Yesterday I hit up a spin class, which I’m doing more and more these days since running and I are on a break.
It was a hill interval class. For once I really cranked the intensity because I wasn’t saving my legs for a run. Apparently everyone was not doing the same because the instructor kept shouting things like:
“Some of you are not working hard enough.”
“You should be pouring sweat. See how hard I’m sweating?”
“If you keep coming to this class but don’t work hard, down the road you’re going to wonder why you don’t have the body you want.”
To be fair, she does a great class.
But the way she spoke, I assumed if I looked around the room I’d see people perched on their bike having coffee. I felt self conscious. Maybe it was I who was not working hard enough?
Plus who can know where anyone is on their fitness journey or what one’s goals are for a particular class?
I don’t expect every instructor to be in rah-rah cheerleader mode all the time, but this one turned me off.
Does negative motivation work for you?
Thanks to everyone who shared their favorite workout song in yesterday’s Yurbuds giveaway post!
I like a balance of negative motivation and positive reinforcement – it pushes me to prove them wrong, but I expect some positive comments after I’ve pushed so hard!!!
Yuck!! Any type of negative comments and put downs always turn me right off! I dont like that at all and am MUCH more of a positive reinforcement person. I feel like it’s a much, much more effective method!! Have a great day today :0) spa <3
Truthfully, I need a mix of both types of motivation. As long as the negative doesn’t get too nasty, that is. I can see how your instructors comments are a turn-off though. She’s using comparison which I think is the worst type of “motivation”.
NEgative motivation totally turns me off. The LAST thing I need when I’m trying to do something good for my body is for someone to say that what I’m doing is NOT GOOD ENOUGH. At that point, I’m ready to throw in the towel and go sit on my couch eating ice cream.
It’s strange, but I think for me it depends on the instructor. Maybe tone of voice when saying it? Interesting topic–I’m going to read what everyone else has to say!
I would take the comment personally, too. Negative motivation doesn’t work for me. Eventually, I would just chalk it off by asking myself if I were doing the best I could, for who I am, at that moment. From the sound of your workout, you could answer a resounding, “Yes”!
I think it is really situational for me. Whether it works (neg or pos) and whether I like it. I do say to my partners in strength class “come on, I know you can push harder!” So… it seems I am guilty. LOL. We were boxing last night and I egged on the guy punching me that he couldn’t knock me over.
I don’t like her choice of words….my body pump instructor really encourages everyone and will tell you to challenge yourself by doing 3 more pushups or add additional weight here. I think it would bother me by what your instructor said….not everyone sweats the same and maybe some people are in there for a recovery day and just wanted a little conditioning.
Negative or competitive motivation works on me sometimes, but mostly, if I don’t have it internally, external motivation isn’t going to happen either.
I think the tone would matter and the situation. As a larger person if I were in her class I would have felt self conscious even if I was busting my butt.
Negative motivation does NOT work for me, at all! Maybe it’s my personality type but it’s never worked. I took this one spin class and I knew I hated the instructor so I would take my headphone and put them in my ears so I couldn’t hear half of what she was saying. I know it made her mad but I wanted to spin but not hear here bark at us. Just too old for that.
I agree – negative motivation does NOT work for me either! I respond much better to some nice constructive criticism. Let’s keep it positive people!
I have a weird complex where I think that when people are talking, more specifically in a negative way, that they are talking to me. Work, social situations, group fitness classes. I know I would have thought she was targeting me – even if my resistance was at 100 percent.When I teach BODYPUMP, I ask participants if then can push harder, lift more weight, go lower in a squat. I never say they aren’t doing enough because that could be enough for them on that day. I also like to compliment – nice job, you’re doing great, keep it up – as I don’t think people want to be cut down when they are doing something good for themselves. Even if someone thinks that something is not enough.
I agree there is some room for push yourself talk…but otherwise the ongoing beat down is what keeps me from doing a lot of classes. I just don’t like feeling as though I’m not doing enough, which I understand is not their goal at all, but that’s what I hear.
That doesn’t work with motivating me in “life” but that would make me want to kick my ass more in a fitness class/running/etc.
I’m not a fan of negative motivation, either. For some reason, when people push me, I feel the almost uncontrollable urge to push back (I’ll show you, I just won’t do it!) – I know, very mature :. I really respond better to positive, but honest, motivation.
Putting myself down never helps motivate me.
Negative motivation like that NEVER works for me. Telling me how hard I’m NOT working is not going to motivate me.
I hate put-downs in any form and if it was coming from someone I am PAYING to train me/work for me… I would likely say something after the class was over about why I didn’t like it. Depending on her response, I might not go back.
I hear you. When I was taking spinning classes in the spring, one of the teachers used to say stuff like that and look at me, because it took me 35 minutes to break a sweat in his class. Well, it was not a challenge for me, even cranking up the gears. I was taking the class to help motivate my husband and get him in there, and he would go if I went. I never said anything to the teacher, because it wasn’t any of his business, but teachers shouldn’t make assumptions that everyone has the same fitness level or goals. Positive motivation is better for everyone in the long run, especially beginners who need to hear it.
that would have bothered me too. That is especially de-motivating for people just starting out I would think. For me, I would just be telling her to shove it silently in my head:) but for people new to fitness, it might make them not want to come back.
That wouldn’t work for me. Besides, she might be pushing someone to do something that would lead to injury. Not everyone sweats equally either – my friend hardly sweats.
Beginners totally need positive motivation.
Are you going back to that instructor?
Negative motivation definitely doesn’t work for me. I start to think ‘screw you’ and work even less hard. I used to have a gym instructor who did an interval class and would come up to each of us and shout in our faces. And he never failed to have bad breath. That didn’t work either.
I don’t respond well to people saying things like that. Comments like that tend to rub me the wrong way because not everyone does things at the same intensity level but that doesn’t mean they aren’t getting a good workout in.
Unless you’re a professional athlete, negative reinforcement with athletics doesn’t work for me. I definitely wouldn’t take that class again. Exercise is supposed to be a stress reliever, not add more stress.
I have taught group fitness for 30 years, and it’s rare to find a student who likes to be yelled at. When I train my interns, I tell them to do compliment, correction, compliment. Students want to work hard and have good form, but they do NOT wish to be ridiculed or singled out in a negative way. That kind of teacher always makes me grumpy.
Wow– I don’t think I’ve ever been to a class like that, and it’s not my style either… I guess if it were balanced with positive reinforcement it could be okay. Like, “you’re not working hard enough”… followed with, “there, that’s a better pace, hold onto it” ?? to at least acknowledge when people follow through and pick up the intensity. Interesting discussion!
Ooh, I know how that feels! The one and only time I went to an aerobics class, the teacher kept singling ME out because I could not figure out their little moves…that’s what I get for going to an advance class. But, embarrassing or not, it did get me to keep trying harder!
“If you keep coming to this class but don’t work hard, down the road you’re going to wonder why you don’t have the body you want.”
That statement alone would have made me never come back to the class. Who wants someone judging you all the time. You’re there for your reasons, not for theirs.
i, too, could take some negative motivation but it def needs to be balanced / in moderation. after awhile i think it would have the reverse effect.