How do you keep group training fun and varied while maintaining consistency and quality?

Group training can be a great way to motivate and engage your clients, but it also comes with some challenges. How do you keep the sessions fun and varied while maintaining consistency and quality? How do you cater to different levels and preferences of your participants? How do you create a sense of community and accountability among them? In this article, we will share some tips and strategies to help you design and deliver effective group training sessions that will keep your clients coming back for more.

1 Know your audience

Before you plan your group training session, you need to know who you are training and what they want. What are their goals, fitness levels, interests, and preferences? How do they learn best and what motivates them? How do they interact with each other and with you? You can gather this information by conducting surveys, interviews, assessments, or simply by observing and talking to your clients. Knowing your audience will help you tailor your session to their needs and expectations, and make them feel valued and understood.

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B Bass

Winner. People Helper. Coffee & Fitness Lover.
I think communication is key to knowing your audience. Conversations before the class about past workout history, injuries, and intention to attend the class help you coach every individual better. Brief check-ins during class will help tailor the class to each attendee's skill level to ensure they have the best experience possible. Then, following up after class to understand how they feel physically, clarify information shared within the class, and express gratitude for attending can go along way in building rapport and opening up the lines of communication to know them deeper.
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2 Mix it up

One of the benefits of group training is that it can offer variety and novelty to your clients, which can boost their engagement and retention. However, variety does not mean random or chaotic. You still need to have a clear structure and purpose for your session, and follow the principles of progressive overload, specificity, and recovery. You can mix it up by changing the format, intensity, duration, equipment, exercises, or themes of your session, as long as they are aligned with your goals and objectives. For example, you can use circuit training, interval training, partner or team exercises, games, challenges, or themed workouts to spice up your session and keep your clients guessing.

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B Bass

Winner. People Helper. Coffee & Fitness Lover.
Mixing it up is a great way to keep clients engaged. The nice part is it only takes a little. Too much variability within a class can confuse clients, so having a rule introducing 10-20% of change within the class can provide a breath of fresh air without causing confusion.
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Paul Harris

Strength Coach, Personal Trainer/ Health Coach, lifevantage-independent consultant
I agree, you can create variety in many ways, you need to start with a purpose but keeping clients on their toes with what to expect can add fun to the group training and keep them coming back. I like to bring in exercises or techniques that they may not see in everyday group training, using the abnormal to create variety. Example: using a foam roller to help with loaded movements to get technique down then moving to heavier weight as needed based on the clients and movements.
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3 Provide feedback and support

Another benefit of group training is that it can foster a sense of social support and accountability among your clients, which can enhance their motivation and adherence. However, you also need to provide individual feedback and support to each client, as they may have different strengths, weaknesses, challenges, or questions. You can provide feedback and support by using verbal cues, demonstrations, corrections, praise, encouragement, or coaching. You can also use technology, such as apps, trackers, or monitors, to track and share your clients' progress and performance. Providing feedback and support will help your clients feel confident and competent, and show them that you care about their results and satisfaction.

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4 Create a community

One of the keys to successful group training is to create a community of like-minded and supportive people who share a common goal and enjoy working out together. You can create a community by fostering a positive and friendly atmosphere, encouraging interaction and communication, promoting cooperation and collaboration, celebrating achievements and milestones, and providing opportunities for socialization and fun. You can also use social media, newsletters, or blogs to stay in touch with your clients, share tips and resources, highlight success stories, or announce events and promotions. Creating a community will help your clients feel connected and loyal, and increase their retention and referrals.

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5 Evaluate and improve

The last tip for effective group training is to evaluate and improve your session regularly. You need to monitor and measure the outcomes and impacts of your session, both for your clients and for yourself. You can evaluate your session by collecting feedback from your clients, using objective data, such as attendance, retention, or revenue, or using subjective data, such as satisfaction, enjoyment, or testimonials. You can also evaluate your own performance, skills, and knowledge, and identify your strengths and areas for improvement. Evaluating your session will help you identify what works and what doesn't, and make adjustments and enhancements accordingly.

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