Tag: Fitness Motivation

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My Favorite Group Fitness Motivational Cues from SCW Mania

Group Fitness Motivational Cues from Mindy Mylrea

Tired, depleted and inspired. That’s how we all want our group fitness participants to feel when they leave our cardio classes. And, that’s how I feel today as I head home from the SCW Mania convention in Burlingame, Calif. this weekend. I spent the last three days in lectures, workouts, surrounded by non-stop energy and enthusiasm. I learned so much, and I encourage you all to consider attending if it comes to a city near you.

One of my favorite parts of the convention is the part of the workshops when presenters would lead us through a sample workout, because you could see them put in action everything they just taught us. On top of that, you get to also experience their group fitness motivational cues firsthand, and think through how you respond to each cue. Does it make you work harder or give more effort? If so, you can consider weaving in some of those cues into your own arsenal.

Here are some of the most memorable group fitness motivational cues from SCW California Mania.

  • “Not because I’m telling you, but because you CAN.” – Jeffrey Scott, Schwinn Cycling, Session: There’s an App for That
  • “Get to the wall of breathless, and just give it a kiss.” – Alex Mclean, Schwinn Cycling, Session: The “HARD” Conversation
  • “If you’re looking for that one person to change your life, look in the mirror.” – Irene Lewis-McCormick, Keynote presentation
  • “I don’t have a PhD, but I arm myself with information and education.” – Jeffrey Scott, Schwinn Cycling, Session: Teaching Tips from TED®
  • “Flexbility is a byproduct of flexibility of your mind and flexibility of your approach” – Manuel Velasquez, PT/Small Group, Session: No Equipment, No Problem
  • “With change, you get change.” – Jeff Howard, HIIT/Group Training, Session: Don’t Step on It
  • “It is now. Create this moment.” – Mindy Mylrea, Session: Tabata Bootcamp Express Workout
  • “If I told you that you have 30 more seconds, would you be happy?” – Doris Thews, Schwinn Cycling, Session: C3 Content, Connection and Charisma

Can’t wait to go back next year! For more tips, check out my fitness motivation and cueing page.

And, let’s connect on Twitter @GroupXMich!

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Stop Using Food as a Fitness Instructor Motivational Cue

Don't use food as a group fitness instructor motivational cue

When participants leave a group exercise class, they should be absolutely glowing. As a fitness instructor with a unique personal style, this may not be your goal exactly, but the effect is still the same: participants should leave feeling like your class was a positive and valuable part of their day. Unfortunately, fitness and body image are such sensitive topics that participants may encounter a group fitness instructor motivational cue that ends up damaging their experience. Have you ever been to a class where the instructor said something that rubbed you the wrong way? I know I have.

This puts a lot of pressure on us as instructors to say the right things at the right time. While we can’t be perfect, we can make sure we’re practicing our motivational cues, talking to fellow instructors and continuing our education in order to provide the best experience for our class.

To start, I’d like to point out one particularly harmful fitness instructor motivational cue that I hear on the regular: food as a reward or punishment.

For example, I’ve witnessed an instructor shuffle on up to the stereo and say, “hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend, now time to work off that extra BBQ!” Or, I’ve heard, “if you do one more plank, you can have an extra glass of wine this weekend.”

Here’s the problem: talking like this in your group fitness classes creates a reward and punishment relationship between food and exercise. If you eat too much, you need to punish yourself with exercise. If you work out, you can reward yourself with food. It makes it seem like we must always be suffering for either food or exercise.

I understand this is complicated. Food and exercise are intertwined, and we’re all familiar with the “calories in, calories out” equation. But, unless you’re a registered dietician, I’d argue that food has no place in your group exercise studio. Instead, I challenge you to up-level your motivational cues. Find ways to inspire your participants that don’t leave them feeling chained to their kitchen table and guilty for what they ate yesterday.

Am I saying you should never eat that extra burger at the BBQ? Absolutely not. If you want to have two burgers, have two burgers! What I am saying is we need to stop feeling guilty for what we are eating. Even more so, we as instructors need to stop making our participants feel guilty for what they are or are not eating.

So what fitness instructor motivational cue can you use instead?

  1. Explain how these exercises are benefitting their bodies.

Exercise is so good for us. It helps us think better, move better and live better. Talk through the healthy advantages of working out.

  1. Make a goal for the class, and work towards it.

It can be as simple as how you feel afterward. You want to feel like you gave it your all, and have nothing left to give by the end. Or, you want to feel refreshed and ready to start your day.

  1. Express gratitude.

Studies show that there are positive benefits to thankfulness. Thank you participants for coming, and also encourage them to be thankful for everything their body can do today. Did ya’ll just do 10 push-ups on your toes, something you couldn’t do five weeks ago? That’s something to take pride in, and be thankful for.

  1. Do the same ‘ol thing you always do, without the food talk.

Some of these motivational cues may not be a fit for your teaching style. All good with me. Just stick with the style participants have come to love, and hold back on the food comments.

I know finding the perfect group fitness instructor motivational cue is incredibly challenging, and it’s okay if we mess up now and again. There are plenty of times where I’ve said something and immediately regretted it, sometimes even before I finished saying it! Oops. But, that’s where self-compassion comes in and we remind ourselves that we’re doing our very best.

For more tips and tricks, you might also like my Top 5 tips for cueing group fitness classes. You can also check out all of my fitness motivation and cueing advice here.

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3 New Year’s Motivational Cues for Group Fitness

Motivational Cues for Group Fitness

The fitness industry is plagued with a body image problem. Skinny is in, strong is sexy, big is beautiful, any body is a bikini body — it’s enough to make your head spin. With so many conflicting opinions circulating the web, your group fitness participants are likely feeling torn (and confused!) between feeling confident in their current skin and wanting to work to better themselves. This places a lot of responsibility on Group X instructors’ shoulders to use the right motivational cues for group fitness while avoiding phrases that may trigger more confusion and uncertainty.

Yes, it’s quite a challenge! But I know this is one of the reasons you and I are in this business: to inspire and help others find the joy in working out.

When looking for motivational cues for group fitness classes, I like to steer clear of body image conversations. Instead, I look at recent trends and timely events for inspiration. A new year has many people already feeling inspired and reinvigorated about their fitness routine. So, it only makes sense to use motivational cues for group fitness classes that tap into those existing feelings of potential and excitement. Without wasting too much time on your cues, here’s a look at three motivational cues to try in your group fitness classes in the new year.

Motivational Cue #1: Encourage Thankfulness

Studies show that folks who practice gratitude have a more positive outlook on life, exercise more and report fewer physical problems. There’s a wide-range of health factors that improve when you practice gratitude. You can start or end your group fitness class with a moment of thanks. I’d recommend cueing it when participants are still, possibly during an end-of-class plank or child’s pose. You can start by thanking them for coming, then offering them a moment to think about what they’re thankful for. It can go something like,

“Thank you so much for coming today. I’m thankful that you showed up, gave it your all, and that you took time out of your day for yourself. If you’d like, take a moment to remember what you’re thankful for. We sometimes rush through our day, and now’s a great time to stop and collect your thoughts.”

Motivational Cue #2: Tapping into New Year’s Resolutions

In spin class, I love to channel participants’ motivation for their goals in their life. It doesn’t have to be fitness related. Rather, just asking participants to think about a goal or resolution they have, and then give that their attention as they ride. It can sound like,

“I want you to think about a goal you have — it can be fitness related, but doesn’t have to be. Now, coming up we’re going to do a breathless sprint. I want you to picture yourself striving towards your goal. Focus your energy and your effort for this sprint on achieving that one thing.”

Motivational Cue #3: Use the New Year to Show Some Self Compassion

People are really hard on themselves when it comes to their fitness regimens. They miss a workout or indulge during a diet, and can start to feel down. I like to use the new year as an opportunity for a fresh start. It’s a chance for us to forgive ourselves for any time we weren’t perfect, and wipe our slate clean for a new year of hard work, passion and a full life. At the very end of the workout, here’s what I would say,

“It’s a new year, which means we can finally close the chapter that is 2016. As we turn this page, I want you to say goodbye to whatever was holding you back last year. This is our fresh start, our opportunity to do and become whatever we want. So, as we go through this last song, I want you to leave all the bad 2016 juju on the floor, and leave here today feeling lighter and brighter. 2017 is our year, let’s do it!”

People come to group fitness classes for the social motivation. We do have a lot of responsibility to motivate our participants in a safe, supportive environment. The ideas above are a great way to tap into the new year to provide some fresh fitness motivation.

For more motivational cues for group fitness, check out the fitness motivation and cueing page.

 

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3 Fitness Quotes to Motivate Your Group X Class (Part II)

Fitness quotes by Michael Boyle, “Most people give up right before the big break comes—don’t let that person be you.”

Motivation is one of the most fascinating parts of the fitness industry. Muscle movement and exercise physiology has became almost an exact science. Burn more calories than you consume. Increase your weight or your reps, etc. But, there’s so much about psychology that’s still unknown. A lot of it is trial and error — or finding what works for you. So, you may say ten different fitness quotes in your class, but only one will resonate with each participant. Even more interesting is that each participant may latch on to a different fitness motivation.

As fitness instructors, it’s important to mix up the motivational techniques in class to make sure that each person hears or feels the motivation they need to push themselves. I shared three fitness quotes in Monday’s post, and here are three more different quotes to introduce in your fitness classes.

  1. “If you ain’t pissed off for greatness, that just means you’re okay with being mediocre,” said Ray Lewis.

Fitness quotes by Ray Lewis, “If you ain’t pissed off for greatness, that just means you’re okay with being mediocre.”

I personally find it very motivating to acknowledge the status quo and question whether that’s good enough for me. It helps me recognize that I’m comfortable in my current situation and can push myself further than this.

  1. “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway,” said Earl Nightingale.

Fitness quotes by Earl Nightingale, "Never give up on a dream..."

This is a great one, because it helps participants think big. No goal is too big, because we have so much time (long-term) to devote to it. This may not be a great one for busy participants, like working moms or the 6 a.m. participants that squeeze in a 45-minute workout on the way to their day job. If folks don’t have much time, this quote might have them questioning why they’re spending their precious time at the gym.

  1. “Most people give up right before the big break comes — don’t let that person be you,” said Michael Boyle.

Fitness quotes by Michael Boyle, “Most people give up right before the big break comes—don’t let that person be you.”

This one is such a no-brainer for a fitness class. This fits perfectly at the end of an interval or set, when participants are going to want to start falling off.

With these fitness quotes, you’ll have a new arsenal of motivational topics to share with your Group X classes.

For more ideas, check out the fitness motivation and cueing page.

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3 Fitness Quotes to Motivate Your Group X Class (Part I)

Fitness quotes by Einstein, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

When I ask someone why they go to Group X classes, folks will more often than not tell me fitness classes motivate them to work harder than they would on their own. I’m quick to agree, having wasted hours at the gym by myself. As fitness instructors, it’s important to keep that in mind when planning your classes. It’s not just about the exercises, but also about what you will say to convince participants to work harder. Great instructors will use a mix of motivational techniques, including personal anecdotes, visualization and fitness quotes.

Sometimes tried and true motivational strategies will start to feel stale or overused. If that’s the case, you’ll want to pack away the phrases used too often and replace them with something new.

Here’s a look at three fitness quotes you can introduce to your Group X classes to power them through the next challenge.

  1. “I will sacrifice whatever’s necessary to be the best,” said J.J. Watts.

Fitness quotes by J.J. Watts, “I will sacrifice whatever is necessary to be the best.”

This is one of my favorite quotes, because I like to change my mindset from what do I have to do to achieve the next level to what do I have to sacrifice. Play into this question of how much participants are willing to sacrifice to make a difference in their bodies by equating that uncomfortable feeling of working out with sacrifice.

  1. “The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone who is not a champion,” said Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Fitness quotes by Arnold, “The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion.”

This is a great one to try when you’re teaching a particularly long set of exercises. Especially when you finish a set with an isometric hold or small pulse that leaves little room for distraction. It’s also easy to slot in, because you have to say it right before the end of a set when participants start to drop their weights.

  1. “Insanity: doing something over and over again and expecting different results,” said Albert Einstein.

Fitness quotes by Einstein, "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

This is one of those fitness quotes that’s a bit tricky for me, because I don’t want participants to think they’re doing something wrong by coming to class each week. So, make sure to focus this one on the fact that members have to continue to challenge themselves with their exercises. Doing the drills that challenged them a year ago won’t help them continue to make progress.

These fitness quotes will help to bring fresh motivation to get Group X participants to take their effort level up a notch.

For more ideas, check out the fitness motivation and cueing page.

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How to Provide Group Exercise Cues That Stick with Members

Fitness instructor sharing group exercise cues that stick

As a fitness instructor, are you ever worried that you sound like the teacher from Charlie Brown when you share group exercise cues with your class? While you’re up in front of the members teaching each exercise, do they only hear “wah wah”? It can be tricky to teach the workout using correct information without feeling like you’re spouting off jargon. One way that I’ve been able to keep members engaged is to connect my cues with everyday activities they can relate to in a creative or quirky way.

Here are three of examples of fun, out-of-the-box group exercise cues that are relatable to most members.

“The toaster oven”

Sometimes I’ll use the imagery of an oven to help explain form to participants. For example, we’ll do an abdominal and shoulder exercise where we lay on our backs holding a dumbbell in each hand, with all of our limbs are pulled in tight like a bug on its back. Then, we’ll press our arms and legs away from each other, arms coming up overhead and legs extending out low to the floor. To explain that I want this to be a pressing motion instead of a lower and lift, I’ll say the following,

“Bring your arms and legs in tight like a ball and then push your arms and legs away from each, extending into a shallow V. Pretend you’re in a toaster oven on your back and you don’t want to burn your arms or legs, so keep them low.”

“Dusting tables”

After doing some challenging back work with weights, I’ll sometimes have the class do another set of back without weights just to add a little more oomph to the workout. I’ll ask participants to bend at the hips, so they’re in position to do bent over rows, but I’ll ask them to extend their arms to the sides in the shape of a capital “T”, using just their bodyweight to challenge them. Then, we’ll go through a series of small movements, for example,

“Move your hands so that they’re parallel and facing the floor. From here, I want you to move your hands a few inches forward and a few inches back, like as if you were trying to dust two tables at once. I’m sure if you could be anywhere else right now, it would be cleaning your house.”

“Competing with your best friend”

We all have that one friend, sibling or coworker that bring out our competitive nature. Right before a cardio interval, I’ll tell the class something like this,

“Picture your best friend right beside you, egging you on. You’re going to race them through this interval. Don’t let them beat you!”

These group exercise cues will usually get a few smiles or chuckles in class. Of course, you’ll want to use cues that feel natural to you and your teaching style. But, you’ll want to make sure your cues are engaging and entertaining for participants.

For more tips, check out the fitness motivation and cueing page.

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3 Reasons to Work Out, As Told By Pug Puppies

3 Reasons to Work Out

There are a million different reasons people work out. Many people, myself included, exercise in order to achieve a desired appearance, in addition to a host of other objectives. However, working out just to look a certain way can cause us to have a toxic relationship with exercise and our bodies. So, when I’m teaching Group X classes, I prefer to focus on other motivations that don’t rely on appearance. By tapping into other reasons we work out, fitness instructors can help to provide a positive experience that keeps members coming back.

Here are a few other reasons that people exercise, as told by pug puppies — because puppies make everything better, of course. And, what you might not know about me (yet :)) is that I come from a family of pug lovers. A few years ago, my mom decided to breed her pug Zoey, who gave birth to seven adorable, spirited puppies she eventually sold. Before that, we were able to take a bunch of pictures of the pups, and I’m including some here.

I work out to make friends.

Many people will come to Group X classes for the community. Working out in a group encourages folks to work harder and holds them accountable for their workout. It’s also a great way to meet like-minded people in your area that are also interested in a healthy lifestyle.

I work out to make friends. Picture of pug puppies in a row.

I work out to prevent injury.

This may sound counterintuitive, since over-exercising, improper form or unfortunate mistakes can lead to getting hurt, but exercising can also help prevent injury. By increasing flexibility and strength, members can navigate the daily tasks of life, like gardening and carrying groceries, with ease. For example, a better understanding of squats will help people pick up large, heavy items using their legs instead of putting their back at risk.

I work out to prevent injury. Picture of pug in a cone head.

I work out to sleep well.

Getting a good night’s sleep after a tough workout is one of my favorite things about exercise. I sleep noticeably better after a spin class that kicks my butt.

Stress and the glow from our devices are supposed to inhibit our ability to get a good night sleep. But, a good workout can knock you right out when it’s time for bed.

I work out to sleep well. Pugs sleeping on each other.

These are just three of the many reasons we work out that you can use to motivate your Group X class when the time is right. For more ways to pump up your class, check out the fitness motivation and cueing page.

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Group X Motivational Cue: “Do 8 More Perfect Reps”

Participants working harder after hearing a Group X motivational cue

It’s important for fitness instructors to continue to motivate participants throughout a Group X class. While members’ motivation will likely ebb and flow during the class, instructors need to know how to pump up the room each time the energy falls. Recently, I started seeing significant effort from my spin class when I asked them to go as fast as they can, holding it for as long as they can within the 30 seconds.

Using that Group X motivational cue taught me that people sometimes will underestimate themselves and save energy when they have to keep up an exercise for too long.

Instead of going all out, they’ll hold back a bit to make sure they can last through the allotted timeframe. Once I gave them permission to stop early as long as they turned on those burners at the beginning, the effort level skyrocketed. So, I set out to see how I could build on this idea in my other classes.

In my strength and conditioning classes, I’m a rhythm instructor, which means I’ll cue the class to start an exercise on the beat and then will typically continue cueing without telling participants exactly how many repetitions we’re doing. So while most of them can typically guess when I’ll ask them to stop, there’s a lot of time in the middle where they’re going through the motions without an end in sight.

So, one Group X motivational cue I’ve used recently to help participants boost their effort is to instruct them to do eight more (or another small, specific number) perfectly.

When I say that, members’ ears perk up. They seem to refocus on the exercise and really give it an extra effort, knowing that the end is near, and that I want these last few repetitions to be extra good.

This is a pretty easy motivational cue to give in Group X classes. As you’re nearing the end to just about any exercise, just ask folks to do the last eight to the best of their ability. Then, you can list a few important cues to keep in mind to help them remember what perfect form looks like.

For more ideas on how to fuel the fire for your Group X class, check out the fitness motivation and cueing page.

 

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Indoor Cycling Class Ideas: Maximum Effort Interval Training

Folks doing interval training in a spin class

As a fitness instructor, have you ever asked your Group X class to give their all during high-intensity interval training only to watch as they held back in the execution? You tell them to go all out, and while your participants are working really hard, you know they still have a little bit more to give.

When we take group fitness classes, most of us have a tendency to hold back. Especially if we’re not sure what’s to come for the rest of the class, we’re hesitant to really give it our all in case we need more energy and effort later on. And, that maximum effort is an uncomfortable feeling that takes a lot of willpower and determination to achieve. Plus, it’s difficult to sustain that max effort for a long period of time. While I know it’s almost impossible for riders to truly work at “maximum” level, we all can recognize when we feel like participants are giving their best in the moment or holding back.

So, how do we bring out the very best effort from our participants during sprint interval training in indoor cycling class?

Recently, I tried a new strategy in cueing sprint intervals in my indoor cycling class.

We’ve done 30/30 intervals before — 30 seconds of maximum, breathless work and 30 second recovery. But, sometimes we struggle with truly getting breathless by the end of the sprint.

This time I tweaked my cues for the intervals. I asked folks to give me their max effort right out of the gate.

Go as fast as you can possibly go and hold it for as long as you can (within the 30 seconds).

So, if you can’t hold that effort for 30 seconds, that’s okay. Instead, you would dial it down and continue at a “hard” pace until the 30 seconds are up.

The response was amazing — wheels were flying and legs were pumping fast! And, I was blown away with how long participants could hold that maximum level of effort. Just about everyone was able to keep with it for the entire 30 seconds of the first sprint.

I think part of the reason this was so successful was because it deviated from the status quo. We don’t normally do our intervals like that, so the change was appreciated and embraced.

And, since members knew they could slow down whenever they wanted, they allowed themselves to tap into that maximum effort mentality.

While I loved the response I received on these intervals, I don’t think I can incorporate them into the indoor cycling class routine every week. These intervals are more of a special option to be used when riders need fresh motivation. Otherwise, the cue will lose its impact.

Also, be careful with how many intervals you do in one class. If these intervals are going to more challenging than usual for participants, you’ll want to consider doing less, so they can really give their all when called upon.

Try incorporating this interval training mentality in your next indoor cycling class. Feel free to tweak the instruction to meet your teaching style.

For more tips on what to say to a Group X class to encourage great work, check out the fitness motivation and cueing page.

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Group X Motivational Cue: Don’t ID It, Just Let it Go

Group X Instructor sharing a motivational cue

As group fitness (or Group X) instructors, we’re always on the lookout for new motivational cues to share with our exercise classes. We all have our go-to phrases to encourage members to work harder, faster, etc. However, there’s nothing quite like the moment when you bring in a new cue that has the room buzzing with inspiration. For me, that’s one of my favorite moments in a fitness class.

I stumbled upon a new motivational cue this week that’s stuck with me. To be fair, it’s not a motivational cue in the traditional sense. This isn’t one of those, “work harder,” or, “do more,” types of instruction. However, it still plays a key role in fitness, because it helps participants clear their minds to focus and give their all to the task at hand.

The motivational cue? Whatever’s stressing it out, you don’t even need to ID it, just choose to let it go.

Shout out to Yoga with Adriene for introducing me to this cue in her, “Yoga for Stress Relief,” YouTube video. You can hear it at 8:00 minutes (embedded below).

Now, I’ve heard variations of this phrase before. And, this one hits close to home, because I personally have a wandering mind. There are many classes where I’ve gotten lost in my thoughts and come back ten minutes later to realize I totally forgot I was even taking a Group X class. So, I usually tell my class something like, “clear your mind,” or, “leave everything else at the door”. But, I worry that my cues encourage folks to think about whatever’s bothering them, ultimately making things worse. Instead, help your class let go of what’s clouding their brain without taking the time or energy to focus on the stress itself.

While this phrase is a great way to help members destress and enjoy your fitness class, it’s also a nice segue to encourage them to refocus on their workout. When folks aren’t distracted, they’re able to do better. Period. We all know maximum effort takes a person’s full attention and nobody can concentrate on their workout when they’re focusing on residue stress from work, relationships, etc.

Of course, this might not work with the style of your class, but if you like it, feel free to play around with the phrase until you find a genuine way to add it to your arsenal of group fitness cues. The goal is to liberate your Group X class — even just for an hour — from the stresses of everyday life. And, at least for me, this phrase does just that.

For more Group X cue ideas, check out the fitness motivation and cueing page.