“
Consider why people are in
your class. I’ve had it instilled
in me from the beginning that
most people are coming to
my type of classes – Exercise
to Music (ETM), Pilates – to
get to a point in their fitness
where they can comfortably
go through their day. Lifting
bags of shopping. Looking
after the garden. Running for
a bus. When I look at a lot of
instructors, and particularly PTs,
I see them training people as if
they want to be athletes! Some
clients might, but most won’t,
and the sight of everyone being
put through their paces like that
in a gym or class can put a lot
of potential gym-users off.
eep up with the latest
K
thinking and research. There’s
always going to be trends and
new ways of working out that
become popular, and it’s our
job to help clients through that,
but also to know when new
research shows something
to be particularly effective, or
ineffective.
“
The
perception
is that older
people
attend
fitness
classes, not
lead them!”
Keep your clients safe.
Building on from the last two
points, you as the instructor
should always have client safety
at the front of your mind. I’ve
met people who got injured in
group classes because they
As the
instructor
you should
always
have client
safety at the
front of your
mind.”
turned up as a new member of
an experienced class and were
asked to do movements that
were far too advanced for them,
because everyone else in the
class were capable of doing it.
I’ve been in that position, and
it is the quick and easy way to
teach. Yet there are clearly some
instructors out there still making
that mistake!
Communication is key. With
big, busy classes (which you
hopefully have), particularly
if they are made up of older
people and newer members,
you’ve got to be really good at
communicating what’s going
on and why, and spotting when
people are struggling. The
biggest problem on the ETM
courses I’ve been on is keeping
to the beat. If you can’t do that,
while performing the exercises
correctly, your primary method
of communicating what you
want the class to do is gone.
@REPsUK
FM 15