Becoming An Instructor

Lots of people tell me that they want to be a group fitness instructor. They will ask what it takes to get certified. Below is a list that you may find helpful if you are interested in becoming a certified fitness instructor:

Decide what format(s) you want to teach

(Spinning, Bodypump, Pilates, Step, Yoga, etc...)

Start with one format

Make sure you can master one format before you take on others.

It's not cheap

A lot of the training workshops can be $200 or higher just for the initial training. You pay to go to the training and depending on your evaluation you may not walk away from the first training with a certification.

Other costs involved (some of the most common)

• Depending on where you would be teaching classes you may have to pay for a CPR certification. Some facilities will pay for their instructors to get their CPR renewed but for the most part the instructor must pay for the initial CPR training. Some facilities also require First Aid training in addition to CPR. 

• If you are teaching pre-choreographed programs like Les Mills, BTS, TurboKick, etc... you will have to pay for the choreography and music releases which are around $40 each time they come out. I know that some facilities will pay this for their instructors but from my experience that is rare. 

• Batteries for microphones (not every facility provides these)
• Belts for the microphones (not every facility provides these)
• Microphone headsets (some facilities require their instructors to have their own headsets)
• If you don't have these things you will have to teach without a mic which is not fun

• Depending on the type of certification, you may need to submit a video of yourself teaching a class to receive your certification. You have to provide the camera, the blank tape or dvd, and pay a fee to submit the video. This fee can be around $50 not including postage to submit the video. 

It takes a lot of work and preparation behind the scenes

Be prepared to put lots of time in memorizing and practicing choreography for pre-choreographed programs and developing and testing routines when you teach freestyle. I've been doing this for many years and believe me when I say this: If you just threw a routine together in your car on your way to the club, or tried to memorize a new release of a program in 1 night, it's going to show and not in a good way.

Think about why you are doing it

Do you really want to teach classes? Do you really want to help people? Is this just a hobby for you? Really think about why you are doing it before you decide to get certified. If you're in it for the money, you will most likely be disappointed. You will get paid a nice hourly rate (comparatively speaking) but you cannot physically teach 40 classes per week. 

Have a mentor

Make sure you have a mentor. Ask your favorite instructor if they can help you. Ask them for advice and listen to them. Practice with them. We all want to be great but we will never get to great if we don't take feedback.

Be prepared to pay your dues before you get classes on the schedule

So you got certified and you want to teach. You should know that there will be experienced instructors applying for classes and these instructors will be given classes before you based on their experience. Fitness Managers need to replace experienced instructors with experienced instructors. This doesn't mean you won't get a break. You will need to prove your talents by team teaching with other instructors and filling in as a sub. This is not to say that you may not be given a class right off the bat. Just be ready to work your way in. Once people get to know you they will start to ask for you to teach classes. By this time you've gained some experience and you are ready to teach on your own.