Group exercise is an exciting way to work out. This is entertaining, social, and offers a variety of exercises that can be performed in a group setting. Alongside physical demands, collaborating with others during the workout is fun. 

“How much longer!?”

“30 more seconds!”

A group of exercisers struggling to complete repetitions together rewards your spirit to finish. Wining heard during the workout demonstrates this physical movement is hard for others. 

Compare this to exercising alone, thinking others judge your every move or looking at a clock to check the time. A workout partner adds a social experience to the challenge which is a great way to boost your physical health and build a healthy lifestyle.

Warmup

Starting every workout with a warmup prepares the body for physical demands. Get the body ready by including ten minutes of stretching and exercises such as:

• Jumping Jacks
• Walking Knee Hugs
• Jump Rope
• Leg Swings (Front to Back and Side to Side)
• Bodyweight Squats
• Bear Crawl
• Crab Walk
• Inchworms

Blood flowing through the muscles influences the body for the physical demand ahead. Here are group exercises ideas to do once warm!

(For the following examples we will refer to two participants as Person A or Person B)

I will go further!

Competition entices us to try our hardest. This type of group exercise starts from one exercise to form a set. Person A chooses the first exercise and does 1 repetition (rep). Person B follows A, but adds 1 more rep. This continues until Person A or B can’t beat the other.

For example, Person A selects pushups and does 1 rep. Person B does 2. Then 3, 4, 5 until neither A nor B can beat the last record. This is one round.

Person B starts the second. They see a pull-up bar and challenge A to a pull-up set. The chin over the bar confirms one repetition. This time, B starts the exercise set with 1 pull up followed by A doing 2 until neither can beat the other’s last amount of reps.

This style continues until Person A, B and anyone else in the group feel the workout is complete and ready for recovery.

Circuit

Choose a pair or a list of aerobic exercises for the group. (Aerobic as we aren’t showing off who moves the most weight, let’s train!)

Write notes about possible exercises to practice during an exercise group to form one circuit set. Next to the exercise list, note how many repetitions or for how long participants endure the challenge. Have a watch handy for any exercise type.

An example of a circuit could be written as follows:

Reps Exercise

30          Mountain Climbers

2 min.   Jump Rope

10          Squats

15          Burpees

1 min.   Plank Hold

10          Push-Ups

Completing each of these in a row is one set. Attempt to do 2 or more if everyone is up for the challenge!

Heads or Tails

Grab your quarter! Wait, first have a list of exercises divided by the main muscles trained. Triceps might have dips and diamond pushups or pike push-ups and lateral raises for shoulders. Separate exercises by columns A and B. Add the number of repetitions or time required for each exercise.

Select exercises that are possible in your workout location! You do not have loads of gym equipment outside, but can use one or all from this workout equipment link.

Once your list is set pick up your coin and flip. Heads or tails? Column A is heads and B is tails in this case. Triceps are first on the list with the coin landing in the tails position. The repetition amount next to the exercise name says 10, so 10 diamond push-ups. One coin toss equals a round.

The next round is another group of exercises that target other muscle groups such as legs or back. For this workout example, the group anticipates shoulders next. This time the coin landed on heads which means pike push-ups are done for the repetitions added to the exercise name.

Keep track of how many rounds are completed until everyone has done each exercise multiple times or nobody even thinks about flipping a coin. Group recovery means time to hydrate and recover from exhausting physical effort.

Deck of Cards

Choose two exercises for primary muscle regions of the body. Abs can be exercises such as plank and bicycle crunch. Legs might be lunges and lateral squats. Chest and arms include regular pushups and close grip. Back could be inverted rows and pull ups. 

Once exercises are noted, apply each pair to a card type. For instance, abs become heart cards whereas the back is assigned to spades. Shuffle a deck of cards in a group and remove one. The number decides the amount of reps and the card type chooses the exercise group.

Continue pulling a new card and finishing an exercise set until finished with the deck or everyone’s body is tired.

Group Workouts

Find what interests you most for the workout ahead with a friend. Group exercise has many benefits such as reducing anxiety, building social connections, and increasing physical activity. This is a fun way to get a workout while spending time with friends and family, which can be a source of motivation for those who might have been too shy to exercise on their own. Many fitness facilities offer group exercise classes included in the membership. These group exercise ideas, however, can be applied in other areas with the equipment available.

Sources:

1. Performance Health. https://www.performancehealth.com/articles/11-exercise-games–activities-to-make-fitness-fun

2. Martirosyan, Z. (2022, March 29). Group Fitness and Workout Challenge Ideas for 2022. inKin. https://www.inkin.com/blog/en/Fun-Fitness-Challenges-And-Competitions-To-Do-With-Friends-And-Colleagues

3. Lucy, C. (2019, September 27). 3 Program Ideas for Group Workouts https://www.glofox.com/blog/group-workouts/