13/09/2026
MY GROUP EXERCISE TOP TIPS 💪🏼
Read on to find out my top tips on how to get the most from your group exercise regime. Some might sound obvious, but it’s often the little things that make a big difference!
1️⃣ Book ahead — and stick to it! 📅
Some people transfer and transfer and transfer… and others never quite get around to booking in the first place.
For your fitness regime to actually exist, there has to be a bit of discipline involved. Book it, put it in your diary and plan around it.
“Can you come and do this?”
“Sorry, I’ve got class!”
Obviously, life happens. But if exercise is always the first thing you move to accommodate everything else, there will always be a reason not to come. Make time for it and make it a priority.
2️⃣ Listen to what I say — and apply it to YOU! 👂🏼
Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? But in a group setting, I’ll often give a technique correction to the whole room rather than single somebody out.
If I say, “Check your foot position,” or give a reminder about where your elbows should be during a particular exercise, I want EVERYBODY to check.
Am I talking to you? Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t necessarily want you to know! I want you to think, “Am I doing that? Do I need to adjust?”
Yes, I’ll give individual corrections when needed, but please don’t wait for me to say your name before taking a tip on board. Listening, checking and applying those little tweaks is how your technique improves.
3️⃣ Arrive a few minutes early — not half an hour early! ⏰
Arriving mega early can affect the class or instructor before you, or the venue itself.
For my private classes, I hire the room for an agreed slot. I don’t automatically have access half an hour beforehand for everyone to come in and set up. Finding the room empty or closed early doesn’t mean class isn’t happening!
For weights, aim to be there around five minutes before we start so you can set up your station, following the room’s access arrangements.
Equally, please don’t assume it’s fine to run in late. Joining is at my discretion, depending on what you’ve missed, the activity and whether you can enter safely.
You might occasionally see me admit someone whose circumstances I know well. That doesn’t mean every late arrival can safely join.
Once people are exercising or lying on the floor, carrying weights through the room and setting up around them simply isn’t safe.
If you’re very late, please give that session a miss. And if I have to say, “I’m really sorry, you can’t join at this point,” please respect that. I hate turning people away! It’s about safety and the people already taking part.
4️⃣ Position yourself so you can see me comfortably 👀
Try not to set yourself up with your back to me, then spend the exercise twisting or craning your neck to see what I’m doing.
In Pilates, we sometimes turn to face one side of the room and then the other so we can work each side. Check which arm or leg I’m asking you to use - often, in those setups, it’s the one closest to me.
When you’re lying down for weights or Pilates, having your feet towards the centre of the room will often help put me within your natural line of sight. Follow my positioning cues, and watch the demonstration before settling into the movement.
5️⃣ Taking a step down can be the right decision 🪜
Yes, I want you to challenge yourself. But struggling with weights you can’t control, wobbling everywhere and losing your technique isn’t the goal.
Choose a weight that challenges you while still allowing you to perform the exercise well.
When I say, “If it’s getting too much, put the weights down and carry on with bodyweight,” and somebody does exactly that, I’m pleased! They’ve listened, recognised what they need and made a sensible adjustment.
A lighter weight or an easier option isn’t something to be embarrassed about. Learn the technique, build control and take the progression when you’re ready.
6️⃣ Want to learn to lift weights in the gym? Group classes can give you a head start! 🏋️♀️
Personal training is great for individual coaching, checking technique and working towards your particular goals. I’m currently fully booked for PT, with a bit of a wait for availability.
If you only want to train in the gym, that’s absolutely fine. But if you’re a complete beginner, my weights classes — including Women’s Only Weights, Mondays at 8:30pm — can be a really useful place to start.
You’ll learn exercise names, technique, little tips and tweaks, easier and harder options, and different variations. Over time, you build a bank of exercises you recognise and feel more confident performing.
That experience can carry over into gym training. Depending on your needs, it could save you time and money on learning the basics through PT, because we already have something to build on.
7️⃣ Give yourself more than one class to learn it! 🔄
If your first class feels too easy, you might not yet have picked up the technique details or the progression that makes it challenging for you.
If it feels too hard, you might not yet be familiar with the easier options or how to pace yourself.
That doesn’t mean you’ve failed, or that the class is definitely wrong for you. There’s a lot to take in during one hour!
I teach in layers. Although I explain those options in class, attending regularly helps you recognise them and understand which one suits you.
So before deciding, “That was too easy,” or, “I could never do that again!” have a chat with me and give yourself another go. Familiarity makes a difference.
8️⃣ Can’t make it? Transfer your booking in good time 📲
Especially when a class is fully booked, releasing your space promptly gives somebody else the chance to attend.
If you know you can’t come, please arrange your transfer as early as possible, within the booking policy. Someone may be waiting for that place!
9️⃣ Keep the weights area moving
At the end of class, take the plates off your bar in your own space, then carry them over to put them away.
Please don’t bring your loaded bar to the rack and start dismantling it there while everyone else is trying to get in and out.
And remember my bar-loading tip: keep the bar horizontal on the floor while sliding plates on and off, following the setup I’ve shown you. Don’t stand it vertically to load it.
🔟 Pilates: bring layers, consider grippy socks, and pack a little towel 🧦
I’m lucky enough to have heating and air conditioning at every venue, but everybody’s internal thermostat is different!
Wear layers so you can adjust as you warm up or cool down. Socks on or off is up to you - grippy socks can be useful if you prefer covered feet but want more grip.
And please bring a small towel. I’m always saying this because it’s such a useful, adjustable prop!
You can fold it, roll it and change its thickness to give yourself the support you need. For many of the adjustments we use in class, that makes it more adaptable than a fixed-height block or cushion. You can mop your sweat with it, too!
1️⃣1️⃣ Attend regularly. This is the big one 💜
One class here and there is still worthwhile, but a routine gives you the chance to build on what you’ve learned.
Group exercise is different from an individually designed training programme, but there are plenty of benefits to be gained from showing up consistently, applying the coaching and working at an appropriate level.
Maybe your routine is one Pilates class every week. Maybe you can manage two. Maybe it’s weights and Pilates, alongside other activities you enjoy.
Choose something realistic and keep coming, week in, week out. If you miss a week, get back to it.
That’s what making exercise part of your lifestyle means. It’s something you keep making room for as life changes.
We’re in this for life. Find your routine, make it a priority and give yourself the chance to benefit from it. 💜
