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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.

Through Reach Up, we're supporting instructors to be better equipped to support inactive and less-active women within group exercise classes.

Whether participants need reassurance that their instructor knows how to accommodate their specific needs due to a long-term health condition, or simply some extra encouragement in feeling comfortable to take part, Reach Up will provide guidance to instructors to know how to respond to these needs, ensuring that all women are welcomed into the group exercise class that works best for them.

Reach Up and This Girl Can logos. Text above says 'Free, bitesize learning to help group exercise instructors transform more lives'.

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.

Through learning about the science of habit-forming, female-specific health topics and more, we’re not just aiming to increase participation and enjoyment; we're on a mission to widen the current scope of group exercise and empower our incredible instructors to reach even more women.

  • Where it started

    Reach Up builds on the foundations of This Girl Can Classes, our previous collaboration with EMD UK, which 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, we also learned that the format had its limitations. It was too restrictive for instructors, limiting their ability to tailor classes and offer the variety of sessions they were passionate about. That’s why, in 2024, we made the decision to close the This Girl Can Classes project and build on what we had learned with a broader, more flexible approach.

    Enter Reach Up.

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We want as many group exercise instructors as possible to know about and access Reach Up.

Please download our supporter pack below or share this page with anyone who might benefit from knowing about Reach Up.

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