Most group exercise instructors would say they know how to run a class. In many ways they’re right. Years of experience have taught them how to build a workout, coach technique, motivate participants and create energy in the room.

But why can one class buzz with energy while another, delivered by the same instructor to the same number of participants using exactly the same programme, fall somewhat flat?

That’s the question Professors Tim Rees and Tom Wainwright have spent the past few years exploring. Their conclusion? The difference often has far less to do with the workout itself – even with instructor charisma – and far more to do with something instructors rarely receive any formal training in: the psychology of groups.

“Most of the behaviour change taught at Level 2 or 3 is about the individual,” explains Rees. “Goal-setting, the transtheoretical model, motivational interviewing… it all focuses on one person at a time. But when you get people into a group, it isn’t just 30 individuals. Something uniquely different happens – and most instructors have never been taught what that is or how to draw on it.”

And so Rees and Wainwright have co-founded Group Works, launching a flagship course as their first offering. Delivered online, with options for bespoke in-person training, the course helps instructors understand – really understand – what happens when people exercise together, as well as how to deliberately harness this dynamic.

It’s all about ‘us’

The science of groups exists, robust and compelling yet traditionally scattered across the diverse fields of psychology, behavioural science, organisational research and healthcare. What Rees and Wainwright have done is stitch it all together into something coherent and practical for those delivering group exercise classes.

Drawing on social identity theory, group dynamics research and behaviour change science – alongside their own published research into group-based rehabilitation – they have created a unified framework for what makes groups work and how instructors can actively shape that.

The simple, overarching theme is belonging, explains Rees: “If someone isn’t sure whether to drag themselves out on a rainy evening, but they think ‘that’s what I do on a Thursday – it’s part of who I am, those are my people,’ they’ll go. That sense of identity and belonging is what drives attendance, which in turn is what drives outcomes.

“And so instructors have one crucial question to ask themselves: Are they running a class or are they leading and developing a group?”

“Instructors are taught what to do in a class. They are almost never taught how to lead a group.”

It’s why identity leadership sits alongside social identity theory in the Group Works approach: the practical application of how a leader uses group psychology to get the best from the people in front of them. This, says Rees, is where a lot of training falls short: “Instructors are taught what to do in a class. They are almost never taught how to lead a group.”

So, what does this mean in practice? A few examples from the new course begin to paint the picture.

The language of ‘we’. One of the simplest and most powerful shifts an instructor can make is in pronoun choice. “Instead of telling everyone what you’re going to do today, you talk about what we’re going to do,” says Rees. “Instead of ‘come on, you’re nearly there’, it’s ‘we’re nearly there – let’s push through this last bit together’. Instead of ‘look at the great progress you’ve all made’, it’s ‘look at what this group has achieved today’. It sounds like a small thing, but it consistently and repeatedly signals that this is a shared endeavour, not 30 separate workouts happening in the same room.”

The arrival. How many classes start with the instructor asking the whole room: ‘Has anyone not done this before?’ “It’s well-intentioned, but consider how it feels to be the nervous newcomer, publicly identified in front of a room full of strangers,” Wainwright observes. “Compare that to an instructor who meets you at the door, introduces themselves, shows you the bike and says: ‘Do you want to sit next to Sarah? She’s been coming for a while – she’ll look after you’.” Two seconds. One connection. A completely different experience.

The ending. Too often, classes finish unremarkably: a few people leave early, the instructor drifts over to chat with a friend, the group dissolves rather than closes. “There’s no sense of completion, no acknowledgment of what’s been achieved, no bridge to next week,” says Wainwright. “If you bring it to a proper close – ‘that was a great session, we pushed really hard on X today, come back next week because we’re building on it with Y’ – you’ve given people a reason to return and made them feel part of something.”

A shared journey. One of the challenges in a typical group exercise class is that there’s no shared starting point; a weekly class can mean newcomers on a regular basis. But that doesn’t mean you can’t create a cohort, says Wainwright: “Create blocks of work. Tell the class: ‘Every Monday we’re here, but over the next four weeks we’re going to be working towards this specific goal.’ Suddenly there’s a shared objective, a reason to come back, a sense of building something together – even in an ongoing, open-access class.”

Dealing with cliques and dominant members. Every regular class has them: the long-timers with their established spots, their in-jokes, their unspoken sense of ownership. This can make it very hard for new members to feel they belong – but class structure, including techniques such as partner work, can instantly shift the dynamic, says Wainwright. “The regulars become hosts rather than a closed circle, assuming a responsibility to the group as a whole,” he explains.

Shared leadership. In line with the above and perhaps most interestingly, Group Works moves beyond the instructor-centric model. Rees explains: “Research shows the most effective groups develop a kind of shared leadership. Others start to step up, encouraging people, helping newcomers, quietly supporting the instructor through their behaviours, advocating for the group’s culture. Positive role models can influence others more powerfully than the instructor alone – and as an instructor, you can actively cultivate that.”

Being ‘one of us’. Underpinning it all is a concept Rees returns to repeatedly: we follow leaders we see as one of us. “It’s about people feeling you’re genuinely in it for them – that you’re advancing the interests of the group, not just running a session,” he explains. That includes dialling back the urge to perform from the saddle, adds Wainwright: “This has become something of a trend in indoor cycling in particular. We want to shift things back towards facilitation. Rather than ‘follow me’, it’s ‘we’re doing this together’.”

“A whole series of micro-behaviours can either positively contribute to a sense of group or quietly undermine it”

The bigger picture

“Of course, many successful instructors instinctively do this already,” Wainwright acknowledges. “Group Works explores why this approach is successful and how to deliver it more consistently.”

He continues: “We train instructors in a whole series of micro-behaviours that can either positively contribute to a sense of group or quietly and unintentionally undermine it. But crucially, we’re offering principles, not a checklist. We don’t want people to come away thinking they have to be someone they’re not. We help instructors lead more effectively in a way that authentically fits their personality.”

There’s also a bigger picture goal behind Group Works, adds Rees, and that’s helping address the pandemic of physical inactivity. He explains: “Getting people to start exercising isn’t actually the hardest part. Getting them to keep coming back is – and groups, when led well, have a major role to play.

“Fully harnessing their power has the potential to bring a whole new population of regulars into the system. If we focus on helping people feel connected, feeling they belong and that they’re having fun together, the mental and physical health benefits will follow.”

Early signs

Group Works is currently in soft launch, with the team actively gathering feedback as more instructors come through. The hard outcome data is still to come – they’re building it carefully. But the early signals are striking.

Rees describes feedback from early adopters. “They say things like: ‘I’ve never thought about groups in this way. I didn’t realise I even needed to attend to these things. It’s completely changed how I approach what I do’.”

“People tell us: ‘I’ve never thought about groups in this way. I didn’t realise I needed to attend to these things.’”

For Rees and Wainwright, that’s both rewarding and telling. “Our first hurdle is always that initial reaction: ‘I already know about groups.’ And then you start to have the conversation and quite quickly people go: ‘Oh. I hadn’t thought about that.’”

For instructors who have spent years honing their cueing, choreography and playlists, the idea that there’s an entire dimension of their practice they may never have been formally taught will understandably give them pause. But as Wainwright puts it: “If someone’s enjoyed a class, they aren’t going to remember how many reps they did or exactly what the interval structure was. They’re going to remember how they felt. And if they felt great, a large part of that will be down to the group environment the instructor created.”

Group Works’ flagship course launches on 1 October 2026: www.groupworks.uk