We ALL live in hope that 2024 will be the year that instructor pay improves. But… this podcast is called group fitness Real Talk, and the real talk is that any big shifts - not matter how well deserved - don’t seem very likely. So how exactly can you make more money as an Instructor in 2024? I think you need to get smart in how you use your time and how you seek opportunities. And this is the subject that I’ll be discussing in this epsiode with Rosanna Tucker from CoverMe. Now ...
As a GX Instructor, you’ve undoubtedly had pre and postnatal people in your classes. This is why it's important to have a solid foundational knowledge in how to provide these members with a safe and effective workout. In this episode, Will speaks to Danielle Spangler, an industry expert on pre and postnatal fitness. Danielle has written many articles for fitness journals and education outlets about this very topic. Not only is she a GX Instructor herself, but she also owns a studio, B...
Today on the podcast, I'm talking with Rachel Holmes about all the things Instructors NEED to know about showing up on social media in 2023. Rachel is both a fixture in the UK fitness circuit and also smashing it on social media right now, so I really wanted to pick her brain and get her top tips for GX Instructors.Rachel is a seasoned fitness professional who transitioned from being a BMX champion (yes, you read that right) to a fitness Instructor, and is now teaching fitness professionals h...
Today on the podcast, I'm back with repeat guest, Kelly Coulter. Last time, Kelly came on to talk about the three biggest business building mistakes that Instructors make when they start out teaching online. If you haven’t heard that episode yet, be sure to give it a listen (you can find that here)!Now for this episode, we're talking about something a little different. Most Group Fitness Instructors are GREAT at understanding how to create a class, deliver it, and cultivate community. But man...
This is one of those episodes where we’re going to keep it REAL and hit you right up front. We think that a lot of Instructors listening to this podcast have entirely the wrong idea about rights-included music. We get it! You like to use the music that you hear on the radio in your classes. But we are living in a digital age where record companies and production houses are going to make it more and more difficult for you to use that original artist music in your classes, particularly onl...
Programming real strength development training in a group fitness setting has always been a challenge. But if you can do it well, it can be the biggest opportunity for you as a group fitness instructor to attract a broad audience of people to your classes. The question is, how exactly do you achieve effective strength development when you're dealing with the constraints of the group in the setting? And why is the strength development audience so attractive? In today's podcast, we're goin...
Here at SH1FT Fitness, we like to make sure we are giving our instructors what they want in terms of education, product, as well as the topics they want to hear about on this podcast. We recently conducted a global instructor survey and were really stunned by the number of instructors who wanted to hear more about menopause, hormones, and their impact on both class members and instructors.Well, you asked and we’re answering! Today on the podcast, I'm chatting with friend and colleague, Tracy ...
You may have noticed I took a break from the podcast over the summer to recharge - but I'm back and super excited for the shows we are bringing your way for the rest of 2022. Today's guest, Jayne Nicholls, is a fixture of the UK fitness industry, an International Fitness Presenter and the creator of Freestyle Fitness Yoga which is the UK's leading contemporary yoga program designed specifically for qualified fitness instructors. Jayne is the perfect guest for us to jump back in with...
Here today on the podcast is a cycling expert who you may recognise from our R1DE format, Sarah Stoneley. Sarah is a Master Trainer at 1Rebel and currently the Head of Brand Development for 1Rebel Saudi.I met Sarah back when I was the General Manager of ClassPass. At that time, I attended a number of boutique classes, and Sarah’s quickly became one of my favorites, mostly because she was one of the best cycling Instructors I had taken class with.In this episode, Sarah and I chat about her tra...
This week, we're doing something a little bit different. We are giving you a bonus episode, and this time, the tables are turned! I’m being interviewed by Ann-See Yeoh, a yoga and mindbody expert and teacher, for a special seminar series she hosted for Mindbody Fitness Professionals. Ann-See and I have known each other for a long time and worked together at Les Mills. She also has a great Facebook group linked in the show notes below, so be sure to check that out.We chat about how to have lon...
Today’s guest is a good friend and one of my Group Fitness role models, Bevan James Eyles. Bevan has been a world leading Instructor for a LONG time and one of the things I love most about him is that he still has just as much passion and gets just as much joy out of teaching today as he did 20 years ago. In case you missed it, checkout out his first appearance on the podcast all about building community and the secret to longevity as a Group Fitness Instructor. Now, Bevan is BACK and he...
The fitness industry has just had a big shake up and if you aren't yet across it, you NEED to be because it's a complete game changer for instructors!On the podcast today, the tables are turned and Will is being interviewed by guest host Richard Playfair. Why? Because Will's got a story to tell that every Instructor needs to hear.We’re coming up to the 5th birthday of SH1FT Fitness, and we've made some BIG changes. Will doesn't often talk about SH1FT on the podcast, but this is a special occa...
We talk about diversity in fitness a lot, and that applies to culture, ethnicity, body shape, and age. But it also relates to disabilities and physical limitations, too.Today’s podcast guest is Laura Ellis, a SH1FT Instructor. As you're going to hear, Laura was diagnosed with scoliosis at 11 years of age, and she’s been dealing with her back problems ever since. But that hasn't stopped her from pursuing her dreams of working in the Fitness Industry and meaningfully changing the lives of peopl...
This week on Group Fitness Real Talk, I'm back chatting with Richard Playfair, founder of SweatLife Films, for Part 2 of "How to Nail Teaching Virtually in 2022". In case you missed it, go back and listen to Part 1, where we talked about the marketing and business elements of running a digital fitness business as an Instructor. Today, we delve into the technical side of things. Richard shares an updated list of useful tools and equipment to grow the digital side of your business, where y...
Back in 2020, Richard Playfair, SH1FT Fitness Video Producer and owner of Sweatlife Films, came on the podcast to share his expertise on creating a better virtual class. Things have changed a lot since then, so now he’s back to give some updated insights on some of the business and marketing aspects of being a digital fitness instructor in the current industry. In this week’s episode, Richard gets REAL about the biggest pitfalls he sees Instructors running into with their digital offerings...
Today on the podcast, I'm talking about something that I get asked about a lot, which is how to set your prices for inflation. Today’s guest, Ollie Bailey from Gymcatch, is an expert on the subject. Gymcatch is a personal assistant app that helps fitness professionals manage bookings, fill classes and offer a great customer experience so they can focus on doing what they do best, teaching fitness!In this episode, we're talking about inflation and how it is affecting the GX industry, best prac...
Today on the Group Fitness Real Talk podcast, I'm chatting with Sam Rider for another Reality Bites episode. This new series is essentially a bite-sized discussion on one topic of concern to Group Fitness Instructors.We talk about the best time to workout, the best way to workout, the myths surrounding those topics, and the role of fake news in the fitness industry. Enjoy!Links and References mentioned in this episode:Follow Sam on InstagramWill’s Facebook, Instagram and Email AddressSH1FT Fi...
What's the tea on warm ups and cool downs? Love them? Hate them? How should it be done?On today’s episode of the Group Fitness Real Talk podcast, we’re starting a new segment, Reality Bites. It’s essentially going to be a bite-sized episode where we talk with a Group Fitness expert about one topic of concern to Instructors. I’ll set a timer for 10 minutes, set the topic, and then we’ll discuss until time runs out, a bit like a high school debate!Today’s expert is the grumpiest man in fitness,...
Today on the podcast, I'm chatting with a good friend and co-founder of one of my favorite gyms in London, Dave Thomas from The Foundry. Dave has a wealth of knowledge on all things fitness, but today we're not here to talk about his gym. Instead, I wanted to get Dave on the podcast to talk about the future, and more specifically about something that we have all seen pop up across social media and various other places in relation to fitness, which is the metaverse of fitness. Now, ...
For the final episode of 2021, I am reviewing the three key predictions I made at the beginning of the year to see how they turned out. Now, if you are paying attention to what’s happening in the world right now, you will be aware that in the last couple of weeks, things have gotten a lot more grim. It looked like things were pretty good during summer and we were hopeful that COVID was over. But now, thanks to Omicron, we are back in the depths of it.While this podcast is intended to be both ...