As much as you’d like to, you probably aren’t training every client five times a week. But, as health and fitness professionals know, a few training sessions a week isn’t enough exercise for your clients.
Though some would rather spend a couple lonely hours on the elliptical, many of your clients will thrive on community-oriented group fitness classes. Whether you’re a small studio owner or work in the biggest club in the nation, exercise classes can be an excellent source of fitness for your clients on your off days.
From CrossFit to YogaFit, spinning to pilates, HFPN educates fitness professionals on the basics and benefits of common group exercise classes.
Boot Camps:
Over recent years, boot camps have solidified themselves as a staple in the consumer’s quest for fitness. Many companies are establishing themselves in niche areas, making it appealing for special populations like weight loss clients, children, women and brides. Boot camps tend to focus on functional exercises that utilize body weight. These group exercise functions usually occur outside, which is a huge selling point. Some clients will love getting outdoors for exercise, and it’s a good way to mix up the training regimen.
Boot camps have many benefits for the client. Perhaps the biggest selling point is their low cost. As with most group fitness activities, the price is reduced because of the large number of participants in one session. This is a bonus for the personal trainer if they have budget-conscious clients.
As is the case with many group exercise classes, your client will generally not be getting the intensive, individualized instruction. Make sure you are perfecting your client’s form during sessions to ensure they know how to perform squats, lunges, etc. during their boot camp events.
Spinning:
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If you train at a gym or studio, chances are your facility offers spinning classes on a regular basis. This group fitness class has caught the heart of soccer moms and buff bros alike. Spinning classes usually last an hour and are packed with upbeat music and high-intensity cardio.
Though all spinning classes make use of the bike, each instructor customizes the workout. Whether it highlights steep hill climbs, stimulating intervals, quick spins or long rollers, the workouts will vary with each class and keep your clients and their bodies on their toes. Plus, this low-impact activity will be perfect for those nursing injuries or unable to use cardio machines like the treadmill and stair master. However, it’s important to note that spinning is not necessarily a total body workout, and clients should look to boost their upper body as well.
Like many activities, your clients may face injuries if they use improper form. Spin bikes, as opposed to normal road bicycles, are partially designed for comfort with the rider in mind. However, without a properly fitting stationary bike, clients can be positioned in ways that can lead them to core, back and neck strain. Always recommend your client speak with the spin instructor before class to ensure proper spinning form and set-up of the bike.
Yoga:
Yoga is all about slowing down and listening to your body. When clients are shelling out the big bucks for a personal trainer, we’re willing to bet that they want their hour-long session as jam-packed as possible. For a more calming (but still active) experience, fitness professionals can refer their clients to one of the many types of yoga.
Here’s the breakdown of some major yoga styles:
This general style is gentle and encompasses many of the basic yoga poses in a slow-moving class.
Vinyasa yoga focuses on breath-synchronized movements. It is generally a bit more strenuous than Hatha yoga.
This “power yoga” is a constant flow from one pose to the next that is physically demanding.
Bikram yoga utilizes a hot room (around 100 degrees) that aims to loosen muscles through its standard 26 poses.
Rebecca Fritz, owner of SuTRA Midtown yoga studio in Phoenix, says yoga can be beneficial to all types of clients: whether athletes, obese or prenatal. “Yoga for athletes is incredibly beneficial, especially for athletes who are doing the same thing over and over,” she says. “Yoga is all about muscle loading progression, so you’re not overdoing anything.” She also notes that yoga is great for people who are recovering from injuries, as the practice is slow, controlled and helps create muscular balance. For clients looking to achieve fitness and weight loss, she recommends taking three or more classes a week.
But, even better, “The No. 1 benefit of yoga is stress relief,” Fritz says. It’s supposed to calm and relax you, and many practitioners swear by yoga’s stress relieving capabilities.
Pilates:
With yoga, often comes Pilates. Developed in the early 1900s by Joseph Pilates, this type of fitness focuses on strengthening the core postural muscles, usually using a mat. Pilates is similar to yoga in that it is supposed to be a mind-body experience, but this exercise has more fitness-oriented movements that aim to stabilize then strengthen. Pilates classes marry stretching with largely functional movements that vary from twists, extensions, bridges and more to work the core and emphasize proper breathing techniques. “Everything moves from the center of your body, so Pilates aims to make that the strongest,” Fritz says.
Fritz says Pilates classes usually focus on the core, butt, hips and the legs. “Pilates is incredible for women – it strengthens your back and core, and so many women are not strong enough in that area,” she says. Pilates is especially helpful for weight loss clients who are still looking for a calming exercise experience. Like yoga, she recommends clients take at least two to three classes a week. “Pilates is going to give you more of a total body workout. When you’re balancing, using your own body weight, trying to do moves, you’re using every single muscle in your body,” Fritz explains.
CrossFit:
CrossFit.com’s December 2, 2009 Workout of the Day
“Using a single 60lb dumbbell for both thrusters and pull-ups, 3 rounds, 15-12-9 reps of:
- Thrusters right arm
- Thrusters left arm
- One-hand pull-up right arm (left hand grabs the right wrist)
- One-hand pull-up left arm (right hand grabs the left wrist)”
Official videos of CrossFit exercises, including thrusters can be found here.
In recent years, CrossFit studios have been popping up all across the nation. While many are turning to this new style of fitness, there are just as many, including trainers, who are in the dark about the movement’s basics.
As stated in CrossFit.com’s Foundations educational materials, the training program focuses on compound movements and shorter, high-intensity cardiovascular sessions. CrossFit calls itself a core strength and conditioning program, and it highlights gymnastic efforts and Olympic Lifting training. Utilizing movements like pirouettes, clean-presses and scales, CrossFit deviates from the normal gym patrons exercises.
CrossFit is a fast-growing fitness entity, largely due to their Internet community presence. Nearly every CrossFit studio has a blog-like Web site, where they post Workouts of the Day. The main CrossFit.com site posts a workout every day, encouraging the participants to post their time (always emphasized during CrossFit workouts). CrossFit users are an intense bunch, and CrossFit recommends working out for three days, then resting on the fourth. Some contenders of the system remind users to maintain proper form or encounter injury. These workouts are very intense and push people well, but this shouldn’t be compromising their form and safety.
