Check out these new and innovative certifications that will help you become the go-to instructor in your local area.
Group exercise instructors who have had careers spanning a few decades will know that undertaking new courses is more than just keeping up-to-date in an ever changing industry, but also to remain energised and ensure teaching skills are polished. Plus getting certified in a wide range of disciplines means that your employability stakes go through the roof – you couldn’t ask for much more than that. Here are some of this years certification courses that are bound to inspire.
SKYFIT
One of the most fun and dynamic workouts to hit our shore this year is Skyfit (if you remember our autumn cover story). Skyfit is a fitness class where participants get to jump and workout on their own trampoline, with a little bit of swapping during the class. It’s not ‘1980s rebounder makes a comeback’ (even though they are trying to make their way back in to the mainstream) but a super-duper backyard trampoline. Classes are run at Sky Zones, mega trampoline parks, which are popping up all over Australia.
Australian Skyfit program developer and head instructor at Alexandria’s (NSW) Sky Zone, Stephen Parker, says that all classes are designed around jumping – forward, backward, sideways, off the walls, you name it, each of the six class types have it covered.
“The whole workout is on a trampoline, which is an unstable surface, so your core muscles have to work a lot harder,” says Stephen. The high intensity interval training based workout is big on challenging body control and proprioception, and Stephen admits that “These are all the skills and exercises that you wouldn’t get sitting or lying on a bench press or doing a pump workout.” The most popular class is aptly named ‘tightbum,’ and if you try one, you’ll see why, the use of sandbags make it a killer.
Stephen uses his 18 years of industry experience as a group exercise instructor, health club manager, presenter and mentor to design these innovative classes that can challenge even the best non-trampolining athletes. With a choice of six styles of 30-minute classes: cardio lite, cardio, tightbum, xjump, suspend and core fit, those instructors who crave creativity have endless possibilities available in class design. Classes are loosely choreographed and have a four-part structure; warm up, drills, an intensity component and conditioning, and instructors do their own class plan to suit the members’ ability on the day.
The idea is that it’s a short, sharp and intense workout, fitting in with people’s busy schedules. “People are time poor, they don’t have an hour to spare,” says Stephen about the reasoning behind the 30-minute classes. “Plus as it’s such a new program, there’s going to be a lot of people who have never been on a trampoline since they were a kid and that means a lot of people’s fitness just isn’t going to be there.”
The fully certified course is delivered over eight hours and instructors receive five CECs. With an ever-growing timetable and the expansion of Skyfit to other Sky Zones nationwide, Stephen is looking for passionate fitness professionals (minimum Certificate III) to join the Skyfit team. Experience on the trampoline, gymnastics or coaching qualifications is unnecessary. www.skyzone.com.au/page/skyfit-alexandria
Can’t get enough? Try these other certification courses on for size:
ZENERGY YOGA FOR KIDS
Make a difference and introduce kids to the benefits of yoga with the guidance and expertise from Australia’s leading Yoga instructor for children, Loraine Rushton. With over 15 years experience in teaching kids yoga, Loraine will teach you everything you need to know to engage 4-17 year olds i.e., Zenergy Yogis, Tweens and Teens. Starting with the foundation course, there’s a further Advanced and then a Yoga Therapy course, which aims to correct and treat ailments and conditions from colds to cancer. If you are really committed, try the Mastery Course. All courses are recognised by Yoga Australia.
www.zenergyyoga.com/teacher-training/
INDOORWALKING
There is indoor cycling and there is indoor rowing; now Indoorwalking, and Europeans just can’t get enough of it. Performed on purpose-built elliptical cross-trainers called Indoorwalkers, the class is designed to simulate walking at different speeds, tracks and shifts in gradients. The full-body workout is performed to motivating music and is easy to learn and suitable for a broad range of folks. The two-day Indoorwalking Certification Level 1 course helps you master the Indoorwalking technique so you can teach your own 30-minute classes.
indoorwalking@orbitfitness.com.au
MOVNAT
Based on similar principles to CrossFit, MovNat, or ‘natural movement’ is fitness training that uses natural human movement such as the basics of walking, running and jumping as well as balancing, swimming, crawling, lifting, carrying, catching skills and sometimes tree climbing. MovNat takes on a comprehensive, holistic and mindful approach to the body’s natural movement abilities, like getting out of bed or doing your housework. The Level 1 Certificate Course introduces MovNat’s modality and foundational movements and the knowledge and skills required to begin teaching. There’s a further Level II and Level III certification course plus specialty courses MovNat Aquatics and MovNat Combatives. Courses in Australia are infrequent, so get in early.
www.movnat.com
STAND UP PADDLE (SUP) YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Combine your SUP talents with your Yoga teaching skills and you have one mighty fine way to make some cash and get some sunshine and fresh air. The Academy of Surfing Instructors (ASI) SUP Yoga Instructor accreditation provides an international standard certification and allows you to deliver your own preferred yoga discipline to your students. Obviously you need to be knowledgeable with water safety skills and have the pre-requisite education including a Level 1 SUP Instructor (Enclosed Flat Water) qualification and Yoga Teacher Certification (minimum 200 hours).
www.academyofsurfing.com/stand-up-paddle/instructors/courses/yoga
PILOXING®
What do you get when you blend standing Pilates and boxing? PILOXING of course! The cardio fusion of standing Pilates, boxing and dance is aimed to give it that cool ‘I-want to-try-that’ appeal while incorporating a program designed for building lean muscle, improving cardiovascular fitness and burning maximum calories. Combining the power, speed, and agility of boxing with dance moves and targeting the sculpting and flexibility of Pilates, the kicker here is the use of weighted gloves. You can then go on to train in PILOXING Barre, which utilises the Ballet Barre, and the high-intensity PILOXING Knockout, which focuses on plyometrics and functional core work. Although instructor-training courses are available in the US and other international destinations, there are no courses yet earmarked for Australia, but stay tuned.
www.piloxing.com
MENOFITNESS
This unique course is a fitness professional’s guide to achieving results with clients who are approaching their menopausal years and beyond. This dynamic online course explains the physiology of menopause and details the four stages in a woman’s reproductive lifecycle: pre-menopause, peri-menopause, menopause, and post-menopause. The influence of lifestyle choices and exercise programming is also discussed as they relate to the reproductive stages and accompanying symptoms of menopause. The central aim of this course is to get back to a common-sense approach to helping women reach their highest potential, achieving results and living a long life full of energy and vitality.
www.menofitness.net