18 Nov Class Notes
I sometimes get to watch other teachers teach BarSculpt. It is SUPER valuable to sit and watch. I get to see how clients move from a point of view. I get to take notes about what and what did not work for clients during class, and write down the good cues that got everyone into position. It is also a good time to see how new teachers are doing with the information they were given.
These notes are from a notebook that was floating around my office that I just had yet to get rid of. Hopefully some of these notes work for you.. if they do not.. ask questions! That is the best way for all of us to get on the same page.
Warm Up: Walk around during biceps- do you know everyone? Be careful not to be holding weights as you walk around though. Keep the pelvis neutral no tucking it under here. Facing the clients is not the best angle. Try to be side view more often.
Tricep kickbacks can easily turn into bicep curls if you are not watching and cuing correctly. We want to do both, be sure you are teaching both.
Wait to remove the weights until after the stretches.. we want to keep this section flowing to keep the heart rate elevated! Please cue the toes lifting (or the heels digging into the floor in tricep dips). Fire log pose is the BEST option, easy pose is for those not yet flexible enough to do Fire Log Pose. Fire Log Pose is a bench mark exercise.. you need to teach it because there will be SeatWork exercises that need to wait until that flexibility is achieved. Facing the clients in the arm stretches is really difficult. Standing facing back to them, so the clients can see, or sitting teaching through the mirror (although that should never be your first choice) are you best options.
ThighWork: Excellent getting between the clients but be careful when getting in and out of positions to demonstrate that YOU are actually in good form when you do demonstrate. You may think a client is only looking at you feet, but they see that your shoulders are lifted and you abdominals are not in! They want to mirror you... if you are wrong, they are wrong. Changing music is secondary to keeping the class pace up! Pulling on someones ponytail is never a good idea.
Try to avoid the word squat.
Careful not to lift the heels so high the ankles roll out.
Excellent addition about telling the clients WHY we are doing these exercises!
Keep hips level in stork stretch.
Keep your hands on the floor during the lunge. If that is not possible, get a client blocks. The split is an excellent place to stop talking for a moment to rest.
SeatWork: Doing a stretch in between sides is EXCELLENT when clients need the extra break, or you need to discuss something in a bit more detail before repeating on the other side. However if the clients did really well on the first side, dash on to the second so they do not forget how it felt to do it correctly.
Under the barre: Be sure to honor your body as a teacher. Pretending in the center of the room is not great for you! Great follow through with cues.. asking for a specific change and following up with a tactile cue! keep the pacing up.
While flat up against the wall lifting your legs, holds are torture and not the nature of the exercise. lift and lower or move in and out while lifting.. static holds will use the wrong muscle groups. Also it's best to offer an alternative to threading the arms up as that can be very harsh on the shoulder.
Bend the leg that is not in the band for the seated hamstring stretch, it keeps you against the wall.
Abdominals: Ball should not be between the knees, but between the thighs! Fantastic finishing with an extra crunch and hold.. building fire is the whole focus here. Your BELLY isn't a muscle.. maybe don't cue it as one.
I love the "if you feel ambitious" cue.
Extension: Cobra should have the hips down on the mat still. Many confuse this with upward facing dog.
Overall watch your cueing. We want vocal rests, and variance. We also need excitement and building. Avoid "now we're gonna" and always calling a body part by the word that (that leg, that hip, that shoulder). We need to pay attention to what we say as people are listening.
Do not bring a cheat cheat in to class. It is no different than a client bringing a cell phone in to class and checking their messages. It's rude.
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