June 4, 2024 - Trends

Group Workouts Boost Physical, Mental, Emotional Well-Being

The community effect is real.

group spin class

Communal fitness works wonders.

Need to know: A study of gym-goers revealed the benefits of exercising in a social setting.

The sense of belonging derived from group sessions positively impacted well-being and life satisfaction more than participation frequency.
Individuals identifying as part of the group were more engaged, connected, and enjoyed sessions more than low-identifiers.

Researchers also credit social workouts with building meaningful relationships, which boost enthusiasm for participation and help combat isolation.

Come together. These findings build on previous evidence in support of IRL fitness.

Regular group running sessions are as effective as antidepressants in treating depression and anxiety.
Group exercise participants see greater physical, mental, and emotional health improvement than solo exercisers who work out twice as long.
Exercisers report an in-person class is 13% more enjoyable—delivering a 14% higher average heart rate—than the same class taken digitally.

Social fitness. Nothing new, community is a central tenet of fitness. But, as we confront countless epidemics, from loneliness to mental health to obesity, it’s important to expand focus beyond the physical.

Punchline: The holistic health effects of communal workouts are undeniable, yet undersold. Shifting the conversation, everyone—from gym operators to wellness brands to public health officials—should make the far-reaching rewards central to their pitch.

Joe Vennare

linked in for author

Up Next

View All

ANIMAL [a listening gym] installation

August 14, 2026

Immersive Art Challenges Optimization Culture

New dimensions.

Caesar wrap with Primal Kitchen avocado oil-based dressing

August 11, 2026

Healthy Snacks Face Ingredient Scrutiny

Woman scooping powdered supplement into a glass of water

Wellness Shapes Everyday Decisions

Female hands holding a semaglutide injection

Employers Weigh GLP-1 Coverage

{"head":"<script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':\r\nnew Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],\r\nj=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src=\r\n'https:\/\/www.googletagmanager.com\/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);\r\n})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-KV7LDXC');<\/script>\r\n\r\n<script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':\r\nnew Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],\r\nj=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src=\r\n'https:\/\/www.googletagmanager.com\/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);\r\n})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-T7J5HFB');<\/script>\r\n\r\n<script>\r\n!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\r\n{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\r\nn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\r\nif(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\r\nn.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\r\nt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\r\ns.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\r\n'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\r\nfbq('init', '605118897773201');\r\nfbq('track', 'PageView');\r\n<\/script>\r\n<noscript><img height=\"1\" width=\"1\" style=\"display:none\"\r\nsrc=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/tr?id=605118897773201&ev=PageView&noscript=1\"\r\n\/><\/noscript>\r\n","body":"\r\n<noscript><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.googletagmanager.com\/ns.html?id=GTM-KV7LDXC\"\r\nheight=\"0\" width=\"0\" style=\"display:none;visibility:hidden\"><\/iframe><\/noscript>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<noscript><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.googletagmanager.com\/ns.html?id=GTM-T7J5HFB\"\r\nheight=\"0\" width=\"0\" style=\"display:none;visibility:hidden\"><\/iframe><\/noscript>\r\n","footer":"<script type=\"text\/javascript\" id=\"linkedin-script\">\r\n_linkedin_partner_id = \"4087129\";\r\nwindow._linkedin_data_partner_ids = window._linkedin_data_partner_ids || [];\r\nwindow._linkedin_data_partner_ids.push(_linkedin_partner_id);\r\n<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n(function(l) {\r\nif (!l){window.lintrk = function(a,b){window.lintrk.q.push([a,b])};\r\nwindow.lintrk.q=[]}\r\nvar s = document.getElementsByTagName(\"script\")[0];\r\nvar b = document.createElement(\"script\");\r\nb.type = \"text\/javascript\";b.async = true;\r\nb.src = \"https:\/\/snap.licdn.com\/li.lms-analytics\/insight.min.js\";\r\ns.parentNode.insertBefore(b, s);})(window.lintrk);\r\n<\/script>\r\n<noscript>\r\n<img height=\"1\" width=\"1\" style=\"display:none;\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/px.ads.linkedin.com\/collect\/?pid=4087129&fmt=gif\" \/>\r\n<\/noscript>\r\n\r\n<script async data-id=\"101397610\" src=\"\/\/static.getclicky.com\/js\"><\/script>"}