Episode 84Jun 27, 2026· 7:11

Why Group Fitness Is Just Better (Sorry, Solo Gym People)

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About this episode

Episode covers Ashley returning to the gym after a 10-day break, hiking with her husband on wet and rocky terrain resulting in blisters, using weighted wristbands during the hike, a personal 365-minute fitness challenge involving 10-minute sessions of calf raises, planks, and wall sits, the experience of Zumba and low-impact cardio class versus solo hotel gym workouts, group fitness accountability, ADHD and using…

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Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You've been away from your workout routine for a week or two and you're dreading getting back into it, not sure if the momentum is just gone.

You keep trying to work out alone and it just feels like a slog — the time drags, it's not fun, and you can't figure out why you dread something you actually want to do.

You've been trying to get a partner or spouse more active with you and it's starting to actually happen, and that feels unexpectedly meaningful.

You have ADHD or a similarly scattered brain and you're always looking for how other people actually manage to stay consistent with movement — not tips, just real talk about what works.

You want to move more but the gym feels like the only option and you're realizing that hiking, walks, and random 10-minute efforts at home might actually count too.

Questions this episode wrestles with

Do I actually need group fitness or am I just avoiding the discipline of working out alone?

answered

Ashley frames it as a personal need rather than a discipline failure — she did a solo Tabata in a hotel gym and found it genuinely worse, not just less fun, saying 'it sucked' and contrasting it with group Zumba where she 'blinked and the instructor said we're going to stretch.'

"class by myself. It sucked. It's not as fun to work out by yourself as it is to work out with"

Is preferring group workouts a personality thing or a willpower thing?

open question

Ashley doesn't resolve this — she describes the time difference as 'wild' and 'funny,' treating it as something she observes about herself rather than something she explains or diagnoses.

"other people. It's funny to me how fast the time went by whenever I was with other people compared to when I was working out by myself. It's just wild to me because I blinked and the instructor said, we're going to stretch. And oh my goodness,"

Does hiking or walking actually count when you've been skipping the gym?

answered

Ashley treats it as counting — she insists she's 'still moving, but just moving differently,' and describes the hike as 'maximum effort' with changing terrain, rocks, mud, and blisters as evidence it was real work.

"and Saturdays to the gym. That doesn't mean I'm not moving anymore. It means I am still moving, but just moving differently. Yesterday, I went"

Why do I keep adding more to a workout that's already hard?

open question

Ashley doesn't examine the why — she describes adding weighted wristbands to an already blister-producing, soaked-feet hike and calls it 'necessary' twice without unpacking what that necessity actually is.

"challenge I added weighted wristbands to my arms while I was doing my walk on in the hike because it just it was necessary y 'all like it was definitely necessary for me to get an extra effort while I was putting in Well, effort. But it helped."

Setting expectations: This episode is not a debate about the science of group fitness versus solo training, nor a structured argument for why you should switch your workout style. It's Ashley narrating her return to the gym after 10 days away — recapping blistered feet from a hike, 10-minute wall sit sessions, and why her Zumba class flew by while her solo hotel gym Tabata 'sucked.'

Tone & style

Ashley starts from a position she already holds — group fitness works better for her than solo workouts — gets it confirmed the hard way by a solo Tabata session in a hotel gym that 'sucked,' then returns to her Zumba class and blinks and it's over. The episode ends with her feeling validated and launching a free accountability group.

Personal experience and opinion throughout. Ashley explicitly frames everything as what works for her — not advice or instruction for others.

toneWarm & casual

focusAshley returns to the gym after 10 days away, recaps a blister-heavy hike with her husband and a 365-minute personal challenge, then confirms what she already believed: working out with other people is just better for her than going solo.

stylesolo_monologue

energymedium

complexitybeginner

pressure Levellow

emotional Texturewarm, enthusiastic, conversational

Notable quotes

"is still so, so, so, so true for me. Group exercises are what I need personally. Because on my trip to Pigeon Forge, I did work out in the gym at one of the hotels. And I did, you know, a Tabata class by myself. It sucked. It's not as fun to"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"said, we're going to stretch. And oh my goodness, like. two hours later and I feel like a million"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"that. But my arms are absolutely killing me. My legs are killing me and it's a good hurt. It's exactly what I was looking for. It's a good"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"it clear. I'm not doing these 10 minutes all in a row. I am, you know, taking breaks because I can't handle 10 straight minutes of any of that. But my arms are absolutely killing me."

— Famous Ashley Grant

"just accountability check -ins. And there will be a paid tier. I'm not going to lie to you guys and make you think that this isn't coming because obviously doing all this content, I do have to make money because this is my job. This is what"

— Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

Organized into 5 chapters — open any part to read the full text.

0:001. Back to the Gym After 10 Days AwayAshley reintroduces herself and the podcast, noting she's returning to the gym after roughly 10 days off and explaining her new schedule of only going Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays.0:362. Hiking with Her Husband and the Blister SituationAshley recaps a hike she did with her husband, describing the unexpected difficulty of changing terrain, soaked feet, and blisters — plus her decision to add weighted wristbands to the hike.2:353. 365-Minute Challenge: Calf Raises, Planks, and Wall SitsAshley describes a personal challenge she started to accumulate 365 extra minutes of effort, doing 10-minute sessions of calf raises, planks, and wall sits across three days — with breaks, not all in a row.4:104. Zumba Class and Why Group Fitness Just Works for HerAshley returns from her Zumba and low-impact cardio class and reflects on how working out with other people makes time fly compared to her solo Tabata session in a hotel gym in Pigeon Forge, which she says 'sucked.'7:115. Launching a Free Accountability GroupAshley announces a free online group at famousashleygrant.com/group for accountability check-ins, is transparent about a future paid tier, and shares that her instructor Rhonda Good will occasionally join for Q&As.

Open full transcript

Mentioned in this episode

placePigeon Forge

The trip where Ashley worked out alone in a hotel gym doing a Tabata class, which she says 'sucked' compared to group fitness.

placeFlorida

A previous trip Ashley references when explaining her experience with hiking on changing terrain versus walking on a sidewalk.

websitefamousashleygrant.com/group

Ashley's free online accountability group she is launching for listeners who want community check-ins around movement.

personRhonda Good

Ashley's favorite fitness instructor, who will occasionally join the group for Q&As about fitness and debunking influencer claims.

Key themes

Group fitness vs. solo workouts

Ashley contrasts her Zumba class — where time flew and she felt great — against a solo Tabata session in a hotel gym in Pigeon Forge that she says 'sucked,' landing firmly on group exercise as what she personally needs.

Returning to routine after a gap

Ashley opens the episode noting she's heading back to the gym after roughly 10 days away, framing it as getting back on the horse rather than treating the gap as a failure.

Moving outside the gym

Ashley describes hiking with her husband on changing terrain — rocks, mud, soaked feet, blisters — as a legitimate and effortful form of movement that fits her new gym-only-three-days schedule.

Adding difficulty to ordinary movement

Ashley decides mid-hike to strap on weighted wristbands, framing it as needing 'extra effort while putting in effort,' and separately starts a 365-minute challenge of 10-minute sessions of calf raises, planks, and wall sits.

365-minute personal challenge

Ashley is accumulating 365 extra minutes of effort leading up to day 365, doing 10-minute sessions of calf raises, planks, and wall sits across consecutive days — with breaks, not all in a row.

Working out with her husband

Ashley mentions that getting her husband out and active has been a personal goal, and describes the hike they did together as 'really lovely.'

Managing ADHD with systems

Ashley briefly explains that she logs workouts into spreadsheets and calendars specifically to keep her ADHD brain in check, treating external structure as a necessary tool.

Accountability as the point

Ashley announces a free online group built around accountability check-ins, framing it as something she personally needs and wants to extend to others, not just a product launch.

Transparency about making money from the podcast

Ashley tells listeners directly that a paid tier is coming to her group, saying she won't pretend otherwise because content creation is her job and how she makes a living.