I’ve seen plenty of fitness trainers all make the same dangerous mistakes when it comes to large-group settings: they don’t properly program the workouts.
Maybe it’s laziness. After all, there’s a lot of work involved in properly planning workouts that stretch out over four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks or more. Sometimes it’s easier to just wing it – run your clients hard, get them crawling out of the gym, and hope they loved the workout.
In other cases, fitness trainers don’t properly program the workout simply because they don’t know how. It takes a certain amount of training and expertise to figure out how to structure a set of workouts in order to deliver a specific set of goals for clients. And if you don’t yet have that experience, then once again it may seem easier to just wing it.
But heads up…
Just because programming may be difficult and time-consuming doesn’t mean you can skip it entirely. In just a moment you’ll get a resource that will make programming a whole lot easier for you. But first, let’s take a look at the problems and dangers associated with improper programming…
Problem 1: Lack of Results
Here’s the most obvious problem – if you don’t program your workouts properly for large group settings, then your clients simply aren’t going to get good results. And if they’re not getting good results, then you can bet they’re not going to stick around in your class or refer their friends.
The solution? You need to first be sure that you’re training clients who have the same fitness goals. For example, you don’t want a class where one person is seeking to boost endurance, another one wants to strip fat, and still another one wants to build muscle. That’s why you want to start boot camps and other large groups that all target the same audience.
Secondly, be sure to assess your clients before the group-training starts. You’ll want to know each person’s level of fitness so that you can tailor your programming with exercises and workouts that are flexible to meet your clients’ needs.
Here’s the next problem…
Problem 2: Clients Aren’t Energized
Another problem with improper programming in large-group settings is that it may move too slow for some clients. If you don’t keep the energy and tempo up, people are going to get bored. And if they’re feeling bored, they’re going to drop out of the class.
The solution? Once again, you need to program your workouts with a large group in mind. If you’ve only ever trained clients one-on-one, then you need to adjust your thinking and training methods to accommodate a group. Be sure that you create stations and workouts that don’t leave clients standing around doing nothing (unless they are supposed to be resting, of course).
Here’s another big danger of improper programming…
Problem 3: Injury and/or Overtraining
If you haven’t carefully assessed and monitored your clients’ fitness levels and progress – and developed your programming around these factors – then you’re likely to end up with injured or over-trained clients.
Naturally, injury and overtraining both lead to lack of results and fewer clients taking your classes. And naturally, no one wants to be the trainer who develops a rep for having injured clients.
The solution? Program your workouts to include the proper amount of effort needed to meet your clients’ needs, as well as the proper amount of rest between workouts.
In Sum…
Not programming workouts is a big mistake. But improper programming is often just as bad, as it can be downright dangerous to your clients. That’s why you’ll want to take the time to assess your clients, understand their goals, and develop workouts that work well in large-group settings.
If you don’t have the time, inclination or experience to program these workouts yourself, then you’re going to love this done-for-you resource: [link]
Check it out, because it will save you time, help you avoid the dangers discussed above, and create a class of satisfied clients who are getting great results!