The terms behind shared-consequence group training.
Plain-English definitions for coaches, facility owners, and athletes who want to understand what a shared-consequence group class actually does.
- Burden
What Is a Burden in Group Fitness?
A Burden is the room's collective cost when a station misses its target. The room completes the Burden together — not the station that missed.
Short answer: A Burden is the room's collective cost when a station misses its target. The whole group completes the Burden together before moving to the next round. The station that triggered the Burden is never publicly identified.
- Decision Point
What Is a Decision Point in CCB?
A Decision Point is the moment after Burdens are complete when the coach chooses whether the session continues to the next Work Phase or ends. Per Core Spec §6.7, those are the only two options.
Short answer: A Decision Point is the moment after all generated Burdens have been completed when the coach chooses whether to continue to the next Work Phase or end the Group Session. Per Core Spec §6.7, those are the only two options.
- Group-as-Entity Training
What Is Group-as-Entity Training?
Group-as-entity training treats the whole class as one unit, not twelve individuals. One station's miss becomes the room's cost. Here's how the mechanic works.
Short answer: Group-as-entity training treats the room as one player. Individual results get collected into a room-level score. The room pays for what the room collectively misses, not what any individual athlete did or didn't do.
- No-public-blame default
What Is the No-Public-Blame Default in Zero-Sum Training?
The no-public-blame default is the protocol norm that the room's misses are room-owned, not individually attributed. Here's why this default makes the format work.
Short answer: The no-public-blame default is the protocol norm that the room's misses are owned by the room as a whole, not publicly attributed to individual athletes. The room owes Burdens. The room doesn't call out who caused them. This default is what allows athletes to engage honestly with the format without social risk.
- Room as entity
What Is "Room as Entity" in Group Fitness?
Room-as-entity is the design principle that the group in a class should function as a single unit with a single outcome. Here's why this principle changes how group fitness works.
Short answer: Room-as-entity is the design principle that the group in a fitness class should function as one unit, with one outcome the group owns together. The room's score, the room's misses, and the room's adaptations are all collective. Individual athletes contribute to the room's outcome; they don't each have their own outcome in parallel.
- The Freeloader Problem
What Is the Freeloader Problem in Group Fitness?
The freeloader problem is when some athletes in a group class consistently perform below the room's level without the format catching it. Here's how to recognize and address it.
Short answer: The freeloader problem is a format failure, not a people failure. When a group class produces individual scores with no cross-accountability, athletes who coast aren't challenged by the format — and the room adapts around them instead of holding the standard.
- The Freeze
What Is the Freeze in Group Fitness?
The Freeze is the moment at the end of a work phase when all station results lock. Inputs stop accepting changes. The room's results are final.
Short answer: The Freeze is the moment at the end of a work phase when all station results lock. Inputs stop accepting changes. The room's results become final and the room's score for the round is calculated from the locked results.
- Zero-Sum Training
What Is Zero-Sum Training?
Zero-sum training is a group training format where the room is treated as one entity. One station's miss becomes everyone's burden. Here's how the mechanic works.
Short answer: Zero-sum training is a group fitness format where the room is one entity. One athlete's missed rep or missed target becomes a cost the whole group pays, not just the individual who missed.