Safety Dance :)

Since I left "the facility whose name shall not be spoken," I've been teaching at several facilities and having a blast. I've met some old familiar friends and quite a few new ones too. Sometimes, class members come in with something wrapped (knee, wrist, etc.) up or let us as instructors know of some kind of injury. That's great because it can help us provide a safer workout for them and give more options to continue to get an effective workout while that injury heals. One thing that several instructors have noticed is that many of these injuries have come from taking a Boot Camp class at the "nameless facility." As we look into how the injury was caused, most of the time it could/should have been prevented.

It still amazes me as to the unsafe/contraindicated exercises that are performed all over the place. When we as instructors teach classes, we are teaching to the general population which includes people of ALL fitness levels. Our classes should be designed to be safe and we should be able to give plenty of options during the class. This is much different from a sports-specific training. For someone doing training specific for basketball or soccer, perhaps running backward would be an excellent choice for those athletes. This is really not the case for a general group fitness class. Perhaps a slower, more controlled backward walking lunge would provide similar benefits without risking the safety of class members.

As the cold weather has arrived, some of us have heard nightmare stories about running up icy stairs outside. To risk a member's health and safety is beyond me, and this should set of some alarms as to how credible/knowledgeable an instructor really is. A certified/trained instructor should know better and the paying members rely on the instructor. As I've said before, I would suggest first and foremost, use common sense. If you're getting dizzy in class or members are getting some kind of injury, really consider the instruction and exercises going on in class. Ask other members and other instructors about exercises and certainly don't forget about the World Wide Web! (Google is your friend.)

Please keep in mind that there's always a chance of injury but with great instructors, that chance should be minimized!

Keep working out and Happy Holidays!