BODYWORK FITNESS

Mar 8 2013 by LOUIE FECOU, Irvine Herald

Regular readers know I’ve been around for a long time in fitness circles and it’s no surprise that I have a pretty good handle on what’s what in the world of keep fit.

When you have been involved in any workplace environment for nearly 25 years, you get a feel for what’s hot and what’s not – a great fitness format is a joy to behold, so when you do stumble onto something, it’s good to embrace it and run with it.

I used to be an assessor for SVQ and helped deliver Exercise To Music qualifications to budding instructors. It was great fun and very rewarding passing on the required information and education.

As we assessed our pupils, we were in turn being assessed to make sure everything was done properly and responsibly. It was a good system. Tough but good. We turned out a few great instructors and were very proud of the work we did – some suggest it takes 10,000 hours to be truly good at something, that equates to 10,000 classes.

Now, if I was an architect, I imagine I would be able to look at buildings and plans and quickly surmise whether it was good job or not. If I was a painter and decorator I could probably look at your living room and grade the standard of work that had been done there. Well its the same for keep fit. I can watch an instructor, or class, and quickly establish their limits and ability.

I think I’ve done more than 10,000 so when I get to see other classes and teachers I have a pretty good eye for what their strengths and weaknesses are.

I daresay it’s the same for you in your chosen profession. You can grade the standard of work in your chosen field very quickly, and I bet it’s something many of you do every day without realising it.

There are so many different classes out there, it’s hard for the keep-fit class client to decide what’s what.

Its exactly the same technique they use in the movies. If you decide to go to the cinema this weekend, chances are you will pick a film you feel will be the one you will enjoy the most. I have a friend who loves Jude Law and will rush to see anything he’s in. Now, I like Jude Law, but I think he’s made a few bad movies in his time. It could be the trailer? Ever seen a great trailer to a film and when you go see it its rubbish because all the best bits were in the trailer.

It’s the same for fitness classes. Maybe a friend drags you to a class they love but you hate it cause it’s all jumping about stuff and you prefer more toning. You might go to a class because you like the instructor but that don’t make it a good class, Maybe you saw a clip on You Tube of the class and decided to go, only to realise the best bit was in the clip. Maybe a friend drags you to a class they love, but you hate it cause its all jumping about stuff and you prefer more toning. That’s the way that I look at fitness classes and just like movies, I’ve seen a lot of Oscar-winning productions and a whole bunch of turkeys.

Forget the razzmataz and leading man, it’s about fitness, concentrate instead on the content, the production and direction of the instructor and you have the perfect class.