help clients find a specific position or action is to bring it to life with an anal- ogy. Analogies also make workouts just a bit more fun. Here are some of Nock’s favourites: For lunges: “Set your feet apart as if


2


you are a train on train tracks.” For planks: “Pull your waistline in


from all directions as if you are wear- ing a corset.” For side planks and yoga’s warrior


2: “Position yourself as if you were squeezed between two sheets of glass.” For push ups: “Screw your hands


into your mat as if you are Spider-Man or as if you’re tightening mason jars.”


keep her participants focused. “I catch people’s attention with lines


3


be using. As they learn my cues, they find it very easy to learn new exercises.” While you’re keeping your cues


concise, be sure to also mix in lots of education, says Nicky Nock, a GoodLife Fitness group exercise in- structor and team training coach in Toronto. “The why's of each move – for ex-


ample, to strengthen your core, to keep your back safe, to achieve opti- mal technique and performance – are particularly impactful, and they cre- ate buy-in from the client,” says Nock. “They also let you present yourself as an educated professional and leave cli- ents feeling knowledgeable, successful and inspired.”


like, ‘Hey everyone, here's a great tip,’” she says. “Once I have their attention I then share that one important thing that I want them to focus on at that time. For example, I might say, “Draw shoulder blades back and down for better posture.” Ruth Hanton, a group exercise in-


structor and personal trainer from Toronto, employs another attention- getter: “When I’m teaching lunges, for example, I might point behind me and say, ‘Look at my back heel every- one. See how my heel is lifted off the ground and how most of my weight is in my front leg?’” It is important to upgrade your


skills beyond the basic ho-hum show- and-tell teaching model, says Art McDonald, a former personal train- er and supervisor for the City of Vaughan, Ontario. For personal train- ing he recommends a three-step ap- proach, which requires clients to be at- tentive and engaged. “First teach the exercise,” he says.


“Then have the client perform the ex- ercise, and finally have the client teach the exercise back to you using the cues and tips you provided during your demonstration.”


Keep their attention When she is teaching groups, Nock uses specific directives to


Use analogies to speed learning Sometimes the quickest way to


4


Add some drama The most dynamic group exer- cise instructors tap into the mu-


sic to add excitement and a bit of dra- ma to their classes. According to Nock, speaking with


the same tone of voice through an en- tire class encourages people to zone out. Instead, she suggests matching your voice with the highs and lows of the music. “Be conversational during the verses and then energetic and pow- erful (not to be confused with scream- ing) during the choruses,” she says. “Don’t fight the music, go with it.” In settings without music, try a big


high-energy voice to match the inten- sity of exercises like squat presses, bat- tle ropes and burpees. During hovers and other static movements be con- versational or even quiet to match the focus and calmness required for these movements.


easy to fall into the trap of talking too much about yourself. Don’t do it, say the experts. Limit personal informa- tion to basic pleasantries and quick stories. “People aren’t paying you $60 to


5


$100 an hour to hear you chitchat about your weekend with your boy- friend or the restaurant you recently discovered,” says Hanton. “If you’re spending time chatting about your- self, you’re really not engaged in the process. To earn long-term clients you need to truly focus on your clients. They have to believe in you and your knowledge.”


who stands observing his clients with his arms crossed over his chest. This universally signals that you’re closed to communication, and it puts a bar- rier between you and your client. Instead, keep your arms busy with


6


spotting, gesturing as you describe and correct body positions, and orga- nizing equipment for your client.


» Winter 2019 Fitness Business Canada 27


Watch your body language Of course, don’t be that trainer


You you you versus me me me If you’re a personal trainer, it is


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36