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Reach Up

Reach Up is a revolutionary new resource hub for group exercise instructors, built by EMD UK in collaboration with This Girl Can.

A row of women lunging with blocks in a fitness class.

Group exercise. It’s more than just a workout; it’s a powerful force for connection, support, and well-being. We know the incredible benefits the power of community in group exercise can offer, motivating women to move, de-stress, and find their space.

Yet, we also know that for some women, getting started or staying active in group settings can present unique challenges, from managing back pain, osteoporosis, and long-term health conditions, to simply finding the right class where they feel understood and supported.

Reach Up is a training programme designed to help group exercise instructors feel confident and equipped to support inactive and less-active women within their classes. 

Whether participants need reassurance that their instructor understands how to adapt sessions for their specific needs, or simply some extra encouragement to feel comfortable taking part, Reach Up offers guidance to help ensure all women feel welcomed and included in group exercise. 

Reach Up was developed by EMD UK, with early support from This Girl Can and funding from The National Lottery. Our involvement helped shape the programme’s early direction and ensure it spoke to the real experiences of women getting active. 

Today, Reach Up is led and managed independently by EMD UK, continuing to evolve as a professional development resource for the fitness sector. 

Learn on the go

Reach Up contains bitesize learning to help group exercise instructors engage more women, inspire them to try group exercise classes, and ignite the fire in them to come back again and again.

By covering topics such as the science of habit formation, female-specific health considerations and more, Reach Up aims not only to increase participation and enjoyment, but also to widen the current scope of group exercise and empower instructors to reach even more women. 

A woman stretches her arm up while on one knee on a yoga mat in a class, alongside other participants.

  • Where it started

    Reach Up builds on the foundations of This Girl Can Classes, a previous collaboration with EMD UK that launched in 2019. 

    That initiative was created in response to insight revealing that many women felt intimidated by traditional group exercise classes. They worried about not being “fit enough” or feared they wouldn’t be able to keep up – concerns that often stopped them from even stepping through the studio doors.

    This Girl Can Classes aimed to tackle those feelings head-on. It was a welcoming, beginner-friendly and supportive class format that focused on building confidence and community. It resonated strongly, achieving a 92% participant satisfaction rate – a real testament to its impact.

    A woman grimaces while stretching in a fitness studio. The logos of This Girl Can, the National Lottery and Sport England sit below the text 'Where getting it wrong is alright'.

    However, the format also had limitations. It was too restrictive for instructors, limiting their ability to tailor classes or provide the variety of sessions they were passionate about.

    That’s why, in 2024, the decision was made to close This Girl Can Classes and use the learnings to inform a broader, more flexible approach, which ultimately led to the development of Reach Up.

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