How to become a group fitness instructor

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Do you enjoy working out and staying fit? Do you have a passion for helping others achieve their fitness goals? If so, a career as a group fitness instructor is the perfect opportunity to pursue your fitness goals while helping others do the same. This path offers several rewarding benefits, both professionally and personally.

The road to becoming a group fitness instructor can be challenging, yet exciting and extremely rewarding. You get to learn about health and safety, human anatomy and physiology, leadership, and communication, among other vital skills. Ultimately, you can explore your passions with a sense of fulfillment.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to become a fitness instructor, you’ll find answers to most, if not all, of your questions in this detailed guide by Zumba.

What Is a Group Fitness Instructor?

A group fitness instructor is someone who is trained and qualified to lead and motivate a group of people in exercise and high-intensity interval training.

The job of a group fitness instructor goes beyond just teaching pre-choreographed exercises to a class of participants. It encompasses other core responsibilities that keep the classes running and participants motivated. Gaining insights into the role of a group fitness instructor will help you develop a stronger foundation for becoming a successful one.

Some vital roles and responsibilities of a group fitness instructor include:

• Motivating participants: Participants in a group fitness setting will rely on you as an instructor to help them maintain the proper energy levels they need to stay motivated. As someone who is expected to motivate others, you’ll require some level of personal motivation yourself.
• Planning classes: As a group instructor, you’ll be responsible for organizing and planning class schedules and activities based on details such as class size, experience levels, and fitness goals.
• Ensuring safety: It’s your job to ensure that the environment is safe and low-risk for participants.
• Adequately managing time: Group fitness classes often run on time slots, and as the instructor, you’ll be responsible for ensuring adequate time management.
• Instructing and demonstrating: It’s your responsibility to teach group fitness class participants proper exercise techniques and adequately demonstrate exercises, while ensuring everyone follows along.

Why Teach Group Fitness Classes?

Group fitness is not a new trend. The concept has been around since the early days of television shows, such as those featuring Jack LaLanne and Jacki Sorensen, which encouraged people to exercise together, with presenters virtually leading the way. The power of community, collective transformation, and accountability differentiates group fitness classes from solo training.

As a group fitness instructor, there are several health, professional, and personal benefits you get to enjoy. These include:

• Income supplementation: Whether you’re a personal trainer or a professional in any other career, you can earn extra income by instructing group fitness classes. You can choose group fitness classes that work best with your schedule to supplement your income.
• Enhanced health and fitness: While instructing in a group fitness class allows you to help others meet their fitness goals, it also keeps you physically active and fit. Additionally, it helps keep you accountable and motivated to stay on top of your personal fitness goals.
• Ongoing learning opportunities: Group fitness is a sector that continues to grow and expand, with new trends and exercise sciences emerging. As an instructor, these changes drive you to pursue ongoing learning in wellness and fitness.
• Improved communication skills: Teaching group fitness classes is an art that requires a mastery of communication skills. A career as a group fitness instructor teaches you essential verbal and nonverbal communication skills, as well as active listening skills.
• Career growth opportunities: As a group fitness instructor, you can explore several career growth opportunities using your acquired skills — you can pursue a career as a personal trainer, as well as other relevant careers in the health and wellness industry.
• Increased sense of fulfillment: Being a group fitness instructor comes with a heightened sense of satisfaction, knowing that you are helping others achieve their fitness goals and improve their overall well-being.
• Community: Group fitness classes foster a sense of community that can benefit both you and participants. It provides opportunities to meet new people and expand your professional network. 
   

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Skills Needed to Become a Group Fitness Instructor

Anyone 18 years and older can become a group fitness instructor. However, there are specific skills you’ll need to thrive:

• Motivational skills: You’ll often find yourself leading groups with different levels of motivation and diverse fitness goals. To successfully help participants in each group, you need exceptional motivational skills to encourage them to stay committed to their goals.
• Communication skills: Effective communication skills are nonnegotiable for a group fitness instructor. They’re essential for everything from teaching new exercise routines to motivating and encouraging participants to stick to their goals.
• Active listening skills: To foster an environment where participants feel seen and heard, you need to cultivate active listening skills.
• Problem-solving skills: A fitness group would typically comprise people with diverse needs, health concerns, and fitness levels. In situations where a group of people doesn’t feel catered to, a group fitness instructor will need to apply problem-solving skills to address the issues.
• Leadership skills: Leadership is a crucial component of your role as a group fitness instructor. As someone who directs a group to achieve worthwhile goals, you must display leadership skills to ensure everyone feels supported, regardless of their experience level.
• Organizational skills: This skill helps you stay organized and plan classes and new routines effectively, while managing time efficiently.

Types of Group Fitness Classes You Can Teach as an Instructor

Group fitness classes are not limited to only one type of exercise. In fact, you can tailor any exercise to a group fitness setting. Knowing the types of fitness classes you can explore as an instructor will help you determine the essential skills, techniques, and teaching approaches you need to learn.

Types of group fitness classes you can teach include:

• Zumba
• High-intensity interval training
• Pilates
• Yoga
• Indoor cycling
• Aqua aerobics
• Strength training
• Kickboxing
• Circuit training

Do You Need a Certification to Become a Group Fitness Instructor?

Typically, obtaining a certification isn’t legally required to teach group fitness, but it’s a practical and recommended step. Most gyms and studios require recognized certifications or licenses.

If your goal is to work in a professional capacity and get the attention of top employers hiring group fitness instructors, you should obtain relevant training licenses and/or certifications. Although it’s possible to secure entry-level jobs without certification, it’s a must to enhance career growth and increase employability.

In addition to getting a certification or license, there are other steps you can take to boost your credibility, including:

Get a CPR and AED certification: Many employers will require these certifications to teach group fitness classes. CPR and AED certification teaches you the appropriate responses to situations such as choking and fainting. With these certifications, you can show clients and employers that you can handle dire situations and administer CPR until medical help arrives.

Obtain a specialist group fitness certification or license: There are several areas of group fitness instruction that you can specialize in. Obtaining specialized certifications in these areas is one way to set yourself apart from your competition.

How Long Does It Take To Become A Certified Group Fitness Instructor?

The time needed to complete your certification training will vary depending on the training format you choose. It will also depend on whether you take the training in-person, via livestream or on-demand.

What Do You Need to Be a Group Fitness Instructor?

The journey to becoming a group fitness instructor begins with intentional steps, geared toward gaining the proper knowledge and skill set required to succeed. Here are some steps you can take to pursue a career as a group fitness instructor.

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1. Choose A Group Fitness Instructor Certification Training

First, you need to get certified to be a group fitness instructor. While several group fitness instructor certification trainings are available, not all of them hold the same value. A crucial parameter to consider when selecting a certification study training is accreditation from reputable bodies, such as the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).

Certification from accredited bodies confirms compliance with industry qualification benchmarks, earning you an added level of credibility in the fitness industry.

Some other essential factors to consider include:

• Study format and flexibility: The best group fitness instructor certification trainings offer a variety of study formats to cater to diverse learning needs. Trainings that provide both online and on-site study formats are preferable, as they offer greater flexibility.
• Ongoing support: Completing a certification training is only the first step in becoming a group fitness instructor. You’ll need all the support you can get as you navigate through specializing in a niche, building credibility, and growing in your career. Choose trainings that offer ongoing support as you launch into the world of group fitness instruction.
• Extensive curriculum: Look for certification trainings with extensive curricula covering vital areas such as health and safety, anatomy and physiology, customer service, and management, among others.
• Hands-on learning experience: While learning the theoretical principles of group fitness instruction is beneficial, hands-on learning with a focus on practical skills and application is more valuable.
• Mentorship: Opt for a group fitness instructor certification training that offers some form of mentorship to enhance your real-world application of knowledge and skills learned.

2. Begin Your Training

After choosing a group fitness instructor certification with proper accreditation and valuable features, the next step is to begin your training. Depending on your preference, you can opt for livestream, on-demand, or in-person training.

During a group fitness instructor certification training, you can expect to gain foundational knowledge about the potential of the human body, leadership and presentation skills, and teaching techniques, among other essential information. Here are some tips to make the most of your training:

• Pay close attention and take notes during training sessions.
• Ask questions where possible.
• Take advantage of the ongoing support and resources available to you.

3. Get Your License And Start Your Career

Upon completion of your training, you’ll receive a license certifying that you have completed an accredited training program and have the necessary skills required to instruct a group fitness class. From this point, you can launch an exciting new career as a group fitness instructor. Some of the many places you can find teaching opportunities include gyms and health clubs, dance studios, community centers, schools, and corporate settings.

As a group fitness instructor, you can operate under two different types of working arrangements:

Contractual arrangements: Under a contractual arrangement, you’ll be required to work part-time or full-time for a defined number of hours. This arrangement is recommended especially for newly qualified group fitness instructors without a client base. Providing your services on a contractual basis in establishments like a local gym allows you to earn a fixed income while gaining experience and building your network.

Self-employment and freelancing: You can explore the world of self-employment and freelancing as a fitness instructor. This option gives you control over your working hours, enabling you to increase your earning potential.

4. Grow Your Skills And Impact

Group fitness instruction is constantly evolving with new teaching methods, choreography, and techniques. Consequently, you should consistently take steps to update and improve your knowledge. Most group fitness instructor certifications are valid for a specified period, after which a renewal becomes necessary.

For continued skill growth and development, consider adopting the following best practices:

• Invest in continued education and specialty training.
• Read industry publications to stay up to date with emerging trends.
• Attend fitness conventions to gain invaluable insights from leading experts in the industry.
• Participate in fitness classes led by seasoned group fitness instructors to gain inspiration and learn teaching techniques and motivational skills.

Factors That Influence Your Earning Potential as a Group Fitness Instructor

Several factors influence your earning potential as a group fitness instructor, including:

• Location: Different locations have varying payment structures for group fitness instructors. Factors such as cost and standard of living can influence payment structures for each location. For instance, due to the high cost of living in New York, a group fitness instructor there is more likely to earn a higher salary than a group fitness instructor in West Virginia.
• Years of experience: As someone just starting in the fitness industry, you may earn less than more experienced instructors.
• Working arrangements: Depending on your working arrangement, whether contractual or self-employed, factors such as working hours and the number of classes you teach can influence your earning potential.

Is Becoming a Group Fitness Instructor the Right Move for You?

A career as a group fitness instructor can be gratifying, offering numerous personal and professional benefits. If you’re a fitness enthusiast with a passion for exercising and helping others do the same, becoming a group fitness instructor may be the right move for you. Beyond doing what you love, this career path also allows you to explore new opportunities and streams of income.

This story was produced by Zumba and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.