What your group exercise instructors wish you knew
/It’s your first time. You walk into the room and see that super cool girl setting up the music and checking the microphone.
Or you’re a seasoned pro, but you’re not sure if the instructor knows your name.
No matter what your group exercise experience may be, there are a couple things that group instructors wish you knew. These are some of those things.
If it’s your first time doing the class, arrive early
That’s right, if it’s your first time doing the class, arrive early. I know your time is limited and you’re planning your schedule to be as efficient as possible, but arriving early your first time is important. Even five minutes will give you enough time to talk to the instructor, make sure you have any equipment you need, and set up correctly.
If you’re really new to the group class world, the earlier the better. Now I say that with a small caveat. Depending on the gym or studio, there may be a specific time new students should show up (i.e. 15 minutes early). On the other hand, if it’s not a studio, the instructor may only arrive 5-10 minutes early. If in doubt, call. For more tips on trying a class for the first time, check out this article about trying a new workout.
Introduce yourself
Introduce yourself five times if you have to. We want to know your name. However, we’ve got lots of names to remember, and that’s in every class we teach. And unlike school, the people are different every time. And no seating charts!
Help us out, we want to know you!
If you have to leave early, let us know
The thing is, if you leave early- we worry. If we’re new instructors we worry that you didn’t like our class, or more accurately, us. If we’re seasoned instructors, we worry that you did something to injure yourself. Also, we may be giving some important information at the end of the class that you don’t want to miss
This literally happened to me in the last couple weeks. My Friday 8:30 Strength class moved to 9:00 and since I have several regulars who scoot in a few minutes late, I waited until the end of class to remind them. That’s an announcement you don’t want to miss. Yes, I created a reminder with workout options for anyone who arrived early, but not everyone does that.
If you let me know that you have to leave one of my classes early, I want to know how early, and then will give you instructions about the best way to take care of your body when you leave early. For example, I’d rather you leave 5 minutes earlier than you need to so you can take time to cool-down and stretch. In the winter, I’ll remind you to put on layers because going into the cold with warm muscles is a recipe for disaster.
Let us know if you have injuries or need modifications
I promise, we don’t think you’re complaining or whining. If you have an injury, we don’t want you to injure yourself worse.
Let us know if you have trouble with certain things because you have bad knees or shoulders. Let us know if you’re coming back from a surgery. And yes, let us know if you are pregnant! This gives us the opportunity to give you modifications that will still challenge you, but keep you safe and in rare instances, let you know if the class isn’t suited for you at this point in time.
Moral of the story- communicate with us. We’re here to help you, this is your class, not ours and we want you to be successful. So arrive early and let us know if you have injuries or need modifications.
Group exercise is not personal training
I don’t care what anyone says, group exercise is not personal training. You can’t expect your instructor to give you the attention you would receive from a personal trainer.
First, we create and teach classes that work for a variety of different people, with a variety of different goals. That doesn’t sound very personal, does it? It’s not. A good instructor teaches to the middle of class, encouraging those who can to do more, and instructing and showing modifications for those who need them.
So what does that mean? You have to take responsibility for your own workout.
In addition, many group instructors are not trained as personal trainers. They are either trained to teach their specific format(s), or a generic format, but for a group. There are certain moves that aren’t ideal in a group setting from either a space or safety perspective. You shouldn’t assume that your instructor has more exercise knowledge other than the format they teach. They may (and please feel free to ask) but many don’t.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against group exercise. Obviously, I teach classes, and I encourage my personal training clients to go to classes. However, classes are not personal training.
We are pretty awesome, but we can’t do everything
You know how I just said group classes are not personal training? No matter how good an instructor is, she can’t do everything. When there are 20+ people in a class, it’s impossible to watch everyone all times. Even with 2-4 people it’s difficult (which is why I generally don’t do small group training with more than 4 people).
As I mentioned before, you have to pay attention to yourself and be responsible for your own work out.
That means listening to the cues the instructor is giving, and instead of assuming they aren’t meant for you, check yourself and your form. Double and triple check that you are following the guidelines the instructor is giving.
That’s what I recommend that everyone work with a personal trainer for at least a few sessions. Even if your plan is to live in the group exercise room, the trainer can make sure your form is correct so you get the most out of your classes.
Not all instructors are alike (Even if they teach the same style)
I go more in depth about this in this article, but it’s important to remember that not all instructors are going to be the same. Instructors will teach differently, motivate differently, and push you differently… even if it’s the same class format.
For example, I personally don’t like it when instructors make body comments to motivate (like keep pushing for those flat abs, or think about how you’ll feel in your swimsuit). I can tolerate one of those comments through class, but much more than that and I will not be returning. Because of that, I don’t use that type of motivation in my classes. Some instructors do. I’m not going to get into a debate (now) whether that right or wrong, but some people may push harder because of it. Some people (like me) get discouraged or angry.
Find the fit for you.
Maybe you like an instructor that talks a lot through class. Maybe you just want them to give you the instructions, and be quiet. Maybe you want someone who will get up in your face to push you, or maybe you’d rather have someone who tells jokes while keeping you moving.
We’re all different. Find what pushes and motivates you, and then find the instructors who check those boxes.
Okay, so now you know what your instructors are thinking... well, at least about some things. We want you to get a great workout, we want you to have, but we also want you to be safe. If you’re not sure, talk to us! Yes, we may seem like rock stars with our cool Brittany Spears microphones, but we’re normal people. We do this because it’s something we’re passionate about and we want to share that passion. So talk to us! When you do, you’ll have a better experience overall, I promise! (Psst! If you’re in Saint Louis and want to try a new class come check out one of mine!)