Some people dread standing up in front
of groups and addressing large crowds of people. It may be fear of
rejection or just pure shyness, but working with more than two people
leads to stammering, sweating and nervousness. Personal trainers are
a slightly different breed who enjoy attention and do not seem to be
intimidated by groups of people, but we still have to refine our
skills, divide our attention and multitask in a group environment.
The group dynamic is never boring with
varied personalities, injuries, conditioning levels and needs of the
clients who constitute this group. Although clients attend a specific
class such as a toning class or boot camp, it does not mean that they
have the same goals or needs. As professionals we need to guess the
needs of each individual before the class and evaluate their workout
afterwards. As with one-on-one training, each person has a specific
manner that they want to be treated. Some people enjoy attention and
correction, while others are more reserved and prefer to be left to
themselves. Group trainers have the responsibility to prioritise
safety and correct potentially dangerous movements and postures
before any harm is caused and this means that the group trainer must
constantly sweep the room with the eyes (if not their body) and watch
each person as they participate in the workout.
We have to divide our attention between
the participants and give equal attention to each member of the
group, which is always challenging because some people are more needy
and need more postural correction than others. The group trainer also
gets more of a workout with repeated demonstration and correction,
but it is important to demonstrate numerous times to ensure that each
member of the class understands the exercises and techniques.
When working with groups, it is
difficult to prescribe repetitions because some people will always
try to finish first, leaving the others with half completed sets.
This can be combated with time based training and it is less work for
the group trainer to set a stopwatch than to count repetitions or
monitor the different pace of the class.
The fun aspect of training is enhanced
in groups with more scope for games, comments, competition and vibe.
Along with the self motivation from each individual, there is also
group pressure that will make them work harder, faster and stronger.
This leads to comments and communication that will make the class
fun. Team work is encouraged and there is no need to only work in
partners. Dividing a class if fifteen people into three groups of
five will lead to socialisation and the more experienced members can
help the newbies. Dividing into groups of three is useful for games
and races. A circuit is also another way to structure a class and it
generally keeps going for an hour, but it may be difficult initially.
The downside is that the noise leads to distraction and it becomes
difficult for the trainer to maintain control over the group. The
group trainer is under ore strain to treat participants equally and
maintain control over safety aspects and technique. Correction should
be done discretely and the group trainer must be a personal trainer
for everybody.
