Group Fitness classes aim to help students exercise both body and mind.
Courtesy of USF
By Sofía García Vargas
Whether students are into yoga, meditation or bootcamp-style fitness, Group Fitness classes at USF St. Petersburg offer experiences for every style of exercise.
Organized by Campus Recreation, Group Fitness aims to promote exercise in a fun way while also creating a sense of community for students.
Offering six different classes every weekday, with the exception of Thursday, students can exercise their bodies, as well as their minds.
Fitness Coordinator Leah Reynolds said group yoga classes are most popular on the St. Petersburg campus. Yoga Flow and Restorative Yoga are two of those classes, each focusing on holding poses and stretching.
“We also have more relaxing classes like Mindful Meditation, and we run that with the Wellness Center,” Reynolds said.
Other classes include Soul Fusion, which mixes muscular endurance and yoga, and Bootcamps, which focus on high-intensity interval training.
Campus Recreation also organizes special Group Fitness events like Sunset Yoga on The Edge deck every month.
Classes are led by USF student instructors, providing them with a platform to develop professional experience.
“We have transitioned from hiring outside instructors and community instructors to wanting to focus on the development of students,” Reynolds said. “We are offering a new preparatory course; students can take the course and learn how to become an instructor or a personal trainer. If they go through the course and get certified, they can be a student employee with us on campus and teach classes.”
The Group Fitness schedule remains the same throughout the semester but will change based on feedback from student instructors and class participants.
Campus Recreation was not able to offer in-person classes at the start of the pandemic and turned to social media to provide quick workouts and nutrition advice to the USF community.
“During the pandemic people were spending more time on the computer and on technology than even before. So, just offering a 10-minute video of a yoga flow stretch really helped a lot of people,” Reynolds said.
To follow university COVID-19 safety guidelines, Group Fitness offers cleaning supplies to sanitize fitness equipment and encourages social distancing.
Reynolds said she aims Group Fitness classes toward students who are not used to going to the gym.
“Helping students feel more comfortable coming into the gym and giving them a space to make friends, workout and having something to constantly look forward to is our goal,” Reynolds said.
Group Fitness also allows students to take a break from school and work, release stress and focus on themselves.
“It really builds a community of like-minded students. If students come to Bootcamp class, they start becoming friends, they go to dinner together and start doing homework together. Then they feel like they have people on campus to connect with and do things with,” Reynolds said.
“I think that’s the number one reason to come: to be a part of a bigger community and always have that consistent thing to turn to every week.”
Registration is required to attend Group Fitness classes.
To register visit recshop.usfsp.edu/
To become a personal trainer or instructor email Fitness Coordinator Leah Reynolds at bennettl@usf.edu
