Does anyone have a link to the national standards for group fitness instructors?

I agree with Karin for the most part Debbie, however, I think the problem lies in the fact that many group fitness certifications are self-study.

Too, some gyms on their website have the biography of the instructor online. In addition, when a new member joins an informed consent is generally filled out.

Hopefully, it has been reviewed and the new client has been risk assessed. If the person is a risk client, he/she would have had to produce a release from their physical saying it's okay for the person to participate in moderate to vigorous physical activity.

Often in gyms, classes at peak time are back to back. People are hustling in instructors are collecting their music, ipods, water bottle, etc. and there is little time for what I believe is just good old-fashioned manners.

However, to answer your question, I've never seen a national standard for group fitness instructors.

Perhaps what may help you is a job description or instructor evaluation form from the employer. Typcially those forms will list specific expectations you are seeking.

That is funny you should ask that question.... I work in the Kinesiology department at a University and we are in the process up updating/modifying our program. I teach a class called "Group Exercise" (where I teach our students about group exercise classes-including instruction methods) and a class called "Exercise Leadership" (where they take what they learned in Group Exercise and put it to the test by teaching some classes to their peers).

Last week I was in charge of looking up the national standards that align with my courses, so I went to look at the ACE GFI certification and basically looked at the Domains they break their exam content into and used that as a guide (I did the same using the ACSM Group Exercise Instructor certification) to make sure we are preparing our students for those exams (should they choose to become certified to teach group fitness classes).

Additionally, I use this textbook in my classes--it is a great book and does go over and explain "Pre-Class Preparation/Organization" (i.e., get to the room early to set up the necessary equipment and greet participants; begin by introducing yourself and the class format; etc.). It does not align specifically with any particular organization, but it is a textbook written by professionals in our field for use in college (and other) courses.

The book is "Methods of Group Exercise Instruction" by Carol Kennedy-Armbruster & Mary Yoke. There is a 2nd Edition, and it includes a helpful DVD that goes along with lessons/chapters in the textbook.