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Most Successful Cooking Class: 15-Minute Meals

What if teaching clients how to cook became part of your training? What if a cooking class could help you recruit new clients into your facility? What if a teaching kitchen program could add dollars to your bottom line and create buzz in your community?

Putting a kitchen inside your gym can make all that happen.

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The Freestyle or Prechoreographed Debate

Over the past decade, group fitness has splintered into two groups: those who believe wholeheartedly in “original” choreography and class design (“freestyle”) and those who lean more toward templated programs based on exercise science, matched with synched soundtracks (“prechoreographed”). Both options are popular, and both have advantages and disadvantages.

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Teaching While Pregnant: What You Need to Know

Many years ago, while I was pregnant with my second child, something happened that I hope no other group fitness instructor goes through. As I was driving to teach class I experienced some cramping—but dismissed it. After all, I didn’t have anyone to cover for me and needed to get to the studio.

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Suspension Exercise: The Research

Suspension exercise combines body weight and anchored, seatbelt-like straps to provide an alternative to free weights and machines. Do these strap-based training systems work as well as more traditional resistance training tools.? Learn what the research says.

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Overcoming Misconceptions

Eduardo Sanchez, MD, MPH, FAAFP, serves as the American Heart Association’s (AHA) chief medical officer for prevention. Prior to joining AHA, Sanchez served as vice president and chief medical officer for BlueCross BlueShield of Texas and, before that, as director of the Institute for Health Policy at the University of Texas School of Public Health. From 2001 to 2006, he served as state health officer of Texas, where he led the consolidation of public health, mental health and substance abuse agencies into one single agency: the Texas Department of State Health Services.

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Preparing for Ski Season

Use a three-pronged approach to help frail participants move better, get stronger and improve their balance.

Like to ski? Are you in ski-ready shape? A well-rounded exercise program can strengthen specific muscles used in skiing and set you up for success. Beverly Hosford, MA, author, presenter and Muscle Activation Techniques™ certi?ed specialist, explains how.

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Become a Fit-Tech Guinea Pig

You don’t learn how to ride a bike by reading a book about it. You have to get on and start pedaling. The same is true of fitness technology: To learn it, you have to use it.

That’s why I recommend you become a fit-tech guinea pig—experimenting on yourself to see what works. Fitness technology offers motivational tools that can do the following:

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SMR Focus in Classes Proves Popular

Praise for IDEA Personal Trainer Institute™ East

Editor’s note:

In the Question of the Month section of our September Mind-Body-Spirit News column, we asked readers how they were incorporating self myofascial release (SMR) into programming. Here are a few ideas to consider:

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The Barre Boom Bonanza

Susan Grimm, 60 years old, in Orlando, Florida, says, “When I opened the door of the 1 Body Studio, managed by Leslee Bender, I felt at home. I had been turned away before from an expensive local barre studio. After two C-sections and much weight gain, I felt horrible about myself. I tried health clubs but always felt out of place. In 1 Body Studio’s barre class, I could go at my own pace. I try to come three or four times a week. I’ve lost 40 pounds, but the weight loss is icing on the cake. I feel stronger now. I hear my body more now than ever.”

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Creative Ideas That Inspire

Located in Boston, The Club by George Foreman III offers

BOX-FIIT 360™.

Participants complete 36 minutes of ?circuits, visiting 12 individual stations. The class combines cardio, strength and boxing through a variety of training modalities, including suspension exercises, rowing, biking, kettlebells, boxing, jump rope and turf exercises. The workouts change weekly to provide members with new goals.

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Sample Class: Reaching the Summit!

Who doesn’t love a hill? If you want to add interest and attention to your next cycling class, make climbing your focus. The thrill of a hill can be any combination of challenging climbs and fast, fun downhills. The goal: to reach the summit!

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Resisted Rotation

There are many unique and creative ways to help participants strengthen their cores. This mini routine improves sports performance and enhances bone mineral density in the cervical spine. In sports-themed classes, instructors often teach exercises in unstable body positions. You can, of course, also teach core moves from an unstable posture (Willardson 2007). Train the core for proximal-to-distal force generation with simple equipment that most fitness facility group fitness studios already have: rubber resistance tubing and bands (Kibler, Press
&
Sciascia 2006).

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