A quality instructor is vital to the optimum fitness bootcamp. Everything hinges on this: atmosphere, programming, morale and results. But what if you know nothing about exercise? How can you properly evaluate an instructor to ensure the class is not only enjoyable, but appropriately challenging enough to help you meet your goals?
Fitness Bootcamp Instructor
First, you must check their credentials. Instructors should hold either a Group Exercise Instructor or Personal Fitness Trainer certification from a nationally recognized certifying organization. Additionally, many facilities require their own in-house trainings and certifications. National certifications vary in difficulty level and criteria for passing, but some of the most common are:
Because of the high intensity levels, the fitness bootcamp is one of the most difficult types of group fitness to plan and lead. So if given a choice, choose the instructor with the most education and experience. Two of the top certifications actually require a four-year degree in kinesiology or related sciences:
- Health Fitness Specialist (HFS) or Health Fitness Instructor (HFI)
If your instructor holds one of these certifications, rest assured they have the knowledge to provide a safe, effective workout. Formal college education also includes nuances of exercise physiology and bio-mechanics that can truly make the most out of a workout while further protecting students from injury.
Of course, simply having the knowledge is not enough. If the instructor is not a good teacher, the energy of the class will suffer. Bootcamp should be a learning experience as well as a physical discipline. So make sure your instructor periodically explains the benefits of different exercises. They should always demonstrate proper execution of the exercises and occasionally use technical terms (with definitions).
Every instructor should constantly give visual and verbal cues, guidelines about proper form and reminders to adhere to it. They should be active and mobile, not a passive participant staying at the front of the class. Giving personal attention to each student is absolutely necessary in the bootcamp environment, not only to increase motivation and confidence, but also to ensure safety and positive progress.
Just as you would not trust your body to a “doctor” without medical training, so you should not blindly assume that anyone can teach a good bootcamp. This is your time to be selfish. Your fitness bootcamp experience should be all about you, and any good instructor will consistently make sure it is.
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I’m getting ready to join my first bootcamp with a work colleague and to be honest I did not check any credentials for the camp – I got a leaflet and it had membership of some federation, but I didn;t look deeper than that, should I really?
Yes, you should! Tell me, would you get in a cab with a driver who doesn’t have a license to drive? Know Your Fitness Bootcamp Instructor!
I can imagine that these national certifications are hard to get considering the fact that fitness bootcamps are hard to conduct. So if they can pass that, then they can easily conduct classes.
However, I am surprised that there are a lot of national certifications. So there’s really no reason why trainers shouldn’t have at least one of them. But in this case, more is better.
It’s also a good thing if the bootcamp conducts in-house certifications. This shows that they have their own criteria and that they make sure that their trainers are qualified enough to do the job.
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This is a critical component of a fitness bootcamp we should not just ignore. The role instructors are playing can be liken to hinges that hold the door.
As both mentors and leaders of a bootcamp, instructors should make their credentials available for everybody to see and scrutinize.
This can build up more confidence on participants and of course make us assured that we are trained professionally.
In any kind of training we go into, we should really use our right to be informed and to inspect in details the certification and training which instructors went through before we should give our commitment.
Hey, we are the one paying and so we should never be shortchanged.
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