This week I wanted to talk about the Sweat track and why we have decided to add it to the class. This is an option that we are very excited about and I wanted to talk about what benefit this will provide to our members and why we have decided to add it to the class.
Let’s start by talking about the specifics of the sweat track. First and foremost, this will not affect any of the current tracks. This will be an additional option. There are a few main points to discuss. First, this track will always be a completion only workout. In Sugarwod you will put a checkmark if you completed it, and you will get a checkmark on the board at your location. Second, it will always be an AMRAP. The length will be determined by the daily workouts intended time domain, but it will typically be in the 12-20 minute range. Third, there will be no prescribed weights. Each athlete can pick their own weights that will allow them to keep an aerobic effort (80%) for the entire workout. Fourth, each day’s movements and workout will be similar to the other tracks. Finally, on partner workout days this will be an individual workout with built in rest intervals.
There have been a few problems that we have seen with the daily class workouts which we have wanted to solve. The first was that we noticed that there were some days that attendance was lower. Upon further investigation we found out that on days when members did not feel like they could perform at their best that, instead of coming and going at a slower pace, they decided not to come at all. They did not feel comfortable coming because they did not want to get a “bad” score. We realized that everyone has days where they do not feel 100%. Life happens-kids get sick, work gets long, sleep gets disrupted, and a thousand other things pop up. We wanted to provide an option for people to still get a great workout without the mental pressure of feeling like they needed to get a good score. The result of the day is simply a check mark. Did you show up or not? Just by showing up is a win.
Another problem we have seen is that many people do not feel comfortable finishing last in a workout. They will either cut the reps down or will not show up for fear of finishing last. We completely understand that this is a fear that can take YEARS to overcome, and we do not want people to fight this fear for so long. By making each workout an AMRAP people do not have to worry about this. Every person will finish at the same time. This might not seem like a big deal to some people who have been coming for years, but this is a huge deal to many others. We want to accommodate as many people as possible and we feel like this can help bridge this gap.
A third problem we have seen is the intimidation factor. Many times people just starting out can be overwhelmed by how fit everyone can be. The sweat track can help to give an accessible option for people when they are first joining the gym. By focusing on completing the workout the pressure of having a score or lifting a certain amount of weight is taken off so newer members can focus on their movement and developing the habit of coming consistently.
A final problem we have seen is partner workouts. While many people love partner workouts, many others avoid those days because they do not want to slow anyone else down. We completely understand this, which is why we wanted to provide an individual option on those days.
Ultimately we feel that this new track solves the biggest problem, which is we want people to feel comfortable coming to the gym every single day, no matter what the workout is. We want every member to come to the gym at least 4 days a week, because we know that the biggest way to make progress is consistency over time, and not intensity on a given day. By giving an option for people on days when they don’t have much intensity to give we feel like we can help boost average attendance, which over time will help our members get in the best shape of their lives, at their own pace, in a supportive community!