Unleash the Power of Group Fitness

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I am a strong believer in the idea that to keep improving as a teacher you must constantly seek out opportunities to be a student.  I find that the most cost-effective way to pick up new ideas and see first-hand the “how-not-tos” of our profession is to take group fitness classes.  Recently, I attended a “Pilates” class that got me thinking about how honest we are when we name and describe our classes.

What’s your name?

First off, think about the classes that you teach or take.  Have you checked out your gym’s schedule to read the description of what they are telling people to expect in your class?  If a substitute came in to teach the class for you based solely on the description, what are the chances it would turn out similar to the class you teach?

Now before you get all excited and tell me that you have to give wildly interesting names and descriptions so that members will want to try your classes, know that I understand that side of group fitness.  There is some marketing and advertising that has to go into the development of the class description to attract folks to try them.  But are you being honest when you craft that message? 

For instance, that Pilates class I mentioned….  On the schedule it said, “PILATES - A mat class of movements designed to stretch, strengthen, and balance the body.”  That sounded pretty standard, based on all that I have known about Pilates since I started practicing in 2001 and teaching in 2005.  However, the class that I took was not a Pilates class at all!  At best, it was a sculpting class which incorporated the stability ball and balance exercises for more of a functional fitness workout.  Now, I can make excuses for the teacher and forgive her for things like being tasked with filling in this time slot with the best she could do on short notice, or for evolving her class away from traditional mat exercises to using small apparatus for a little more interesting workout.  But there was nothing even remotely resembling the Pilates created by Mr. Joseph Pilates 100 years ago to be found in this class!  So I had to wonder….  Why were they calling this class “Pilates” when it so obviously wasn’t?  Was it because of the brand value of a name like Pilates?  Was it just an oversight that had never been corrected?  No.  A short discussion with the teacher revealed that she was a personal trainer with certifications in functional fitness and that “Pilates” was a class meant to train your core, which she had done.

Hmmm….

I’m not here to bash that teacher or to exculpate her.   I am certain she had no malicious intent nor was she out to dupe her students.  I simply want to use this story as an example of why honesty is just better.  Not only so that we help our members choose the classes that are appropriate and interesting to them, but so we don’t inadvertently lie to them.  The better job we do explaining what to expect, the more they will trust us and want to be in our classes.

There are many other examples of where we go wrong in our descriptions:  Making a sculpting class sound like a pure cardio class because of the cardio effect weight lifting can have when done with little rest; promising a gentle or a beginner’s class, but then getting carried away with our need to push and prod our students; or, using a licensed, proprietary name for a class when the instructor is not certified to teach it, such as Spinning© or Tae Bo©.  Even if our intentions are good, we should make the effort to deliver what we have promised.  If you still aren’t convinced, take this simple analogy:  How unhappy would you be if you bought a Timbaland CD but a U2 disc was in the jewel case? U2 is arguably a decent band with some good music, but is it what you ordered? 

What’s the Solution?

The easiest way to know if you are being honest about what you teach is to read the schedule and ask yourself if it fits.  If there is even the slightest discrepancy, you should do one of two things:  Change the format or change the name/description.  If you really aren’t sure, ask a trusted friend, mentor or your director to shop your class (great way to get other valuable feedback, by the way!) and tell you whether or not you need to tweak.  Try taking other classes that have the same or similar name from your own gym or other gyms in the area and make a comparison.  Every time a new schedule comes out, reread your description and check that it still applies.  Sometimes the director will change things on you and you won’t know unless you look!  Don’t be afraid to be completely honest about whether or not you are delivering what is promised and to make the corrections that need to be made.  Your students will appreciate that you took the time to tell them the truth when you named your class.

This post is going to attempt to address some of the basic steps you’ll need to take to get started teaching group fitness.   Keep in mind, this is only a guide.  There are many ways of approaching this industry, and this is just my advice based on my experience.

 1. Take classes.  It seems obvious (I hope), but in order to understand what will be expected of you as a group fitness instructor it helps to have attended classes prior to becoming an instructor.  For the most part, group fitness instructors are folks who loved fitness classes so much they wanted to teach.  However, there are many folks who come in to the group fitness arena because they are skilled in a “trendy” activity that the director wants to turn into a fitness class, e.g. Capoeira, Belly Dancing, Tennis — I have seen all kinds of specialty classes.  These classes fail frequently when the instructor isn’t given an understanding of what group fitness participants want from their workout.  To those instructors especially, I encourage you to take a couple of classes and get a feel for what the people in the room are there for.

2.  Get your CPR certification.  Almost all certifications require it, as do most gyms.  You can find a class offered by either the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association by visiting their websites and searching for offerings in your area.  You can also inquire at your health club, local hospital or by checking the yellow pages for EMT training courses.  The class you are looking for is Adult CPR, probably with AED.  The AHA calls it “Heartsaver” training. 

 3.  Decide what you want to teach.  There are numerous certifiying bodies and certification types for you to choose from.  There are certifications for just about every style of class available, plus proprietary classes (like LesMills and TurboKick), and general certs.  If you want to teach Yoga, it makes more sense for you to earn yoga credentials than a general fitness cert.  While some certifications provide general information that can apply to a variety of styles, you should pick the cert that makes the most sense for you.  Ask instructors of the classes that you want to teach which ones they have to get an idea of where you can look in addition to the list here.  This is only a handful of the “better-known” certfications and is certainly not all-inclusive.  It is also not an endorsement of any particular program (hence, just the links).  If you have a suggestion for a class I’m missing, please let me know!

General Group Fitness

• AFAA - (If you live in or near a city where they will host APEX this year, you can get their certifications for $99/day)
• ACE 
• NETA

Indoor Cycling

• Johnny G Spinning/Mad Dogg Athletics
• Cycle Reebok 
• Schwinn
• LeMond Fitness RevMaster Indoor Cycling

Step

• AFAA
• BodyStep by LesMills (Please see Les Mills in the proprietary section.)

Pilates

• Stott Pilates
• PHI Pilates
• BASI Pilates
• FiTour
• AFAA
• NETA

Yoga

Yoga certification is a process of study that can take 800 hours, and usually involves studying under a mentor.  Check your local yoga studio for suggestions to begin this process. 

Proprietary

Your gym may be licensed for a specific brand of classes.  Some will be exclusive to one brand, others may allow a blend of branded and unbranded classes on their schedule.  Check with the director of the club where you want to teach to find out what your options are.  Here are a few proprietary brands:

• BodyStep, BodyPump, RPM, BodyJam, BodyFlow, etc by Les Mills
• Billy Blank’s Tae Bo

4.   Sign up for the certification class and start any pre-workshop studying.  Once you take the course and pass the exam, you will receive your certificate and can begin looking for a place to teach.

5.  Get a mentor.  Ask for an experienced instructor to allow you to take their classes, learn from their example,  and be a source for information and advice.  Better yet, get hired on at a gym that has this type of program already in place for new instructors.  Most people will be flattered and excited about helping someone who truly is seeking out assistance in getting started the right way. 

One last quick comment about certifications:  there are many organizations out there that will get you “certified” just so that they can take your money.  The fitness industry is laden with scams for everyone, not just those who want to lose weight.  There are many choices out there so do your homework, ask around and get the facts before you give them money.  I have experience with each of the organizations above and while some come more highly recommended than others, I wanted to give you a variety for comparison purposes.  Again, if you aren’t sure if the cert will get you a job, ask the manager at the facility where you want to teach!!

 Best of luck!