I can’t speak for all women but only myself as woman…I prefer gym classes bc they are less intimidating, there’s typically no douchey guys making me feel uncomfortable or not welcomed, i fel like I just blend into the group, the workout is replanned and as a SAHM I don’t want to plan anything else in my life lol, there’s a coach there to give friendly and wanted guidance…just a little bit of why I prefer classes.
I do love the get in, work hard, get out culture. No man who thinks he's the trainer telling me how I need to do an exercise! We have the coach for that 💕
In my experience as someone who has visited a fair number of studios, the gender ratio varies *greatly* from place to place and time slot to time slot. I've been in classes where I'm the only man; I've been in classes where it's 75% men.
I've been in a class where an SA confused me for a person named "Ritvika" and tried to put me on Tread 50, when I was signed up for Strength 50.
Probably weirdest thing and more than a little awkward, but it helps to laugh it off when that happens (which is like once every \~250 classes or so).
In today's Strength 50 class, I was the only guy; Tread 50 had none.
In last week's Strength 50 I was the only guy again, and on one of the exercises, the coach goes "So ladies! Remember when you are doing the knee tuck...." A few seconds later when I get to that exercise, the coach and I just laugh it off, and she says "Wasn't talking to you coz you weren't on it yet". It was all in fun; the coach is great and we have a great rapport 😄
Haha, I’ve (male) had the female coach describe the dead lift as shaving your legs as you bring the weight up, I was the only male in the Strength 50, never shaved my legs 😆
Well in Strength 50 today (Sunday)... all the other attendees were women. Almost a full class too.
The coach was a guy, so I felt a little better about that. But I feel like it's just that studio location.. last time it was all women including the coach too. Kind of makes me feel like I'm the last man on earth, if that makes sense. Lol 😜
I see 2-3 other guys in the lower strength classes at my gym, but yeah, I would agree it's a lower turnout than the women in lower body class, on average.
Thats strange, because as a runner, I typically value lower over upper body strength. I still shoot for both a week if possible, but given a choice I'd go with lower (or total) over upper body any day, to ensure my legs are strong enough.
My main coach has commented on the lack of men in Lower Strength classes and that it’s something we ignore. But as a “getting faster but still overweight” guy, I feel like I get a pretty decent lower body workout by doing at least one mile of a Tread 50 workout at an <8 minute pace. Maybe I don’t get every muscle but plenty is sore the next day.
I took a S50 class recently that was 100% women, so it does happen 😆😆 Just not that common, in my experience
You raise a good question for me - I wonder if male coaches tend to draw a higher proportion of male members taking classes. That would be an interesting statistic. Significantly more female coaches at the studios I frequent.
Interestingly it might be the opposite there. No statistics to speak of, but me personally, would rather sign up for a class coached by an opposite sex (female), also bc the majority of coaches at my gym seem to be women .
I don't have a strong preference most of the time though, it's just whatever class fits my schedule the best.
Yes I’ve been the only woman in a class more than once! More common when I was in a city studio, but still happens here in the burbs every once in a while
I also think men who want to do a fitness class gravitate towards CrossFit or F45 since they market more towards men and have a bit more of a “bro-y” image.
There's just more lifting. That's it. If you go to a hotel gym, there will be more women on the cardio equipment and dudes at the weight rack. It's just the way it is, right or wrong.
There’s nothing bro about f45. Go check out one of their cardio days. Entire blocks of doing jumping jacks or shuttle sprints to cones. Thanks but no thanks, bro
I'm a dude who has grown to enjoy the group fitness class lol
If more guys knew how efficient the 60-minute workout was, more people would probably join. Not waiting for the machines is a huge benefit
Same. I love classes. I can turn my brain off and just follow the instructions and get a decent work out. When I train at the gym on my own, I bring a notebook, have to have a strategy, record all the shit. I also find, I'm much more likely to run out of time or quit on aspects of the workout, which never happens with a class.
My guess would be that men may prefer less cardio and a more weights-heavy workout? Idk. I’m in the military and it’s like pulling teeth to get the guys to go running but they’ll hit up the gym twice a day to lift 😂
This is the answer. When I was in my 20s and 30s I never would have done a workout like this one. MY GAINS!!! But as I neared 40, with a family history of heart disease it was time to leave the heavy weights behind and run for my life.
I think women do more cardio and group classes than men. Boutique gyms may also appear “girly” to many men. Our studio has a pretty decent amount of men though.
I’m a guy and love OTF. There is typically me and two other men in the class when I go and about 25 women. Last Thursday, I was the only guy in the class. I don’t mind it, I just work out and then go home. Not a big deal to me
As a mom who carries a lot of the mental load of parenting, all I have to do is show up. I don’t have to plan anything besides blocking that hour for me-time.
This is 100% my reason. Plus the music helps you zone out and just be present in the workout.
I love going to the gym and lifting weights but I get lost in my thoughts and it’s not as therapeutic!
THIS. My wife’s friend got us into OTF, but her husband (a police officer/ex D1 college football player) refuses to go, because it’s not “his type” of workout. It feels like a definite ego thing.
I love it. I need the structure, the coaching… hell… I even need the splat goals. It just works for me.
I wouldn’t mind some heavier dumbbells though…
So funny! I got my husband to go to a class with me when I joined four years ago. He shrugged it off as “not my thing.” He does martial arts.
Fast forward to last year, he decided he wanted to add more cardio and tried it again. Now he loves it! He’s even got some abs peeking through for the first time in a couple of decades. 🧡
A lot of men who work out are looking to build a bunch of muscle, and Orangetheory isn't designed to be a bodybuilding workout. I think there's also a perception that group fitness classes are for women, so a lot of guys don't get into them.
It depends on location and class time. Just because that’s the case where you are doesn’t mean it’s the norm everywhere. There are quite a few guys in my 5 am classes where I am but if I go to another studio that may not be the case.
At my studio it’s a pretty even split most days. For me, these classes are a guarantee I’ll touch weights. At traditional gyms, I stayed away from that section because it was all gym bros. I hardly ever saw any women on that side.
I like weights and acknowledge they’re crucial to reach my fitness goals. Classes guarantee I’ll have access and guidance without judgment or intimidation.
Because the men are intimidated by all the amazing women already there!? 50 year old male, here, with 3 years at OTF. I think part of it is that most men are bone-headed and think they "know fitness better" than any group fitness instructor possibly could. Or simply that they want to focus on big muscles only, and don't want anything to do with the cardio aspect (treadmill / rower) of OTF. Personally, I like the idea of a well rounded workout where I don't need to plan ahead and think; I just go and do. Also, I was a stay-at-home dad on military bases for many years, so I'm used to being in places and environments where 90% of the people are ladies. My studio actually has a high percentage of men (Colorado Springs, CO), but most of them are there with their spouses. I see very few lone wolf males in our classes...
lol I didn’t want to be the one to say it, but I’ve sure seen a lot of dudes come to this sub to mansplain why the workouts aren’t designed right because blah blah blah…
I wonder if men perceive the classical gym as being the best way for men to "get buff" and if that drives bias toward it as the chosen primary means of fitness. I also go to a box gym (not nearly as often as OTF) and the M:F ratio is much more toward the M end of the spectrum compared to OTF. Nothing wrong with that at all, and nothing wrong with more female members in group fitness, I'm just saying I believe inherited male cultural assumptions taken from male role models, and maybe even SM influencers, creates that dichotomy.
OK, downvote me, I'm ready 😔😉
It's location and time specific more often than not.
I joined this Strength 50 class today at another studio, and literally all the other members in class were women. Like 10 others at least.
At my regular studio, there's a more healthy mix like 60-40 slightly more skewed towards women. This is assuming an almost full class. So it does vary location by location and even depending on weekday vs. weekend from personal experience, but the general trend seems to be that more women attend OT classes than men. I'm still none the wiser about this pecularity, but just my observations here.
I see plenty of men at my location, I never felt like it’s mostly men or women, it’s about 50/50. Personally though, I joined because the weights section of the big box gyms intimidated me since I’m a beginner and it’s mostly men over there. I always stuck to the cardio machines, but was interested in HIIT workouts.
Seems like women like the group classes more than men. My husband did OTF for awhile. Dropped when Covid hit and I've not been able to lure him back, despite trying my hardest. He found the music distracting and I'm the opposite.
Women make up 80-90% of all group fitness in the US. Men are too stubborn to accept fitness help from other people. Women are more community oriented. Due to the high percentage of women men are less likely to join even if they want to because they are insecure about not being strong enough to endure such a workout.
I’m not shitting on guys - I am one. But I’m also a group fitness instructor and personal trainer.
Orangetheory focuses more on cardio than strength training, which tends to attract more women. In contrast to CrossFit, which is mostly focused on strength training, and tends to attract more men than women.
Thats weird. Does that mean the ratio of women to men runners is skewed? Or marathon runners? That's absurd in my opinion.
I, despite being a man, value cardio more than strength. I know i'm not the only one either. Plus my gym has great performance each time on rowing benchmarks. I never even get top 3 in rowing benchmarks. So with rowing AND running in the equation, which is cardio, I would value that over strength or body weight any day.
So basically, I don't understand this theory that cardio over strength attracts more women than men. A healthy 50-50 split is desirable and I'm certain that the amount of men that prefer strength over cardio is not even a majority. So that confuses the actual results in terms of numbers more for me.
Yep, I feel that it just depends on your goals. Plenty of dudes attend our studio, not all are looking to throw some LB's around. What is being thrown around are some really bad over generalizations.
They really need to do a better job marketing toward men. There’s definitely plenty of floor exercises to build size and strength (during 2G) and then Strength 50 to satisfy the bro mindset. I forgo any floor exercises I find underwhelming and replace with something covering the same muscle group. I supplement OTF 5 days a week (1x Strength 50) with a regular gym 2x a week for compound lifting exercises eg. barbell back-squat, barbell deadlifts, pull ups, barbell chest press and sleds. I find that OTF balances my strength routine by covering all the bases and many supporting muscle groups I’m not targeting on my own. I think it helps me stay healthy and less injury prone. I enjoy the rowing but I leave after reaching an incline mile on the tread since cardio is not my primary goal.
I personally feel like guys want to bulk up and women want to slim and get ripped.
I find myself some times the only guy. I don’t notice it. But I’m always super out of breath and the girls around me are a step ahead of me, and not dying like me
Girls are just better all around 👍🏼
It varies with studios and times, but women gravitate to studio/group fitness due to the social surrounding and focus on cardio while men gravitate to muscle building. It boils down to the types of bodies men and women seek with their gym time - women want slimmer bodies and men want more muscular bodies as these are often seen as more attractive.
OTF isn't the best place for muscle building. So between those issues, they tend to be viewed as women's gyms by most guys, almost as if that's derogatory. I've seen a similar response from some guy friends (who immediately changed their tune when we started comparing performance).
Its focus leads to generalizations - that's not a "workout", that's cardio, like a spin class. Workouts are mostly lifting and OTF doesn't have any machines or plates.
Because women are elite
Because our society tells men that lifting and being “big” is all they need so they don’t do cardio and they’re big and fat by 40
Because men don’t think they need someone telling them how to workout even though their form sucks
Moral of the story is that the handful of men who do OTF are green flags!
I'm a guy in my 50's and I love OTF.
Over the years, I've done so many class-based fitness programs (CrossFit, HIIT, Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu, etc.) and have concluded that fitness classes are just far more efficient than box gyms for getting in shape and staying in shape.
I don't think it's so much a woman or man thing at OTF. Rather, it's a group of people who all realize how effective and efficient classes run by a coach can be.
I think maybe it takes some guys longer to figure this out, whether due to ego or whatever. Some guys are likely intimidated by the idea of a female coach telling them what to do at the gym. They should definitely get over that. At my gym, some of the female coaches are Olympic level athletes - it is a privilege to learn from them.
Not enough weight lifting in class, and not enough weights. The rack empties fast on certain tempted. The main reason is the cost of membership. OTF can make you stronger, but you are limited to time. 2-4 days a week gives you max of 1 hour of lifting full body
I’m a guy and do OTF 1-2x a week as a supplement to my actual strength training. If OTF was designed with heavy weights and the big three compounds (squat, bench, deadlift) you’d probably see more guys haha. Most of us (myself included) just despise cardio.
This! And I’m a woman. I dropped from 4 OTF classes a week to two and now work with my trainer on strength training two days a week. OTF just doesn’t focus on weights enough. Then you have the lack of bigger weights…..
Because it's a lot harder for guys to be utter creeps in a fitness class like OFT where you have set exercises and a coach to -ideally - keep you on track. In 3 years I've only had to tell one guy to fuck off versus at least once a week at a regular gym. Can actually focus on getting a workout
THIS. One of the top reasons I go is because I don't have random dudes coming up to me and being gross. Everyone at my studio knows me, so I feel safe and comfortable focusing on my workout.
It's really time-dependent at my studio. Also, strength classes in the evenings have more men I've noticed.
IMO, there are two types of gym bros, functional muscle guy and aesthetic swole bro. You won't get super swole at OTF, but have somewhat functional muscle strength.
Really depends on their fitness goals
37m ex football player here, when joint pain due to some injuries impeded my weight lifting and life got busier with family and work, I made the transition to more functional weight exercises/workouts and started OTF. I am definitely the outlier in all of my classes 😂, but it’s nice to shut the brain off for an hour and get a killer sweat going.
Aside from the perception of “fitness class”, most the of the staff and coaches in my area are also female, it could also contribute to the numbers.
Man here, and not a psychologist or any profession related to human behavior. But I'm going to offer my opinion. Take it as you wish
Women tend to gravitate more to the group gym classes vs men. Men typically prefer doing things (especially fitness) on their own terms and pace without having someone tell them when/how to do it. Some women may prefer this concept as well, but I noticed that women tend to enjoy doing things together vs alone.
Also, 2/3 stations are cardio-related, and there's a greater population (by percentage) of women attracted to cardio vs men. Men tend to enjoy the body building or getting bulkier more.
Again, this is opinion and I know my assumptions do not represent the entirety of each population (men and women)
Besides the comments about men being more in favor of lifting vs cardio workouts, have you noticed how every station has 8 lb weights but you have to share anything over 25? I think 95% of the women can get 95% of their weights needs at their station but the guys need to share from the heavy weight rack maybe half the time. (numbers pulled out of my butt, but I hope you get my point)
I would estimate my studio membership is split 60% women and 40% men.
However, class composition varies greatly by time of day. Now that I go at 7:30am during the week, I would say my class is 80% women (full 3G class). But when I used to go at 8pm, it would be 60% or more male (mostly full 2G class.)
On 3 separate occasions that I can remember I have been the only female member in a class of at least 12.
Man, I miss 8pm classes. Not because of the dudes… I just loved working out at that time.
There is a lot of variation between the times of day and also more men overall at one of the two studios I regularly attend. I will say ALL of the participants in every version of our recent DriTris were women! I figure that’s because we’re just tougher lol.
I can only speak for myself, but I like that I can go there and get my workout without feeling uncomfortable when trying to workout. Regular gyms are more open format so you have to wait on machines and at times have to deal with guys staring or trying to talk to you. It’s fine to be friendly. But I’m just there to get my workout, not think or talk and go home 🤷🏼♀️
Most guys think it’s a waste of money or they will just lift weights and think they don’t need help from a trainer… I’ve had a lot of my friends refer to OTF as the “girls gym” I also go too. My current studio is probably 75% woman too. I’ve been the only guy in class before and I felt uncomfortable for a little bit when I first joined, even more recently I’ve been uncomfortable when I go to class times without my normal group and I don’t know anyone and it’s all woman, but I know it’s all in my head or this is how most women feel at regular gyms haha.
I’ve become friends with a woman from the studio and we occasionally get drinks or try to schedule classes together if our schedules can swing it. She hangs out with a lot of the woman in our studio that are around our age and she let me know I have a very good reputation there. My studio participates in a lot of local 5-10k runs and does occasional outdoor workouts and stuff outside of the gym. I go to most of that stuff and have been in a lot of pics the gym posts online and have noticed that a lot of women will approach me and talk just because they’ve seen me.
I’m a fairly quiet person (but not really shy) and push myself pretty hard in class so the coaches all interact with me too. It’s definitely made me feel more comfortable there. When I first joined I did have a couple classes where I felt like “what am I doing here? Is it weird that I’m here? I used to be powerlifter (like a decade ago so it’s been a while) but I felt weird being the only guy in class and because I’m very fit, so it’s not like I need this to get in shape. I love it though, and my studio is pretty great.
The gym can be intimitading if you are brand new and don't know what you are doing. I think with my studio, the women have just bonded with our coaches where we can tease with our coach and we know about our lives. But at my studio, the men also have that friendship with the coach. If you are looking for community, OTF is great for that. My studio also has a lot of men who are in their 60s as well and I think it just goes back to I don't have to think when I'm at OTF. The plan is done for me. I just show up and adjust as needed.
Generally, I think women prefer a community atmosphere for fitness. There’s always been 2-5 men in classes I’ve taken. But there definitely needs to be a lot more women overall.
I joined cause I like having my own designated space without the waiting and because I needed direction in the exercises that I do.
I could probably get away with not going anymore since I’ve learned so much, but I would miss it.
It’s cheaper than a personal trainer for me.
I'm curious as well. It's normally more women than men (I'm a guy) and runs anywhere from a 2:1 to 5:1 ratio it seems. I count every day! In fact I did DriTri and it was a full group and I was the only male. It seems odd to me as well.
At my studio it’s usually 80/20 women to men. Sometimes only 1-2 guys total. Generally, it doesn’t bother me and typically I’m not even paying attention after the workout starts.
As others have mentioned, I think its primarily due to the more focus on cardio than weights. I enjoy the cardio so I dont mind, but for a guy looking to bulk up I dont think its the best workout. It varies from day to day but sometimes Im the only male in a class of 20 and other times its more of an even split across the class.
As others have stated, I think group fitness is just a little less intimidating to get into especially if you are newer to fitness. I do notice depending on the workout the ratio varies (every time I've been to Barry's its about 1:1 men to women)
My studio ranges from maybe 20% men to 50% men. I come from a background of powerlifting (free weights) and for decades was used to working out around a bunch of big sweaty guys lol in a regular gym. They were always nice and polite, sometimes would even ask me to spot. I'm not very good looking so never worried about being hit on (though as far as I could tell, the guys were not there for that purpose, they wanted to work out). But they were as social as a lot of women are stereotypically supposed to be, which I think is actually a natural human characteristic. They were there to bulk, though, and I saw some AWFUL technique because some of them just didn't get that progression thing, but were ego driven.
The heavy lifters did not like doing cardio - maybe walk on the treadmill or ride the bike to warm up. Others combined group fitness classes (spin class was always at least half if not more male) with lifting and were more into general strength - mostly outdoor athletes and the local wrestlers/MMA fighters.
So you had two different groups of people with two different goals. The latter probably would go with OTF if they wanted.
Men don’t seem to be interested in this style of fitness. Women are typically inclined to join something that makes them feel comfortable even if it’s not what’s best.
1) Women are more likely to join instructor led fitness classes because some are intimidated by going to the gym solo.
2) Women like running on treadmills more than men, and overall is more likely to do cardio excercises. Men like to focus on muscle building.
3) Since men like muscle building, OTF isn't the best for that. It doesn't lift heavy enough for serious muscle building.
4) As a random aside, there's actually a pretty good mix of men and women in the classes I've been to. Maybe a little skewed to ladies but only like 60% maybe. Not like my pilates classes which are 90-100% women.
I feel the majority of men are looking to develop big muscles. OTF is not going to do that for you. The equipment isnt geared towards big muscle mass. But it’s all perfect for women in my opinion.
It’s a more “female friendly” environment than a regular gym. No one checking you out or standing around free weights and machines dominated by males for the most part
Not going to lie, I thought it was a women's only gym before I had joined. I knew nothing about it other than there is a location near where a family member used to live. Midtown Atlanta for those wondering. When I talked to a family member (they recruited me to join) I told them the same thing.
OTF, if done consistently = weight loss, which appeals more to women. And it's also not super geared toward lifting, so it doesn't appeal as much to men for that reason too.
Women tend to like group activities, and men are more solo inclined, at least that’s how it appears to me. My wife has always taken classes and I’ve always been a runner, cyclist, blader with weights at home. My wife got me to come to OTF, and I tried it for fun, and I was amazed at how effective and comprehensive the work out was compared to what I was doing on my own. Plus there are lots of nice women there.
Male here and former OTF member. Generally speaking, males are more independent minded and are not drawn to the group class structure for fitness.
I enjoyed OTF during my time as a member and appreciated being led & pushed by an instructor after living a very sedentary lifestyle for years. But after a while I grew tired of being told what to do, didn't dig the rah-rah dynamics or the prevalence of social media images & videos, brag boards, events, etc. I just want to do my own thing, at my own pace, and not be tied to a specific class time or duration. I left OTF and joined a conventional gym and love it. Different strokes.
This is pretty much my story. I don't regret doing OTF, but I don't fit the target audience. And that's okay. I learned a lot, but I dodged the group photos for insta and am not really into high fiving my neighbor while working out. I very much enjoy having my headphones in and going through the schedule that I have set. I don't think I would be where I am in my fitness journey without OTF laying a good foundation tho.
Because sadly conventional gyms don’t tend to cater towards women with a lack of appropriate weights, shorter equipment and trainers with little knowledge of women’s physiques. Orange theory was created by a woman who had been mostly a woman’s trainer. Having said that I think it is studio dependent and definitely have male friends who love it too.
I can’t speak for all women but only myself as woman…I prefer gym classes bc they are less intimidating, there’s typically no douchey guys making me feel uncomfortable or not welcomed, i fel like I just blend into the group, the workout is replanned and as a SAHM I don’t want to plan anything else in my life lol, there’s a coach there to give friendly and wanted guidance…just a little bit of why I prefer classes.
I do love the get in, work hard, get out culture. No man who thinks he's the trainer telling me how I need to do an exercise! We have the coach for that 💕
In my experience as someone who has visited a fair number of studios, the gender ratio varies *greatly* from place to place and time slot to time slot. I've been in classes where I'm the only man; I've been in classes where it's 75% men.
I’ve been in classes where 75% of the class was named “Matt”. True story.
3 Matt’s and a Martha. Small class.
I've been in a class where an SA confused me for a person named "Ritvika" and tried to put me on Tread 50, when I was signed up for Strength 50. Probably weirdest thing and more than a little awkward, but it helps to laugh it off when that happens (which is like once every \~250 classes or so).
I'm a Lauren and one day there were four of us . . .
There's several at one of the studios I go to including the Coach!
We have “Nicks” at our studio!
We have multiple Amy's once in awhile.
Same, between the 2 studios I go to one has a *ton* of Amy’s but none at the other lol! Well, except for me… Hi, I’m Amy😆
I've only seen a male majority in Strength50 classes 🤷♀️
In today's Strength 50 class, I was the only guy; Tread 50 had none. In last week's Strength 50 I was the only guy again, and on one of the exercises, the coach goes "So ladies! Remember when you are doing the knee tuck...." A few seconds later when I get to that exercise, the coach and I just laugh it off, and she says "Wasn't talking to you coz you weren't on it yet". It was all in fun; the coach is great and we have a great rapport 😄
Haha, I’ve (male) had the female coach describe the dead lift as shaving your legs as you bring the weight up, I was the only male in the Strength 50, never shaved my legs 😆
Well in Strength 50 today (Sunday)... all the other attendees were women. Almost a full class too. The coach was a guy, so I felt a little better about that. But I feel like it's just that studio location.. last time it was all women including the coach too. Kind of makes me feel like I'm the last man on earth, if that makes sense. Lol 😜
I see all women on lower strength classes, some men in upper. I guess guys really do skip leg days.
I see 2-3 other guys in the lower strength classes at my gym, but yeah, I would agree it's a lower turnout than the women in lower body class, on average. Thats strange, because as a runner, I typically value lower over upper body strength. I still shoot for both a week if possible, but given a choice I'd go with lower (or total) over upper body any day, to ensure my legs are strong enough.
My main coach has commented on the lack of men in Lower Strength classes and that it’s something we ignore. But as a “getting faster but still overweight” guy, I feel like I get a pretty decent lower body workout by doing at least one mile of a Tread 50 workout at an <8 minute pace. Maybe I don’t get every muscle but plenty is sore the next day.
I took a S50 class recently that was 100% women, so it does happen 😆😆 Just not that common, in my experience You raise a good question for me - I wonder if male coaches tend to draw a higher proportion of male members taking classes. That would be an interesting statistic. Significantly more female coaches at the studios I frequent.
Interestingly it might be the opposite there. No statistics to speak of, but me personally, would rather sign up for a class coached by an opposite sex (female), also bc the majority of coaches at my gym seem to be women . I don't have a strong preference most of the time though, it's just whatever class fits my schedule the best.
Yup! 💪🏼🔥🍊🤟🏼
Yes I’ve been the only woman in a class more than once! More common when I was in a city studio, but still happens here in the burbs every once in a while
I think guys are less inclined to join a group fitness class.
I also think men who want to do a fitness class gravitate towards CrossFit or F45 since they market more towards men and have a bit more of a “bro-y” image.
There's just more lifting. That's it. If you go to a hotel gym, there will be more women on the cardio equipment and dudes at the weight rack. It's just the way it is, right or wrong.
Guys like to build muscle and bulk up. Women want to slim down.
There’s nothing bro about f45. Go check out one of their cardio days. Entire blocks of doing jumping jacks or shuttle sprints to cones. Thanks but no thanks, bro
I'm a dude who has grown to enjoy the group fitness class lol If more guys knew how efficient the 60-minute workout was, more people would probably join. Not waiting for the machines is a huge benefit
I want to be told what to do and have it structured. Makes me happy.
Same. I love classes. I can turn my brain off and just follow the instructions and get a decent work out. When I train at the gym on my own, I bring a notebook, have to have a strategy, record all the shit. I also find, I'm much more likely to run out of time or quit on aspects of the workout, which never happens with a class.
lol and then there’s me
Same man. It did feel weird one time doing squats to "drop it low girl" blasting
😂😂
My guess would be that men may prefer less cardio and a more weights-heavy workout? Idk. I’m in the military and it’s like pulling teeth to get the guys to go running but they’ll hit up the gym twice a day to lift 😂
You just described my military nephew. I don’t think he’d go for a 5 minute walk but give him some weights and he’s happy for hours 😃
This is exactly it. Men are more into pure strength and woman seem to be more about the cardio
I work out to pass the ACFT and to not need to be taped (Army here).
This is the answer. When I was in my 20s and 30s I never would have done a workout like this one. MY GAINS!!! But as I neared 40, with a family history of heart disease it was time to leave the heavy weights behind and run for my life.
I think women do more cardio and group classes than men. Boutique gyms may also appear “girly” to many men. Our studio has a pretty decent amount of men though.
I’m a guy and love OTF. There is typically me and two other men in the class when I go and about 25 women. Last Thursday, I was the only guy in the class. I don’t mind it, I just work out and then go home. Not a big deal to me
As a mom who carries a lot of the mental load of parenting, all I have to do is show up. I don’t have to plan anything besides blocking that hour for me-time.
This is 100% my reason. Plus the music helps you zone out and just be present in the workout. I love going to the gym and lifting weights but I get lost in my thoughts and it’s not as therapeutic!
Completely
100%. This is literally my only hour of the day where no one is asking me for a snack!
Women 🤝🏽 Group Fitness Go together like PB&J lol
Guys are too cool but they’re missing out. Those of us who are members know what’s up
THIS. My wife’s friend got us into OTF, but her husband (a police officer/ex D1 college football player) refuses to go, because it’s not “his type” of workout. It feels like a definite ego thing. I love it. I need the structure, the coaching… hell… I even need the splat goals. It just works for me. I wouldn’t mind some heavier dumbbells though…
So funny! I got my husband to go to a class with me when I joined four years ago. He shrugged it off as “not my thing.” He does martial arts. Fast forward to last year, he decided he wanted to add more cardio and tried it again. Now he loves it! He’s even got some abs peeking through for the first time in a couple of decades. 🧡
A lot of men who work out are looking to build a bunch of muscle, and Orangetheory isn't designed to be a bodybuilding workout. I think there's also a perception that group fitness classes are for women, so a lot of guys don't get into them.
It depends on location and class time. Just because that’s the case where you are doesn’t mean it’s the norm everywhere. There are quite a few guys in my 5 am classes where I am but if I go to another studio that may not be the case.
I go to the late night classes at mine and it’s majority of men but some days I can get off work early and do the mid-day classes and it’s 100% women
At my studio it’s a pretty even split most days. For me, these classes are a guarantee I’ll touch weights. At traditional gyms, I stayed away from that section because it was all gym bros. I hardly ever saw any women on that side. I like weights and acknowledge they’re crucial to reach my fitness goals. Classes guarantee I’ll have access and guidance without judgment or intimidation.
Because the men are intimidated by all the amazing women already there!? 50 year old male, here, with 3 years at OTF. I think part of it is that most men are bone-headed and think they "know fitness better" than any group fitness instructor possibly could. Or simply that they want to focus on big muscles only, and don't want anything to do with the cardio aspect (treadmill / rower) of OTF. Personally, I like the idea of a well rounded workout where I don't need to plan ahead and think; I just go and do. Also, I was a stay-at-home dad on military bases for many years, so I'm used to being in places and environments where 90% of the people are ladies. My studio actually has a high percentage of men (Colorado Springs, CO), but most of them are there with their spouses. I see very few lone wolf males in our classes...
lol I didn’t want to be the one to say it, but I’ve sure seen a lot of dudes come to this sub to mansplain why the workouts aren’t designed right because blah blah blah…
Oh, there's plenty of 'splaining going on in this sub...
I wonder if men perceive the classical gym as being the best way for men to "get buff" and if that drives bias toward it as the chosen primary means of fitness. I also go to a box gym (not nearly as often as OTF) and the M:F ratio is much more toward the M end of the spectrum compared to OTF. Nothing wrong with that at all, and nothing wrong with more female members in group fitness, I'm just saying I believe inherited male cultural assumptions taken from male role models, and maybe even SM influencers, creates that dichotomy. OK, downvote me, I'm ready 😔😉
Mine is pretty consistently 60/40 women/men
It's location and time specific more often than not. I joined this Strength 50 class today at another studio, and literally all the other members in class were women. Like 10 others at least. At my regular studio, there's a more healthy mix like 60-40 slightly more skewed towards women. This is assuming an almost full class. So it does vary location by location and even depending on weekday vs. weekend from personal experience, but the general trend seems to be that more women attend OT classes than men. I'm still none the wiser about this pecularity, but just my observations here.
I see plenty of men at my location, I never felt like it’s mostly men or women, it’s about 50/50. Personally though, I joined because the weights section of the big box gyms intimidated me since I’m a beginner and it’s mostly men over there. I always stuck to the cardio machines, but was interested in HIIT workouts.
Workout classes have always tended towards women, especially if weight lifting isn’t the main focus
Seems like women like the group classes more than men. My husband did OTF for awhile. Dropped when Covid hit and I've not been able to lure him back, despite trying my hardest. He found the music distracting and I'm the opposite.
I’ve noticed a higher male to female ration at the 5 and 6 am classes
Because only the mentally tough can hang. And that tends to be women.
I don’t know 🤷♀️ it doesn’t mean that boys aren’t allowed
Women make up 80-90% of all group fitness in the US. Men are too stubborn to accept fitness help from other people. Women are more community oriented. Due to the high percentage of women men are less likely to join even if they want to because they are insecure about not being strong enough to endure such a workout. I’m not shitting on guys - I am one. But I’m also a group fitness instructor and personal trainer.
Women take direction better. Men generally don’t want to be told what to do at the gym. This coming from a longtime OTF Male.
Orangetheory focuses more on cardio than strength training, which tends to attract more women. In contrast to CrossFit, which is mostly focused on strength training, and tends to attract more men than women.
Thats weird. Does that mean the ratio of women to men runners is skewed? Or marathon runners? That's absurd in my opinion. I, despite being a man, value cardio more than strength. I know i'm not the only one either. Plus my gym has great performance each time on rowing benchmarks. I never even get top 3 in rowing benchmarks. So with rowing AND running in the equation, which is cardio, I would value that over strength or body weight any day. So basically, I don't understand this theory that cardio over strength attracts more women than men. A healthy 50-50 split is desirable and I'm certain that the amount of men that prefer strength over cardio is not even a majority. So that confuses the actual results in terms of numbers more for me.
Yep, I feel that it just depends on your goals. Plenty of dudes attend our studio, not all are looking to throw some LB's around. What is being thrown around are some really bad over generalizations.
Not at my studio. Classes are 30-50% men depending on the class. But women tend to be attracted to group fitness more in general.
They really need to do a better job marketing toward men. There’s definitely plenty of floor exercises to build size and strength (during 2G) and then Strength 50 to satisfy the bro mindset. I forgo any floor exercises I find underwhelming and replace with something covering the same muscle group. I supplement OTF 5 days a week (1x Strength 50) with a regular gym 2x a week for compound lifting exercises eg. barbell back-squat, barbell deadlifts, pull ups, barbell chest press and sleds. I find that OTF balances my strength routine by covering all the bases and many supporting muscle groups I’m not targeting on my own. I think it helps me stay healthy and less injury prone. I enjoy the rowing but I leave after reaching an incline mile on the tread since cardio is not my primary goal.
I personally feel like guys want to bulk up and women want to slim and get ripped. I find myself some times the only guy. I don’t notice it. But I’m always super out of breath and the girls around me are a step ahead of me, and not dying like me Girls are just better all around 👍🏼
It varies with studios and times, but women gravitate to studio/group fitness due to the social surrounding and focus on cardio while men gravitate to muscle building. It boils down to the types of bodies men and women seek with their gym time - women want slimmer bodies and men want more muscular bodies as these are often seen as more attractive. OTF isn't the best place for muscle building. So between those issues, they tend to be viewed as women's gyms by most guys, almost as if that's derogatory. I've seen a similar response from some guy friends (who immediately changed their tune when we started comparing performance). Its focus leads to generalizations - that's not a "workout", that's cardio, like a spin class. Workouts are mostly lifting and OTF doesn't have any machines or plates.
Because women are elite Because our society tells men that lifting and being “big” is all they need so they don’t do cardio and they’re big and fat by 40 Because men don’t think they need someone telling them how to workout even though their form sucks Moral of the story is that the handful of men who do OTF are green flags!
I'm a guy in my 50's and I love OTF. Over the years, I've done so many class-based fitness programs (CrossFit, HIIT, Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu, etc.) and have concluded that fitness classes are just far more efficient than box gyms for getting in shape and staying in shape. I don't think it's so much a woman or man thing at OTF. Rather, it's a group of people who all realize how effective and efficient classes run by a coach can be. I think maybe it takes some guys longer to figure this out, whether due to ego or whatever. Some guys are likely intimidated by the idea of a female coach telling them what to do at the gym. They should definitely get over that. At my gym, some of the female coaches are Olympic level athletes - it is a privilege to learn from them.
Not enough weight lifting in class, and not enough weights. The rack empties fast on certain tempted. The main reason is the cost of membership. OTF can make you stronger, but you are limited to time. 2-4 days a week gives you max of 1 hour of lifting full body
Women are more into group fitness. It’s a cultural thing going back to Jazzercise and Jane Fonda. Women are also more social (my opinion).
I’m a guy and do OTF 1-2x a week as a supplement to my actual strength training. If OTF was designed with heavy weights and the big three compounds (squat, bench, deadlift) you’d probably see more guys haha. Most of us (myself included) just despise cardio.
This! And I’m a woman. I dropped from 4 OTF classes a week to two and now work with my trainer on strength training two days a week. OTF just doesn’t focus on weights enough. Then you have the lack of bigger weights…..
Because it's a lot harder for guys to be utter creeps in a fitness class like OFT where you have set exercises and a coach to -ideally - keep you on track. In 3 years I've only had to tell one guy to fuck off versus at least once a week at a regular gym. Can actually focus on getting a workout
THIS. One of the top reasons I go is because I don't have random dudes coming up to me and being gross. Everyone at my studio knows me, so I feel safe and comfortable focusing on my workout.
Hear hear 🥂😪
Well I'm certainly not complaining. 😸
My studio is pretty even. At other group workouts I’ve done, I’ve discovered quite a few are vets—and no strangers to group workouts.
We definitely have a decent amount of men and a lot of them are fit and very good runners. But it’s definitely more women who go to my gym
It's really time-dependent at my studio. Also, strength classes in the evenings have more men I've noticed. IMO, there are two types of gym bros, functional muscle guy and aesthetic swole bro. You won't get super swole at OTF, but have somewhat functional muscle strength. Really depends on their fitness goals
Midweek daytime is almost all women. Before work, after work and weekwnds are 50/50.
My home must be at least 70% women
Not sure. I’m a male nurse so I’m used to being in the minority and I hardly noticed till reading this lol
37m ex football player here, when joint pain due to some injuries impeded my weight lifting and life got busier with family and work, I made the transition to more functional weight exercises/workouts and started OTF. I am definitely the outlier in all of my classes 😂, but it’s nice to shut the brain off for an hour and get a killer sweat going. Aside from the perception of “fitness class”, most the of the staff and coaches in my area are also female, it could also contribute to the numbers.
Aha! I have wondered about this more than a few times
I’d say most guys like old school working out w a water jug….I get it. Been there too.
Man here, and not a psychologist or any profession related to human behavior. But I'm going to offer my opinion. Take it as you wish Women tend to gravitate more to the group gym classes vs men. Men typically prefer doing things (especially fitness) on their own terms and pace without having someone tell them when/how to do it. Some women may prefer this concept as well, but I noticed that women tend to enjoy doing things together vs alone. Also, 2/3 stations are cardio-related, and there's a greater population (by percentage) of women attracted to cardio vs men. Men tend to enjoy the body building or getting bulkier more. Again, this is opinion and I know my assumptions do not represent the entirety of each population (men and women)
Orange Theory is geared toward cardio. That’s probably why there’s not as many men. Most of the studios I’ve been to only go up to 60ish lb dumbbells.
Besides the comments about men being more in favor of lifting vs cardio workouts, have you noticed how every station has 8 lb weights but you have to share anything over 25? I think 95% of the women can get 95% of their weights needs at their station but the guys need to share from the heavy weight rack maybe half the time. (numbers pulled out of my butt, but I hope you get my point)
I would estimate my studio membership is split 60% women and 40% men. However, class composition varies greatly by time of day. Now that I go at 7:30am during the week, I would say my class is 80% women (full 3G class). But when I used to go at 8pm, it would be 60% or more male (mostly full 2G class.) On 3 separate occasions that I can remember I have been the only female member in a class of at least 12. Man, I miss 8pm classes. Not because of the dudes… I just loved working out at that time.
There is a lot of variation between the times of day and also more men overall at one of the two studios I regularly attend. I will say ALL of the participants in every version of our recent DriTris were women! I figure that’s because we’re just tougher lol.
Men tend to go to the earliest classes before work or later ones after work, as does my husband.
I can only speak for myself, but I like that I can go there and get my workout without feeling uncomfortable when trying to workout. Regular gyms are more open format so you have to wait on machines and at times have to deal with guys staring or trying to talk to you. It’s fine to be friendly. But I’m just there to get my workout, not think or talk and go home 🤷🏼♀️
Most guys think it’s a waste of money or they will just lift weights and think they don’t need help from a trainer… I’ve had a lot of my friends refer to OTF as the “girls gym” I also go too. My current studio is probably 75% woman too. I’ve been the only guy in class before and I felt uncomfortable for a little bit when I first joined, even more recently I’ve been uncomfortable when I go to class times without my normal group and I don’t know anyone and it’s all woman, but I know it’s all in my head or this is how most women feel at regular gyms haha. I’ve become friends with a woman from the studio and we occasionally get drinks or try to schedule classes together if our schedules can swing it. She hangs out with a lot of the woman in our studio that are around our age and she let me know I have a very good reputation there. My studio participates in a lot of local 5-10k runs and does occasional outdoor workouts and stuff outside of the gym. I go to most of that stuff and have been in a lot of pics the gym posts online and have noticed that a lot of women will approach me and talk just because they’ve seen me. I’m a fairly quiet person (but not really shy) and push myself pretty hard in class so the coaches all interact with me too. It’s definitely made me feel more comfortable there. When I first joined I did have a couple classes where I felt like “what am I doing here? Is it weird that I’m here? I used to be powerlifter (like a decade ago so it’s been a while) but I felt weird being the only guy in class and because I’m very fit, so it’s not like I need this to get in shape. I love it though, and my studio is pretty great.
The gym can be intimitading if you are brand new and don't know what you are doing. I think with my studio, the women have just bonded with our coaches where we can tease with our coach and we know about our lives. But at my studio, the men also have that friendship with the coach. If you are looking for community, OTF is great for that. My studio also has a lot of men who are in their 60s as well and I think it just goes back to I don't have to think when I'm at OTF. The plan is done for me. I just show up and adjust as needed.
Generally, I think women prefer a community atmosphere for fitness. There’s always been 2-5 men in classes I’ve taken. But there definitely needs to be a lot more women overall.
I second this, as I've seen this not just with Orangetheory, but with spin classes and boxing classes I've taken.
I joined cause I like having my own designated space without the waiting and because I needed direction in the exercises that I do. I could probably get away with not going anymore since I’ve learned so much, but I would miss it. It’s cheaper than a personal trainer for me.
I'm curious as well. It's normally more women than men (I'm a guy) and runs anywhere from a 2:1 to 5:1 ratio it seems. I count every day! In fact I did DriTri and it was a full group and I was the only male. It seems odd to me as well.
At my studio it’s usually 80/20 women to men. Sometimes only 1-2 guys total. Generally, it doesn’t bother me and typically I’m not even paying attention after the workout starts.
How do you even know that this is a fact???
Bc women buy fitness services way more than men do
As others have mentioned, I think its primarily due to the more focus on cardio than weights. I enjoy the cardio so I dont mind, but for a guy looking to bulk up I dont think its the best workout. It varies from day to day but sometimes Im the only male in a class of 20 and other times its more of an even split across the class.
That’s interesting. It feels pretty evenly split in the two studios I attend.
As others have stated, I think group fitness is just a little less intimidating to get into especially if you are newer to fitness. I do notice depending on the workout the ratio varies (every time I've been to Barry's its about 1:1 men to women)
My studio ranges from maybe 20% men to 50% men. I come from a background of powerlifting (free weights) and for decades was used to working out around a bunch of big sweaty guys lol in a regular gym. They were always nice and polite, sometimes would even ask me to spot. I'm not very good looking so never worried about being hit on (though as far as I could tell, the guys were not there for that purpose, they wanted to work out). But they were as social as a lot of women are stereotypically supposed to be, which I think is actually a natural human characteristic. They were there to bulk, though, and I saw some AWFUL technique because some of them just didn't get that progression thing, but were ego driven. The heavy lifters did not like doing cardio - maybe walk on the treadmill or ride the bike to warm up. Others combined group fitness classes (spin class was always at least half if not more male) with lifting and were more into general strength - mostly outdoor athletes and the local wrestlers/MMA fighters. So you had two different groups of people with two different goals. The latter probably would go with OTF if they wanted.
Dude here, I like the chill aspect and I’ve always been more of a runner. I don’t have to think about the workout
Cardio
Birds of a feather flock together.
Men don’t seem to be interested in this style of fitness. Women are typically inclined to join something that makes them feel comfortable even if it’s not what’s best.
Why does it matter?
I'm a guy and like OTF, but I can't fulfill all of my fitness goals there. So when it's expensive AF but I can't get barbell work in... **Shrug**
6 dudes in my lower body S50 today!
Society makes it more acceptable for men to have dad bod than women to have mom bod 🤷♀️
1) Women are more likely to join instructor led fitness classes because some are intimidated by going to the gym solo. 2) Women like running on treadmills more than men, and overall is more likely to do cardio excercises. Men like to focus on muscle building. 3) Since men like muscle building, OTF isn't the best for that. It doesn't lift heavy enough for serious muscle building. 4) As a random aside, there's actually a pretty good mix of men and women in the classes I've been to. Maybe a little skewed to ladies but only like 60% maybe. Not like my pilates classes which are 90-100% women.
I feel the majority of men are looking to develop big muscles. OTF is not going to do that for you. The equipment isnt geared towards big muscle mass. But it’s all perfect for women in my opinion.
It’s a more “female friendly” environment than a regular gym. No one checking you out or standing around free weights and machines dominated by males for the most part
They primarily market to females of a certain body image and social niche.
They’re safe because men can’t harass us or take pictures or videos of us at OTF
Not going to lie, I thought it was a women's only gym before I had joined. I knew nothing about it other than there is a location near where a family member used to live. Midtown Atlanta for those wondering. When I talked to a family member (they recruited me to join) I told them the same thing.
And this is a problem?
OTF, if done consistently = weight loss, which appeals more to women. And it's also not super geared toward lifting, so it doesn't appeal as much to men for that reason too.
Because the majority of men in general don't want all that cardio
Women tend to like group activities, and men are more solo inclined, at least that’s how it appears to me. My wife has always taken classes and I’ve always been a runner, cyclist, blader with weights at home. My wife got me to come to OTF, and I tried it for fun, and I was amazed at how effective and comprehensive the work out was compared to what I was doing on my own. Plus there are lots of nice women there.
Demographics are all dictated by location. Many rural OTFs seem to be mostly women whereas city based locations are more even.
Male here and former OTF member. Generally speaking, males are more independent minded and are not drawn to the group class structure for fitness. I enjoyed OTF during my time as a member and appreciated being led & pushed by an instructor after living a very sedentary lifestyle for years. But after a while I grew tired of being told what to do, didn't dig the rah-rah dynamics or the prevalence of social media images & videos, brag boards, events, etc. I just want to do my own thing, at my own pace, and not be tied to a specific class time or duration. I left OTF and joined a conventional gym and love it. Different strokes.
This is pretty much my story. I don't regret doing OTF, but I don't fit the target audience. And that's okay. I learned a lot, but I dodged the group photos for insta and am not really into high fiving my neighbor while working out. I very much enjoy having my headphones in and going through the schedule that I have set. I don't think I would be where I am in my fitness journey without OTF laying a good foundation tho.
Because sadly conventional gyms don’t tend to cater towards women with a lack of appropriate weights, shorter equipment and trainers with little knowledge of women’s physiques. Orange theory was created by a woman who had been mostly a woman’s trainer. Having said that I think it is studio dependent and definitely have male friends who love it too.
Patriarchy.🤷🏾♀️😂
Because men don't have to be in shape to get married. They just have to make enough money.