This article was updated in July 2023.
With over 30 years of experience in the fitness industry, Marietta Mehanni is as passionate as ever about sharing her love of movement with others. Marietta has presented at both National and International conferences since 1994 and enjoys teaching other fitness professionals to be a part of the constant growth in knowledge and innovation within the fitness industry.
Falling in love with the fitness industry
Marietta described her first exposure to the fitness industry as a child, growing up as an overweight, ethnic teenager in a small country town. Living in a community where sporting excellence and “fitting in” was celebrated, Marietta struggled with feeling like she didn’t belong and wasn’t good enough.
When a gym opened up in her small town, her father bought her a membership to try out for the school holidays and she overcame her nerves to give it a go. The compassion, respect, and encouragement that she experienced in the gym community ignited a lifetime passion for group exercise and a new self-confidence that she had previously lacked.
Marietta has made that first foray into the exercise world her “why”. She uses her own experience, combined with her love of fitness to connect with clients who might feel intimidated by the gym or who are struggling with their changing or aging bodies.
A leader in group exercise and the Australian fitness industry
Fast forward to today, and Marietta has over 30 years of teaching experience. She’s even been awarded the Monash ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Industry’ 2019 award, Australian Fitness Presenter of the Year 2018, and New Zealand Educator of the Year 2016.
Marietta has developed a particular area of expertise in training women who have experienced pelvic floor dysfunction and is passionate about educating people on safe and enjoyable ways to enjoy group exercise at all ages and ability levels. She has a number of online classes available and offers free classes each week too, so people can try for themselves. Marietta’s virtual live exercise classes are all flexible enough to be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home and have been designed specifically to meet the needs of women over 40.
Online training workshops for fitness professionals
Marietta has created a variety of online workshops that provide specific insights for fitness professionals in working with clients over the age of 45. The training workshops and information sessions take health considerations such as bone density and pelvic floor dysfunction into account, so trainers can develop specialised skillsets in working with these demographics.
Her specialties include:
- GymStick training (Marietta is an international Master Trainer and Education Coordinator for Gymstick International);
- Aqua-based exercise;
- Step Classes and Workouts;
- Swiss Ball based classes; and
- mSwing, a fascia-based group exercise class, designed to enhance and improve functional movement patterns.
Not only are there pre-recorded online courses available for fitness professionals to enrol in, but she also runs live virtual training regularly, so it’s worth checking out the dates of her upcoming live workshops.
Marietta’s online workshops qualify for CEC points, plus she also offers a number of free seminars and other free training tips and resources on her website.
mSwing: A safer option for postnatal women
Marietta is the co-creator of mSwing, a fascia-based group exercise class designed to enhance and improve functional movement patterns.
Developed in conjunction with physiotherapist and fitness lecturer Mark Davis, mSwing incorporates the use of a single dumbbell to provide a fun, challenging, and effective workout using natural, flowing movements that arc, sweep, and flow through space.
Marietta and Mark explore functional movement from a completely new perspective. Instructors who get trained in delivering mSwing learn safe and effective ways of improving the range of movement through neural mobilisation, as well as exploring fascia and its influence on exercise.
Everything is then put together with principles, key movements, teaching strategies, and session structure for mSwing.
Mish Wright, founder of Mishfit and the Women’s Health & Fitness Summit and a trainer who specialises in safely training women said, “mSwing includes vestibular training as well as working with fascia lines and functional movement patterns for the body. The movements are not stressful for the pelvic floor, and because there is a lot of cross-body work, it’s perfect for healing rectus abdominal diastasis (DRAM) — a common condition for postnatal women, which can impact on their exercise.”
For fitness professionals looking to broaden their knowledge and who think mSwing could be a good fit for their clientele, the best bit is that there’s no time limit in completing the training, and once enrolled, you have lifetime access to the content.
What's next for Marietta Mehanni?
My Group Move (MGM) is the brainchild of Marietta and fitness industry powerhouse and Zumba queen, Maria Theresa Stone. MGM uses both online and in-person courses and workshops to address common gaps in fitness instructor skill sets.
MGM focuses on turbocharging the group exercise environment.
“From learning the art of warm-ups and how to truly get in sync with the music, to crystal clear communication and game-changing choreography techniques, our programs empower you to elevate your instructor game, supercharge your classes, and turn occasional participants into avid regulars.”
If you’re keen to hear more about what Marietta and Maria are doing with MGM, check out the GroupEx podcast to listen to their candid chat with host, Tony Zonato.
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