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

Forum Index » Diet, Nutrition & Weight Loss

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

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]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. 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 -- 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.

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.

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.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics