A Consumer's Guide to Boutique Fitness Classes

Boutique Fitness studios have grown in popularity and are becoming a more accessible option. With no monthly or yearly fees, the pay for what you take structure simple works better for people. A group class at a Spin, Barre or Pilates studio can range between $25 and $100 with most studios offering a discount for bulk purchases. Gyms just aren't for everyone. I personally can't stand them. At the same time, private instruction isn't always an option. Group classes are all that is left and boutique fitness studios are filling a void for many. From local small business to multi-location franchises, studios are popping up anywhere the demographic can support them. People are rejoicing in the choice to not be an elliptical gerbil chasing the calorie counter. What You Should Generally Expect Regardless of how much you pay for whatever class you choose, have a standard of expectation of the studio, class and instructor before you slide on your yoga pants. The studio's website should have a class description of each class it offers or some kind of print material explaining the differences. The instructor should also be named and a biography easily found. When you arrive you should find a class that is sized correctly for the space it is in. Too many people and you risk getting kicked in face. Too few and the energy just may not be there. Any and all equipment should be clean, sanitary and in good maintained working condition. The overall general atmosphere of the studio and class should be positive, energetic and inviting. If you become a regular in a class chances are you will meet other devotees and a sense of community happens. It becomes a place where you are all there for your individual goals but sweat together. What to Really Look For Once you unroll your mat, slip on your cycling shoes or squeeze that medicine ball between parts you wouldn't otherwise consider, keep an open evaluation running about your class experience. Just like Pilates, not all classes are created equal. There are really on three basic factors determining wether you will go back to a class: did you like the studio and staff, did you like the instructor, did the class do for you what you wanted?. However, for your safety and satisfaction you should be able to feel confident that the following benchmarks have also been met: There is a focus on alignment and form over choreography. The class in choice should be taught with safety as the first priority for everyone in the room. Never should you feel forced to do something you know is impossible for your body. The best way to keep people safe is to have an understanding of how functional dynamic alignment dominates the successful execution of an exercise. For example, if you never ever hear the phrase "knees over toes" but are asked to stand on your toes 25 times in a row, while stretching a thera-band around your back, be concerned. Don't let the word 'cardio' get tossed around without meaning it. 'Cardio-burn', 'Core Cardio-Blast', 'Thigh But Cardio-Power'...you have heard it all. Unless your heart reaches its target rate and maintains it for 30 consecutive minutes the activity is NOT considered a cardiovascular workout. Only aerobic exercise is cardiovascular, where the target heart rate is reached and maintained, while anything else is considered anaerobic. Not all boutique studios that use the word 'cardio' really actually offer a cardio-workout in the true definition. I will again repeat and standby my philosophy that any moving is better than no moving. You will still get amazing benefits from non-cardio workouts. Every class should have a basic three part structure: warm up, build to an attainable challenge, cool down. If the class feels thrown together to your psyche imagine how it feels to your muscles. You want to feel like you accomplished something and not like you walked into the middle of practice for Cirque-du-Soleil. A structured class not only protects you from injury but also pulls you in. You are able to gradually let go of the outside world and get to work on yourself. Class should never begin with deep stretching. This is a simple analogy. Think of your muscles like salt water taffy. Warm taffy stretches and pulls easily. Cold taffy snaps, breaks and is near impossible to bite into. Deep stretches should be done towards the end of class when the muscles are warm. Stretching is also your body's natural way of pushing lactic acid out of muscles. The build up of lactic acid overtime causes muscle tissue to bulk up from the repair process. If a class boasts about how it will 'elongate and lengthen' your body but doesn't involve stretching, then it won't. Hence why so many classes infuse Pilates and Yoga into them. Both methods emphasize engaging muscle through lengthening. Instructors should not teach from notes. Teaching from notes has become pretty common practice as the certification industry has tiered certification levels. There is nothing wrong with trainees teaching classes but they should be far enough along in their programs that they can confidently teach a one hour class. Studios that allow trainees to teach should be upfront about the fact the instructor is not yet certified. Their should also be a price difference between a certified and non- certified instructor. Teaching from notes simply implies that the teacher doesn't know the material. Will they be ready for a specific question? Will they be able to adapt to special needs in the class? The instructor should be able to provide modifications for every person in the room for every exercise if necessary. Would you be confident your instructor would know a modification for your patella tendinitis if they referred to their notes between every exercise?

Remember it is a Class not a Private

Be courteous to other class participants. Don't talk on your phone or have loud conversations with your friends next to you during class. There is nothing worse than leaving a class feeling better about Cindy's Friday night than you do about your workout. Always remember that a class is a class. If you want one on one time for your specific issues then you need private instruction. Do not monopolize the instructors time by making it all about you. Respect the fact that everyone there spends their hard earned money at that establishment by choice.

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