I love teaching fitness and yoga classes. And I hope that these behind-the-scenes blog posts I’ve been doing don’t make you think otherwise. But there are also a lot of misconceptions as to what it’s really like to be a group fitness instructor. Sadly it’s not all yoga pants and making fun playlists. Although that is a part of the gig.
Shout out to Jules of Om & The City who inspired this post after writing about the misconceptions of working for yourself.
Misconceptions about working in fitness
It’s easy to get a fitness job.
When I graduated college six years ago I thought I was going to take the fitness scene by storm. Instead I got rejected by every major gym in Manhattan. And some in Brooklyn.
Getting a fitness gig in a place like NYC can be competitive. I can’t speak for any other city but there are SO many of us looking to great into the fitness industry. It can be frustrating when you just want to teach. I personally gave up and then came back to teaching a few years later.
Know that it might take tons of auditions to get that “yes”. And don’t take the rejections personally. It’s not about you as a person but rather if your style meshes with the studio.
You get paid to workout.
Ugh, I wish!
Teaching can be super physical, no doubt, but it’s not the same as working out. When I’m teaching a class like sculpt I’m demo-ing and then walking around the class correcting people’s form and cueing what comes next. It’s not about me but about creating an experience for my students.
Don’t get me wrong, I sweat A LOT teaching sculpt. Okay, I also sweat a lot teaching straight-up hot yoga classes where I’m not demo-ing as much. It’s def not the same as getting my own devoted sweat session in. That’s something I still need to make time for on my own.
As an instructor it can be tricky to fit in your own fitness regiment. Teaching can be SO physically draining. This is one of the reasons I’ve been so drawn to Bar Method since I started teaching 8+ classes a week. Bar Method is low-impact and not heated. A girl can only spend so much time in a 90 degree room!
In actuality, I’ve been working out less since I started teaching more. I’m finding that delicate balance of being kind to my body, but also maintaining my own level of fitness as well. So no, I sadly don’t get paid to workout.
You’re only working when you’re teaching.
There is a lot more to being an instructor than teaching your classes on the schedule. In any given week I teach three different formats of classes. That means I’m creating three unique sequences and playlists. I LOVE making playlists and creating sequences, don’t get me wrong, but it’s time consuming.
You get to create your own schedule.
To some extend you do get to create your own schedule. Before teaching at a new studio you’ll be asked for your availability. But that doesn’t mean you’ll get to cherry pick the class times you teach.
In most cases you’ll get offered the time slots that are currently open. When I first started teaching I said yes to anything. I ended up teaching 6AM classes twice a week in another borough. Woof.
✨ One thing that’s super true: You get to spend all day in yoga pants.
Yes, I’m currently wearing yoga pants as I type up this blog post. I spend a good chunk of my life in yoga pants. Granted, I still wore yoga pants all day every day before I started teaching full-time. It’s a pretty sweet part of the gig, don’t get me wrong. Although the amount of sweaty laundry I produce each week is INSANE.
Your Turn: Fellow fitness instructors + yoga teachers chime in, what are some of the biggest conceptions about teaching fitness?
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