S/o Cult fitness classes - which ones are going to last?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There have been cult fitness classes for the last 30 years. The overall concept isn't going anywhere. They last as long as they are profitable, so Billy Blanks isn't putting out Tae Bo classes anymore but others have stepped in.

Personally I think people see a bunch of people having success with something and throwing themselves into it and they call it a cult because on some level, they either 1) want to feel superior about whatever fitness thing they do or 2) want to feel better about the fact that they don't do anything at all. And I used to be a number 2!

I have a peloton and am fully in the 'cult' and have been amazed at how much people want to talk down about it. I mean its not hurting anyone, and for a lot of people like me it has changed their life in a very positive way! I really feel like calling these things culty is just a projection of whatever insecurities a person has.

NP. I think you are being overly defensive. To me, Peloton is absolutely a cult and you describe it in a very culty way. It is a specifically branded kind of exercise that is reputed to be better than other kinds. It is expensive. People who are into it talk about it A LOT and if someone is a Peloton person, they let you know about it really quickly. It may have changed your life in a positive way, but frankly, if you asked most cult members about their experience while they were still in the cult.

What all these things seem to have in common is that their adherents elevate the exercise to being above other exercise. You could ride a regular bike and experience success exercising. Peloton clearly works great for you, which is great for you, but you have clearly moved from your own category 2 to category 1.

OP, I like barre and it’s been good for toning for me. I think most fitness fads live on in some way. I have a friend who goes to Jazzercise, which I didn’t even know was possible in 2022!

DP. I am a hardcore Peloton app user. I don’t own their branded equipment but love their running, strength, walking, stretching, and meditation classes. I don’t claim that it’s better than other systems, but I know it keeps me motivated and got me off the couch, got me to feel better physically and mentally. All for $12.99 a month, which is much cheaper than a gym or trainer. I like not having to drive anywhere and working around someone else’s schedule. I don’t talk about Peloton unless someone is also into it. I don’t share my stats on SM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a trainer and fitness instructor. 33 years. I’ve seen so many come and go. My guesses -

CrossFit won’t last. The instructors are not well trained. There are a lot of injuries. It’s just not a great program for most people.

Barre will stay. It may change, but it’s not going anywhere. Great teachers for the most part. It’s safe. Lots of modifications are offered. It’s fun. And very effective.

Hot Yoga - I really hope this one goes away. And I teach hot yoga several times a week. I don’t think it’s healthy. The heat and sweat trick you into thinking you are working much harder than you are. And the “detox” is bullshi7. You’re not detoxing anything. Your kidneys do that.

Yoga - Not going anywhere. A certified RYT is generally really well trained. Knows anatomy. Will safely guide a class. Offer modifications both up and down. It’s great for your mind, body, and spirit. Yoga is here to stay.

Les Mills is already on its way out, which is a shame. I love Body Pump! Same with the Beachbody programs. P90X and Insanity are great programs, but are losing popularity quickly.

Peloton - Gone fairly soon.

Watch for more dance inspired classes like WERQ. They are quickly gaining popularity. Think 80s style aerobics with newer music.

Crossfit won't last? It's been around for 20 years

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a trainer and fitness instructor. 33 years. I’ve seen so many come and go. My guesses -

CrossFit won’t last. The instructors are not well trained. There are a lot of injuries. It’s just not a great program for most people.

Barre will stay. It may change, but it’s not going anywhere. Great teachers for the most part. It’s safe. Lots of modifications are offered. It’s fun. And very effective.

Hot Yoga - I really hope this one goes away. And I teach hot yoga several times a week. I don’t think it’s healthy. The heat and sweat trick you into thinking you are working much harder than you are. And the “detox” is bullshi7. You’re not detoxing anything. Your kidneys do that.

Yoga - Not going anywhere. A certified RYT is generally really well trained. Knows anatomy. Will safely guide a class. Offer modifications both up and down. It’s great for your mind, body, and spirit. Yoga is here to stay.

Les Mills is already on its way out, which is a shame. I love Body Pump! Same with the Beachbody programs. P90X and Insanity are great programs, but are losing popularity quickly.

Peloton - Gone fairly soon.

Watch for more dance inspired classes like WERQ. They are quickly gaining popularity. Think 80s style aerobics with newer music.

Crossfit has passed its cult phase. It is just like...a gym brand now? I feel like people were SO INTO CROSSFIT like a decade ago. Same with hot yoga. Why are you putting 'yoga' as a fitness trend, it is like...an ancient practice, of course it isn't going anywhere! It also isn't a branded experience, there are like 15 million yoga studios.

I feel like P90X and Insanity have already faded and Beach Body is going the way they did.

I agree cardio dance is rising but the rest of your post makes it seem like you don't really understand the question.

Personally I doubt peloton will go entirely, too valuable to have such a devoted static customer base, maybe they fail but if so they will be purchased not expunged.

I’ve been a yoga teacher for well over 20 years. Of course yoga is an ancient practice. Of course it will always be around. We are talking about trends. 25 years ago when I started teaching yoga, very few people practiced. I went to India to train. It was hard to even find a studio in much of the US. Now, you can’t throw a rock without hitting a hot yoga studio. My classes are packed with a wait list. If anything, we’ve seen increasing numbers. And yoga isn’t what it was when I started teaching. I started out teaching yoga. Traditional yoga. Less emphasis on asana. Now I teach hot yoga, vinyasa yoga, hot power yoga, HIIT yoga, yin yoga, Bikram Style yoga, restorative yoga, therapeutic yoga, ….. just such a huge variety. And it seems like new trainings are happening constantly. That’s what I meant by yoga not going away. I was speaking specifically to the trendy yoga styles we see practiced here. I don’t see any decrease in interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been doing Barre for 6 years, not a cult at all. It doesn't have that same cult-like atmosphere or personality types.

Would you recommend it for someone who is looking to get toned? I am not looking to lose weight but my body changed post pregnancy and want to tone up butt primarily. I have never worked out in my life so am lost as to how to go about it.

I tried it. Doing heavy weights instead - more effective.

Heavy weights for toning her butt? Seriously? Please explain routine for this.

No PP, but really???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a trainer and fitness instructor. 33 years. I’ve seen so many come and go. My guesses -

CrossFit won’t last. The instructors are not well trained. There are a lot of injuries. It’s just not a great program for most people.

Barre will stay. It may change, but it’s not going anywhere. Great teachers for the most part. It’s safe. Lots of modifications are offered. It’s fun. And very effective.

Hot Yoga - I really hope this one goes away. And I teach hot yoga several times a week. I don’t think it’s healthy. The heat and sweat trick you into thinking you are working much harder than you are. And the “detox” is bullshi7. You’re not detoxing anything. Your kidneys do that.

Yoga - Not going anywhere. A certified RYT is generally really well trained. Knows anatomy. Will safely guide a class. Offer modifications both up and down. It’s great for your mind, body, and spirit. Yoga is here to stay.

Les Mills is already on its way out, which is a shame. I love Body Pump! Same with the Beachbody programs. P90X and Insanity are great programs, but are losing popularity quickly.

Peloton - Gone fairly soon.

Watch for more dance inspired classes like WERQ. They are quickly gaining popularity. Think 80s style aerobics with newer music.

Crossfit won't last? It's been around for 20 years

DP and meanwhile, the first references to yoga are roughly 1000 - 500 BCE. Thank goodness the trainer thinks it will stick around!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think an individual barre studio or chain could be a cult but that barre itself is not a cult. My PT actually really encourages barre because the focus on "functional movement" makes it very sustainable for people with injuries or as you age. I use Barre3 and they are really, really good at providing modifications when needed and focusing on movement that builds strength and mobility without pain or overdoing it.

I think where "cult" comes in is when the organization uses the endorphins and mental high of exercise to convince both clients and staff to overcommit their finances, time, or sanity to the enterprise. This, totally. They'll also convince you that you worked harder by jacking up the heat. I've been in rooms where mirrors were fogging up and the temperature is 80+ degrees. It can get dangerous fast. BUT clients walk out sweaty as heck and think they worked extra extra hard, which keeps them coming back. I think CrossFit and some of these other trendy chains can become cult-like because they want you to be coming every day or close to it, and they often push people to exercise in ways that may be bad for them longterm or could injure someone who doesn't have the right form or training. A lot of those places also create competitive hierarchies, which I think is ripe for abuse Absolutely. Some of the "star" trainers are treated like celebrities: they have offices, assistants, and no shame about asking younger staff members to pick up their special Starbucks orders, park their cars, etc. We even had several high-performing staff members that we'd have meetings for before we actually met them. At one, before we were formally introduced to a trainer, we were told not to speak to them unless spoken to. -- you should not have to compete for access to coaching, for instance. But some of these studios will treat high performers differently or given them special treatment, which creates dangerous incentives for people to overtrain or work through pain or injury. 100%, and this is encouraged. Trainers would brag to us about working through horrifying life situations and illnesses, wearing "showing up no matter what" like a badge of honor. A trainer was considered to be "slacking off" and talked about by their peers if they took a day off for something like jet lag.

I also think a lot of these companies exploit their workers, and that has a cult-like effect, too. Many of these companies hire students with the promise of reduced-rate or free classes, then pay them minimum wage and treat them very poorly. They also cultivate the vibe of "we are family" and will imply to employees that if they complain, don't show up for unpaid trainings or social events, etc., that they aren't being team players or don't really belong there. I think often people who are drawn to this environment are drawn in because of the camaraderie and sense of belonging, so treating employees this way feels especially wrong because you are exploiting people's desire for connections and belonging. Which, yes, is what cults do. Also true. This extends beyond staff and to clients as well. Younger people do it for community, like you said, and are drawn in by social media and the posts on there. For older clients, going to the "cult" studio is seen as somewhat of a status symbol. It's not unusual for them to dress to the nines and bring out their most expensive clothes and accessories to show off in the locker room before class. Both groups have a tendency to really buy into the "cult" for a while and try to fit in, befriend the trainers, etc. It wasn't uncommon for certain devoted clients to follow trainers around the city and take their classes at various studios. Unfortunately, more than a few of these people don't find what they're looking for and end up really hurt.

So I'd pay attention to how the studio itself is run. I don't think exercise automatically becomes a cult. But there is something uniquely vulnerable about going to an exercise studio and signing up for a class. There are lots of crappy people in the world who will try to exploit that vulnerability if it makes them money or allows them to exercise power over someone. Some of those crappy people work in the fitness industry. But that doesn't mean all fitness businesses are cults.

+100000, this is a really great summary! I worked at one of the "cults" mentioned in here and the bolded have been completely true in my experience. I expanded on a few of your points in italics.

I'll add 2 more point:

-- Workout "cults" attract people with addictive personalities as regular clients. We had a number of clients who'd do 2-3+ classes/day (highest I heard of was either 4 or 5 classes in a day, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone beat that), and the company was happy to take their money. Whether or not this is healthy, or is a liability and ripe for potential injury due to overtraining, is irrelevant as long as the company has money in its pockets. Front desk staff and trainers are not allowed to say anything to clients directly about it. Many of these clients would also use fitness as a replacement for a former addiction like alcohol or drugs. They told us this openly. For studios like OTF, which have a heavy sales focus, these types of admissions are ripe for exploiting to eke out an additional dollar.

-- Going off of the point above, a lot of "cult" workouts are built around trainers' personalities and encourage being open about personal struggles to seem more relatable to clients. Unfortunately, the flip side of this is that gossip spreads across the company like wildfire, and is used against those very same trainers. The types of things people openly talk about at those places are hair-raising.

[Anonymous]

MADabolic!! In this area it started in Arlington, now in multiple DC location so and Alexandria and more coming in the future. Small classes, excellent trainers, I’m in my 40s and since going I’m in the best shape I’ve been in my life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been doing Barre for 6 years, not a cult at all. It doesn't have that same cult-like atmosphere or personality types.

Would you recommend it for someone who is looking to get toned? I am not looking to lose weight but my body changed post pregnancy and want to tone up butt primarily. I have never worked out in my life so am lost as to how to go about it.

I tried it. Doing heavy weights instead - more effective.

Heavy weights for toning her butt? Seriously? Please explain routine for this.

No PP, but really???

DP, I’m the one that just posted about MADabolic. I used to do yoga, HIIT, barre. I was thin but not muscular. At metabolic we use really heavy weights and it’s the only thing that has ever toned my butt!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been doing Barre for 6 years, not a cult at all. It doesn't have that same cult-like atmosphere or personality types.

Would you recommend it for someone who is looking to get toned? I am not looking to lose weight but my body changed post pregnancy and want to tone up butt primarily. I have never worked out in my life so am lost as to how to go about it.

I tried it. Doing heavy weights instead - more effective.

Heavy weights for toning her butt? Seriously? Please explain routine for this.

No PP, but really???

DP, I’m the one that just posted about MADabolic. I used to do yoga, HIIT, barre. I was thin but not muscular. At metabolic we use really heavy weights and it’s the only thing that has ever toned my butt!

I unfortunately live in Centreville and there are is no MADabolic or Barre3 location near me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been doing Barre for 6 years, not a cult at all. It doesn't have that same cult-like atmosphere or personality types.

Would you recommend it for someone who is looking to get toned? I am not looking to lose weight but my body changed post pregnancy and want to tone up butt primarily. I have never worked out in my life so am lost as to how to go about it.

I tried it. Doing heavy weights instead - more effective.

+1

"Toned" really means having muscle and seeing the muscle you have. To really get stronger and build muscle you need to challenge your muscles by progressively lifting heavier weights. If you just want to lower body fat percentage to see the muscle you already have then that is diet/fat reduction. But if you cut calories and diet without strength training at the same time you rick losing more muscle mass along with the fat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been doing Barre for 6 years, not a cult at all. It doesn't have that same cult-like atmosphere or personality types.

Would you recommend it for someone who is looking to get toned? I am not looking to lose weight but my body changed post pregnancy and want to tone up butt primarily. I have never worked out in my life so am lost as to how to go about it.

I tried it. Doing heavy weights instead - more effective.

Heavy weights for toning her butt? Seriously? Please explain routine for this.

Is this a real question? To "tone" you need to build and challenge muscles.

For a "Toned" butt...

Deadlifts (conventional, romanian, single leg)
Bulgarian split squats
lunges (forward, backward)
barbell hip thrusters

Weight used for each of the above should be heavy enough that the last 1-2 reps are very challenging while not compromising form.
Rep range 6-10 reps per set. with 2-3 min rest in between sets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think an individual barre studio or chain could be a cult but that barre itself is not a cult. My PT actually really encourages barre because the focus on "functional movement" makes it very sustainable for people with injuries or as you age. I use Barre3 and they are really, really good at providing modifications when needed and focusing on movement that builds strength and mobility without pain or overdoing it.

I think where "cult" comes in is when the organization uses the endorphins and mental high of exercise to convince both clients and staff to overcommit their finances, time, or sanity to the enterprise. This, totally. They'll also convince you that you worked harder by jacking up the heat. I've been in rooms where mirrors were fogging up and the temperature is 80+ degrees. It can get dangerous fast. BUT clients walk out sweaty as heck and think they worked extra extra hard, which keeps them coming back. I think CrossFit and some of these other trendy chains can become cult-like because they want you to be coming every day or close to it, and they often push people to exercise in ways that may be bad for them longterm or could injure someone who doesn't have the right form or training. A lot of those places also create competitive hierarchies, which I think is ripe for abuse Absolutely. Some of the "star" trainers are treated like celebrities: they have offices, assistants, and no shame about asking younger staff members to pick up their special Starbucks orders, park their cars, etc. We even had several high-performing staff members that we'd have meetings for before we actually met them. At one, before we were formally introduced to a trainer, we were told not to speak to them unless spoken to. -- you should not have to compete for access to coaching, for instance. But some of these studios will treat high performers differently or given them special treatment, which creates dangerous incentives for people to overtrain or work through pain or injury. 100%, and this is encouraged. Trainers would brag to us about working through horrifying life situations and illnesses, wearing "showing up no matter what" like a badge of honor. A trainer was considered to be "slacking off" and talked about by their peers if they took a day off for something like jet lag.

I also think a lot of these companies exploit their workers, and that has a cult-like effect, too. Many of these companies hire students with the promise of reduced-rate or free classes, then pay them minimum wage and treat them very poorly. They also cultivate the vibe of "we are family" and will imply to employees that if they complain, don't show up for unpaid trainings or social events, etc., that they aren't being team players or don't really belong there. I think often people who are drawn to this environment are drawn in because of the camaraderie and sense of belonging, so treating employees this way feels especially wrong because you are exploiting people's desire for connections and belonging. Which, yes, is what cults do. Also true. This extends beyond staff and to clients as well. Younger people do it for community, like you said, and are drawn in by social media and the posts on there. For older clients, going to the "cult" studio is seen as somewhat of a status symbol. It's not unusual for them to dress to the nines and bring out their most expensive clothes and accessories to show off in the locker room before class. Both groups have a tendency to really buy into the "cult" for a while and try to fit in, befriend the trainers, etc. It wasn't uncommon for certain devoted clients to follow trainers around the city and take their classes at various studios. Unfortunately, more than a few of these people don't find what they're looking for and end up really hurt.

So I'd pay attention to how the studio itself is run. I don't think exercise automatically becomes a cult. But there is something uniquely vulnerable about going to an exercise studio and signing up for a class. There are lots of crappy people in the world who will try to exploit that vulnerability if it makes them money or allows them to exercise power over someone. Some of those crappy people work in the fitness industry. But that doesn't mean all fitness businesses are cults.

+100000, this is a really great summary! I worked at one of the "cults" mentioned in here and the bolded have been completely true in my experience. I expanded on a few of your points in italics.

I'll add 2 more point:

-- Workout "cults" attract people with addictive personalities as regular clients. We had a number of clients who'd do 2-3+ classes/day (highest I heard of was either 4 or 5 classes in a day, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone beat that), and the company was happy to take their money. Whether or not this is healthy, or is a liability and ripe for potential injury due to overtraining, is irrelevant as long as the company has money in its pockets. Front desk staff and trainers are not allowed to say anything to clients directly about it. Many of these clients would also use fitness as a replacement for a former addiction like alcohol or drugs. They told us this openly. For studios like OTF, which have a heavy sales focus, these types of admissions are ripe for exploiting to eke out an additional dollar.

-- Going off of the point above, a lot of "cult" workouts are built around trainers' personalities and encourage being open about personal struggles to seem more relatable to clients. Unfortunately, the flip side of this is that gossip spreads across the company like wildfire, and is used against those very same trainers. The types of things people openly talk about at those places are hair-raising.

Oh wow, I am the PP and I wish I knew you in real life! I also worked at a company like this, which is why I've put so much thought into it. The thing about personality cults is so true. The place I worked had several coaches who built up very devoted followings in part through blurring the personal/professional line and that would spill over into all aspects of company culture. And yes, these are just the most gossipy places, it's insane.

After I left that line of work I had a therapist who mentioned the cult connection because the way I described my issues in the workplace echoed a lot of things cult survivors say. I wound up reading some "cult memoirs" and the parallels were really interesting. Obviously not as dire because it wasn't like a sex cult or a suicide cult! But the process of indoctrination and the way they manipulate your loyalty to get you to do things that are not in your interest are really similar. And then when you factor in how low the pay is in these companies, you really come to see how exploitative it is of both staff and students. It's a weird business model.

I now mostly workout at home

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been doing Barre for 6 years, not a cult at all. It doesn't have that same cult-like atmosphere or personality types.

Would you recommend it for someone who is looking to get toned? I am not looking to lose weight but my body changed post pregnancy and want to tone up butt primarily. I have never worked out in my life so am lost as to how to go about it.

I tried it. Doing heavy weights instead - more effective.

Heavy weights for toning her butt? Seriously? Please explain routine for this.

Is this a real question? To "tone" you need to build and challenge muscles.

For a "Toned" butt...

Deadlifts (conventional, romanian, single leg)
Bulgarian split squats
lunges (forward, backward)
barbell hip thrusters

Weight used for each of the above should be heavy enough that the last 1-2 reps are very challenging while not compromising form.
Rep range 6-10 reps per set. with 2-3 min rest in between sets.

Thank you for this!

[Anonymous]

I used to be completely obsessed with Down Dog Yoga (Baptiste - hot power vinyasa). Completely changed my body.

But the pandemic makes it really hard to get to classes, and many studios have closed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to be completely obsessed with Down Dog Yoga (Baptiste - hot power vinyasa). Completely changed my body.

But the pandemic makes it really hard to get to classes, and many studios have closed.

I also loved them and the instructors were great. The one in Bethesda closed and I’m not motivated enough to go elsewhere. Plus hot yoga during Covid seemed gross.