GROUP FITNESS MANAGEMENT
CREATING A
DYNAMIC TEAM
By equipping themselves with the skills to gain and retain an outstanding team of instructors, GFMs can
build a truly successful group fitness program, says Kirsty Nield.
ost multi-purpose fitness facilities
have group fitness as part of their
service offering. This is a good
thing for all concerned, because it is the
group fitness program that helps form the
social life and culture of the gym. By making
fitness fun and social, it can keep club
members coming back week after week and
renewing their membership year after year.
Indeed, the group fitness department can be
the heart and soul of the club: kick starting
relationships,
providing
memorable
experiences and getting real fitness results
for members.
M
Having a dynamic group fitness program which facilitates these
experiences largely comes down to the instructors who teach the
classes, the kind of classes on offer and the facilities in which the
classes are held. However, none of this would happen without a great
leader – the Group Fitness Manager (GFM).
The Group Fitness Manager
Due to the significance of group fitness, the GFM plays a vital role
in the overall success of a club. Being a GFM is a challenging role.
You’re on call seven days a week; you need to be versatile and have
the skills to teach all sorts of classes; you need to be diplomatic and
professional and keep a level head. But that’s not all – you should
also be patient, compassionate, understanding, creative, intuitive
and resourceful. More? You need to be tough yet kind, a good
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