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Confessions of a group exercise instructor

11/8/2013

9 Comments

 
It's hard to believe that it has been over seven years since I started teaching group exercise classes.  According to my quick calculations, that means I've taught about 900 classes.  While according to Malcom Gladwell, author of, "Outliers", I have a long way to go before I become an expert (approximately 9,100 classes), I have certainly learned a lot over these past seven years.  It is often the highlight of my day, and a extra special class can maybe even be the highlight of my week.  I've made such great connections with not only the participants in my class, but the other instructors as well.  When you get a group of instructors together, you can't help but talk about your classes that week, and yes, sometimes we even talk about the participants (mostly good things, I promise).  So, I put together a list of 10 group fitness instructor "confessions".  ENJOY!
Confessions of a group exercise instructor

We like the music loud

And I mean LOUD!  In a perfect world, the music would be so loud that you couldn't hear me, even with the mic - you would be able to read my mind to know what we're doing next.  I may have the music taste of a 12 year old girl (cue the Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift), but I like my music loud.  It gives me energy.  Some people drink Red Bull, I listen to my music loudly!
Confessions of a group exercise instructor
music_w8themes.com

We have bad days too

We all have bad days, but as a group fitness instructor, you check your day and everything that went wrong at the door. You put on a happy face for your participants because they paid to get a great workout in a happy environment.  The beauty of it?  By the end of the class, we usually forget what was bugging us that day.

We are not impressed by all the weight you can lift or pushups you can do if you don't have good form

We put a lot of time into putting together a challenging workout for you.  We aren't keeping track of your weight, so don't try to impress us.  We will notice and correct you if you aren't using proper form though - we don't want you to get hurt!  You want to put a ton of weight on your bar for the bicep track in Bodypump and then do bicep rows the whole track?  Oh, that's nice, but we're curling over here.  We're not impressed.
Confessions of a group exercise instructor

We love it when you smile

Confessions of a group exercise instructor
eofdreams.com

Just like loud music, smiling and happy faces give us energy.  We're not comedians, and I know most of the time our jokes aren't funny, but humor us and give us a chuckle.  It lets us know you're paying attention!

We might not know you're name, but we know your capabilities, potential and preferred brand of sneaker

It sometimes is embarrassing to ask you your name for the third, fourth or even fifth time.  It's even more embarrassing when we've had about ten conversations about your new sneakers, your upcoming wedding, your kids, but I don't even know your name.  Personally, I'm terrible at remembering names, so I apologize.  It doesn't mean I don't remember you.  I remember that you did your first push-up on your toes last week, I remember you finally got that hamstring combo, but I most likely don't know your name.

We encourage feedback (good or bad)

Unless your feedback is that the music is too loud.  Just kidding - it's your class and if you want the music lower, I will begrudgingly oblige.  Some people wear earplugs to my class - just saying.  But seriously, we want to make the class the best for you as the participant, so be sure to let your instructor know your thoughts!

We would rather you didn't bring your cell phone to class

I'm actually pretty lonely in the camp of "I don't care if you bring your phone into my class as long as you aren't disrupting the class", but most (if not all) of my instructor friends think you should leave your phone in your locker.

We take other instructors' classes

At least half of what I've learned about group exercise classes has been from taking other instructors' classes.  It helps us develop as an instructor and also gives us an idea of what else is going on at the gym.

We sometimes prefer to workout on our own

We LOVE teaching group exercise classes.  I mean REALLY REALLY REALLY love it!  But, sometimes, we like to work out on our own too.  It's a much different type of workout, and it gives us time to work on things that can't be addressed in a group setting (and time to come up with those crazy moves we're having you do during class).

You make our day!

I've said it before and I'll say it again - one of the best part about teaching group exercise classes is the connections we make with other people.  We watch people struggle, reach goals, smile, grunt - really every emotion comes out during our classes, and we're there for it all.  This hour is often the best part of our day, and YOU are the reason why!
Confessions of a group exercise instructor
Are you a group fitness instructor with a confession?  Share below!
9 Comments
Christina link
11/8/2013 01:02:58 am

Great post! I agree with all your points lol, especially loud music, feeding off energy and not being impressed with weight over form. Although, I get the opposite problem sometimes, too: folks afraid to go up in weight!

Reply
FitYaf link
11/8/2013 01:16:51 am

That's a great point Christina! You gotta encourage them to go up too!

Reply
Ange @ Cowgirl Runs link
11/8/2013 02:08:13 am

Not a fitness instructor, but I can see how those would ring so true.

I'm currently missing group fitness classes, I love Les Mills classes, but there isn't a gym near me that offers them :(

Reply
Portia
11/8/2013 02:13:36 am

Awesome Jillian! So spot on!!

Reply
Rosemary link
11/8/2013 05:54:41 am

I agree with the loud music. Some want it low, but I still
play it fairly loud. It pumps you up , and gives you energy!!! I agree-with smiles and happy faces. I do care about the progress that they are making with their weight and health. I am there to help them to reach their goals. I love my students and how much they enjoy my class- it makes my job so awesome!!!!!

Reply
Melanie
11/8/2013 11:29:13 am

This is awesome. You've captured so many of the thoughts and feelings of many of us. I have been a group fitness instructor for 30 years now and I enjoy it just as much (even more) than when I started. I've learned so much through the years and we have an AWESOME instructor network at my YMCA - love my peeps. Thanks for sharing this

Reply
Rita
11/11/2013 03:46:20 am

Very well summarized confessions. I do love LOUD music as well. I also like when people smile in my class, so I make jokes to pump some energy and to encourage them to work harder and don't give up. I love love my job!!

Reply
Julie
11/12/2013 05:15:50 am

Smiles and feedback - good or bad! I love to hear moans or groans or even complaints of how much they hate a move! Gives me more energy :) Great post and I love group fitness!

Reply
ShareTheFit link
11/13/2013 09:17:20 am

Awesome post! I know that most people think instructors are super fitness machines... Thanks for showing us you are human too!

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    Jillian [FitYaf]

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