these classes to what you, to strength training, right? Add them to what you, added that if you love them, add them in, but build the foundation around strength training. All right. What a class that was. Well, I can't, I was just like, what is happening here? Or, um, mainly over the claims, but I can see why people love it. And I can see why it is a challenge. I mean, you're really getting into small muscle fibers that like,

33:13haven't been worked in a while. So I can see why people enjoy it and you leave feeling sore, but just know progressive overload is what is going to build muscle and get you to where you want to be long-term. So just think about time spent and make sure your time spent is going towards the actual truth of what's going to get you the result that you want. Okay. All right, y'all. I love y'all. And I'll see you in the next episode. Hey, really quick before you go, I have one small favorite to ask. If this episode brought you value or sparked something in you,

33:46take just a moment to hit that review button, your rating and review make all of the difference. Helping more women discover the tools they need to transform the fitness and their confidence. It takes less than a minute, but it can change the path of someone else's journey. Thank you so much for leaving that review. I appreciate you so much.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.