Cathe: Need your pro advice!

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udderlymyra

Active Member
I'm just starting a 6 week program with you PS series. I am a new group fitness instructor (since January) teaching once a day: Tues, Step 2 & Sculpt; Wed, Mixed Cardio 1; Thurs, Boot Camp Cardio; Fri, Step 1 & Sculpt. All classes use Exertubes or 1-3# weights.
My question is, what is your suggestion, (or anyone else) to fit your tapes in my workouts? I count my classes as cardio and am very much interested in training with the PS tapes for my strength program. I'm afraid I'll overtrain and I don't want to do that!!! The only days I have free are Saturdays and Mondays. Can you help me find a solution? (Any and all comments are welcome!) Thanks in advance, you're the best Cathe!
 
Question...

<center><font size="1" color="#ff0000">LAST EDITED ON Mar-22-00 AT 10:05PM (EST)</font></center>

In your step and sculpt classes do you usually work upper body, lower body, or both? Do you alternate which upper body muscles you work i.e. tuesday sculpt biceps and triceps or shoulders and chest? Or is it just what the class wants each time. Also, does your Boot Camp class involve any push ups, etc. or just cardio?

By the way, congratulations on your teaching. I just got certified in January and am practicing in hopes of getting an instructor job soon.
 
Hi Myra

I don't have an answer to your question, just thought I'd let you know that I read your info, and I'm a member of the church, too. I live in Buffalo, NY, but I just graduated from BYU. Anyway, that was off the subject, just thought I'd say hello.

Emily
 
what is group fitness inst?

Hello Myra and Emily! I am also a member of the church, but a struggling one. I keep hearing group fitness instructor. What is it?
Andrea
 
Hi Heather Andrea & Emily!

What a small world! It's so nice to know that you can find "sisters" with the same love of the gospel that I have! Emily, hang in there! I always struggle, but I know now that I don't have to do it alone, if ya know what I mean! Where in Nevada are you?? I'm from there too!
A group fitness instructor is the new politically correct term for "aerobics instructor"! That's what I thought anyhow...I'm also aware that there have been so many aerobic fitness trends emerging that it would be universal to use the term "group fitness instructor" instead of "step instructor" or "spinning instructor" or "bodypump instructor" or "boot camp instructor"....etc, etc...Hope to get to know you all better!
 
Heather Y.

I'm sorry it's taken a bit to get back to you! With my short time teaching step and sculpt, I've decided to ask the director to let me just do pure cardio classes with an abs section. For my own sake of not overtraining, it wouldn't be wise for me just yet to do my own heavy weight training program in addition to teaching the sculpting portion of the step. I teach the sculpting classes Tue & THurs, and on Mon, Wed, & Fri they have BodyPump and I would think that I'd be overworking them and myself if we were lifting (even light) 5 days a week. Maybe that's changed, I don't know, with the Firm's rotation calendar, I know they've declared it safe to lift light (1-5#) everyday without injury....
What I used to do is alternate my cardio segments with my sculpting segments: example: Warm-up, push-ups (starting with the biggest muscle group), step, back, step, shoulders, step, tri's, step, bi's, step (cool down), abs & stretch. The day before I know most of them had taken BodyPump so I'm not too concerned with Lower Body, but if I choose to work it, we do squats and lunges, all kinds! I tend to bulk if I work my adductor/abductor muscles! Besides, the step handles a good portion of toning! Congrats on your certification and good luck to you finding some work! I wish I could have used you as a sub tomarrow! Love, ~Myra
 
Hi Myra

I think Andrea is the one who lives in Nevada. I live in Buffalo, New York. Good luck teaching fitness classes. I would love to do that, but I don't know if I could. Have fun being a mommy, too :)

Emily
 
duh!

After I posted that question I went to acefitness.org to see what I had to do to become a personal trainer and when I saw the answer I couldn't believe I asked it! I also thought I would put in that you could do PS SLA standing only and BBA one day and do the floor legs, abs, and CST another day. And yes I am the struggling Nevadan and only live about 100 miles north of you! Did you get certified through ACE to become an instructor and if so would mind some questions?
Andrea
 
Another group fitness instructor

Hi Myra,

I am also a big fan of Cathe's strength tapes and rotate them with the Firm videos in between teaching classes.

Two of the classes I currently teach per week contain a weights segment, and what I do is use very light weights (3 or 5 lbs) and inform the class that since I strength train outside of the aerobics room I won't be using heavy weights while instructing. I encourage them to challenge themselves even though I won't be joining them. Plus, the instructor shouldn't be grabbing the heavier weights for herself; she is there to coach the class so I take my weights after everyone else has selected theirs.

If I am feeling sore from my own workouts then I might just do some of the reps while teaching and rest for the remainder of the set. But the majority of the time the 3's and 5's are light enough and don't have any adverse affects on my own training.

Good luck teaching! I like your format of step, one body part, step, one body part. Sounds like you have a lot of variety in your schedule!

-Roe
 
Andrea~

Sorry, I'm certified through AFAA, but I'm considering going through ACE when I need to re-new. Let me know how it goes when you study for the test! Good Luck!
As far as my own weight training goes, I'm going to see about doing the one-body-part-a-day method for as long as I'm teaching so many classes a week. I'm really trying to increase my muscle mass, I end up bulky, then I want to trim the fat down, then I end up loosing muscle. What to do? My eating is very good for the most part, with the exeption of the cravings I give into during my cycle. So, I know it's something in my exercise routine that I need to adjust. Thanks for your advice, I'm actually doing exactly what you just advised me to do. But I'm so tired, I don't have the mental energy for my kids! I know it's all a matter of balance, I'll figure it out, most likely through lots of prayer of fasting, I guess!!! Are you in Elko or something? Take care, Myra
 
~Roe~

Thanks so much for giving me feedback!!! This is the third thing I've read about how sometimes we instructors "teach by performing" instead of demonstrating and coaching. I'm beginning to understanding what will make me and break me (quite literally) as an instructor. I sometimes forget that it's their workout, not mine. I'm opting for building mass & reducing bodyfat. I have a frame similar to Cathe's, but I'm more of a meso-endo, I tend to hang on to everything, mass and all...so, I'd like to run at least twice a week and incorporate the PS tapes & MIS for my next 12 week rotation. I just got through with the Firm's 12 week rotation, well, I was really over-doing it about week 10, so I had to stop and rest for a week. That rotation helped to loose inches around my hips and waist, and it even increased muscle strength a bit, but not much, since I was going extremely light. So now, I'm ready for some serious heavy work. Geesh, sorry to be so winded~ Thanks for listening :) ~Myra
 
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