Does anyone also teach group exercise? [euphemism for "aerobics" lol]

[Keltron]

I just started teaching a class labeled as "boot camp". It's pretty fun. I'm teaching it in the gym that I PT at. I'm hoping this will get me more clients. It's pretty easy stuff. I go in circuits consisting of a leg exercise, a push, a pull and then 20 seconds of some kind of cardio. I thought it would be rocket science but it's not.

But since I'm one of the few class instructors that is also a trainer, I was hoping to add a new spin on it. Maybe use the first 15 minutes as a workshop and teach things like deadlifts, hang cleans, maybe even pistols and stuff.

Any thoughts? Ideas?

[DoItUp]

I teach similar classes at the gym I train at. It called a weight loss class.

It's definately a great way to get clients, I found that the circuit style training got the most positive feedback. I use more tubing and balance boards instead of machines. I don't normally use alot of balance boards and tubing I'm a bigger fan of free weights and some machines, but the classes I teach are only an hour and the people in it are fairly over weight and have never been to a gym before. I found that for attendance in these types of classes you have to keep it fun, so that is why I use more tubing wobble boards and steps. I sometimes participate in one of the exercises with them, such as a squat to medicine ball throw (to me)-they usually love that one.

I usually take the first couple classes and go over some basic nutrition for them, and some info on metabolism, I even give them some handouts of short articles that I have written. they usually have little to no knowledge of diet or fitness.

When the block of classes are over I usually focus on the couple people who seemed interested in going further and achieving a certain goal. I usually talk to them and book them a free consultation and go from there. Usually by them they want a personal trainer, and there you go, you have another couple clients. Now you can actually design a specific program for them and achieve results and not have to only use tubing and wobble boards.

hope that helped

[trance__dreamer]

I teach similar classes at the gym I train at. It called a weight loss class.

It's definately a great way to get clients, I found that the circuit style training got the most positive feedback. I use more tubing and balance boards instead of machines. I don't normally use alot of balance boards and tubing I'm a bigger fan of free weights and some machines, but the classes I teach are only an hour and the people in it are fairly over weight and have never been to a gym before. I found that for attendance in these types of classes you have to keep it fun, so that is why I use more tubing wobble boards and steps. I sometimes participate in one of the exercises with them, such as a squat to medicine ball throw (to me)-they usually love that one.

I usually take the first couple classes and go over some basic nutrition for them, and some info on metabolism, I even give them some handouts of short articles that I have written. they usually have little to no knowledge of diet or fitness.

When the block of classes are over I usually focus on the couple people who seemed interested in going further and achieving a certain goal. I usually talk to them and book them a free consultation and go from there. Usually by them they want a personal trainer, and there you go, you have another couple clients. Now you can actually design a specific program for them and achieve results and not have to only use tubing and wobble boards.

hope that helped

i'll be starting to teach group fitness classes in may after i finish my last few hours of practicum experience, & i have the same idea as the above poster: i want to use teaching for a while (few years, maybe, along w/ being a weight room attendant, both for a few years, maybe?) as a transition into personal training when i'm older (...& way more wiser/better @ weeding out bullsht broscience. )

i definately see an element in these classes that i also personally see in personal training. & the reasons for teaching are the same reasons i want to get into personal training: to help people reach their full potential health-wise & appearance-wise, to help them be happier w/ themselves & more in control of their lives, to help people be accountable if they simply can't just do it on their own for whatever reason(s), to help them see exercise in a different light: more enjoyable/less torturous/more results-driven rather than the average wandering doing random stuff for random results gym "idiot"/quite possibly even more FUNNN. (ex.: what's more fun than exercising to the beat/phrasing of music? xD ... says this trance lover ), to help them help their loved ones by passing on my words of wisdom word to 'em, & to also learn about myself & help myself grow as a maturing adult. (we all know that you learn a lot about yourself when you help others.) lastly, one learns a lot more about their field of study/interest & quite possibly sees things in a different light/lens when they teach it to someone else; right? =)

[jules_d1]

If you can get out and do your own bootcamps you'll never want to go back to normal training again. its fun and the earning potential is so much bigger


Say you charge $50 per hour PT, instead you sell 4,6,8 or whatever amount of week bootcamp package that works out to $10 a session and you get 10 people doing it.....you do the math.

[Environ]

But since I'm one of the few class instructors that is also a trainer, I was hoping to add a new spin on it. Maybe use the first 15 minutes as a workshop and teach things like deadlifts, hang cleans, maybe even pistols and stuff.

Any thoughts? Ideas?

If you start doing things that your class attendees either do not want to do or find extremely difficult to do (for whatever reason) or if they just don't like what you are doing, they will all leave.

Rather than just start throwing in things that YOU like, find out what THEY like and do that. You have also got to remember that they came to the class for a reason and you have to make sure that that reason is satisfied.

I teach a few different types of class and you will seldom see a person who goes to, say cardio-aerobics, doing dance. The people going to cardio-aerobics generally want a tough workout that requires little thought, choreography or pauses (some of my class goers will get frustrated if there is a break in the intensity to 'teach' a particular movement or step). Other people come to other classes that I teach because they LIKE choreography and learning new things. Their enjoyment comes from the performance so they do not mind spending a few minutes here and there getting their technique right.

Finally I teach a boot camp class too. I have done a number of different things with this class. I used to do 30 minutes of combat-type cardio (kicking punches, squats, jumping jacks, etc), followed by 30 minutes of body weight exercises. Then I changed the style to where I mixed the body weight exercises into the combat part, so that the class was constantly changing for the whole hour. Then I did a time trial where people had a sheet of exercises. We did intervals - one minute on, 30 seconds rest to prepare for the next exercise. This class was extremely tough and I have to admit that I lost some clients because it was too hard for them. At the moment, I using spin bikes, Reebok steps, dumbbell exercises and body weight exercises in a class with no break. They like it.

But, the point to my post is that you have to give them what they want, not what you think they might want.