![]() ![]() For example, for an advanced cycling class with a goal of enhancing participants’ cardiorespiratory fitness, the objectives might include learning standing pedaling technique during all-out, short-duration sprints. For example, if you are teaching a circuit-training class to enhance balance, create a class plan that ensures that every movement, transition, progression and regression serves that purpose.Īfter establishing your broader focus, construct some specific learning objectives. What is the intended goal of your class? The answer to this question should drive all of your decision-making. Be specific, and always keep your target audience in mind. For example, you may teach a wonderful entry-level boot camp, but if you name it “Morning Madness Boot Camp,” you will likely attract people looking for an advanced workout and scare away much of your intended audience. ![]() Also, you want your class to meet the participants’ expectations. You want to be sure to attract the right participants for what you will be teaching (keeping in mind that you must be able to modify each movement in the class to accommodate whoever walks through the door). ![]() Naming your class should not be taken lightly. That said, many instructors are offered the freedom to be creative with class formats and titles in an effort to draw new members and keep existing members coming back for more. Others will lead pre-choreographed classes with branded names that cannot be altered in any way. In some facilities, a GFI will be assigned classes to teach or will teach classes that have previously established titles or descriptions. The class planning sheet that appears in this article is featured in Chapter 5 of the recently released ACE Group Fitness Instructor Handbook, entitled “Designing a Class Blueprint” and written by Jessica Matthews. In addition, using a class blueprint provides an opportunity to explore the “how” and “why” behind the movements and exercises included in the class, elevating the GFI beyond simply instructing movements to understanding the purpose and intention behind each element of the class experience. The point here is not to stifle your energy or enthusiasm, but to enhance your instruction and the overall class experience. “Proper planning,” says Matthews, “elevates both your classes and you as a professional.”īefore diving into the creation of a class blueprint, it is important to note that, even with the most diligent planning, there is always room for flexibility and creativity. Nothing is more disrupting to a class than the instructor searching the room for a piece of equipment or trying to come up with an alternative exercise in the midst of a busy class. “All of these elements create the continuity and flow needed to create a seamless experience,” says Matthews. Before even entering the facility to teach a class, GFIs should be mapping out every element of their plan-not only the exercises or movements themselves, but also the transitions and sequencing, the progressions and regressions, and even the timing of water breaks and the switch from one piece of equipment to another. “Taking the time to thoughtfully prepare a class is paramount to elevating a class into an experience,” says Jessica Matthews, M.S., ACE senior advisor for health and fitness education, assistant professor of exercise science at Miramar College and lead editor of the ACE Group Fitness Instructor Handbook. These personality traits are a common thread, but underlying that excitement is a foundation of preparedness that is absolutely essential to creating a balanced and effective group fitness class. After all, few people display as much enthusiasm for their profession as the outgoing, high-energy instructors at work in nearly every fitness facility around the world. ProSource™: Fitness Business Special IssueĪt first glance, it may appear that spontaneity and a free spirit are the key elements that make up a group fitness instructor (GFI).ProSource™: Research Special Issue 2015.ProSource™: Group Fitness Special Issue.ProSource™: Behavior Change Special Issue.ProSource™: Research Special Issue 2016.ProSource™: Special Nutrition Issue 2016.ProSource™: Career Path Special Issue 2016. ![]() Certified™: Training and Performance Special Issue 2016.Certified™: Research Special Issue 2017.Certified™: Program Design Special Issue 2017.Certified™: Research Special Issue 2018.Certified™: Innovative Workouts Special Issue 2018.Certified™: Behavior Change Special Issue 2019.Certified™: Health Coaching Special Issue.Certified™: Overcoming Challenges Special Issue.Certified™: Innovative Training Techniques.Certified™: Special Exercise is Medicine.Certified™: Eat Well, Live Well Special Issue. ![]()
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