Dan Maroun
One of the biggest things I’d love for people to understand is that introversion and extroversion do play a role in what we enjoy, or what we find fun in life, and so creating awareness of this topic is very important.
Because they have higher thresholds of stimulation, extroverts lean towards varied, high-intensity modalities in exercise, with constantly shifting movements and high-paced programming.
Combine this with social factors of team-training, small-group, or group fitness and you have a recipe for success for those who self-identify as extroverts.
Although we have to be careful not to generalise too much, the opposite can be said for introverts. Over-stimulation is going to turn them off. They prefer workouts where they know what’s coming or can anticipate shifts.
They prefer longer sets of a movement and some argue they enjoy the melodic and pace-oriented setting of a group class set to music, which moves with the beat.
It’s hypothesised that the rhythm of the music gives them control in the workout in terms of tempos.
"Introversion and extroversion do play
a role in what we enjoy, or what we find fun in life, and so creating awareness of this topic is very important"
In a group exercise setting, we can appeal to extroverts through higher intensity and variability, combine that with high-paced music and possibly programming which prefers various pyramids, ladders and AMRAPS.
Introverts, on the other hand, are going to feel more secure working out in a group fitness setting where the stimulation factors are controlled and where the workout is somewhat isolated, even, independent and non-competitive.
To appeal to both groups, each day you should include a variety of classes which maximise the combination of formats and instructors across the board, with a welcoming, inclusive, and fun atmosphere which makes people want to be there.