group fitness

My first BodyPump back

| cheriarmour

I’m kind of getting a kick out of like, telling you what I’m doing as I’m writing.  So now, I’m sitting in the lobby at work (because I needed a locale change), taking a little break from work-work, and decompressing with a little writing.  The lobby is a challenge because you literally see everyone you’ve every known in your life.

People keep stopping, and looking at me sort of suspiciously.

Them: …did you??

Me: Yeah, I did!

Them: …what did you…

Me: A little boy, want to see a picture?

I think everyone is like really hesitant to ask, in case I’m not who they think I am, and then they’ve got this awkward moment where they’re in two camps – I either look like all the other black women they know OR they’ve just implied that I look like I just had a baby.  Which I don’t mind at all, because I did, but I understand how that could be a little off-putting to someone not feeling their best on that day.

*******

So I finally, taught a BodyPump™ class.  It’s one that I haven’t really committed to teaching because it requires a lot of forethought, and teaching it is really hard.  They recommend for instructors to teach the tracks with the same weight that you’re instructing the students to do, so I was not super looking forward to squatting with like a billion pounds on my back when I’d just given birth.

A week or so ago, Abbey, who typically teaches the lunchtime class at this other place I fill in at, cut her hand like cooking or something.  And she cut it badly enough that she had to sub out all of her classes, one of which was like a 30 minutes pump format, followed bay BodyAttack™.  Which I don’t teach, but I offered up a cardio step.  30 minutes works, right?

So, I tried to get my tracks together on one playlist the night before, for organizations sake, but ended up falling asleep when the baby went down around 9:45, and then never waking up to do much of anything.  By the time I got bottles packed and Liam off on that morning, I was running around like a lost little chicken, and barely had my phone charged and myself dressed before I went to go teach the class at noon.  I ran in a few minutes before class was supposed to start (big no-no), and pretty much started the playlist and went off.

I screwed up the entire warm-up.  I’m talking about (if you know this format, you’ll know what I’m talking about) the entire part at the end of the warm-up where you’re supposed to lunge on one side, and then the other was lost, until I realized and fumbled my way back there.  But I smiled a lot.  Since I was running late, I hadn’t gotten the chance to pump and drain everything like I like to do before I work out, and I turned around and what I saw was absolutely obscene.  I was wearing a grey tank top that I’d worn through most of the pregnancy.  Grey is really fun because it shows all of your sweat, but I think I look pretty decent in the color so we have a dilemma.  But as for the obscene part, my boobs were hanging out of the top of my shirt and bouncing with like every single step I took.  It was nuts.  Because there wasn’t a whole lot I could do about it, I just pretended like I didn’t notice, and avoided eye contact with the guy in the front row.  Eep.

Other than my complete chest hanging out due to my lack of planning, and the flubbed warm-up, the rest of the class went really really well, and the cardio portion that I incorporated a step into went awesome as well.  I snapped this before I left…

15621744_10100938345649773_1847357128500329648_n

…and I suppose I’m really feeling okay with the way things are going as far as teaching. I’m definitely, definitely not back to, or capable of, teaching 5-6 days a week right now, or multiple classes a day, days and days in a row. I’m still healing up some of those ligaments that went loosey goosey during the pregnancy, and I’m still not up to 100% high-impact moves. Jumping, for instance, is something I’m not comfy with just yet, so I modify by keeping one foot on the ground, things like that.

So I guess I’m getting back to some things?  And feeling okay about it?  But that was my first Pump.  Looking forward to a few more in the new year.

 

Exercise

| cheriarmour

So update on today.  On yesterday.  Ugh I don’t even knowwww my sense of time is completely nonexistent right now.  But I returned to work for a partial day – and dropped Liam off for his first day of care.  I scrambled for hours – filling bottles and packing lunches, and woke up beyond too early for the morning, and ultimately, did okay.  I cried when we dropped him off, to the point where a little girls’ mother told me she’d felt similarly, and that I would be okay.  She advised me to come a few times next week, hang out, nurse him when I could, and that he would be okay.  To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure how I’m going to do with a full work day yet, but more than a few people have reminded me that no decision is permanent, and that I have a decent enough skill set that I could stay, or take a break, or maybe work from home, or freelance, or whatever.  Nothing is final at this point.

*******

So, I was cleared at six weeks to exercise, which, looking back, was maybe not okay.  Thankfully, I’m not training for the Olympics or appearing on a magazine cover anytime soon, so I really eased into things, and didn’t get too crazy about immediately returning to exactly what I was doing prior to having Liam.

As a side note, we really need to talk about that six-week clearance mark, but we’ll do that later.  I have a lot of words on that.  

Being active is really important to me.  Not necessarily being in a bikini, or looking hot, but being active for the sake of a little energy boost, for the way it makes me feel, and for the fact that it makes the after-workout shower so much more rewarding, it’s really important to me.  So I’ve done a little bit of everything since I’ve felt okay to do so, and I’ve slowly started building back to some level of the strength that I had, while slowly taking off the last of the weight I gained when I was pregnant with my sweet boy.  Here’s what I’ve done, and how it’s felt.

Running

I think the week I was cleared, I went for a short “run” (really, a shuffle), of just a mile, up and down the street we live on.  It was ok, and very clear that I wouldn’t be running 20 miles anytime soon.  Because it because pretty clear after that mile that though I could do it, that it wasn’t perfect, I’ve sort of only run once a week, and have really relied on walking with some hill intervals or repeats on days I’m looking to sweat.

Circuit Training

One of my first workouts back was a circuit at a local studio, Core, located just outside of downtown Raleigh.  Again, I tried to play it safe and smart, and modified anything that didn’t feel great.  A full plank still was painful in the pubic bone region, as were mountain climbers, and instead of crunches, I did some modification on a modified plank, and worked it that way.  What I really, really enjoyed was getting my heart rate up, which we did with the treadmill, some sled pushes, and some very modified burpees.  This was one of the first times I found myself sore since I gave birth.

Gentle Hot Yoga

This was my first formal yoga class in a long while.  This class, taught at Indigo Hot Yoga, is really nice because it’s a good workout, but the supportive and sweet instructor provided plenty of modifications, which I needed.  I am really surprised by how much strength, upper body strength especially, that I lost after having the baby, and this has helped me get it back.  Another unexpected benefit of this class is that the sweating and heat forces me to drink more water, and I think that, plus some love hormone gives me a little milk boost.

Barre3

I took this class at the suggestion of the dietitian at work.  She had a favorite instructor, one who had a wait list for her class.  So I signed up four or five days in advance, and went at 6am, when I knew I could go and get back home before the baby woke up and I could feed him.  The class was really good.  Not a ton of cardio, and I like cardio, but the strength and toning were good, and this class actually got me pretty sore!  I will be signing up for this one again, budget permitting.

Zumba

I hit this old trusty class on Black Friday, and it was good.  It wasn’t my favorite instructor, but she did a good enough job, and it was a decent amount of cardio after I stuffed myself at Thanksgiving.  Some things still don’t feel great, so I kept the higher impact stuff, like little hops or jumps, to a minimum.

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A little heart rate info after Zumba.  Zumba is uniquely one of those things that really gets you to your peak a few times, sort of like interval training.  You won’t get that with gentle yoga or barre generally.  

Orangetheory

This workout was really interesting.  So, I went with a few friends the Saturday morning after Thanksgiving in North Raleigh.  The visit started off well enough, because I called to set up my class, and the woman that answered the phone was so friendly, that I was really excited to go.  Class started at 9:30am, and they asked that as new people, we get there at 9.  I was admittedly running late, and I got there at 9:10am, and I thought I’d be walking into the coach demoing moves, or a safety talk, but what I walked into was a repeat of the questions that I’d answered on the phone, and a sales pitch.

Once class started, it became clear that this would be one of the harder workouts I’ve done, and by the end, I was sweating a ton, especially since we ended with treadmill intervals.  The workout was monitored with a heartrate monitor, and since I’m breastfeeding, I had to do a wrist strap, which seemed to not work for most of the class.  One of the friends I was with experienced the same with her chest strap, which was disappointing.  But by the end, I think it was clear to all of us that this was a really good workout, despite some of the sales pitchy weirdness at the beginning.

Here’s what was kind of off-putting.

Upon class ending, I was on a high.  The coach and a desk manager person held us back in the studio, and then the manager was on us like a cheap suit to talk to us, mostly me since I was local, about packages.  I made it pretty clear that I was planning on dropping in once in a while since I’m still recovering, and I still felt like I was being pushed into buying a package.  I had a baby weeks ago.  So I was pretty weirded out by that.

Following that, I got a phone call from the studio checking in, presumably to sell me stuff, and then I got an email after.  I finally sent an email back, and explained that though the workout was great (one of the better HIIT ones I’ve done in Raleigh), that the pushiness was really quite off-putting.  To which that manager replied that she was sorry, but they just wanted to inform me of their membership options.  GAH.  It’s like it didn’t sink in, at all.  People love to be checked-on, but not sold to from 78 different angles.

That said, the workout was really good, and I will most likely visit another location, Morrisville or Wake Forest before I go to North Raleigh again. I know these guys are pretty much all over, so if you get a chance, I would try this workout out, especially since I feel like these kinds of workouts are really effective for building muscle and losing weight.

So these classes, along with the Fitbit update that encourages you to get 5 days a week of exercise in, has really helped me get my activity levels back up.  Again, I’m taking it nice and easy.  There’s no sense in hurting myself or my milk supply for the sake of saying I did it.  Rather, it’s just really really nice, and a nice way for me to take a short break from momming at 99 mph.

How have you exercised this week?  

 

Getting the hang of it.

| cheriarmour

So, back in November, I went again for my BodyPump certification.  I went for it like the July before I got married, in ’14,  but I let it lapse…in the hustle and bustle of us getting married, I never did my video (I did, but that’s another story), and sort of let it lapse.

[I recorded the video, and we discovered that the camera shut off midway through, and I never refilmed.]

But I went back, did the course again in November, passed, turned in my vid, passed, and started picking up a few classes here and there.

And let me tell you, even though I’ve been teaching for over 6 years at this point, that shit was/is hard. 

When I started teaching, I started with all freestyle classes.  Zumba, then I moved into Toning, and Cycle.  All things I went to trainings for and received credit, but things that really gave you the freedom to play with BPM, music, adding cardio pieces, and generally, screwing up with minimal detection from your class.  Seriously.  I actually restarted a song last night because I blanked.

[Enter Les Mills]

About two weeks ago, I had a mortifying experience with an early morning class.  The class starts at 5:45am, and due to a music disaster, and a late start, I ran into class 3 or 4 minutes late.

First (huge)  mistake.

To my horror, one of the best Pump instructors I’ve ever taken from in my life happened to be in the class.  She had started the warmup, and for that I was grateful, but immediately, I started shaking.  I’d barely had time to shower, I was late and already making a terrible impression, and suddenly, I had the feeling that I was doing to forget everything I knew.

And I did.

I blundered through every. single. track. My music was off.  My counting was off.  I forgot huge chunks.  And I was mortified.

Never, in my entire life, have I struggled so much with a format, and now, never in my life have I wanted to prove myself to myself so badly.  So, I’ve started by attending more classes (something that falls by the wayside sometimes when you’re directing a group fitness program), team teaching more, and subbing more (which exposes you to a new group that you can talk to, and if you’re really good, they’ll ask for you back when your teacher can’t be there. If you suck, you’ll hear it).  But this is hard. And in it being hard, it is 100% infuriating, since I’m strong in other formats.

All that said….how was your Monday?  What did you work out?

What I Would do with my Lottery Earnings.

| cheriarmour

Hullo!

I am really sore.  Like ridiculously sore.  12512311_10100697279453363_6901348544062139_n

I taught a Body Pump class first thing in the morning so I could do my “video” for Les Mills. We all call it “videos” despite the fact that that language alone makes you a strong candidate to be old, but apparently, none of us really seem to mind that a whole heck of a lot. Anyhoo, I did that class at 6am, and I’m really trying this whole morning thing out. The hard thing with that is that I’m still not getting to bed at a great time, so I’m also trying to get in bed at decent hours. I got in bed last night before midnight and am not yet falling asleep at my desk, so maybe this is a win?

So, I’m sure you’ve heard and heard and heard again how intense this Powerball thing is getting here.  The winnings are estimated at up over a billion dollars, and it makes it tempting to play.  I mean, even celebrities are getting in on it, which I sort of resent, but whatever.  I

I  haven’t played, and not sure if I will, but in my off time, I’ve sort of fantasized about what it might be like if I won, right?  And it really isn’t an interesting or particularly noble list, it’s practical.  Maybe that’s selfish.

I’d pay off my student loans.  Probably pay off my sister’s and pay off a few friends.  If you were to sit with us over drinks or coffee, eventually, student loans would come up.  “Hey guys, I better head out.  I’m watching the budget – these loans!”  It would be nice to hang out with friends my age and not have this thing just hanging over our heads.

I’d put $2-$3 million away for our retirement.  Sounds lofty now, but totally manageable if you win the powerball right?  Then we don’t have to worry about outliving our retirement like our parents kind of have to cause they live long af.

Housecleaner.  I am a terrible housekeeper.  I would LOVE some help.  Maybe that makes me a brat, but if I had the money this very individual second, I would totally do it.

Chef.  I would love a chef whose special talent was to make my favorite terrible foods healthy.  And all my favorite healthy foods in their proper portions so I only had to do it (cook) for enjoyment and not for sustenance or making sure I had lunch for the next day.  The biggies for me would be big elaborate salads, soups, and sushi.  I would LOVE to always have sushi on tap.

What would you do if you won the Powerball?

What I do.

| cheriarmour

I posted this picture to social media yesterday.

Alexander TrainingAnd I realize that I’ve always sort of vaguely alluded to what it is that I do, but it’s not really clear to you folks what exactly I do (other than eat and run a lot).  And I’d love to hear what is is you guys, my readers do.

So I am a director at a central Y here in Raleigh.  More specifically, I am the Group Fitness Director.

What does that mean?

Have you ever belonged to a larger gym and taken a group fitness class?  Ever scrolled through the online schedule and cherry picked exactly which class it us what you wanted to take?  Wonder who updates the app?  That person is me!

So, as a Group Fitness Director, there isn’t really a “typical” day, because so much goes into a day and coordination there.  Which I was told when I was interviewing for the job and did the part where they ask if you have any questions.  And what you really want to ask is “how much Ima get paid,” but that’s so rude, you can’t.  And let’s be real, none of us work in nonprofit for the cash, so it really only matters that you can pay your rent and student loans, and most of us are happy!

So there is not a typical day.  But I’ll use today as an example.  Today, a Monday, I’ll try to wake up early and get in a quick workout.  Sometimes that means driving to the branch, parking my car, and doing a short run from there.  Sometimes it means meeting friends over at the state park and busting out some trail miles.  And sometimes it means popping downtown for a HIIT class at a boutique up there, only a few blocks from work.

After this workout, usually I head home, shower, and am in the office between 9:30 and 10 am.  I’ll set my laptop up, and get to answering emails.  On a Monday like today (and this is why it might seem like I’m ignoring your texts on a Monday), I will log into a special program to make sure that my staff (of about 80 instructors) gets paid on time.  If this work isn’t finished, it’s really bad, so you never really want to take a “critical Monday” off of work, and if you are, you need to make sure your boss knows and can sign off on some time sheets.

Usually when I get done with payroll and am sure that any hiccups on the time sheets is fixed, it’s about lunchtime.  Sometimes I’ve thrown something together in a lunchbox and will head down to the lobby with my office mate to eat lunch and chat about life.  Sometimes I go home to eat and let the dog out, and head back to work.

At this point, I’ll send a few more emails, and then get bored enough that I need to do a lap around the building.  I’ll visit my boss, my bosses boss, the HR lady, some of the people in the youth office, and I will head allll the way down to the ground floor to check on the studios.  I’ll pump up some Bosus, check on the bikes, and check the mics.

This time of year, were are gearing up for the annual campaign, our campaign to raise money for our programs, since we are nonprofit, and that means lots of meetings, lots of phone calls, and lots of hustling to make sure we make our goal.  Right now, and today, I am hustling to get volunteers and to encourage folks who may want to volunteers for the campaign, kicking off next month, to learn more.

Mid-afternoon, I usually answer any phone calls I may not have caught, especially while I was working down in the lobby or lapping the building.  And after that, I am usually only left with enough time to quickly change close, and head downstairs to teach one or two classes.

Like I said, my day is rarely repeated.  So while this may be a Monday, a Tuesday may mean that I have a program that I’m running with a local doctor’s office, a Gentle Yoga class to sub, or a broken mic I need to deal with.  Sometimes I feel on top of the world – like every single lick of work I can do has been accomplished.  Sometimes I feel like I have way way more to do, and that I shouldn’t even consider going home, let alone enjoying time to be creative, and write and work on the blog.

I’ve been working to find that balance.

But I will leave you with this.

When I was looking for a job in 2011 and having a really really hard time, my father seemed really really confused as to why I simply wouldn’t just take a job a a local credit union or in finance, the way a lot of my friends at school had.  I couldn’t do it because I was sure I would be miserable, and the thought of sitting at a desk all day, without an opportunity to get up and move around paralyzed me.  You see, our parents grew up in a time where you didn’t have to necessarily enjoy your work, so long as it made you a living.  Call me, call us a bunch of entitled, bratty millenials, but I knew what I wanted.  And the Y was  the perfect marriage of programming, nonprofit work, and a practical teaching piece.

Now, enough about me.  What do you do?  Do you enjoy your work?  

How I Landed My Job

| cheriarmour

Hi! (Whenever I say that, it makes me think of this vine).

I hope you guys had a good 4th. I went to Atlanta with some friends from Elon, while my husband headed to his mom’s to help her move some stuff. It was really cool to see my friends, some of whom I haven’t seen since Elon Homecoming last year. Everyone seems like they’re doing well, and we all get a huge kick out of giving each other a hard time.

Elon ReunionPeep how cute this high-waisted bikini I snagged from ModCloth is!

ModClothI appreciate the vintage style, and I snagged this bikini because I saw this style on a few girls at the beach last week, and was impressed by how forgiving it was.

How I Landed my Job

First off, I totally stole this from Kristyn at Chits and Giggles, who took us through how she landed her gig at Coca-Cola.  It was really interesting because I too came to my job in a fun way, and I’m always interested to see how other folks land their jobs.

So, I am a Group Fitness Director at a Y here.  The job is amazing, incredible, and I feel often like I’m living a dream with the position.

So the way I got it.

I’m not sure I even quite realized that being a Group Fitness Director was a thing until I worked for UREC at NC State.  Suddenly, what I wanted to do started to become clear.  My heart was in group fitness, teaching, weight loss, nutrition, and counseling, and I wasn’t really sure how to do it.

One of the best things I ever did was to get a job with Fleet Feet Raleigh shortly after I graduated, and I’m so grateful that Bob (owner) took a chance on me, and I’ll tell you why in just a minute.

So, in the summer of 2012, the woman who was in my position moved on from the job, and I applied for the position a clueless 20-something with not a whole lot of job experience.  I think I remember the interview going well, but not having networked a ton around Raleigh, and not having a ton of job experience, the position went to another candidate, and I was devastated.  For a few days after I got the news that I didn’t get the job, I took the hit extremely personally, and cried for days.

After crying, I think I wasn’t entirely sure what my next move should be, and I asked people around me what I should do.  A few people were angry on my behalf, and told me that I should quit teaching my classes and sever all ties with the Y.  And I think deep down, we all have that desire in there, but the thought of not teaching my classes anymore there was really even more devastating.  I made the conscious decision to stick it out there, stick with Fleet Feet Raleigh, and begin applying to jobs, learning about the field, and networking with the hopes of eventually becoming Group X Director.

Fleet Feet Raleigh

I’d like to take a second here to talk about my time with Fleet Feet Raleigh (FFR), which I really need to credit for a lot.  Fleet Feet Raleigh is a running specialty shop, specializing in running.  Running shoes, apparel, nutrition, and hydration is our bread and butter.  I have to credit FFRal with helping me to grow as a candidate.  In my time there, Bob (our fearless leader), encouraged and supported my foray into this blog, provided me leadership opportunities, allowed me to learn and play with social media, and really provided me the tools I needed to become more marketable in this field.  He and his wife, Kathy, are truly the bomb.

So, last year, in the thick of us preparing to get married, I received word along with the monthly schedule requests that our Group Fitness Director was moving on elsewhere.  I wanted to go for it again, but I was honestly afraid of how humiliated I might feel if I didn’t get the job again.  One night, walking around the mall parking lot, I asked Austin about what he thought.  He was supportive, told me to go for it, and reminded me that if I didn’t get it for whatever reason, that I shouldn’t beat myself up, and that it didn’t mean that I wasn’t valuable.

So I sent Matt, my current boss, an email, and explained that I had applied for the position once before, and hadn’t gotten it, but was still interested.  He responded, and called me within the next few days, and asked if I’d like to set up an interview.

!!!

I really don’t remember a ton about that first interview to be honest, because I was trying to approach it as chill as possible.  Matt called me a few days later and asked me to come back for a second interview, this one an interview with maybe four people there.  That was was intimidating, but I really tried to speak from my heart.  I talked about my passion for group fitness.  I talked about not getting the position before and the grown I felt like I’d had in the 2(ish) years since.  I just was really honest.

Again, a few days later, Matt called and asked me to come in to meet with our branch director.  This interview was really more like a chat, and Dan was really warm and welcoming to me.  Again, I was really trying to be chill about this whole thing, so I tried not to get too excited, and with each meeting, I made sure to send a thank you and remind myself that if this didn’t go my way, there was probably a reason why it wouldn’t work out.

Matt stayed in touch with me.  He assigned me to evaluate a class one weekend.  He checked in with me regarding salary.  And finally, one day when I was at work, I recognized Matt’s phone number.

“Hey Cheri!  Is now a good time?”

Is that a trick question…

“We just want to thank you so much for going through this process with us..”

Oh dammit.  He’s breaking up with me…prepare for it…here it comes…

“…With the passion and the growth you’ve demonstrated…and…we just wanted to go ahead and offer you the position.  Now we don’t want you to answer us today, I want you to take a day or two to think about it..”

!!!

One fist went up in the air.  But I had to keep it together so I wouldn’t look like a jerk on the phone and so I wouldn’t distract from the regular day going on at my job.

Needless to say I took the job.  And I have not looked back.  I truly feel like I’m living my dream.  I get to teach classes, schedule classes, supervise a large staff, and develop my skills at a nonprofit – all things I feel truly passionate about.  I actually enjoy going to my job, and can see myself there for a long time, and hope that they feel the same about.

So all that great big long post aside:

What do you do (work-wise)?

How did you land your job?

To be a good, no, GREAT fitness instructor!

| cheriarmour

A few weeks back, I addressed some questions that folks have had for me regarding becoming a fitness instructor, which I did back in 2009.  That was the catalyst for a major life change for me – I dropped a whole lot of weight, and changed the course of  my career.  I’m now a Group Fitness Director, and blog – a little about running, and a lot about life – two things I would never have done had I not signed up for a Zumba® Fitness Training like 5 years ago.

I talked about how to get to teach at a gym once you do get the appropriate certifications here.

Now, let’s talk about once you start teaching.  How do you make sure that you’re a good – GREAT – fitness instructor?

Fitness instructorOnce you’ve started teaching, there are a few things to remember that will take you to the next level….

  1. Keep going to other folks’ classes.  Just because you teach a full schedule doesn’t mean you should completely stop taking other classes.  For one, you get to work out, for two, you can learn a ton of new stuff.  You get to see how other teachers cue, and cherry pick things you love about classes, as well as some that you’d rather leave behind.
  2. Keep up with your continuing education.  Fitness is not a one-and-done type of deal, and should never be.  Continue to take classes that not only interest you, but those that will challenge you, and those that will strengthen you as an instructor.
  3. At the beginning of each class?  Introduce yourself by name, and introduce the format of the class.
  4. Always ask if there is anyone who is new to class, not to embarrass them or single them out in anyone way, but to make sure that you explain some things to folks who are new to class.  Are there any contraindicated movements?  Anything you need to remind them off?
  5. Always remind the class that there are modifications to every movement that should make the movement safe for any “special” population.  That term refers to anyone who may be injured, our folks who are morbidly obese, folks who are physically handicapped in some way, elderly populations, or even pregnant folks.  Remind the class that there are modifications, but don’t assume that just because someone is elderly, that they’re not interested in a squat.  These mods are for everyone!
  6. Eye contact is important.  Make eye contact with every single person in the class.  Make each person feel like they are the most important person in the room at some point.  Because they are!  They are the reason why you’re doing what you’re doing.
  7. Your class is not the time to show out or show off.  Leave your ego elsewhere.  Your job is to be the ambassador to a good, safe, healthy time.  Straight up, don’t be a douche.
  8. Smile!  Be genuine!  Seriously.  Nothing worse than an instructor who acts like the funeral march should be playing, or that they should be taken ridiculously seriously.

So there are my tips (just before the holiday) on how to be a great instructor that your students will <3.  What is your favorite group exercise class to attend?  Who is your favorite instructor? 

You’re a fitness instructor, now what?

| cheriarmour

So first and foremost, I would be a sucky blogger not to acknowledge the fact that our country has been thrown into turmoil.  And not to get all political on the blog, but suffice it to say that being black in this country over the past few weeks has been really difficult.  Like, my chest-is-tight-what-the-hell-are-we-gonna-do-to-make-sure-this-never-happens-again difficult.  I’m praying.  Hard.

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So in a continuation of yesterday’s post we’re talking today about what happens after you take the plunge and go for a weekend and get your license or your cert in a certain fitness format.

Becoming a fitness instructor
Aw snap, Nike Hoodie Cheri is back….

First things first.  I kind of thought about this after I wrote the post that went live yesterday, however, I didn’t really address the process that goes into becoming a Yoga instructor.

So for starters, I am not certified to teach Yoga.  I love Yoga, and one day, I may become certified, however, I think it’s important to realize that Yoga instructors go through a different, much more intensive process to get certified.  A lot of times it involves a lot of money, some travel, and a lot of continuing education workshops.  If any of you guys are looking to become more proficient in the Yoga arena, I definitely can point you in the right direction, however, this isn’t necessarily the post, or post series for you.

Moving right along…

So we talked about the appropriate steps to go through to become an instructor in your area of choice.  So you’ve done all that stuff, right?  How do you become a working instructor?  How do you continue to deliver safe, effective, and relevant classes?  How do you make sure that you don’t get yourself in legal trouble?

Here we go.

So, for starters, you’ve got your certs and your licenses, right?

  1. Get your CPR stuff updated.  Honestly, it’s not a bad idea to have that stuff done anyways, and a lot of time, your job will offer it, or get it paid for for you.  It seems silly, but you never know when you’re going to need it, and you have to have it to teach at most gyms.
  2. Continue to take classes in the time you’re not teaching. I can’t stress this enough, but you need to be auditing other classes.  What are other instructors doing? What’s hot in the streets?  What’s up with music?  What do the classes seem to respond to?  What doesn’t work, even?
  3. Contact the group fitness director at the club/gym you’d like to teach out.  So, that’s what I do when I’m not running/teaching/writing.  I am the director of a large group of fitness instructor.  My job is to coordinate like a million instructors and make sure our group fitness schedule is diverse, robust, and running effectively.  If this info isn’t clearly listed on the club’s website, call the front desk and ask for the group fitness manager, or the director of group fitness.  Usually, they can at least provide you with an email address. When you contact his person, introduce yourself, clearly outline what classes and formats that you’re comfortable teaching, and ask if you can come in to do a demo.
  4. If your demo is good, it should be pretty easy to get onto the schedule, or at least on the sub list.  If you’re on the sub list, sub often and be available, and you should be a regular instructor in no time.   

As you can see from the tips above, once you get your certs and licenses together, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get on a schedule somewhere, provided you’re a good instructor (a topic we will touch on), and you’re prepped to either teach your one format like a rock star, or you can teach a variety of formats well (seriously, we LOVE that stuff).

This is how you get IN.  Now stay tuned, next week we talk about what makes a good instructor, and what makes a ::shudder:: bad one : )