Peggy Gregor, AFAA, ACE
Peggy Gregor, AFAA, ACE
Article Archive
When college football recruiters started taking an interest in my son’s skills on the gridiron, I came to a useful realization: When it comes to attracting talent and developing winning teams, head coaches and group fitness directors have a lot of parallel priorities.
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In the fitness business, where many personnel are part-time, employee conduct can easily be overlooked. Given their schedules, some fitness facility employees may not even have contact with management. Continued success and growth depend on a code of conduct that goes beyond such basics as punctuality and appropriate dress. If your facility doesn’t have a standard operating procedure that governs staff conduct, now is the time to start one. The areas of concern dealt with in this article are some of the most important ones to be addressed.
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In the fitness business, where many personnel are part-time, employee conduct can easily be overlooked. Because of their schedules, some fitness facility employees may not even have contact with management.
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The group exercise schedule is one of the most overlooked, undervalued tools at a fitness facility. Too often, it’s viewed as a simple grocery list of classes for members—and is not recognized as a powerful way to drive sales.
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For years, group exercise instructors have been debating the topic of creativity. The controversy usually arises when facilities license preprogrammed classes. Some instructors argue that preprogramming limits creativity. They feel that “free-style” classes are more creative and are better suited for advanced participants, who “crave complex movements.”
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My teenage son Dennis is a high-school football player who suffered a season-ending concussion last fall. Once his doctors had cleared him to exercise, they advised a low-intensity approach to conditioning. He began attending my Pilates reformer classes and incorporated some mat work at home. When he returned to the weight room for off-season conditioning, he noticed a difference in his strength and wished his teammates could share the experience.
Coaches on Board
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If you’ve managed a group fitness department long enough, you’ve probably felt like the “red-headed stepchild” more than once. If your facility is like a host of others, your department isn’t considered a separate profit center, but rather a part of membership. Since group exercise doesn’t usually have a “home” on the profit and loss statement, payroll is often the only line item attributed to it. Consequently, when cuts are made, guess which department is most often flagged!
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My teenage son is a high-school football player who suffered a season-ending concussion last fall. Once his doctors had cleared him to exercise, he began attending my Pilates reformer classes and incorporated some mat work at home.
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Recruiting group exercise instructors can be a challenge. It’s an ongoing assignment, not something you do only when you’re faced with a hole in the schedule. Be proactive and seek out talent on a regular basis. This allows you to build a stronger, more dedicated team. Start with the participants in your existing classes.
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Have you forgotten your roots? Did you become a group fitness instructor because you loved taking classes? Once you become a teacher, you sometimes lose touch with that spark of joy you felt in the beginning. Sure, you may attend continuing education workshops, but you don’t even think about attending classes in your own facility. Maybe it’s time to rethink that. Attending someone else’s class may be just what you need to supplement your education and growth.
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Gathering group exercise staff for meetings is a challenge. Part-time status, jobs outside your facility and family obligations place time constraints on most team members. It may be hard for staff to justify returning to the center for a meeting that typically turns into a review of club policies and events—or into a gripe session.…
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Joseph Pilates often spoke of “principles of movement.” Over the years, Pilates enthusiasts and students have cited many principles. Six have remained consistent through the years, acting as pillars of practice. They are concentration, control, centering, precision, flow and breathing. These powerful precepts are relevant not solely to Pilates moves, however. They can be valuable tools for ensuring a safe, efficient, results-oriented workout in any type of exercise or group fitness class.
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If you teach group exercise long enough, you’re bound to encounter the group exercise diva. The diva’s behavior tends to create a negative experience for the majority of attendees. Unfortunately, the instigator often goes unchecked, which can lead to higher attrition rates and less class participation. As an instructor, you are responsible for controlling your class.
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If you teach group exercise long enough, you’re bound to encounter the group exercise diva. This self-proclaimed privileged member wreaks havoc in your classes and throughout the club. She is the person who feels that rules apply only to others—not to her. She (or he!) displays disrespect for the group exercise experience, the instructor and the other participants. The diva’s behavior tends to create a negative experience for the majority of attendees. Unfortunately, the instigator often goes unchecked.
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Group exercise directors face a variety of challenges and are often forced to make tough decisions. Case in point: choosing which instructor gets to teach a particular class. Many instructors do not have a clear understanding of the director’s decision-making process, and their confusion may lead to hurt feelings, animosity and tension among the team. This article will look at both …
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Fitness can be fun, particularly when your participants think that they are playing a game. Most don’t realize the many health benefits they are achieving as they are focused on the fun. This game gets all participants involved and has something for everyone, so that each child can feel successful in a physical education class. Fitness Monopoly gives students an opportunity to…
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As I approached the pool to teach my first water fitness class, the theme from Jaws grew progressively louder in my head. Looking through the window, I could see the “sharks” beginning to circle—these were the regular participants known for chewing up many highly skilled instructors in the past. Obviously, they were awaiting the arrival of the “new” instructor: me. I developed a lump in my thro…
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Group fitness instructors are key players in building a successful fitness center. They touch more members in 60 minutes or less than any of your other staff. This quality time can set a strong foundation for program growth, increased revenue, new-member attraction and, most important, member retention. When you consider an instructor’s impact on member experience, the need for a comprehensive …
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