One reason that most group fitness relies on high rep / cardio-slop type workouts is that people feel like they are working hard…because eventually if you do anything long enough or without enough rest, things feel hard.
The difference with strength training is that it should be hard/dificult almost immediately, and people are NOT often willing to work hard and push themselves.
They wait for hard to happen.
Instead of making hard happen immediately.
This gets exceptionally frustrating to deal with as people make emotional and immediate decisions about what they think is good. Because the immediate feeling of a workout that is strength based is not BEING CRUSHED and a sweaty mess…there is not a feeling of as much accomplishment.
The strength training approach will lead to more physique and physical capability changes over time.
And it requires that people increase their effort and intensity over time as they earn it.
Cardio HIIT stuff is always hard because people just try and work at a pace and level they cannot sustain. You might even argue that because of that they never actually recover so it just keeps getting harder and their gainz keep being a thing of dreams.
People just want to check the box of working out, not actually work hard. They want hard to happen to them, not put forth hard work.
I know I sound like a jerk face…but this is a decade of thousands of people I watch. I don’t think it’s bad. It’s not a judgey statement…but it is frustrating for sure. We want our clients to improve.
I understand apprehension to lift heavier weights, to really push hard and being cautious. But I also recognize a spade when I see one.