Fitness Instructors (General)
Direct, instruct and guide individuals and groups in the pursuit of physical fitness and wellbeing.
A busy Monday on the gym floor
You are a fitness instructor on a gym floor, running classes, setting up programs for members and keeping equipment safe and clean. It is 5:45am. The doors opened a few minutes ago, a class starts at six and a new member is waiting for an induction. A treadmill has a tag on it that you did not put there.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
I want to lift the same as the guys on the YouTube video I watched. I know I'm a beginner, but how hard can it be? Just put the heavy weights on and show me.
Set him up with the heavy weights, because he's keen and you want him to enjoy the session
He lifts clumsily and tweaks his shoulder before the end. A keen beginner who gets hurt does not come back. Building up sensibly is part of what you are there to teach.
Ask about his goals, show him a good starting point, and plan how to build up over weeks
Lachlan is a bit disappointed, but he likes seeing a plan that gets him to the video's level safely. He books a follow-up session and tells his mates you know your stuff.
Tell him that he's not ready and that he needs three months of basics before he touches weights
Lachlan feels talked down to and leaves unhappy. You were right to be cautious, but you needed to offer something he could start on straight away.
I've seen you eat clean, so I know you'll understand. Can you tell me which supplements to take to lose weight quickly? I have a wedding in three weeks and I'm desperate.
Recommend a supplement you have tried and had good results with
She buys it and feels unwell, and cannot tell her doctor what it contained. Supplement and diet advice is outside what an instructor should give, and it can do harm.
Say you can't advise on supplements, suggest a dietitian, and offer to plan her training for the next three weeks
Tahlia feels helped, but a bit flat, and wonders if you could do more. Your answer is right, though a warmer first sentence would have made her more comfortable.
Be kind, explain it's beyond your role, and show what you can help with in her training
Tahlia is relieved to have a clear next step. She sees a health professional and keeps training with you. Knowing the limits of your job is a sign of skill.
That treadmill with the tag on it has just been used again by a member who said it felt wobbly. The maintenance guy can't come until tomorrow. Do you want me to leave the tag on it?
Take the tag off so members aren't confused, and keep an eye on the machine yourself
A member steps on it and the belt jams. No one is hurt, but it could have gone badly. A faulty machine must stay out of use until a qualified person checks it.
Keep it tagged, block it off, and tell members and the manager why
The machine stays out of use and the maintenance visit is booked. Members appreciate being told. Safe equipment is something you protect even when it is inconvenient.
Leave the tag on, but say nothing to the members, since the sign explains it
The tag does the job most of the time, but one member ignores it and has to be stopped. A quick word or a barrier is a more reliable way to say a machine is not safe.
How it went
By two the floor is quiet and the last of your sessions are written up. Fitness instructors are part coach, part safety officer and part cheerleader, often in the same hour. Could you keep encouraging people without letting them get hurt?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The class that was too hard for one person
A fictional case set in a community gym and group fitness studio in a fictional suburban recreation centre.
The situation
Carlos ran a Tuesday evening strength class at a recreation centre. A new member, Margaret, joined in her sixties after her doctor had suggested she become more active. The class was fast, and the rest of the group were regulars who liked it hard. Margaret was keeping up through sheer determination, with her jaw set and her breath loud. She didn't ask for help and she insisted she was fine every time Carlos asked.
What they did
Carlos did not stop the class or single her out. He moved through the room, as he normally did, and crouched next to her mat with a quieter set of options for the next round. He said anyone could pick the version that suited them tonight, and demonstrated three. After class he asked Margaret what she wanted from her visits and shared a beginner session on Thursday mornings that might suit her better.
How it turned out
Margaret came to the Thursday group and, within a few weeks, to the Tuesday class too. She said she'd been terrified of being the slowest. Carlos now offers three options at every exercise in every class, so no one has to choose out loud.
What would you do?
- Why do you think Margaret said she was fine when she was struggling?
- How did Carlos help without making her feel singled out?
- What would you do if you saw someone pushing too hard in your class?