Boot Camp + Group Fitness Classes: Why They Aren't Ideal for Building the Body You Want
Embrace Your Real
Julie Ledbetter
5 • 965 Ratings
🗓️ 22 December 2025
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today's episode is for the woman who has been showing up, sweating through boot camps and circuit-style classes, but not really seeing the muscle definition or body composition changes she hoped for. If you have ever wondered why you feel fitter and more exhausted, yet your progress photos look the same, this conversation will bring a lot of clarity. Group workouts can be amazing for community, accountability, and conditioning, but they are not always built to truly change the shape of your body.
If you are craving structure, strength, and visible progress, you need something a little more intentional than random circuits and constantly changing workouts. In this episode, we unpack the difference between exercising and training, how to know what your current routine is actually doing for you, and simple ways to pair the classes you love with a strength plan that finally helps you build the body you want.
Here's what you will learn:
• The difference between exercising for health and training for body composition
• Why variety and intensity alone do not create muscle growth
• The three key ingredients your body needs weekly: volume, frequency, and load
• How most boot camp and circuit classes fall short for strength and muscle goals
• Why recovery, stress, and fueling make or break your progress
This episode is your reminder that you are not unmotivated or broken. You may just need a clearer training signal, a bit more structure, and a plan that supports the goals you actually have for your body.
If you loved this episode, you may also enjoy:
What Soreness Really Says About Your Workouts
https://www.juliealedbetter.com/embrace-your-real/what-soreness-really-says-about-your-workouts
If you want more from me, be sure to check out…
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Follow me on Instagram: @juliealedbetter | @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie
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Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/
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Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
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Website: www.juliealedbetter.com
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter, |
| 0:05.4 | a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I dish you a dose of real talk |
| 0:11.4 | and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving |
| 0:16.6 | your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get and let's go. |
| 0:27.4 | Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace for a podcast. One question that I get |
| 0:32.4 | asked over and over again is why was I struggling to see results from these group strength |
| 0:37.0 | workouts? You know the ones where you rotate through stations or circuits. You get a mix of lifting and conditioning. And sometimes women even ask me, like, I struggle to stay motivated while joining one of these gyms finally help me build the body that I want. I get these questions a lot just because people are curious. They want to know. And the answer to both of these questions is kind of a little |
| 0:54.3 | bit more complex than you might think. And that's exactly what we're going to be diving into in today's episode. Because right now, a lot of us are reflecting on the past year. Maybe you've been consistent. You've been showing up multiple times a week. You've been pushing yourself in every class. You've been doing everything right. But you're looking in the mirror. You're checking your progress photos and you're like, why don't I see more change, right? Or maybe you're on the other end of |
| 1:13.2 | the spectrum. You've fallen off your routine and you're craving that community, that accountability, and energy that comes from those group workouts, you're maybe thinking, is this what I need to finally stay consistent? And first off, I want you to know that I get it. I've been there. I've literally tried nearly every class out there. |
| 1:29.7 | Some more cardio-based, other, you know, leaned into more strain training. And I love the community, |
| 1:34.5 | the structure, and the motivation that they provided. But after a few months, you know, you start noticing |
| 1:38.8 | something. Even though you're working out really hard, you're showing up consistently, your strength |
| 1:43.3 | isn't really improving. |
| 1:44.4 | Your muscle definition isn't changing. |
| 1:46.7 | And yes, you might be getting fitter. |
| 1:48.4 | You had great endurance, but your body composition pretty much stayed the same. |
| 1:51.7 | And that's when I think a lot of people realize that people who love these group workouts |
| 1:56.4 | need to understand that there's a big difference between working out and training. |
| 2:00.3 | Because while these |
| 2:01.0 | classes are incredible for accountability, for cardio, for overall health, they're not always designed |
| 2:06.8 | to progressively build muscle in a way that actually reshapes her body so that you can build |
| 2:11.4 | the body that you want. And so that's why heading into the new year, I want you to get clear on one |
... |
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