Could You Be a Group Fitness Instructor?

I started teaching group fitness classes when I was 19 years old. For the past 11 years, I've taught Pilates, yoga, boot camp, strength training, step aerobics, kickboxing, spinning/indoor cycling, interval training, and circuit weights...to name a few.

During my mid-20's, I probably taught an average of about 20 classes a week. Often I taught at three different gyms in one day. My life revolved around my daily schedule of pulling out fitness equipment, putting on that boom mic, and trying to provide motivation to participants. Now, I only teach at one place, and I typically teach less than five classes a week. Yet, instructing is still a huge part of my life.

I've never made enough by teaching fitness classes to make a decent living. Few people do. I have a full-time job as as a professor at a university. Last year, I earned about $3,000 instructing fitness classes.

It's nice extra income---and I usually get a free or reduced cost gym membership and can go to other fitness classes at no cost. Different places pay varying amounts for instructors. I've earned $8 per class, and I've earned $30 per class. It's not all that much when you consider the time you might spend prepping for a certain class. However, I don't teach for the paycheck.

There are lots of great advantages to being a fitness instructor. I get paid to work out! When I think about that premise, it almost seems too good to be true. I enjoy helping participants to meet their goals, and it's a great way for me to meet people who are also fitness-minded.

In addition, there are countless days I know I wouldn't have had the motivation to work out had I not been on the schedule to teach. Some days, if it were up to me, I would just rather sit on the couch, but I know I don't have that option. Of course, I always feel better after I get in that workout.

There are also some disadvantages to the position that some people don't think about. Because of the classes I am scheduled to teach in a certain day or week, I can't listen to body and adjust my workout. If I wasn't an instructor, I might notice my ankles were sore and head to the pool instead of doing step aerobics. I don't have that option as an instructor. You have to learn other ways to protect your body, such as doing low-impact modifications.

Also, I miss out on some psychological benefits of exercise when I am instructing. This is especially true when I am teaching a class like yoga or Pilates. Participants might leave the class feeling relaxed and refreshed; that's not always the case for me. My mind has been working throughout the class.

You also have to have thick skin to be an instructor. I have participants who love my classes and my teaching style; I've also had plenty of people walk out in the middle of classes. You have to understand that some people will really enjoy you as an instructor. Others will give you dirty looks. Once a lady actually flipped me off when she thought I wasn't looking!

If you enjoy group fitness classes, I highly recommend checking into becoming an instructor. Imagine getting paid to go to classes---rather than dishing out cash for your workout! Keep in mind, however, that you will have to dish out some cash to become certified and learning to teach a good class takes some effort. Yet, with a little bit of investment, teaching fitness classes will provide benefits that go beyond a paycheck.