Fitness classes at the Aquatic and Fitness Center provide a release for students seeking time away from the regimented workload of University life while also giving them a chance to learn from an experienced trainer. But not many students realize that these trainers are frequently undergraduate students at the University as well.
Elly Montague, a third-year College student majoring in kinesiology with a concentration in exercise physiology, started teaching classes in January and is currently teaching "Cycle" and "Pure Strength." Like many instructors, Montague took a group exercise instructor class before she taught classes of her own. Kelly Bernier, director of fitness and instruction for the Department of Intramural-Recreation Sports and Amy Kokemor, the assistant director, explained that this class prepares future instructors for the certification process necessary to teach a class.
The application process goes further than this introduction course, though. It also involves an interview and an audition - where the applicant demonstrates a shorter version of the class they plan to teach, Bernier and Kokemor explained. About half of the students who take the initial course audition to be an instructor.
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tructors are students most of the time, Bernier and Kokemor said all the instructors have prior experience. Similar to Montague, many instructors are interested in going into an exercise-related field as a career.
Both Montague and Bernier agreed that personality is just as important as skill when it comes to teaching an exercise class. "As far as personality type goes, you definitely have to be outgoing, be comfortable in front of a crowd, and you absolutely have to love exercise/physical activity. I'm incredibly passionate about health and fitness," Montague said.
Instructors pick the classes they teach based on these passions. Montague, for example, said she chose to teach cycle and the sports-conditioning-based classes because she enjoys those exercises the most and avoided those in which she lacks expertise.
"I'm no good with choreography, so dance and step are not my specialties," she admitted.
Montague said she believed students enjoy having instructors who also are undergraduate students. "They relate to them more - plus they tend to like the music the student instructors use in class," she said.
That does not mean, however, that non-student instructors are at a disadvantage, but rather that they simply provide different benefits for both the overall program and the student instructors working alongside them.
"[Older instructors] give [student instructors] the confidence they need to get in front of a group," Bernier said.
Montague, who is also a personal trainer and fitness coordinator, reaps more benefits from her job than just a paycheck. "I see the primary benefits of my jobs as the incredible experience I'm getting while I'm still in school, plus the people - fellow instructors as well as participants, are great," she said. When it comes to such popular programs as drop-in classes, Bernier and Kokemor see students getting as many benefits as instructors.
"The classes offer a lot of variety. Motivation is key in a group setting. Instructors give safe and effective workouts," Kokemor said.
Montague promoted the benefits of both taking and teaching courses. "Would you rather do the elliptical for an hour every day or go to Zumba on Monday, yoga on Tuesday, and then cycle on Wednesday?" she said.
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