Over the past few years I’ve become quite the fitness class junkie. As you know from my Weekly Wraps, I am a regular at Orange Theory Fitness, Cyclebar and CorePowerYoga. When I think about why I enjoy these classes so much, I know one reason is how lucky I was in finding fabulous fitness instructors.
Indoor Cycling Instructors
I know indoor cycling isn’t for everyone, but when I hear someone say they don’t like it, I ask if they’ve tried different instructors. Depending on the studio, the instructor may select the music and the choreography (is that the right word?), and certainly sets the mood and energy level.
Aimee at Cyclebar
My two favorite instructors at Cyclebar have different personalities and lead different types of classes (Aimee seems to have more hard climbs, Francine seems to include more sprints), but are similar in how they encourage without being too perky, motivate without judgment, and keep me sweating and smiling as I try to keep my legs spinning.
While they both teach at other times, I take Aimee’s 5:30 am class on Tuesdays or Francina’s 5:30 am class on Wednesdays.
Yoga Instructors
With yoga, I think the type of yoga makes slightly more difference than the specific instructor, but maybe that’s because I’m more open to variety in my yoga practice. Even though the classes I take at CorePower Yoga generally follow a set “flow,” the instructors do more of their own choreography than I first realized.
When I first started going regularly, I didn’t pay much attention to who was teaching when, but then I had one instructor who’s narration (is that the right word?) just annoyed me. I can’t remember how I ended up taking a class with Ann, but I really liked her style and eventually rearranged my routine to take her Friday morning class. She encouraged me to try my first crow and now has me working on tripod headstand–poses I hadn’t even considered trying before.
I take Ann’s CPY2 class at 6:00 am on Fridays–she also teaches at 6:00 am Tuesdays.
Orange Theory Fitness Coaches
Every Orange Theory Fitness class has a set workout, and the workouts are generally the same no matter which studio you attend–although 3G classes may differ from 2G classes. (In a 3G class, there are three groups going at all times–treadmills, water rowers, weights; 2G classes are smaller and may use only 2 stations at a time.) There’s even a Reddit page where people share workout details. That said, the coaches still make a difference.
My favorite coach (Brandon at Old Town) does an amazing job of keeping an eye on all of us, cranks up the music during tough treadmill intervals, and–most importantly–makes sure we are doing the strength exercises with correct form. And, he’s a really nice guy!
Fox5News interviewing Coach Brandon at Orange Theory Fitness Old Town
Brandon teaches the 5:00 am class at Old Town on Mondays and Fridays.
Finding Fabulous Fitness Instructors
If you didn’t enjoy a studio class others love, maybe you’d like it more with a different instructor. Ask your friends who their favorites are and why, and maybe you’ll find that a fabulous fitness instructor makes all the difference.
Weekly Wrap
Now that you understand why I love my fitness classes so much–and why I go to certain classes on certain days, here’s last week’s recap for the Weekly Wrap link up hosted by Holly and Wendy.
Monday: Orange Theory Fitness
I’ve been going on Wednesdays lately, but really missed Coach Brandon, so I switched up my schedule to go on Mondays again.
I even earned a few splat points during the 2nd and 3rd rowing segments.
Tuesday: 2 Scooby Miles + strength workout
Wednesday: Cyclebar
Francine created an awesome playlist with Florence and the Machine and Fallout Boys.
One cool perk of Cyclbar is that you can listen to the playlists later on Spotify.
Thursday: 2 mile Scooby Run + strength workout
Friday: CPY2 at Core Power Yoga
Our peak pose was half grasshopper. I could not get my right hip off the ground at all, but it came easily on the other side.–one way yoga teaches me to give it a try and see what happens.
Saturday: Conte’s Hill Ride
I felt strong again and even made it up the first steep hill without standing–albeit in my lowest gear.
Sunday: 27.85 mile bike ride
Succumbed to the temptation of a Wahoo Element for turn-by-turn directions on my bike and had to take it out for a test ride.
The directions were amazing–I only got confused twice!
I am feeling ready for the Farm To Fork Fondo–Pennsylvania Dutch event in two weeks–and am getting SO excited for the gorgeous scenery and yummy farm stops! There’s still time to register and join me–use COCO2018 to save 10%.
Do you have fabulous fitness instructors you plan your workout schedule around?
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The right instructor can totally make or break a class!
I used to take Zumba many years ago because I have awesome instructors, but when they left my gym, I stopped going. The newer instructors just didn’t work for me because their styles were so different.
A Zumba instructor would make a lot of difference too!
This is great! I love when people share their favorites, though it’s not as helpful unless your local, but helpful if someone was traveling to your town! I agree about yoga- it matters more what the type of yoga is, however, there are definitely some stand out instructors! I also go to Corepower (but in Minneapolis) and there are a handful of instructors that I just LOVE 🙂
What a strong week- you fit in a fun mix of different fitness!
Yeah, I thought I should go ahead and name names, but realize it won’t matter to a lot of readers. If you ever visit, I’ll help you find a class with one of my favorite instructors. 😉
I completely agree that the instructor makes all the difference. I think that is especially true for yoga and cycle. We need to do another class together soon
Yes, hopefully the stars and our schedules will align soon!
I know I have favorite instructors at certain locations and don;t feel like I’ve gotten a good workout if I go with someone else.
I 100% agree with you on the instructors. I miss one of my yoga instructors–I stopped going to the studio because they moved and I just don’t like the new studio. I know it’s weird but it doesn’t feel the same.
Interesting on the impact of the studio too. You’d think yoga studios would have the feng shui all figured out! 😉
I just don’t like “too perky” in any situation, and it’s doubly worse early in the mornings without coffee. 😉 You and your cool gadgets! I want to hear all about what the Wahoo Element can do. I tried a couple of phone apps last year but found them too hard to read…while cycling. Thanks for linking!
I’ll write more, but I got the Element for turn-by-turn directions of pre-loaded routes and it was amazingly easy to read through my sunglasses on a very sunny day.
A friend has had major success with OTF and one of her friends just relocated here & is sales manager of three so I might finally give one a try. I like Mile High Run Club but otherwise am not much of a class person so I was happy to find a bare b ones-ish one where I don’t have to pay for more gym than I’ll use
You can always get a free trial class–maybe more than one if you’re undecided. Since I joined when a new studio was opening we got a free week and after a few workouts I was hooked.
Yeah I’m hoping these offer them. The one that was open closer to the office didn’t as they weren’t looking to grow their audience. Happy for them that they had such a loyal following.
You amaze with your constant variety of classes, and you’re so committed! I’m just not into the gym scene, but in my town, there’s not much to choose from in terms of gyms, classes or instructors.
We have so many options around here. I even have my choice of studios among these different brands!
What an interesting post. I would never download the playlist from any spin classes I go to: the music is always AWFUL but then that inspires you to keep going to get rid of that track (somehow). We had one guy at our gym who’d play 80s Hi-NRG stuff and that was much better.
Re yoga, I hear you. I will never enjoy iyengar, whoever the instructor is. But I definitely have my two favourite instructors at my gym and the class numbers drop when we know there will be a cover. I personally don’t like too much woo in my yoga class, and get a bit annoyed if we have too specific a guided meditation in our relaxation session. This is something I’ve chatted about with friends but haven’t seen in a blog post before.
LOL in trying to get away from a song. Cyclebar emphasizes their playlists and several rides a week have a music based theme. Finding the right “woo” level in yoga is key!
Mostly I’ll pick a class based on a convenient time but if the instructor isn’t to my liking, I’ll definitely switch. Once I went to a yoga class where the instructor counted as we held each pose. Talk about a buzzkill.
Yikes! I hope you didn’t hold any poses for more than 10 seconds. That might make me roll up my mat ….
I wish I had time to attend some classes.
The instructor does make or break the class. I used to go to a yoga class just because of the instructor. She was perfect and then she left. I hesitated to go again.
You do so much already! I do try different instructors once in a while and ^try^ to keep an open mind in case I find a new favorite.
I agree the instructor can totally make or break the class!
I really liked the Pure Barre studio I went to in Texas because their schedule mixed up the teachers. Boulder’s studio always seemed to have the same instructor, which was fine, but I like taking classes from different teachers for the different teaching styles. Some teachers are also more advanced, and I could get quite a challenging workout.
It’s great that you enjoy different instructors – the variety probably makes you stronger in different ways.
Oh my gosh, I think you are so right about the right instructor making all the difference. When I was spending a lot of time at the pilates studio I totally based my schedule on my favorite instructors – some were much better at the cues and knowing how to challenge people who were at different levels.
I definitely would need a good instructor for pilates – using the right form is so important and I’d need guidance and encouragement.
Aw, Scooby is so sweet!
I definitely think that instructors can make or break a class. People respond differently to different things, and the right (or wrong) instructor can make so much difference.
It’s an important point that different people will prefer different instructors. It’s not that they are good/bad, it’s about how well you “fit” together.
I’m a certified group fitness instructor, and I LOVE it. But it’s soooo much work putting a class together. So much more than people imagine. Mine is original choreography, plus we have to supply our own music. Plus certs and never ending continuing ed. And we make very little money for all that. So everyone, appreciate your instructors. For most of us it’s a labor of love! We live for the moment someone comes up after class and tells us how much it’s helping them.
Oh, I can’t imagine how much time and effort that takes! I definitely tell my instructors how great their classes are. 😉
So true! The right coach/trainer/instructor is key to whether or not you can make it through the workout and come back for more!
Fitness classes, just like any other classes, can be completely different experiences based on who the instructor is. Great teachers can make all the difference, and I certainly hope that I am able to successfully make World History a positive experience for all of my students.
What a great way to look at these classes and find what works for you, rather than just drop because a certain instructor wasn’t a good match for you. It’s great you have the flexibility to switch around to find what best suits your needs! I don’t attend fitness classes, but I do some online yoga and have definitely ‘shopped around’ for instructors and classes that I prefer.
I completely agree with you regarding instructors! I will also likely avoid a class/day if I know my favorite spin instructor won’t be there. At my gym there is RPM every day – some days I simply can’t go but I try my best to go on Weds and Saturday since that’s when Dick is teaching. Sometimes he isn’t there and there is a sub and usually it’s Marie who I feel doesn’t really explain exactly what we are going to do and what the workout entails. Unfortunately my husband tried it on the one night that Marie was subbing. So he officially doesn’t like spinning. *sigh* So far at BodyPump I like both instructors but one of them has a tiny bit more energy for the workout and goes around to make sure everyone is doing all right during class. I really like that!
Looks like you had a great workout week this week too – some good scooby miles in there 😉 What is a wahoo element??
I used to be on the class side only, and the instructor makes such a difference!
I am so thankful that I have taken from mostly great instructors! They were so great in fact that they lead me to become a group fitness instructor myself 🙂