Once upon a time, group fitness instructors started their strength training classes with a relatively static warm-up that consisted of single-joint movements, such as head circles, shoulder rolls backwards and forwards, and hip swings side to side. As the industry progressed, warm-ups became more varied and we branched out—maybe too far out! Today’s warm-up options range from no warm-up at all to 10-minute, low-impact cardio warm-ups, with many variations in between.

What’s a strength training teacher to do with so many conflicting choices? Is one type of warm-up more effective or more practical than another? Does it depend on the relative weight lifted or the class level? As is the case with most resistance training information, there may be no clear-cut answers to these questions. In the absence of hard data, we interviewed several high-profile group strength training teachers to get their ideas and suggestions for creating effective, up-to-date strength training warm-ups.

Why Warm Up When Working With Weights?

We know that to prepare the muscles and connective tissues for the physical challenges of any workout, we need to include in the warm-up component movement patterns that will actually be performed in the body of the class (American Council on Exercise [ACE] 1993). This neuromuscular approach, often referred to as the “rehearsal effect,” is used by many instructors teaching group strength training classes today.

“I still believe muscles and the body need to be warmed up for the workout,” says Sherri McMillan, MSc, owner of NorthWest Personal Training and Fitness Education in Vancouver, Washington. “The body will perform much better if sufficiently prepared.”

Dody Benko Livingston, a group fitness instructor and personal trainer based in Santa Barbara, California, considers neuromuscular learning, or coordination, the highest priority of the warm-up. “My goal in the warm-up is to teach technique and form,” she says. “By the time I’ve got my group to focus on safe range of motion (ROM), the path of motion, shoulder retraction, spinal alignment and which muscles are moving versus which are stabilizing, we have increased the core body temperature. I find the warm-up to be a critical time to assess the participants’ levels and abilities. As they warm up without load, I am mentally revising or affirming my class design based on the form I am seeing.”

The Physiological Benefits to Warming Up

Regardless of the intensity of the workout to be performed, the warm-up provides a smooth transition from inactivity to activity. An effective warm-up stimulates the cardiorespiratory and neuromuscular systems, as well as the metabolic energy pathways. This stimulation results in a gradual increase in heart rate, stroke volume, blood flow, cardiac output and breathing rate (ACE 1993). At the same time, body temperature gradually increases and blood flow to the working muscles is slowly redistributed.

Oxygen exchange between blood and muscles increases, and carbon dioxide elimination is enhanced. The metabolic rate increases, which in turn leads to more efficient calorie burning. This improvement in energy production, which limits lactic acid buildup, allows participants to work out longer, since their energy systems adjust more readily to exercise (ACE 1993).

The physiological manifestations of a warm-up also include the following:

• increased secretion of synovial fluid in the joints, which prepares the body for more strenuous activity

• improved joint ROM

• improved elasticity of muscles and connective tissue, which decreases the risk of acute injuries to soft tissues

• increased force and speed of muscular contractions

• improved speed and sensitivity of neural message pathways to the muscles, resulting in better muscle control and reactivity

• increased arousal and greater focus on exercise, resulting in psychological preparation for higher intensities (ACE 1993)

What’s the Best Warm-Up Format?

There is a general consensus among those interviewed for this article that before formatting any warm-up, you first need to determine the goal of the class and evaluate the targeted population. After completing those steps, many instructors start their resistance training classes with some full-body, rhythmic, continuous movement.

“We begin with basic marches, step-touches and grapevines with [a resistance ball] in hand to elevate the core temperature,” says Mike Morris, president of Resist-A-Ball Inc. and a personal trainer certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

Leigh Crews, a Reebok University program developer and master trainer, begins her client sessions with gross motor movements designed to elevate the heart rate and warm up joints and muscles. She feels it is not necessary to incorporate traveling patterns, since a strength training workout is stationary in nature. Instead, she emphasizes large ROM movements and “long lever arm patterns and simple footwork, such as side lunges and squats.”

Beate Missalek, a fitness professional based in Germany, organizes her resistance training warm-up sessions in a logical order “from small to bigger movements, from stationary to moving, from single-plane to multiplane movements.”

Benko Livingston also designs her warm-ups to include multijoint, “noncombo” movements. She rarely—if ever—adds resistance during this part of her strength training classes. “We can’t teach technique with a load,” she stresses. “Forget choreography and adding weight. Teach the move before moving on.”

According to Jessica Smith, ME, in her article “Strength Training for Women,” (IDEA Health & Fitness Source, May 2001), “The warm-up should consist of low-intensity aerobics, walking, stationary cycling or jogging in place, followed by stretching and some specific, low-intensity resistance training exercises targeting the major muscle groups.”

Most experts agree that if low-impact, dynamic movements are incorporated into the warm-up, they should be kept simple and not too choreographed, since choreography is not essential in strength training sessions. Instructors may also find that participants in a strength training class may be uncomfortable with choreographed movement patterns and could become discouraged.

Working in Function

What better place is there than the warm-up for creating a more functional body that performs well? Why not include movements for stabilization, strength and flexibility?

When teaching a functional strength class, Crews includes in the warm-up a multijoint activity that mimics some important aspects of the class. “I use multiplanar moves, such as diagonal patterns and slow rotations, as well as some simple balance challenges to engage core musculature.”

Missalek likes to add some balance and stabilization work performed in the standing position to increase body awareness and prepare the core muscles for the workload to come.

A useful approach when teaching a strength training class that includes “integrated” exercises (combining two or more moves) is to warm up with a more nontraditional movement sequence. A good example is the Ashtanga yoga Sun Salutation, which emphasizes neutral posture and active, internal stabilization of the torso. Through repetition, this sequence of yoga poses enhances coordination and produces efficiency in movement. Another important aspect of this type of warm-up is that it promotes total-body integration through closed-chain (weight-bearing) exercises. It also prepares the body to be functional, strong and ready. Some instructors precede this nontraditional warm-up sequence with some traditional dynamic movement, thus combining Eastern and Western philosophies.

We Like Equipment!

More and more strength training classes incorporate some type of equipment, from weighted bars to small hand weights, barbells, stability and medicine balls, tubing and bands. The question is, Should we incorporate this equipment during the warm-up?

According to Crew, “If I am teaching a more traditional strength training class, with the emphasis on heavier weight and multiple sets of eight to 12 repetitions, my warm-up is usually a general cardio, gross-muscle movement type of warm-up, emphasizing ROM, so that I can use that portion of the warm-up as a sort of ‘assessment tool’ to evaluate the mobility of my clientele. After the general warm-up, I like to do one set of a specific exercise using relatively light weight, again to assess the ability of the group. This also helps participants develop correct motor patterns before loading the joints with heavier weight.”

Missalek suggests that the “first two to four repetitions in the warm-up set be performed in a slower manner to focus on technique and body posture.”

Morris continues his warm-up with specific dumbbell training, starting with multiple-joint movements. To “neurologically connect,” he performs a particular exercise using little or no weight. He then recommends upping the intensity by increasing load, number of repetitions or speed or by decreasing rest between sets. Moving to the next exercise of choice, he repeats the whole process. His progression moves from larger muscle groups and multiple-joint movements (e.g., squat, lunge, chest press, shoulder press and “lat” row) to smaller muscles and single-joint movements (e.g., knee extension, hamstring curl, triceps press and biceps curl).

In his book Your Personal Trainer (Human Kinetics, 1999), Douglas Brooks, MS, suggests, “If you’re going to lift weights, use exercise that warms the whole body. . . . It’s a good idea to start with lighter weights or resistance when strength training and progress to heavier weights. Lighter resistance can serve as a warm-up by itself, but to most effectively prepare your muscles for safe, effective and injury-free strength training, use both” [i.e., warm the whole body and use lighter weights to start].

Should We Stretch, Too?

Although the jury is still out on this, most research has found that stretching before exercise, especially static stretching, does not necessarily prevent injuries (Pope et al. 2000; Shrier 1999). However, some experts have concluded that clients who perform an active warm-up prior to stretching obtain the greatest ROM (Shrier & Gossal 2000).

Morris always includes a combination of active, passive and dynamic stretches in the warm-up segment of his resistance training classes. Both Crews and Missalek believe that adding multijoint dynamic stretches to the warm-up not only increases ROM around the joints but also keeps the heart rate elevated and contributes to the warming process.

Does Music Matter?

According to Bob Sewak, PhD, a Delray Beach, Florida, researcher who studies the effect of music on the human organism, “Music can create more psychophysiological shifts than any other stimuli that we know.” The music choice can be a vital and motivating factor in any type of group exercise and may set the tone for the class. It may also be one of the reasons your participants perform at a high level during the class.

Music speed, or beats per minute (bpm), in strength training classes should allow for full ROM. Crews likes to be “directed” by the beat. “I try to pick music that is high energy and that the vast majority of the group will like and be energized by,” she says.

McMillan uses 125 bpm and also likes to work on the beat. According to Missalek, who prefers 124 to 128 bpm, “You can be on the beat, but you don’t necessarily have to stay on it.” Her music choices vary from current, pop, top-40 music to a more New Age sound.

Teachers’ Tips

The experts interviewed for this article share the following suggestions for enhancing your own strength training warm-up sessions:

• Start by welcoming your participants and confirming that they are in the desired class.

• Use the warm-up to introduce verbal and visual cues, class-specific terminology, combination-building techniques and safety recommendations.

• Design a warm-up component that is anywhere from six to 10 minutes long.

• Use the warm-up time to gauge and discuss form and technique.

• “Use lots of verbal imagery and have more than one way to cue an exercise or alignment tip,” advises Crews. “What seems perfectly clear to one person may be confusing to another.”

• Take Missalek’s lead by starting your classes with some simple deep-breathing techniques to encourage participants to relax their shoulders and get focused.

• During your own strength training workouts, practice what you teach, suggests McMillan. “There’s nothing worse than a group instructor teaching a weight training class with poor technique and no muscle tone,” she says. “You have to know what you’re doing in order to cue it effectively verbally and visually.”

One Last Repetition

While many strength training instructors are still including warm-ups in their classes, the trend now is to make the warm-up component more functional and specific to the class and participants. In general, fitness experts recommend designing warm-ups that combine rhythmic limbering with multijoint movement patterns.

Light weights may be used in an initial or first strength training set, with a gradual increase in load. Dynamic stretching is often used, and there is a migration toward exercises that promote total-body integration and core stability. More and more often, instructors are borrowing warm-up movements from yoga and Pilates. Many warm-ups are done to music to encourage participation. According to most experts, the warm-up session for a one-hour class should take anywhere from six to 10 minutes.

Since most participants respond better to a strength training workout after performing a dynamic warm-up, you are most likely to have positive reactions and results if you include this component. So get started . . . with the warm-up!

Sidebar: Three Different Warm-Up Approaches

Industry experts offer these warm-up suggestions designed to enhance your strength training classes:

From Sherri McMillan, MSc:

• Perform hip extensions, hip flexions, hip abductions, knee extensions and knee flexions while simultaneously performing overhead shoulder presses, lat pull-downs, chest presses, biceps curls and triceps kickbacks. Add in some mini-squats and mini-lunges. Perform eight to 15 repetitions of each of these movements.
• Perform the above movements to take the major joints through the full ROM, and include other exercises that mimic any of the movements that will be used in class, without adding resistance.
• Keep warm-up movements simple, athletic and very deliberate.

From Leigh Crews:

• Start warm-up sessions with four-part yoga breathing (begin in mountain pose, raise arms overhead, then bring them down as if in prayer; slowly rotate the body to the right, then to the left, while holding hands in prayer position; rotate back to center, extend arms overhead again, then circle the arms down to the side).
• Combine mini-lunges with side squats.
• Include traveling side squats.

From Beate Missalek:

• Double step-touch to the right, with right arm moving diagonally up and out; end in single-leg stand.
• Next, lift the left leg in abduction, flex the right elbow and left knee together in front of the body, then extend; or perform a single-leg stand with knee extension and flexion, arms moving in a biceps curl. Repeat on opposite side of body.

Hello All,

My Apologies in not blogging to all of you sooner.  I have been extremely busy these past few months.

As you all know by now, I try to blog on topics that I deem important to our fitness professions.  Please read the below Article by:  by Jill Miller, Creator of Yoga Tune Up®.   She is one of my favorite presenters, and is very respected in the Fitness Industry.

The Perils of Overstretching

Article by:  by Jill Miller, Creator of Yoga Tune Up®

I began practicing yoga at age 11. My mom brought home the Jane Fonda workout and Raquel Welch Yoga videos and I became obsessed … especially with the yoga. At first I wasn’t very flexible, couldn’t touch my toes, and was extremely weak in my shoulders and core.

When I first started practicing, the Splits (Hanumanasana), were wishful thinking, but I was diligent and disciplined and, by age 14, I was religiously reading Yoga Journal and stretching my way into the splits. In college, I would wake up early and practice my poses in meditative silence while my roommate was still sleeping. I stretched all the time and it instantly made me feel better but, while my hamstrings were super-flexible, I would wake up in with searing sciatic pain down my left leg.

In my early 20s, I began practicing Ashtanga and Power Yoga and watched my flexibility continue to improve. I was “that contortionist  girl” in classes, the one who could do ALL of the really difficult bendy poses and loved my exceptional flexibility and its “specialness.” I thought that yoga and stretching were healthy, but I didn’t realize that I was actually overdoing it and creating serious problems in some of my tissues.

How can overstretching harm the body?

When a muscle is being lengthened, it’s not just the actual muscle cells being elongated, but also the fascia or connective tissues that surround, encase and penetrate throughout the muscle. These connective tissues comprise 30 percent of the bulk of a muscle. When we stretch a muscle, upwards of 40 percent of the actual stretch is coming from the elongation of its fascia!  With too much stretching, the fascial tissues lose their ability to recoil and the inherent elasticity of these connective tissues disintegrates and becomes less functional.

These Connective tissues are full of nerves and blood vessels that help supply the muscles with nourishment. Fascia is also loaded with collagen and elastin molecules that help provide anchors for motion and cushions of protection for the muscle cells. If tissues are chronically overstretched, the muscles also become more vulnerable and under siege from the constant stretching. Muscles (and the soft tissues surrounding them, including tendons and ligaments) then begin to develop painful “micro-tears.”

Stretch intervention: strength training

I probably would have just kept stretching myself into oblivion had my yoga mentor and biomechanics expert Glenn Black not stepped in. His diagnosis: muscle weakness due to overstretching. He said that I needed to restore the power in my muscles to stabilize my joints. This explained why I could never quite find a comfortable position or “sit still” unless I was practicing. Stretching would give me a temporary feeling of release and relief, as it is truly beneficial for relaxing the nervous system, improving circulation, etc., but my overall muscle tone had been stretched to the point that I had become terribly unstable at many of my joints.

I had worked with him for four consecutive summers at the Omega Institute before moving to Los Angeles and becoming “Bendy Girl.” After seven years without him, I needed his critical insight to help restore balance in my body. He told me that I needed to complement my yoga with resistance training like lifting weights and/or using more PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitated stretching) within my practice. Galvanizing both the strength that muscles generate along with the lengthening and yielding of the connective tissues that surround them is what the body needs for true physiological balance.

Adding resistance training to my movement practice has not only been a revelation but it’s a foundational principle behind Yoga Tune Up®. My body feels good. I can now sit still on a six-hour flight and walk away without needing to crack my hips or spine! So yogis, if you find yourself with odd aches and pains, I ask you to take a closer look at where you might have actually created weakness from overstretching.

Article by:  by Jill Miller, Creator of Yoga Tune Up®

For More information on Jill Miller:- http://www.yogatuneup.com/

With Kind Regards

Gail Bannister-Munn

“The New Years Resolution”

Happy New Year Everyone,

Happy 2011.  I am looking forward to a great year, and I hope, we as Fitness Professionals are all prepared to continue our contribution to our member/client experience at all your fitness locations. With the onset of a New Year, and what many of us think of as a ‘clean slate,’ it is a good opportunity to remember why we are a part of this industry, and to review our responsibilities as fitness professionals. I wanted this New Year blog to help us all start FRESH, and maybe I can help you remember the basic foundation that may help us all grow our business, get new clients, make our members feel comfortable, or just remind us to “BREATHE” a little.

As instructors/trainers we impact more people in a given hour than almost any other employee of the company.   That said, your relationship with your members has a lasting effect — words and actions that you may deem insignificant, for example…. Like asking new people to go to the back of your class might cause someone to never return to class!  On the flip side, little things like a smile to someone new in class might be just what that person needs to motivate himself to come back again.  Some facilities may see daily about 100 to 3000 members daily, depending on the size of the club, and location. What a great opportunity to impact someone’s life!  Take time to get to know new people, welcome them to the classes, and inspire them in their pursuit of health, and fitness every time they come in to work out. With this opportunity comes extra responsibility — each of those new members have individual goals, and may very well be intimidated by the gym, and/or group exercise environment.   Your class may very well be their first experience. So…here are a few ‘resolutions’ for you to remember as the New Year begins:

1.Welcome “NEW” participants.

This is the best time of year to create new ‘groupies’.  Are you sick of your front row, and ‘regulars’ who know your routine by heart?  Create a positive experience for these new members, and your class size will continue to grow.  Take some time at the start of class to explain what you are going to do, and offer modifications for those who may not be up to speed just yet. Remember to acknowledge your existing members, make them also feel special.  They are still your “key” to spreading the word about your classes.

2. Be on time for class

It is the members expectation that we arrive between 10, to 15 minutes prior to your class start time. Part of the member experience is good service, and for us, that includes starting, AND ending classes on time.  Our members, like us, are busy people, and budget time in their day to work out.  It is important for us to be respectful of their schedules, and to deliver what we have promised. Lateness’, and no show to classes are inexcusable.

3. Dress Code:

Each, and every day we make an impression on our members. The appearance is to create the mood, and create 1st , 2nd, 3rd, …. Impressions. Be sensitive to your appearance. Clean, Neat, groomed, and cover up where needed. Remember you are dressing to teach to a diverse group of members. This will help you look, non-intimidating. All members will feel comfortable, talking, and having comfortable conversations with you.

4-Studio Cleanliness:

Take a few moments after your classes to clean up after your members. Let them see that you want to always create a safe, and clean environment for them to workout.  This will set you apart from all the other instructors. Make your expectations always higher than the next person. I don’t believe this is anything different from what would be required of a Great Fitness Professional.

Quote: A Smile is the light on your face that lets someone know you are home.

Hope these quick reminders jump start you back into the New Year. Thank you all very much for your continued support, and dedication.  Wishing you all a wonderful 2011.

With Kind Regards

Gail Bannister-Mann

Regional Group Exercise Manager for  XSport Fitness (NY Region)

Fitness Educator/Presenter

NASM/AFAA CEU Provider

The Technology Impact within the Fitness Field

Have you noticed these days, that our members seem to pay little, or no attention?

Look at your classes next time you cue something. Take a step back, and cue a movement, and you will see that 85% of your members will look around to see what the other members are doing 1st, before they move, even though you have clearly cued the movement. Why is that?  I believe it is because most workouts these days are repetitive.  We the instructors do not change up our class flows as frequently as we should in order to keep our members interest.

Ninety percent of classes these days do not require listening… just viewing. This is why Step, Pure Dance classes, and choreography type classes are not as successful as, Strength, Yoga, Pilates, Spinning, and Zumba etc. You do not have to remember, just follow along, and if you make a mistake, it is not obvious in the class. Check out your back row members during these classes.  You will see no energy, and no enthusiasm to work effectively, or efficiently.  In the past years, choreography-type classes were packed. The members could not wait for the next week to see what you designed, created, or what new ideas you presented to challenge them in increasing their fitness workouts, or fitness goals.

This century has changed, and made things so much easier not requiring thought process.  Examples:

·      When was the last time you used a pay phone (if they still exist) versus your cell phone?

·      When was the last time you made homemade pancakes vs. pouring it out of a box?

·      How many times have you texted vs. calling someone and having a full conversation?

These days we are visually oriented and we are easily distracted to the point that we do not see things, or hear things right in front of us. We need to improve our listening skills, not just our visual cues, and at times, BOTH in our classes.

This is where miscommunication begins. By not communicating clearly, can be misread, misunderstood, and the wrong information will be translated out to the masses.

We need to go back to the basics of communication, and teaching.  Remind members that our classes are not off cell phones, I-Pads, You Tube, Fitness Videos, Computers, etc;  It is a fitness workout that requires interaction, and responsive communication between instructors, and members.  We need to keep our members stimulated, interested, and wanting to work hard to get the benefits of the workouts. Remember our members are paying a membership to see results.

Tips for us to be aware of as an instructor in order to help us bring more awareness into our classes or in our communications:

·      Be clear, concise, and precise.

·      Hold our members accountable to reading signs that are important.

·      Make them listen to cues.

·      Change up your workouts (at least monthly). Keep your members interested in “YOU”

·      If you text someone more than 3 times to communicate – stop texting, and call.

Remember that fitness is our passion. Right it down, and read it often. Never take short cuts to reach your goals. Take the long view, one day at a time. It will all benefit you in the end.

Wishing you all the best for the Holiday Season.

Gail Bannister-Munn

Regional Group Exercise Manager for  XSport Fitness (NY Region)

Fitness Educator/Presenter

NASM/AFAA CEU Provider

www.Gailbannistermunn.com

“Change the way you look at things,

and things will change”

The Last Of The Dinosaurs!

When you look up the word Dinosaurs, you get over 1,000+ examples explaining how it dates back to the 1800’s, the biblical days. Man oh man….am I that old?

When I started teaching group exercise classes it was 1987. I was thrown into it like most of us back in the day.  However, by 1989 certifications started to pop up (NEDITA, AAAI), and many companies starting requiring them as part of group exercise/personal training. Back then, they were never designated group exercise instructors/trainers, everyone did everything: Answered phones, trained members, sold memberships, cleaned equipment, emptied the garbage etc. As we progressed through the years we separated into silos now creating specialties. Group Exercise packed out classes, and PT was on an up swing. Why do I feel the need to write about the old ways?  I guess because the old ways, there were a cohesive group of dedicated, passionate, hard working fitness professionals.  This needs to be addressed for the new fitness professionals to understand how hard we worked to make Group Exercise, and Personal Training recognized as a serious career.

These days we notice everyone jumping on the train to Fitness. This is motivated by new programming, new classes, new fitness toys, and probably the biggest one…The Economy. Everyone is hitching a ride on the train…. However, not realizing that it is a professional job, not part time, but a full time love, and passion that should be treated like any other profession.

The new programming makes it easy for anyone these days to get certified. A certification today requires maybe 2 days tops, and your are certified, good to go for Monday morning.  However, where is the mentorship, the accountability that you are able to teach/train correctly, the application, the practice time, the process to make you comfortable to teach, or to train?

So here we go…

The Dinosaur instructors when we teach, we make it feel seamless, easy, and we inspire the new breeds to want to become fitness professionals. However, making it seem seamless takes a lot of preparation, class design, musicality, timing, listening, understanding, and education.

To be a great instructor, here are the top 12 values you need to follow:

1-Class Design

2-Building Choreography

3-Musical Awareness

4-Timing

5-Voice projection with inflection in your voice when needed (no baby, meek voice)

6-Cueing techniques combined with instruction.

7-Education

8-Listening

9-Eye Contact

10-Stage Presence

11-Ability to adjust to class’s ability

The other 10 values that makes you Greater

1-Team Work.

2-Humility/Graciousness.

3-Change in routine/class format frequently.

4-Inspire your members – supply the energy.

5-Take feedback, embrace feedback, look for feedback, and improve.

6-Research your outlines/routines/KNOW YOUR MUSIC.

7-Hands on methods of corrections, and have several levels of progressions. (Instruction instruction, instruction!!!!)

8-Dress Professional/Be Professional.

9-It is not your workout.

10-Do not cater to the front row members.

So as you can see, with all these ideas in place you will be awesome. However, can you put them in place?  It takes time, and a lot of work, and this is where it separates the old school from the new school. This where the members start comparing, and knowing there is a difference with the new comers, and a more seasoned instructor.

Not because you have a packed class means you are great? Or, not because the class has low attendance means the instructor is horrible. Actually, it can be the reverse.  Packed classes can just mean the instructors are teaching an easy to follow choreography/routine or, that they have been teaching the same routines for months, and the members have memorized the choreography?  A low attendance class can mean that the instructor is providing a really hard workout, and the members may not want to be challenged.

So we the Dinosaurs find it hard these days when we have put hard work, effort and passion into our class routines, and it goes unnoticed. So for the new fitness professionals, we Welcome You!  However, remember to respect us, and represent us well, because we have set the bar, the trend, and high expectations for you to meet.

Suggestions to be the best you can be: “The key to success in life is using the good thoughts of wise people. “

Find a Mentor

• Nothing Boosts your self-confidence or nurtures your positives attitude than a mentor.
• You are never to old, or to young to have a mentor.
• Great mentors will not only lead you on your future professional path but also help you to realize your full potential-spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.
• Ask yourself who could make a positive difference in your life towards your goals?  The answer may not come to you immediately.
• Go through your rolodex of colleagues, and make a list of potential mentors.
• List the strengths, and weaknesses of each potential person.
• Have conversations with your top 3 candidates, you will be surprised on how flattered some will respond.
• Trust your instincts and you will be soon be on the path to a brighter learning experience.

Good Luck!

“Change the way you look at things,and things will change”

The Bannister Works/The Bannister Method

www.Gailbannistermunn.com

Blog#2

“The only things that stand between a person, and what they want in life are the will to try it, and the faith to believe it’s possible”

Thank you all for your support, and your input on my 1st Blog.  Wow! I am glad to see that I had tapped into many of the same frustrations that we all feel in the Fitness Industry these days.

So now this is my Blog #2. I had originally had planned on writing about ”The Last of The Group Exercise Dinosaurs”.  I thought it was time to give many of my fellow colleagues support, and appreciation for all their hard work these past years in staying true to the “Art” of teaching. Instead, I have decided to share a link with all of you. I believe this is bigger than all of us. Next month I will Blog on ”The Last of The Group Exercise Dinosaurs”. So stay tuned…….

Get the tissue boxes out!! Click on the link below.

http://www.wimp.com/watchingthis/

With Fondest Regards

Change the way you look at things,and things will change”

The Bannister Works/The Bannister Method

The Code

Written By: Gail Bannister-Munn –

The Bannister Method

The Code, what is the Code?

1-   Do you arrive to class on the second the class is supposed to start?

2-   Do you end your classes late, and have no concerns for the other classes following your class?

3-   Do you leave the studio unaware if the studio is re-set back to a neat, clean, visual setting for new potential members to view on club tour?

4-   Do you return phone calls when your team members are seeking help, or do you make a mental note of instructors who “WILL NOT” cover for you, when you are looking for coverage?

5-   Do you wait for the next instructor to show before leaving the studio to ensure that the next class of members has an instructor?

6-   Do you tell your members when you will be away, and there will be a sub?

7-   Do you adhere to branded programs profiles, Time, profiles, programs ETC?

8-   Do you listen to the member’s feedback/opinions vs., working with your supervisor and trying to work as a team and standing as one voice?

9- Do you set your director supervisors mangers up for failure by discussing internal company rules or policies?

10-Do you use members to get your point across to management?

I will address all these questions, and try to show you a different perspective of customer service, you may agree, or disagree, however, remember this is customer service 150%.  Remember we are placed in a class to provide quality, and care to our members. Most importantly, you are paid to provide a service to the company you were hired to work.

The Code Answers:

Q1&2: Arriving to class exactly on time is unprofessional.  You must arrive to class at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled time for three main reasons:

1.    Management needs to know you are in the facility.

2.    If the members do not see you, they will complain at the front desk, and you will have a reputation of always being late,

3.    You need to make sure your studio is set, and ready for the scheduled workout, (e.g. boxing bags hanging that need to be removed, equipment in the studio that needs to be removed out the way for movement etc.)

These items will delay the start of your class. Keeping in mind you still have to wire up your headset that takes about 5 mins. This will now delay you, annoy the next class of members, and the instructor following you.

Q3: Leaving a studio messy after your class sends a hard message of how you conduct your personal life, and business. Take a moment and clean up after yourself.  Members will appreciate your attempt to make their environment a clean, and safe working environment. Many times classes may follow after your class; it is still your responsibility to clean up after your members so that the next class enters safely.

Q4: Have you noticed recently when you send an e-mail for coverage, no one responds back to you “yes” or “no”. However, the classes always get covered.  Why Is that?  I will tell you why, The Group Exercise Directors call in favors to get YOUR classes covered, because you do not cover.  Reasons for this: no team building, no relationship building.

• Maybe I am dating myself, back in my day; we could not wait to jump on class coverage. We wanted to show our skills to other classes to build our permanent classes. It was our opportunity to shine, under someone else’s dime. Call it showing off….however it worked to keep us all on our game of teaching.  We learned from each other, we synergized with each other, we helped each other, we played together, and most importantly, we communicated among each other, and made amazing friendships, and bonds that last a lifetime!!!

Q5: Now let’s think about this for a minute. I know we all have personal lives, and craziness going on day to day. How many of you would have stayed, and covered the next class?  How many of you sick/not feeling well, would have done four to five classes to help out your group exercise team, or Group Exercise Directors????

These days, we forget the code of customer service, and why we are in this profession. When I started as a group exercise instructor, we could not leave until the next instructor arrived to teach his/her class. In the 21^st century, these customer service rules/policies/values are not different from the past. So why then do instructors come, and go unaware of classes, or of their colleague’s names.

I will tell you why…..no-one cares to take the time to build team building, or camaraderie among colleagues.

Bailing out another colleague shows you are a team player. Covering a class should NOT be viewed as a chore, and I better be compensated for my time.  After all, based on the economy, these last minute class emergencies do not happen often.  Even subbing classes these days, are far, and few.  So jump on the opportunity, big, or small, it will help you grow, most importantly; you may get some new faces in your own permanent classes. So next time you see someone seeking help for coverage, respond back, “Yes or No” it will go a long way for when you need coverage. You know, as well as I do, you have a running list of instructors who you will never cover for, because they never cover for you, or respond back to you.

Q6:  Telling your members you will be away is another reason why you do not get help for your classes. Why would anyone cover for you, if they continuously show up to cover your classes and there are only 3 to 4 members?  They know your class attendance is about 30+ members!! Would you continue to help “YOU”?

So stop doing it, and you will see more support from your colleagues.

Q7: We all know branded programs can be a challenge.   However, the program must be adhered.  Your company has invested money and you are paid to teach the program. It is not your job to change, add on, update, and be creative, or run classes longer than it’s designated program time. Teach what is asked of you. Remember you are replaceable. If you cannot follow class format, and teach the branded program class with passion, then have someone else fill that time slot.

The class is not for you.

Q8: Listening to members feedback that will influence you against your peers, management, or your direct supervisor are signs of trying to be loved, or popular instructor by the members.  We all want to be a popular Instructor.  However, jeopardizing your relationship with your team, or boss is not a great idea.

Yes, we want to show compassion to all of our members. However, they do not pay your salary, and again, you are replaceable.  It does not matter how popular you are to the members, at the end of the day your job is to work with your team, represent your team, and be a valuable employee to your supervisor.  Your can be friendly to your members, however, they are NOT your friends. At some point enough, is enough!

So next time before you say “NO” think of The CODE.

If Attitudes are contagious…Is YOURS worth catching????