Group X Files

Each and every one of us has walked into a studio and made assumptions about our participants based on appearances, whether we like to admit it or not. It is human nature. Our challenge is to look past those initial assumptions and get to who people really are and what they can really do. Age is one of the easiest factors we make assumptions based upon, but what if I told you age is not the limiting factor in determining level. Function and ability are the limiting factors. Listen in to learn more about keeping all ages moving as equally and successfully as possible.

It sounds like the biggest contradiction, but in a world where perfection, whatever that means, is shoved down our throats, sometimes it is nice to know that you are welcome and accepted just the way you are. When people show up for class, we don't necessarily know their backstory for the day, so we need to give them the grace to be imperfectly perfect along the way, or risk being just another force demanding perfection.

Each and every class we lead should have a purpose. That purpose is not the broad "to get fitter," "to get stronger," "to improve my cardio." That purpose is a truly focused and tailored expectation of what the participants can hope to gain from the class. It is not what you are doing but why you are doing it. The more we program with purpose, the more intentional the workouts we provide are. The more intentional the workouts are, the more people benefit from them. The more they benefit, the more they will go out of their way to ensure they can keep coming back.

If we are not moving forward, we are falling behind. As cliche as it may be, it is true. Herein lies the challenge for directors and managers today. It is not our grandmother's GX but it also still very much is our grandmother's GX, as we have more active aging participants in GX than ever before. Listen in to learn how to best position yourself to accommodate those who have been coming for decades and also those just aging in to GX and have different needs and goals.

As instructors we tend to get sucked into tunnel vision when it comes to music, relying on our favorites and classics that we know our classes love. Music drives our classes, arguably as much as the workout itself. It is imperative as instructors that we do our best to turn the workout into an experience if we want participants to keep coming back, and one of the best ways to do that is with a banging playlist. Tune in to learn how you can take your playlist from basic to banging.

It's a cliche, but the best way to lead is by example. Talk the talk. Walk the walk. Inspect what you expect. Leading a team means executing the tasks you ask of your team in an exemplary manner. If you are teaching, you crush your classes. If you are walking the club, you are tidying up anything out of place. You are saying hi as you pass people. You are engaging with members and staff. Listen in to learn more about the trickle down effects of leading by example, and the detriments caused by not doing so.

When we are teaching on a regular basis, we are tempted to re-invent the wheel to keep people engaged and keep "upping the ante," so to say. But what if we considered that a huge killer of motivation is not laziness, but complexity? If people are overwhelmed, they are less likely to continue to do something. Listen in for ways we can keep things accessible while also making them fun and engaging.

Setbacks and rejections are something no one looks forward to. However, as Group Exercise Instructors, we are subject to scrutiny from others. And our "sport" is not one of fastest to the finish line wins. We want to pursue new and challenging opportunities, but they also come with the potential for disappointment if we are not selected. Listen in to learn about setting expectations, focusing on the things you can control, and reframing disappointing outcomes to continue to grow and develop as an instructor.

You want to be the person that members are immediately drawn to when they enter the studio, right? Aside from club-branded gear and a headset, how do you achieve this? Listen in and learn how to use your physical presence, verbal skills, and preparation to own the room each and every time you walk in to teach.

We have looked at the instructor why in prior episodes, and many directors still work as instructors too, so it is important to be connected to that why. But what about your director why? With all of the demands of leadership and working with a crew of part-time staff who come and go at different times and have different demeanors, why bother? If you want to get past the rush of January and lead through the rest of your year, working from your why is the first step.

Our bodies are the most complex machines out there, and if we want them to perform with max efficiency and effectiveness, we have to respect them and care for them as such. Tune in to learn why it is so important to refuel, rehydrate and restore. What impact does each of these have on your body and your performance in the studio?

In today's instantaneous world, we have lost a sense of what it is to have to wait for something. However, we don't grow our skills as instructors overnight, nor do we become ace participants overnight. Instead, we have to bide our time and practice over and over. Only when we embrace patience and practice will we find progress. Listen in to learn how these three tie together to help us become the best we can be.

We may not think that people are listening closely to each word we say. And they likely aren't. But they hear what they want to hear, and perceive how they choose to based on their experiences. We can't know every person in the room and what they bring with them to each class, but we can do our level best to create a comfortable, inclusive space for anyone no matter ability, race, gender. Listen in for how to make some simple but impactful adjustments to how we frame how we address our participants and how we coach.

One of the easiest things to find slipping further from our control is accountability among our team. We are pulled in so many ways that we don't worry about this other little thing. But then that other little thing continues to happen and other little things do, and the glass starts to shatter. Listen in to learn about setting expectations; communicating clearly, concisely and consistently with your team; and holding people accountable equally.

Failure is the one thing most of us fear. But we don't realize it's also the one thing that gets in the way of us growing. When we learn to embrace failure as part of a learning experience, we free ourselves to try new things and ned up more successful than ever.

So many of us are told to get out of our comfort zones on a fairly regular basis, and, heck, we tell our participants the same thing to elicit change from them. What if we decided to cocoon deep into our comfort zone and really embrace it? How could our teaching and coaching be amplified by that approach? There are limits to embracing this comfort zone too, but come along and explore all the good that could come from truly and wholly wrapping yourself up in your comfort zone.

In a world where everyone focuses on what's wrong, let's take the time for focus on what is right! Taking the time to acknowledge a job well done not only spreads positivity but also helps create connection and rapport among you and your team. The more we reinforce the good and let them know we truly see them the more open our communication can be and the more cohesive of a team we can build.

Imposter Syndrome. Every instructor worth their salt has been victim to this at least at some point in their career (some for much longer than necessary). Overcoming imposter syndrome happens in small ways without us really noticing, until we have that moment that makes us feel like we have "really made it." Listen in to gain some tips for understanding what imposter syndrome is, how it can impact you as an instructor, and how you can give yourself the boosts you need along your journey to realizing you do indeed deserve the title role of Group Exercise Rockstar!

Team building can happen in the smallest of time windows. Just as we ask our instructors to check in with their members and to remember and acknowledge things about them, we should be doing the same with our instructor teams. You would be surprised to see how far a quick check in with a team member can go in terms of building a rapport with them and thus working toward building a team with more buy in as a whole. Listen in to learn different ways to touch base and how impactful that little bit of time can be.

Why are you here? Why are any of us here? Just kidding, we are not getting into existentialism, but we are looking at the different motivation styles and how that might impact how you connect with the participants who show up in your classes week after week. While there are many motivation styles, we can't cater a class toward just one style. We must adapt and adjust to connect on the spot. We don't need a PhD in psychology to start making meaningful connections and figuring out what motivates our members, just some background knowledge on the basics.

In this episode we will explore what happens when we stop making excuses and start doing more than the bare minimum. Yes, our members are more excited, our members come back with more regularity, and our class numbers increase. When all of these happen, we feel more energized for the tall task of leading group exercise and that passion shows to our members.

You think you know your department, but do you really KNOW your department. From your individual teammates to specific data points, this episode focuses on how knowing your sh*t within your department helps you build a better rapport with your team and helps you gain the respect and dollar of the leadership above you to invest in your department. Listen up to learn keys to committing small things to mind to create big impacts.

Continuing education is the key to becoming the best instructor you can be, yet many shrug it off as just another thing to do. Tune in to learn how continuing education can truly benefit you as an instructor and how it can help you take your job (yes, at the end of the day it is a j-o-b) as a group exercise instructor more seriously so you can excel to higher levels.

Listen in to learn about crosstraining in different formats and how that will increase your value to your facility, will increase your longevity in this career, and will help to stave off burnout (ugh, that dreaded thing). We will talk about how to strategically diversify your skill set and when enough is enough in terms of diversifying.

Welcome to our first bonus episode, mainly directed to Group Exercise Mangers/Directors. Listen in to learn the importance of transparency in creating a positive team culture. If we can't create trust from the bottom up with our team, then we don't have a team. Learn some strategies that have worked to help create a thriving team who feels valued, feels like they can come speak openly and honestly, and feels like they and their ideas matter.

We all want to deliver classes with maximum impact without spending maximum time putting them together, right? By creating a workout skeleton (template, whatever you choose to call it), you give yourself some predictable parameters within which you can unleash your creativity. Les Mills does it. Your favorite TV/streaming series do it. Why not you? You'll be amazed at the increase in impact your classes have when you are delivering them from a skeleton that you created (so one that works for your brain and your class format) so you can be more focused on delivering the class with a BANG and not be so bogged down in reinventing the wheel each time you plan a class.

Who are you? No, really. In your deepest, truest self, who are you? If there were no fear of external judgement, who would you be? We got real deep, real quick. In order to be your best instructor self, you have to take some time and be brutally honest with yourself. Here, we delve into the main instructor archetypes, what defines each, and how you can harness your true self to reach those in front of you more authentically to create experiences they keep coming back for.

Let's start at the very beginning (a very good place to start). And now some of you are singing in your head. You're welcome. Learn the basics of cuing to lay the foundation for the success of your class participants. We will cover the what, why, and how, as well as start to touch on motivational cuing and reading the room. If your foundation has cracks in it, they will amplify the further you build on it, so let's start fresh and with the very basics to rebuild stronger than ever.

Meet your host, Sara Keller, and learn her GX origin story. If you're not into background information and want to get to the nitty gritty of how to be the best GX instructor you can be, skip on over to Episode 2: Laying the Foundation.