Choreograph or Freestyle is the best way to train clients in a fitness Club?

It's tough to label anything as "best" as it all comes down to what's best for an individual based on preferences and ability level. That said, in terms of group exercise classes, choreographed classes create an immediate standard of quality throughout your club and your group fitness class schedule. There's no variability lending to years of experience or background of the instructor. It strengthens the entire team and reduces members calling in with concerns about who is teaching class.
Teachers with personality plus will always shine but you as the owner, director have much more quality control from choreographed classes. You can continue to keep some other classes on if you have unique and talented instructors you trust.

either way works, follow your energy that day and most importantly your clients.....you can choreograph a routine, but then your client arrives and either their knee maybe bothering them or their back, or they had a stressful day or a have a headache and you instantly need to revamp it......I freestyle 7 out of 10 times......I modify my own workouts allot to fit the client.....and mix it up to keep it interesting and fun.....but follow their lead allot and give that push they need to get the most out of it all the time.....

There are a few ways to interpret your question, the answers so far are indicating -- many people may confuse dance choreography, which has complicated sequences with a planned class. Also freestyle can work if you are an expert communicator and know how to queue effectively. However, I find the participants in the class determine which approach is most effective. My clients say they prefer to take a class that has some set standard that they can follow in order to get a good workout (is that choreography?). Otherwise, they spend the entire class trying to figure out what to do. At the same time, the attendees have also told me that if they wanted to take dance lessons, they'd go to Zumba or Fred Astaire instead of to the fitness center. I think it's best to do what's right for the members over your personal preference as an instructor. A professional group fitness instructor adapts to every situation and brings the best of his or her training and experience to every class.

I would say it's all about the instructor... if all the instructors had gone through an in depth education and had the right tools to create quality sessions that fits their client needs then pre-choreographed sessions wouldn't have been that attractive. When poor education and certification are all over and instructors prefer paying for getting a session instead of creating it... well... I can't really relate to that as this is not the reason I followed my passion to be part of the fitness industry. Pre- choreographed programs create a generation of instructors that can't think for themselves and becoming a "delivery machines" instead of trainers and instructors. I do support instructors that combine freestyle and choreographed sessions in their schedule and then having the better of the two worlds...

For my friend Yoav...I think you have many years to follow a choreograph program like i used to do in the early 90's...You have to be a good quality trainer in order to follow all the Choreograph classes. They give you quality education and every 3 months you have to follow the new releases so you are keeping your quality live. You have to always be prepare and you know exactly that you are not doing something wrong. Its a lot of research beyond each release. Of course when you are a good trainer or instructor who follows a quality educational official training school like ACE , or ACSM then you know how to deliver quality workouts to your clients. But in both ways you have to Practice a lot!

Choreographed programs may be easy to learn for the instructor but they don't take the participants into account.
If you are stuck with one routine and your class is way under the level of that routine, what will you do?
I think this is the biggest issue with ZUMBA and CrossFit (and others). It's for the instructor and not for the class.
Teaching you a "routine" is a huge money maker for ZUMBA and CrossFit but it does nothing for what a group exercise class is all about which is providing the best workout for those is your class, not the workout that have been designed by a Corporate Executive getting richer and richer by copywriting thier "program"

A seasoned professional will be able to assess their classes needs/levels and then design a workout that will be safe and challenging for the participants.

I think either an be effective. On has to determine the level of the class. If the group prefers predictability, it might be a good idea. If you determine that using a prechoreographed class affects class attendance, it might be time to utilize your own choreography.

Hi Dimitris. My preference is free-style, but I can see benefits to choreographed as well. For example some clients like the comfort level that they develop with a choreographed exercise routine. My preference is to keep em guessing so that they not only develop certain 'moves,' but also certain movement 'skills' that they can use to adapt to unexpected/non-choreographed situations.

LaRue, CSCS
www.lecfitness.com
larue.cook@lecfitness.com

Freestyle classes are a gateway for disaster for the lazy-minded or uncommitted. Structured classes are the gateway for shutting down an ingenious mind which can create change in the world. Those who refuse or can not contribute time to their skills should stick to pre-choreographed programs. Those who are willing to take responsibility for their own growth should be allowed to express their ideas. Without that expression, there would have been no Step, no Spin, no Zumba, no Boot Camp, NOTHING! If a teacher has passion and is willing to work to harness it, stay out of their way and let them soar! Otherwise, we are at a deadend industry! The future is with the 'creaters'! Let them create...

BTW, students who can not follow 'freestyle' can ot do so because their motor skills have been not trained to do so. That being said. training the body to 'react' and reproduce spontaneously feeds the brain cells and the reflexes. There is nothing to benefit from doing the same thing when compared to material that is renewed for the particpant. The trick is the help the particpant slowly adapt so we dont frustrate them. Whether people say they want it or not, they will embrace any success they experience relative to a newly found skill, bar none, provided they aare made to feel 'successful'! Even those who say 'I dont wat to think' really mean 'I dont want to fail'. Psychological this and that.....