"Re-inventing Yourself"
by Mark Grevelding

I don’t suppose I was the only one holed up in my house on New Years Day trying to think up new routines for class? There is obviously something about the New Year that creates a desire for a fresh start. For instructors, this translates into, “Please God, help me think of a new routine before they BOO me out of class.”

I’ve been an instructor for seven years and I’ve re-invented myself more times than Madonna. From the clothes, the music, the routines, and to my very demeanor, I’ve evolved through various stages as an instructor, some impressive and some shameful. I’ve killed step classes with complex choreography and then brought them back to life with a whistle and boot camp theatrics. I’ve chased women out of the pool with Mike Tyson style boxing drills, and then lured them back with Carmen Miranda inspired “kick, jab, and shimmy” routines.

As a new instructor, change came quickly and naturally as my skills mercifully evolved. Now, change comes more slowly and is forced through my own efforts to provide my classes with fresh and innovative material. In fact, change comes every eight weeks when I sit down to choreograph a new routine. I have learned to manufacture change in a precise and systematic method with results that serve to re-invent me and re-invigorate my classes.

My method involves secluding myself with a six-pack of beer, a pen and paper, a computer, and a VCR. The six-pack is optional, but it works for me! During my secluded retreats, I resolve to develop routines that balance muscle groups, offer advanced modifications for base line moves, vary tempo, direction and intensity, as well as be interesting and fun enough to placate for eight weeks!

Some instructors resist change because they are unwilling to devote time outside of class to work on material. Others resist change because it invites criticism. They fear the challenge of cueing new material and screwing up, and instead stick with tried and true routines that wear thin over time.

It has been my observation that class participants are much more forgiving of instructors who screw up for the sake of change, as opposed to instructors who leave them uninspired with stale routines. The best instructors could FILL a stadium with failed efforts, botched routines, and goofy ideas. I’ve created some real stinkers in my time, but for every stinker I created, I rebounded with a masterpiece and was lauded for my efforts.

As instructors, we want to excite, we want to motivate, and we don’t want to be stuck with the smallest class in the club! (Refer to my April 2001 article, “Small Class Phobia.”) I live in fear of boring my students, hence I’ve exhausted and explored just about everything I can to prevent this from happening. Naturally, I feel compelled to share my trade secrets, the good, the bad, and the weird.

Mark’s Guide to Re-inventing Yourself:

Choreography Websites:
I have been clicking onto Turnstep.com for the past four years and I either log off happy and armed with new moves, or I log off completely frustrated from trying to decipher aerobic “hieroglyphics.” But, I love this particular site because it offers choreography in aquatics, step, kickboxing, and much more.
Choreographing off the computer usually involves me clomping around my living room like an elephant, peering intensely at the computer monitor and saying, “Ok, now right, left, pivot…huh?”
Over time, I have learned how to make my online experiences much more productive. I simply browse through postings looking for fresh material. As I click away, I make a list of moves and then compile the individual moves into 32 count patterns or free-style combinations.

Choreography Videos:
Feeling creatively drained? Drag out one of your old videos and look at it with fresh eyes. While many of the moves on my older videos are a bit complex for my classes, I’ve become very skilled at modifying a “triple half-gainer” into a move that is usable in my classes. As a former choreography addict, I am proud to say that my rehab is progressing nicely. (Check out my December 2000 article, “Confessions of a Choreography Monster.”) It’s been nine months and 12 days since I last executed a combination that required bilingual instructions and five minutes of visual breakdown! Amazing Grace! I was once blind, but now I see the value of offering a multi-level format!
Sometimes an old video can also provide ideas for a new warm-up or stretch routine. I’m always looking for new stretching ideas, which brings me to my next mode of re-invention.

Props:
In my land classes, I’ve been performing the final stretch segment on the stability balls. My classes love the ball stretches because they are unique, effective and very relaxing. In my aquatic classes, I’ve incorporated the noodle into the final stretch segment. It’s amazing how fresh and innovative stretches become when you add a prop!
The balls and noodles can also re-invent your cardio work out. On land, I’ve been incorporating a segment of “cardio ball” into my classes. The ball can provide a whole new dimension to arm movement when combined with simple aerobic patterns, and my students have a blast bouncing the ball to the beat!
If I can do it with balls on land, you bet I’m going to do it with noodles in the water.
For now, I’ve been confining the “noodle cardio” to free-style drills, but it won’t be long before the noodles are moving to a 32-count, add-on boogie!

Documentation:
About three years ago, I started entering my routines into the computer. I can’t TELL you how helpful this has been. When Turnstep.com and old videos fail to provide me with material, I simply pull up old routines and patch together patterns that I haven’t used in awhile. Voila! Dr. Frankenstein has a “new” routine!

Other instructors:
As a new instructor, I “borrowed” plenty of material from other instructors. As my skill levels progressed, mining new ideas from other instructors became less fruitful. Finding myself “trapped” in some pretty uninspiring classes, I hatched a devious exit strategy. Whenever I go to another class, I tell the instructor that I have to leave early due to an appointment. If the class is a snore, I make haste for my appointment. If the class is good, “Oh that appointment can wait!”
I think going to other classes is good because it gives you a broad perspective of styles. It shows you what works, and what DOESN”T work! I have modified many of my mannerisms after observing other instructors from the perspective of a participant.

Workshops and Conferences:
For the seasoned instructor, workshops and conferences are a must! I simply cannot say enough about the experience and education that workshops provide. I WOULD NOT be the instructor I am today if not for continuing education and inspiring presentations. I salute all CEC providers and presenters for your dedication, creativity, and motivation. You DO make a difference! The best workshops send you away feeling renewed, excited, and armed with a slew of new ideas to re-invent yourself and your classes.

Music:
PLEASE don’t get me started on THAT subject. If you want to know my true feelings about music, refer to my June 2001 article, “Music Freak.”

Attire:
In general, I have about as much interest in fashion as I do in nuclear science, but I find it interesting that my aerobic attire has changed as frequently as my choreography. I recall starting my fitness career dressed in those ghastly spandex bike shorts that suction at the knee and make your legs look like link sausages! Eventually, “hemlines” went up and I found myself spending an entire class picking skimpy shorts out of my crotch. I now have a drawer full of very expensive and uncomfortable “underwear.”
I’ve gone through various jogging pant phases, from the baggy zip-aways to the plastic insulated ones. Don’t EVER wear those on deck! I nearly died of a heat stroke in my effort to be hip!
I’m not sure how effective clothing is in terms of re-inventing an instructor, but a snappy new outfit sure does make you feel good!

Clearly, there are many ways to re-invent yourself and bring a fresh and innovative approach to your classes. Personally, I have found the greatest source of renewal from my students and my commitment to them. In our business, it is easy to get carried away with the “performance,” putting too much emphasis on the choreography, the music, and our own popularity. Anyone can re-invent a routine, but the real challenge is learning how to renew your passion as a fitness provider.
For all the times I felt slighted because my students didn’t clap loud enough or they didn’t seem as impressed by the routine as I was, I prayed for guidance. And God would always reply, “Dear Mark, Your job is to promote fitness, not yourself!”
Given my penchant for ego, I rely heavily on faith to guide me as an instructor, and to renew my vows to my students. I am at my best when I stay focused on their needs, their health, and their bodies. I am at my worst when I focus on my talent, my reputation, and my popularity.

Our best hope for re-invention is our own passion for teaching and for making a difference. If you really want to re-invent yourself, ask yourself this, “What can I do to improve my students’ fitness level this year?” The actions you take and the changes you make to accomplish this goal, will make you the “The Instructor of the Year” in the eyes of your students.

Mark Grevelding is a free-lance writer and full time fitness professional living in Rochester, New York. As a personal trainer and group exercise instructor, he is certified through AEA, AFAA, and FITOUR. He may be contacted via e-mail at markgrev@aol.com, or by phone: (716) 865-2609, or by mail; Mark Grevelding, 234 Milford St. #9, Rochester, NY. 14615.

Copyright and permission granted by Mark Grevelding, 2001.