An aerobics instructor is responsible for choreographing exercise moves, as well as leading classes, that are focused on aerobic exercise. As well as teaching group fitness class participants the moves to an aerobics workout, aerobics instructors deliver the music and conclude certain job requirements that are specified by the fitness centre in which they teach. Examples of such responsibilities include logging hours.
The exercise modality of aerobics was initially developed by Dr Kenneth H. Cooper who is an exercise physiologist. He developed exercises in order to prevent coronary artery sickness and the exercises in an aerobics class were initially meant for those enrolled in the military. However, Dr Cooper ultimately decided that the general public would also benefit from the exercises that he developed.. In 1968, he published a book entitled “Aerobics”.
Aerobics was later popularised by Jackie Sorenson. She developed aerobic-style dance routines that we now associate with an aerobics-style class. Judi Shepherd Missett started out life as a dance instructor however she decided to aim her classes more towards fitness with less emphasis on the proper dance techniques. This lead to the development of Jazzercise in the 1970’s.
In 1989, Gin Miller – who was a professional gymnast – developed step aerobics. This idea was developed after she suffered a knee injury and a doctor advised her to step up and down on a milk crate in order to help strengthen the muscles around the knee. This led her to develop the concept of step aerobics.
An Aerobics Instructor Needs to Know About First Aid
Aerobics instructors are trained in how to provide basic first aid, should an emergency occur during class. Even with the utmost care taken in developing your aerobics session, the people who take your class could still suffer from unforeseen illnesses as well as injuries when putting their body through unexpected moves.
This means that holding a first aid qualification, which equips you with the knowledge to deal with these illnesses and injuries, can only improve your career and provide that added peace of mind for your class participants as well as your employer. This type of qualification could be the difference between gaining a new class to teach or losing them to another gym.
Where Does an Aerobics Instructor Work?
While some aerobics instructors are able to get full-time positions with a gym, many aerobics instructors teach individual classes on a part-time basis. Sometimes they teach classes at a number of gyms.
What Skills Does An Aerobics Instructor Need?
Being an aerobics instructor requires you to have a wide range of skills. These include the following:
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Personal Drive to Keep Fit as well as the Ability to Motivate Others
People choose to attend aerobics classes as they want to make a change in their lives and reach their fitness goals. This means that you need to be able to motivate people, in class, to keep on trying to get the moves right. In addition, you need to keep fit and healthy yourself. If you’re huffing and puffing, and are struggling to keep up with the moves, how do you expect that they’ll be able to do the class themselves?
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Patience as Well as The Ability to Explain Things Clearly
Attending an aerobics class and performing the moves properly – first time – is something that doesn’t come naturally to most people, especially at first. This means that you need to be patient with your class participants and meticulously explain to them how to do the exercise and correct their form if necessary.
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Understanding of Lifestyle, Diet and the Human Body
As an aerobics instructor, you need to be aware of how people’s lifestyle choices affect how their bodies look at function. So if someone in your class says that they suffer from a particular ailment, you will know how they should be adapting the moves to suit them.
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Awareness of Safety and Good Working Practices
As we mentioned previously, an aerobics instructor needs to have a good understanding of first aid so that they can assist a someone who may suffer from an ailment during their class. They must also do all that they can in order make sure that their classes are safe for everyone who is taking them.
Become an Aerobics Instructor with Trifocus Fitness Academy
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
Want to become an aerobics instructor? Check out Trifocus Fitness Academy’s Aerobics Instructor Course. For more information about this and our other online fitness courses, please follow this link.
