If you’re one of those people who spend half their spin class side-eyeing those who yell and woop, then it might be time for you to eat your words. ‘Woo-ing’ is good for you, says convert Alice Doleman.

Picture the scene: you’re in a gym class – furiously spinning your legs on a bike – when people around you start “woo-ing”. You’re taken aback; your shy self could never just shout… out loud… in public. You think that perhaps it was a mistake. It won’t happen again. But you’re wrong. 

Lo and behold, two minutes later, the volume rises and shouting (accompanied by claps and the occasional hair flick or towel whip) erupts around the room. You’ve got so used to keeping your head down during a class that when you glance up to take in the spectacle, you’re surprised to see huge grins on everyone’s faces. Not one hint of self-consciousness.

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It’s when the cheering begins again a few minutes later – after a particularly tricky hill climb – that you start to ask yourself questions. What do they know that I don’t? What did they have for breakfast this morning? Have they read the Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F**k? Why did that book not have the same effect on me? And most importantly: do I need more ‘woo’ in my life?

I realised that I felt jealous of those people around me. They were present in the moment, throwing themselves into something that brought them joy. They were unafraid to make themselves heard, whereas I definitely fell into the ‘afraid’ or ‘embarrassed’ category. I thought about how this reflected itself in my life. Why did I feel embarrassed at the idea of making myself seen and heard? I thought about the opportunities I’d passed up because I’d been too shy to put myself out there. It suddenly seemed obvious to me that I needed to work on letting myself go a little. And I knew exactly where to start. 

I packed my gym kit into a bag and decided I needed to talk to the people who had no problem putting themselves out there – whether by making noise, whipping their towels back and forth, or just putting their all into the moves.

I’ve never seen anyone enjoy a (frankly, long and really difficult) class quite like fellow spinner Wei. I watched him throw himself into each movement, singing along and clapping at all the right points. I, on the other hand, couldn’t quite get the timings right. 

When I asked what he got out of doing it, he said: “I wasn’t always like that; it took me a while. I found myself chuckling when the guy or girl next to me was singing along or waving their towel. It’s so infectious that eventually, I learned to pick up on their energy and go with it.” I asked Wei if he had any advice for me, a first-time woo-er: “The instructors talk about leaving everything outside the room and just focusing on yourself and what you do in the class. So forget about the fact that it’s rainy outside, or that it’s Monday tomorrow, or that you have to go back to work and just enjoy.” 

Alana Murrin and Keris Ellington-Brown, both instructors at Psycle, love it when their classes get noisy. Murrin thinks it gives people a sense of community and connection: “You may never know a person’s name, but you can pick up on their energy three bikes down – and if they’re whooping or whipping their towel, it makes you want to do it too. And I think it takes a space like ours to help people feel connected to each other and themselves. Especially after the past couple of years.”

Ellington-Brown thinks the noise is all about a connection to oneself: “It shows emotion, it shows being in the present, it shows connecting to the inner self, it shows trust. I love hearing people trust themselves.”

When I chatted to Ione and Courtney (two friends who’d dragged themselves out of bed early one Sunday to work out), they agreed that the gym was the one place where they could get out of their heads. For Courtney, finding confidence in life outside the gym is tough because she can’t “know that no one’s watching and let go”. Whereas, as Ione points out: “When you’re in a gym class, you’re not looking at anyone else and no one’s looking at you.”

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Not feeling judged could be down to a few factors – the loud music and the dark environment, for example – and I agree that there’s something to be said for stepping away from outside noise. As does Murrin: “No one checked their phone, no one scrolled on Instagram. If you can force yourself into having an hour where it’s all about you, then how amazing is that?”

I’m definitely not going to disclose how much of my day I’d typically spend on my phone (spoiler alert: it’s a lot) but my class was one of the few moments where the pressure of comparison (thanks Insta) wasn’t creeping into my head. In other words, I could focus on myself.

What does that have to do with “woo-ing”, I hear you ask. Think about how many times you’ve held back on doing something you love because of what other people think. Maybe you’d scream in a gym class? Or go to a pole dancing class like you’ve always wanted? Maybe you’d ask your boss for a raise? Or ask that person to go for a drink? 

Wei put it perfectly: “I see it [the class] as my ‘fuck it’ moment.” Isn’t that exactly what we’re all looking for? An opportunity to see what happens when we do what we want to do – regardless of judgement. Because the more you practise this mindset in the dark of a studio (yes, woo-ing and all), the more it might spill out into the light of day. I’ll leave you with one last thought from Keris: “Command space, speak up and trust yourself. That’s what confidence is to me.” That’s what it is to me, too.

And that’s why I’ll be woo-ing (probably out of tune) in my next class. Maybe I’ll even try whipping my towel. What about you? 

Get your ‘woo’ on during one of our Strong Women Training Club classes.

Images: Getty

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