What to Know Before Your First Group Fitness Class

Starting a new fitness routine can feel intimidating, especially if you are walking into a group fitness class for the first time. You may wonder if you are strong enough, experienced enough, or familiar enough with the exercises to keep up.

The truth is, you do not have to arrive already fit to belong in the room.

At Chambers Center for Well-Being, group fitness classes are designed to support people at different stages of their fitness journeys. With smaller class sizes, certified instructors, and a supportive environment, you can work at your own pace while building strength, flexibility, mobility, and confidence.

We spoke with Chambers Center fitness instructor Margarita Lail, CPT, about what she wanted new and returning clients to know about group fitness.

You Do Not Have to Be “Fit” to Start

Margarita teaches Barre, Cardio Circuit, and Strength classes at Chambers Center and remembers feeling nervous when she first began her own fitness journey. After spending four years as a stay-at-home mother to her fraternal twins, she started taking barre classes. She’s since fallen in love with movement as medicine, using fitness to stay her happiest, healthiest, and strongest self!

“I felt incredibly out of shape, but I also felt determination. I knew that I couldn’t continue to function the way I was and do the tasks demanded of me every day without taking care of myself first. It was the first time in a very long time that I felt capable of doing something challenging,” Margarita explains.

That experience shaped how she approaches teaching today. She wants others to discover what they are capable of while feeling supported as they build their fitness.

Her advice to anyone nervous about trying a group fitness class is simple: come as you are and do your best. You do not need to be perfect or keep pace with anyone else.

“Take what you need from the class, go at your own pace, and remember that you belong there too,” Margarita says.

That mindset can make all the difference when you are trying something new. A class can be a place to challenge yourself while still listening to your body and working within your own abilities.

What Makes a Group Fitness Class Work?

A group setting does not mean everyone has to exercise in exactly the same way.

At Chambers Center, smaller class sizes allow instructors to provide guidance while still creating the energy and camaraderie that make group fitness enjoyable. Margarita uses music to create an environment that encourages people to have fun while they exercise.

“The aspect I love the most about teaching group fitness is the camaraderie and the vibe that a class creates together that is empowering and encouraging. It drives people to try their hardest while also feeling capable at any level,” Margarita says.

For Margarita, the goal is not simply to make a workout harder. It is to help people understand how their bodies move and give them the confidence to keep progressing.

There is no single perfect exercise, weight, or intensity for everyone. Effective strength training should be intentional, adaptable, and appropriate for the person doing it.

Strength Training Is About More Than Lifting Heavy

Strength training is sometimes associated with exhaustion, heavy weights, or pushing yourself to the limit. Margarita takes a different approach.

Strength training is about teaching your body to create and control force. Over time, that can help you build stability, confidence, and the ability to handle more as your capabilities develop.

In other words, you do not need to already be strong to start strength training.

“You don’t have to ‘earn’ your place in the room by already being strong. Strength training is how you build strength,” Margarita says.

That perspective can be especially helpful for anyone who has been hesitant to try a strength class. Your starting point does not determine where you will end up. The goal is to work with your current abilities and build gradually.

Move With Margarita

Margarita is a Personal Trainer certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and brings her passion for movement to the Chambers Center, where she teaches Barre, Cardio Circuit, and Strength classes. She is currently pursuing her Corrective Exercise Specialist certification to further expand her expertise and help clients move, feel, and perform at their best.

Explore our group fitness classes and join Margarita for a class to experience the power of movement as medicine!