Level 2 Certificate in Fitness Instructing: Gym

Session 3: Instructing Skills

Learning Outcomes By the end of this section you should be able to: Instruct effective gym-based exercise Be able to supervise clients undertaking gym-based exercise. Be able to support clients taking part in gym-based exercise. Through study of these modules we aim to provide you with the knowledge and skills to prepare and plan a safe and effective water-based exercise session and be able to instruct such a session for a group of participants.

Instruction

Instructional skills Verbal communication Visual communication Instructions and explanations. Motivational language. Voice tone and projection. Teaching points. Visual communication Body language and facial expressions. Demonstrations and technique. Posture and alignment.

Instruction Be positive. Concentrate on what needs to be done rather than what needs to be avoided. Use simple terminology – avoid jargon. Use precise instructions. User-friendly language. Be easy to understand. Clear and audible voice. Interesting tone.

Motivation Positive and constructive language. Accentuate the positive. Reinforce good technique. Use encouraging phrases: To improve technique. To push through difficult exercises. Examples include: ‘Good job.’ ‘Two more and you can do it.’ ‘Keep your form.’ ‘Nearly there.’

Verbal Communication Visual Communication Vary the tone, speed and volume of your voice according to the exercise and component of the session. Visual Communication Visual communication may indicate current emotional and mental state; body language and can be affected by gestures, eye contact and facial expressions; all useful communication tools which can be used to praise and motivate.

Teaching points Relevant to the specific exercise. Based on observation. Related to client’s technique. Concise (too many may cause confusion).

Monitoring intensity - Talk test Talking easily, light breathless-ness. Talking easily, but more breathless. Talking becomes more difficult and breathing is heavier. Unable to talk and breathing very heavily.

Rate of perceived exertion (RPE) How hard an individual feels they are working when they exercise. Borg Scale (RPE) 6 7 Very, very light 8 9 Very light 10 11 Fairly light 12 13 Somewhat hard 14 15 Hard 16 17 Very hard 18 19 Very, very hard 20

Demonstration Allows the client to fully observe the exercise prior to their performance. Position clients so they are able to see all the major joints in motion from different angles. Perform with correct posture and alignment.

Observation Be well-positioned to fully observe the client’s technique. Move to observe from different angles. Look for: Loss of technique. Changes in skin colour. Sweating. Signs of discomfort. Changes in posture. Be mindful that some clients may not appreciate manual correction or touching!

N A S T Y Instructional acronym Name the exercise, purpose and muscles used. A Adjust equipment to suit client. S Silent demonstration with perfect form. T Teaching points to reinforce observation. Y Your client’s turn.