Motivation Tips for Group Fitness Instructors
For today’s post, I wanted to talk about motivational tips for group fitness instructors: what I’ve found to work in my years of teaching, what only works for some people, and what fails no matter what. I would love to hear your thoughts and experience as group gym participants or fellow trainers!! Whether you lead through a screen, as many trainers follow Rona, or in person, motivational strategies are extremely important. You want to energize and inspire individuals and group exercise participants both effectively and authentically.
What works (almost) every time:
Use great music with a different playlist.
This is one of my favorite things to do! Include a mix of music in your playlists because someone in the class will love the *weird song* you chose. For example, I’ll throw in a random oldies or country song just to keep things fun, and I’ll also try to mix top 40s music with more alternative and organic styles. If you make an entire playlist based on one genre (like EDM or top 40s), one person in the class will love every song, but one person will hate every song and probably never come back.
Call the participants by their names.
I think it’s much more meaningful that way and shows the participants that you care about them.
Recognize their hard work and encourage them to take it to a safe level.
Here I talk more about it! It is SO important to encourage participants to listen to their bodies, modify as needed, and be proud of who they turned out to be!!!
Demonstrate proper form and ways to modify or progress an exercise.
When participants have confidence in the movements and know they are not setting themselves up for injury, they are more motivated. 😉
Emphasizing the muscle group being worked.
Explain why it’s important (“a strong core helps protect our backs and supports daily movement”) and helping them mind in muscle.
Just be quiet.
Sometimes it’s motivating and powerful to be quiet for a while and let the energy and music speak for you.
What works sometimes, depending on your vibe and personality:
The more “shiny” side of things, like visualizations.
During a spin class, I sometimes say something like, “Imagine the people you love standing on the side of the road right now holding a sign to inspire you. What does the sign say?’ Or “For our sprint, we’re racing against your biggest competition. Maybe it’s someone from work, or maybe it’s someone who doesn’t even know who you are.”
Practical arrangements.
Some people love them and some people hate them, so it’s a good idea to ask at the beginning of class if there are any injuries or if anyone is uncomfortable with the adjustments to let you know. Things naturally tend to be more practical in the fitness industry, but it’s not for everyone. (When you show up early, you can introduce yourself to participants individually to get their name and check in. It’s easier for someone to say they don’t want to adjust during a one-on-one conversation than in front of a large group.)
What falls flat:
What I refer to as empty cheers.
“MAKE LOVE!” It’s my biggest pet peeve. It means nothing, it does nothing.
Tell a bunch of personal stories during class.
Usually no one cares and just wants to continue training.
Constantly making participants feel like they are doing it all wrong.
No one wants to feel like a failure, especially when putting in the effort to achieve a fitness goal. Whether you’re a personal trainer or leading a group fitness class, it’s important to lift your class members up, not put them down.
Lack of direction.
When you get the feeling that the instructor doesn’t know what he’s going to do next or if it’s obvious they’re winging it. It’s motivating to feel like they have a solid plan for what you’re going to do during the workout.
Saying the same thing over and over again.
An example constantly says, “Well done!” among everything else. (“Good job. Okay, we’re going to do burpees now! Good job, now we’re going to hold the plank, good job, keep your core tight, good job.” It’s a distraction.) Also, I think it’s nice to change up the way how you phrase things. There are SO many ways to say the same thing, so it helps eliminate the redundant feeling. (For example, there are so many ways to say: “Strengthen your legs, spring your glutes off the ground, jump toward the ceiling, use the power of your legs to explode, jump vertically as high as possible you can. “)
(Gif source. Bonus points if you have Moira Rose’s vocabulary)
So tell me my friends: what does your FAVORITE exerciser do to motivate you? Have they said or done something memorable to you?
Fellow fitness instructors: what are your favorite ways to motivate your classes and clients, especially in the online world of fitness? Things are HARD right now, especially when we’re used to feeding off the lively energy of classes, so I’d love to hear your thoughts and what you’re up to!
ho ho
Gina
More:
Let’s connect social media!
Something a group fitness certification won’t teach you
Confessions of a Team Gymnast
Get a job as a fitness instructor
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