Zach Schofel, cofounder and CEO of lease platform Cosign, gives new employees two options: a 7:20 a.m. Barry’s class or a padel session.
“It’s good to do something to meet and hang out with someone, get to know someone before you start,” Schofel told Business Insider.
Welcome to the modern workplace, where post-work drinks are out and HIIT classes with your boss are the new norm. As companies embrace health and wellness — and look for alternatives to happy hours as drinking rates decline — coworkers are turning to workouts to bond, and, ideally, impress their managers.
Longevity fitness is one of the hottest trends right now among high-performers in business, tech, and finance. Being able to speak the language on key concepts like VO2 max, grip strength, and resistance training can earn you serious credibility if your supervisor is a gym rat, said CEO Maria Colacurcio, who runs software company Syndio.
“You’re going to get more respect, and you’re going to immediately open a rapport and a relationship at a level that wasn’t open to you before,” said Colacurio, who competes as a pro-level Hyrox athlete and works out with employees and board members.
If you haven’t been invited to a team workout yet, it may only be a matter of time. Business Insider spoke with fitness instructors, CEOs, job coaches, etiquette experts, and employees who work out together about the dos and don’ts of sweating it out with your boss.
Look up the workout beforehand — and know your limits
A networking workout can quickly backfire if you’ve overstated your qualifications or can’t bring real enthusiasm to the effort.
To make the most of a workout with your manager in the room, you should have some basic fitness knowledge and competency. Plus, if your boss asks you to spot them, you want to know what you’re doing.
“I would want to make sure that I know every single workout that we’re going to do,” Noah Neiman, cofounder of group fitness studio The Pack, told Business Insider.
Stay self-aware about your strengths and weaknesses. There’s no point picking up a 30lb over a 25lb.
“Nine times out of 10, nobody’s clocking that — that’s our own ego and insecurity getting in the way,” Nic Wilson, an F45 athlete, said.
Even lifting an empty barbell can make a good impression if you’re making a genuine effort to improve, according to Colacurio. “Being confident and knowledgeable about your journey, I would see that and be so impressed,” she said.
Still, you should be prepared to get a little uncomfortable — scaling a workout to fit your needs is OK, but complaining or changing it excessively can be disruptive.
If you’re unfamiliar with the workout style, try a class on your own first. You’ll know what to expect, get a feel for the format, and avoid looking lost in front of the person signing off on your next performance review.
Don’t try to outdo them
Neiman regularly hosts corporate workouts at his gym. His tip to employees? Give it your all and don’t complain about how difficult the workout is — but don’t try to one-up your boss. In fact, trying too hard could have the opposite effect.
“I hate a suck-up,” Neiman, who has trained executives, said.
The better strategy is to read the room.
“Try to map your effort to the human that you’re meeting. If they’re really intense, you can be really intense,” said Colacurio, who works out with members of her board and potential investors as well as employees.
Especially in a one-on-one situation, matching their pace, even at a lower intensity, can build more rapport than blowing past your workout buddy.
It’s a delicate balance. In a group setting, pushing yourself can highlight your drive and work ethic, as long as the competition stays friendly.
“I also want my investors to see that I’m competitive,” said Colacurio. “I leave it all on the field.”
Wait to talk shop
Some employees told Business Insider they use workout classes as a chance to get extra one-on-one time with their boss and to ask questions they don’t always have time to address in the office. For others, business conversations are off-limits once they’re in the studio. The gym is for working out, not discussing the latest deal or unanswered emails.
It all depends on your relationship with your manager and their perspective on it — so the safest approach is to let them set the tone.
Gottsman said workers should let their boss take the lead in bringing up work conversations.
“Don’t bring up business, don’t bring up closing a deal,” Gottsman said. “Unless they do it first.”
Colacurio said the biggest mistake employees make is to talk shop too early or too often.
“The beauty of working out together is it’s kind of like the business dinner where it’s relational, not transactional,” she said. “The best business dinners, you don’t get to the business until the very end.”
Wear tonal colors
Diane Gottsman, who owns The Protocol School of Texas, which specializes in professional development and corporate etiquette training, recommends avoiding flashy clothing and dressing as though you could run into your best client at the gym.
Victoria Repa, CEO and founder of BetterMe, an all-in-one well-being platform, said a tonal look in black, chocolate, navy, or ivory is a safe bet and can give you an “effortlessly polished” look.
“The only real ‘don’t’ is anything you’ll spend the entire class adjusting, or anything you choose solely to impress the room,” Repa said.
If you don’t want to work out, suggest another activity
However, if you’re not comfortable working out with your boss or feel overly anxious about it, don’t force it.
The goal is to build a stronger relationship with your manager or coworkers, Ron Porter, a senior client partner at Korn Ferry, told Business Insider.
If your boss invites you to play golf and you’ve never picked up a club, it may be better to suggest another activity, such as tennis or a walk.
Even if your boss loves working out, that’s unlikely to be your only chance to spend time together outside the office. Schofel said he organizes workouts with his team because he enjoys them and sees them as a way to connect with employees. However, he isn’t keeping track of who doesn’t show up.
“Don’t force it,” Schofel said. “I don’t think that an org should start working out together just for the act of doing it.”
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