Montell begins her section on cult fitness with a scene of her and her parents attending Patricia Moreno’s virtual intenSati class, during which Montell had to shout and repeat gestures that ultimately led her to cry. The pairing of physical movement with spiritual practices is increasingly common in modern fitness, thanks to yoga. Group fitness increases endorphins. Inspired by yoga’s success with blending the physical and the spiritual, groups like the Bar Method and CrossFit rose to popularity in the 2000s. These boutique groups have little in common on the surface, but they all create a culture around self-improvement that promises much more than better physical health. Part of this surge in fitness groups can be attributed to the decline of faith in religious and medical institutions in the United States, especially among urban Millennials with extra spending money. SoulCycle is another group that at first resisted the notion of being cult but later embraced the playful terminology and implemented even more religious language, like calling the studios sanctuaries.

From the outside, fitness cults may wrinkle noses with religious language and lofty ideas, but Montell was surprised to find herself so easily moved by the intenSati class she took. Fitness studios and brands alike are aware of