How do you tell a person they’re unsuitable for your class?
Hi everyone, I’m developing a group fitness/circuit class for women aged 65-87. I’ve trained this population before, including the 87 year old, who is partially blind. I don’t think she is suitable to take the class because she really can’t see very well and would need a personal assistant; otherwise too much of my time will be drawn to her.
The class format is group warm-up, led by me, followed by partnering up for a circuit that consists of 8 stations/2 exercises each — done 2-3 times, ending with a group cool down. There isn’t enough equipment (barbells, etc) in this apartment gym to do it all as a group at the same time. Even when everyone can see, it still gets a bit chaotic as people figure out what exercise they’re doing and moving in the right direction.
Any words of wisdom on how to tell her I don’t think she’ll be able to do the class? Or, how would you handle it? Thanks.
Thank you all for your thoughtful answers. Just a few clarifications. I didn’t open the group up to this age range. They are all members of the same book club in the apartment building I live in. They contacted me about putting together a class for their members, and the co-leader of the group asked me to encourage the 87 year old not to attend after everyone got a chance to sign up.
To ask the other members of the group to help her would rob them of a workout they’re paying for, and it wouldn’t be fair to other members of the group for me to devote my time to one member for what would be a great deal of the session.
I think it’s best to validate her enthusiasm and abilities and be direct with saying that she would need an assistant in class to help her and keep her safe, then let her make the decision not to attend. Of course, I don’t want make her feel bad about herself regarding her challenges. I totally get it when it comes to people’s feelings.