A fitness instructor. Hmm… So, you’ve taken several classes and attended multiple sessions. You’ve decided that you love a particular routine or exercise regimen, and you want to become an instructor, where you hope you can reach other people and engage them in their fitness journey.
It’s an awesome beginning because doing something you enjoy is great for your health. Getting paid for it is a bonus!
But, as with any great change, there are many aspects to consider. For example, I shouldn’t have to mention that you need to check on required certifications or classes that you may need before continuing down your path to being a fitness instructor. A lot of those could depend on if you plan on teaching at an established gym or if you are striking out on your own.
Regardless, make sure that you have everything in place legally and professionally before sinking any more time and effort into achieving your goal of being a fitness instructor.
But aside from the obvious, here are a few other things you need to know before becoming a fitness instructor.
You are a salesperson.
Yes, you will be in the fitness business, but you will also be in the sales business. This is true regardless of where you choose to do your instruction.
You may be fulfilling a gym’s needs by taking on classes for them. But you will still have to figure out how to make your classes the ones that everyone wants to attend, especially if there are other instructors that offer the same class at a different time. You want to catch the eye of people who have a choice between different times – and you want them to choose yours.
If you are striking out on your own, you need to figure out your pitch to get people interested in taking your class. What you don’t want is going through everything else to establish a class and then only have two people show up. Even if you’re renting a rec center on your own to hold your class, that cost/benefit will not pan out in the long run.
Not only do you have to sell the class, what do you do when you get them in the door and onto the floor?
Find your niche.
Take a look at other classes in the same fitness range that are being offered elsewhere. Then think of what you can do to make yourself stand out. Maybe it’s theme music days, or special exercises, or other details that might become apparent. You want the services you offer to stand out in a sea of other instructors.
It won’t happen overnight.
You are going to need patience for this. Every step of the process is going to take time, from obtaining the proper certificates as well as finding your space to offer your instruction. Then… on to building that instruction and growing your client base.
That last one can take longer than you expect. Even though you may have people tell you that they’d love to join you in a class, they may not actually show up. The time might not be convenient for them, their schedules might change, or they may decide to just stick with what is familiar to them.
You will have to consider how to expand and enhance your offerings as a fitness instructor to ensure that you have a steady increase that you can maintain over time. It will do you no good to get a flash of people who then disappear.
Flexibility is a must.
Insert a joke about stretching before working out here. Just kidding. By this, I actually mean you will need to realize that as much as you plan and want to follow the steps you have laid out for yourself, you will also have to take advantage of opportunities as they arise.
For example, you may not want to instruct at a large gym and instead have your heart set on a smaller, boutique gym. But you should look at where the job opportunities are that can get you the experience and help you cultivate a client base. It’s quite possible that the job in the larger gym may be a great entryway to your ultimate goal of the boutique.
People are people
As I mentioned above, you want to build and retain your client base. But working with other people is difficult regardless of the situation. You can’t always rely on what someone says they will do; you have to ensure that you can proceed with what you need to do even if other people don’t follow through.
Be aware of yourself.
In achieving your goal to be a fitness instructor, it will be easy to lose sight of your own needs. Be kind to yourself when you make a mistake (and you will make mistakes – learn from them). Keep up your own fitness. Don’t let the stress of creating this new job take over your health and eating habits.
Most importantly, set your own schedules and stick to them as closely as possible (but don’t overlook the importance of flexibility mentioned above). Remember – you are your product. Your instruction, including the style and manner in which you relay it to others, is a direct reflection of you as a person.
Learn more about what I do and PiYo, and how you can join me either as an instructor or a student, CLICK HERE! To learn more about my newest creation SoulFUSION, CLICK HERE. If you would like to participate in one of my weekend Virtual Classes, or On-Demand classes, CLICK HERE.
