Tag: becoming a group exercise instructor

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Schwinn Certification Review: How I Became an Indoor Cycling Instructor

Realizing that I got my indoor cycling Schwinn certification back in 2015 to officially become an indoor cycling instructor, this review is long, long overdue! I want to share my experience with you today since the Schwinn Indoor Cycle certification is a relatively cheap way to become an indoor cycling instructor and it’s also my personal recommendation for aspiring cycle instructors.

For background, I passed my ACE Fitness group exercise certification test in 2010, and started teaching strength and step, plus subbing indoor cycling classes every once in a blue moon. In 2015, one of my gyms needed a new permanent instructor for an evening cycling class, and I jumped at the opportunity. The only caveat: I needed to get an indoor cycling certification. Every gym has a different policy — some need just a general group exercise certification and others have more specific requirements. So, it’s a good idea to check with the gym(s) you want to teach at before getting new certifications.

I had taken a couple Schwinn classes at the SCW Mania convention that same year, and had already fallen in love with the brand. With that in mind, I knew I wanted to take a Schwinn certification course. Up until then, I had been dragging my feet because of the extra costs, but I learned that there’s only a one-time fee to get your Schwinn certification — no extra costs associated with continuing education! Woo!

So, I signed up for a course with Shannon Fable at Crunch Fitness in San Francisco.

Shannon Fable

Shannon is an IDEA and ACE Instructor of the Year and a fitness business and programming consultant. She’s helped brands such as Anytime Fitness, Schwinn®, POWER SYSTEMS®, ACE and BOSU® over the past 20 years. Shannon is a member of the ACE Board of Directors, is the owner of GroupEx PRO®, a cloud based group fitness management tool, and Balletone®.

I loved Shannon’s presentation style. She was truly authentic and genuine, which is rare in this industry. I give major props to Schwinn for how they select their master instructors. They are some of the best in the biz and will get you pumped to be teaching cycle classes.

The Schwinn Certification Training Details

  • Time: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  • Breaks: The day is jam-packed. We had a lunch break, and a few quick bathroom breaks.
  • What to Bring:
    • Snacks
    • Lunch (unless there’s a place nearby to grab something)
    • Water (most gyms will have faucets to fill your bottles)
    • Towels (you can usually grab some from the front desk at the gym)
    • Pens/pencils
    • They’ll give you a workbook to take notes, but you might also want to bring your own notebook
    • Clipboard (optional; makes it easier to write without a desk)
    • Sweatshirt (when not riding, a lot of the rooms can get cold)
    • Indoor cycling shoes (if you have them)
    • Come dressed in workout clothes, ready to ride
    • Change of clothes (optional; if you tend to sweat a lot, might be nice to have a change of clothes for after the first ride)
  • Cost: $199
  • CECs (continuing education credits): 1.20 ACE CECs, .08 NASM CECs and 8.00 AFAA CEUs

The Schwinn Certification Review

Schwinn Certification Workbook

Overall, the training was great. I was nervous about taking the class with a bunch of really experienced riders, but the class was much more diverse than I expected. There are people that have never taught a single class before, and there are others that have been teaching for decades. Most of the participants there were really nice and made the group/partner work fun.

The morning kicked off with an overview of the technical stuff — bike functions, how to use the monitors/consoles, and body mechanics on the bikes. We went through how to fit users for the bikes in both a “quick fit” and “high performance fit”. This was one of my favorite parts, because it’s one of the most important elements of teaching indoor cycling classes. The bike fit will make or break someone’s experience in your class, so this formal training was critical.

Then, we talked through class planning, cueing, music and motivation. Shannon did recommend avoiding asking participants for song suggestions, because then you’ll be stuck playing whatever song they suggest, whether it’s good or bad — funny, ’cause it’s true!

And, if your class moans and groans when you play a certain song, you can say, “Alright, we’ve played a bunch of different songs here today. This next one is for me, because I love it!”

Of course, we also did two rides throughout the day to practice and experience what we were learning.

Would I recommend Schwinn Cycling?

As you can probably tell, I loved getting my Schwinn certification to officially become an indoor cycling instructor, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in teaching. Unfortunately, I haven’t had much experience with the other indoor cycling certification programs, so I can’t really compare them for you today. I can say that my experience with Schwinn and as an indoor cycling instructor has been excellent.

Since I already had a class lined up, I was able to dive right in to teaching, and have made the money back that it cost to take the course. I love teaching cycle classes, there’s something unique about being stationed on a bike that allows instructors to get creative with how we motivate the class. Participants are able to get more introspective, so we can tap into personalized, goal-oriented motivational cues.

If you’re interested in taking a Schwinn certification workshop, check out their event calendar here.

You may also like my recent Valentine’s Day indoor cycling workout and playlist, or check out other group exercise tips.

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What’s Part of the Group Exercise Instructor Job Description?

Woman looking up the group exercise instructor job description

A typical group exercise instructor job description leaves a lot to be desired. Sure, you sort of already know what you’ll be doing if you’ve ever taken a group fitness class before, but what about intangible qualities that are important for Group X instructors to have? And, what about embracing and embodying the unique culture at each gym?

After a few searches, I came up with two group exercise instructor job descriptions that I found particularly helpful in understanding what is expected of you as an instructor, and what the culture is like at the gym. Check out some of my favorite lines from the 24 Hour Fitness and Club Sport job descriptions.

The 24 Hour Fitness Group Exercise Instructor Job Description

What I really liked was that the job postings went on to explain in detail what the responsibilities included, like:

  • Greet all members and orients new participants
  • Instructs class to the ability level of the students participating
  • Encourages new participants and orients them to class
  • Stores all equipment neatly and appropriately

And, the qualifications were useful, as well:

  • Ability to deal with a diversity of individuals
  • Ability to communicate with people of all age groups
  • Ability to effectively demonstrate all skills being taught to participants
  • Must be outgoing, energetic and able to perform in front of an audience

The Club Sport Group Exercise Instructor Job Description

Club Sport also keeps it real in their job description, including the responsibilities:

  • Arrive at least 10 minutes early for class to prepare; stay after class to interact with members
  • Be available to substitute teach whenever possible
  • Strive to maintain and increase your class size
  • Teach to make students feel successful, and educate members on proper exercise techniques
  • Make your students’ safety and enjoyment your number one priority
  • Convey warmth and genuine interest to the students: make eye contact, smile, use students’ names, personalize the workout, even in a large class
  • Operate studio stereo equipment properly, with music at sound levels that are appropriate to class type and intensity, but also safe for students and not disruptive to the adjacent studio (where applicable)
  • Ensure all equipment and props are properly used during class and properly put away / stored after class

And, the qualifications were pretty specific, as well:

  • Properly demonstrate and perform all exercise / dance / stretch movements included in each class routine taught
  • Perform assigned class for duration of class while cuing and coaching without becoming “out of breath” (i.e., maintain a level of cardiovascular fitness that allows this)

If you are looking to start teaching group exercise classes, here’s a pro tip. I would recommend trying to find the email address for the group fitness director, and sharing your resume with them directly. I’ve been most successful in getting on a new class schedule when I’ve either sent an email directly or known someone at the gym already who was able to refer me.

For more tips and tricks, check out the group exercise ideas page.

(Image Source: The Training EDGE, NASM Magazine)

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Why Do You Want to Become a Group Fitness Instructor?

group-fitness-instructor-teaching-a-class

You might have stumbled upon this post because you’re thinking about becoming a Group X (or group fitness) instructor. First and foremost, welcome! If you choose to take that next step, the path to becoming a group fitness instructor is both rewarding, invigorating and downright challenging.

To be frank, it’s not for everyone. You’ll want to do some research before getting certified to decide if teaching group exercise classes is right for you. I wanted to share a few thoughts on the different reasons people join the fitness industry. Once you figure out your why, you’ll have a better idea if you’re going to find long-term success pursuing your passion for fitness.

Let’s talk about the No. 1 wrong reason for teaching group exercise:

I love to workout. Why not get paid doing it?

I think it’s safe to say you have to love fitness and exercise to become an instructor. But, just because you enjoy working out, doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy teaching. What’s more, you will likely work out less when you teach. That’s because important components of teaching — cueing proper form, motivating your class to work harder and monitoring for safety — cannot be done while you’re doing the workout full out in the front of the room. On top of that, the pay can often be a wash, when you add in the cost for certifications, continuing education, clothes and music.

Typically, folks that try out teaching simply because they want to get paid to work out will end up burning out of the industry pretty quickly.

However, there are many reasons to become a group fitness instructor, including:

  • I love sharing my knowledge of fitness with others.
  • I enjoy finding creative ways to work muscle groups and planning comprehensive workouts.
  • I am passionate about coaching and motivating others to be the best versions of themselves.
  • I am a stickler for exercise safety and proper form. I want to share my knowledge with others, so they can avoid injury and still be working out in another 50+ years.

The list goes on. So, before you take that next step, be sure to drill down to the reason you want to become a group fitness instructor. With the right purpose, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a rock star teacher.

For more insight into teaching fitness classes, check out the group exercise ideas and tips page.