Fitness instructors are some of the most passionate people I know. They have a deep love for their craft, and they want to share it with others. Of course, as an instructor myself, I've made every mistake in the book when it comes to planning my own classes. And just like me, you can avoid making these mistakes by learning from my experience. So here are three common errors I've seen other fitness instructors make — and how you can avoid them:
You are not teaching the movements.
We've all been there: you show up to class and realize that you have absolutely no idea what the instructor is doing at any given moment. You're just following along and hoping for the best, but this can be a dangerous situation in which your body could be put at risk if something unexpected happens during class (which it will). The most important thing for an instructor to do is create an environment where students feel comfortable knowing the options they have in order to perform each exercise, so that everyone knows exactly how their bodies should move during each exercise. The best way to do this is by demonstrating proper form along with succinct and clear instructions on how to perform the movement for their body, followed by how many repetitions or sets they are to complete.
You don't make sure your class is safe.
You can't teach someone something they are not ready for. If you have an exercise that is too difficult or advanced for your class, you will be wasting time and energy trying to get them to do it. It is important that you make sure everyone is ready before starting a new exercise or progression of exercises. The best way to ensure success is your ability to modify exercises so that they are safe and effective--even if this means changing the name of an exercise entirely! You want people leaving class feeling like they got something out of it, not injured because what seemed like a good idea at first turned into a bad one when executed in practice (I'm looking at YOU “over excessive pulsing”…trust me, I’m guilty!).
You don't know the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercises.
The difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercises is the amount of oxygen that's used. Aerobic exercises are those that use a lot of oxygen, while anaerobic exercises don't.
You can tell if an exercise is aerobic or anaerobic by how it feels: if you're gasping for breath/breathless and your heart rate increases significantly during the activity, it's probably anaerobic (“without oxygen”); if not and you can hold a conversation (even if it sounds breathy), then it's likely aerobic (or "with oxygen").
All too often these two terms are coached inaccurately and ineffectively in conditioning formats (kickboxing, HIIT, LIIT, Cycle, even fusion formats), and are key to understanding deeper in order to deliver a results driven class that can absolutely increase metabolic efficiency, making the body a more effective energy user and producer at all ages, shapes and levels!
If you are a fitness instructor, use this article to help you avoid the most common mistakes that people make in their classes. If you are a fitness enthusiast or consumer of fitness, it's important that you know what kind of class you're taking before signing up for it. This way, both instructors and students can have an enjoyable experience anywhere they choose to move.
Share your comments and questions below!
Love,
Katie
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