Become a CLASS Coach

I fell in love with spinning in 2014 and the rest is history as they say - immediately looking to complete my level 2 and 3 in my desperation to convert as many people as possible to my way of thinking when it comes to the stationary bike… However, qualifying is just what gets you to the start line. This is where the real journey begins and looking back to when I first got onto a bike, in front of a room full of people, or demo’d a snatch to my first Lift class, that person is unrecognisable in comparison to how I coach today.

It has been quite the process, and an amazing one at that, as in the words of Ben Chipperfield (1Rebel, BXR), ‘you become a good coach by making you better, not your clients, they just benefit as a by-product’. And this is true to a large extent - through allowing yourself to make mistakes, gaining confidence in front of a crowd (sometimes I like to pretend I’m performing at Wembley), and taking time to constantly up-skill and learn. You will end up honing your delivery of a class, having the ability to fully engage with the clients in front of you, with no worry for the trappings (lights, music, snapchat…) that make up the modern day studio session, as they are just second nature.

I have numerous anecdotes and hilarious moments that have occurred over the years, which you will also end up with as part of your own journey, but along the way, myself, and several other coaches that I consider true experts in the field, have picked up some tips and tricks that may help fast track you there…

These are in no particular order but hopefully some will be of use moving forward! Some may even seem obvious, but it's amazing how often they are neglected.

Understand the importance of your role in providing the best 45 mins of someone’s day, no matter how yours is currently going - Be prepared, be present and truly care about how your members are doing, feeling and progressing. They may not remember what you said but they will always remember how you made them feel - Jess Rosart, (WIT Fitness)

E N E R G Y!! You have the power to set the tone from the get go. The coaches energy is always contagious - Courtney Pruce, (The Ultimate You)

Give every person in the room 20 seconds of your time, x 2, each class, whether it is to correct or encourage. It is so important to make a group class feel like a 1-2-1 - Ellie Watson, (1Rebel)

Continually go to other coaches classes - seeing others in action is a great way to learn what works, what doesn’t and what you can implement into your own coaching style - Ben Chips (1Rebel, BXR)

Never stop learning. Whether it’s externally sourced courses, or education run by a gym/brand. Don’t just do your Level 2&3 and leave it there - Will Pate (Third Space)

Ride it out - do not panic if something goes wrong. It will at some point, music can cut out, your mic may go. Make a joke, be you - we are all human so tap into this.

Adaptability- learn how to read people’s different energies/being able to adapt your approach and language to different personalities is a super important skill when it comes to class coaching! Being able to mould your cues, encouragement and motivation to each individual builds rapport and trust! - Courtney Pruce, (The Ultimate You)

Try to give them one tip they can take away with them! It's all about educating rather than beasting them. But remember, think less of 'show and tell' of everything you know, but more 'what is the key thing they need to know’ about this exercise/ blok of work to remember/use beyond these walls - Chloe Trigg, (BLOK). And as Will Pate always says, 'Always give your audience a how and a why, with the programme you’re delivering'.

Know your names - focus on trying to formulate a relationship with one or two people in each class, and learn something about them that you can use when you meet again, to make them feel seen and heard. I struggle with names so I’m never going to walk away with 20 new connections, so I found this tactic served me well. However, if this fails, and when a class list is not at hand…

Fake it until you make it - it is important to be as personable as possible and everyone loves a shout out, but if you land short on the names of the people in your class, shout out a generic one, when people are focussed on the task in hand. 90% of the time there may be an Ollie or Alice in class…

Do not try to reinvent the wheel. There is a reason why it is important to squat, hinge, push, pull, so base your workouts around these proven methods and don’t over complicate. It never works. Ben Chips (1Rebel, BXR)

It's not about communicating how much you know, it’s more about how well you can coach an individual and manage a room collectively. Let's be really honest, nobody in that class gives a f*ck about their posterior chain’ - Lee Stephens, (Functional Hustle)

Lose the word TEAM - I have to put this in as it is a bit of a pet hate, due to its relentless overuse, (occasionally is of course fine), but it is an unnecessary way of coaching in my opinion, when trying to unify - it doesn't need to be added to the end of every motivational sentence.

Authenticity - you can tell if someone is faking it. Passion to help others will always shine through. Tell a story or create a journey through the relative exercises either using your vocal or through the musicality - Dominique Hughes, (Core Flex)

Be relatable. Offer an anecdote or experience you've had doing this part of class or this particular programme. Empathy is the best form of connection - Dottie Fildes, (Barrys)

Playlisting - understand what class you are playlisting for and make sure the music matches the energy you want in the room. The focus is on controlled lifting? - tech house works a treat. There's a finisher at the end? - up the tempo through the use of DnB.

Don’t fight the music, they haven’t come to listen to you shout, if there’s a good song playing STFU and crank it up - Harry Sellers, (Barrys)

Read the room - understand when someone wants to be properly coached with correct cues and when someone just needs encouragement, confidence and a push in the right direction - Tom Bliss, (The Ultimate You)

Likeability - accept that you can't always be loved by everyone in the room. As in normal life, you can be the best in someone’s eyes and the worst in someone else’s so always remember to have fun! - Will Pate (Third Space)

And remember! Your work is never done - Always keep mastering your craft. A class/group coach should always be looking to improve, learn and chase excellence no matter how long they’ve been teaching or how well they are received! - Faisal Abdalla, (BXR)

To sum up and in the words of the amazing Lucie Cowan, (Third Space), being a really good fitness coach is about so much more than just the exercise. It’s like being a stand-up comedian, therapist and friend rolled into one at the gym. You’ve got to make your tribe sweat and laugh, whilst also feeling completely seen and valued all at the same time! Yes, we want to coach people to discover their true fitness potential, which is what they came for, and this ultimately just feels so good, but it’s also many people’s only time in the week to feel a sense of community, friendship, connection, stress release, laughter, escapism and so much more. It is you, as the coach, as the host of the fitness dinner party, to ensure every person who comes to you for an hour of exercise, leaves with so, so much more.