So you love your Spinning® class and want to become a teacher. Good for you! Now, how do you do that? The process is surprisingly simple.
[Read more →]

AFAA APEX is coming up! Dates are February 12, 13, 14 2010. Here are the cities:

Atlanta, GA
Boston, MA
Charleston, SC
Chicago, IL
Columbia, SC
Dallas, TX
Denver, CO
Ft. Lauderdale / South FL
Kansas City, KS
Las Vegas, NV
Los Angeles, CA
Nashville, TN
New York, NY
Orlando, FL
Phoenix, AZ
Raleigh, NC / Chapel Hill
Richmond, VA
Sacramento, CA
San Antonio, TX
San Jose, CA / Bay Area
Washington, D.C. Maryland

They have a couple of early-bird specials posted on the site — if you register before December 31, 2009, you can get discounts on training materials and some of their other courses. See you in Charleston!

AFAA APEX

When I first heard of Johnny G’s new creation, the Krankcycle, I had what I’ve learned is the typical response: “Spinning with your arms?  Who’s going to do that?”  That was a year ago.  I should have known that with a man like Johnny G attached to it, the Krankcycle would once again revolutionize the fitness industry, just as Spinning changed the way we think about fitness nearly 15 years ago. 

Independent Crank Arms of a Krankcycle, image from krankcycle.com

I have the awesome privilege to be on the sub list at EcoFitness, which was selected to be a beta site for Johnny’s krankcycles in 2007.   Even seeing the first Krankcycle models in action didn’t have me completely sold, because of all of the preconceived notions I had.  It is gorgeous and sexy compared to those horrible UBE machines that used to sit in the corner of my mom’s old gym, but I still assumed they were equivalents.  I was fully invested in the notion that you must use your legs in order to acheive any type of cardio benefit.  And I was a little afraid of change…

But then I was invited to participate in the certification workshop for teaching Krankcycling and in one day Jim Karanas, the CEO and Head of Education and Training for the Krankcycling College of Knowledge not only taught me something new and amazing about the potential of my body, he opened my eyes to a much needed and impeding change to the industry — Inclusive Fitness.  To say that what is coming is transformative and incredible is, in my mind, putting it lightly.  There are some other aspects of the training that I probably would not have been so receptive to had I not already found the deeper, philosophical side of Spinning; however, it is a shift in thinking that I believe is needed in our industry overall.  I’m interested to see if Kranking can bring the mind-body connection to the forefront of group fitness.

The Johnny G Krankcycle by Matrix. Image from krankcycle.com.

To attempt to share with you all that I learned yesterday would be impossible, but I encourage you to start looking at Kranking.  Take a look at their website and explore the College of Knowledge.  And check back here from time to time.  Not only did I learn some incredible stuff yesterday, I felt the flame of passion about fitness reignited!  I cannot wait to share more with you as I learn more about Kranking (through 150-hours of practice!), so stay tuned…

Just a quick post to share some blog posts I’ve found that provide some excellent information about the Primary Group Certification. They add details I have missed, and also share insights that I couldn’t have had. There are differences to be noted for location, who is the presenter, and more, so if you are looking for more information on getting the best out of the Primary Certification Workshop, or to hear how others have felt through the experience check out these posts:

• The Chic Life – “AFAA Primary Certification Day”
• Goodboy Norman Featherstone – “AFAA  Cerification Training”
• Fun Life Fitness Inside and Out with Paule Valerie - Don’t You Just Love that Post Exam Feeling?
• Geek Turned Athlete – AFAA Primary Group Exercise Certification

If you have blogged about your experience with the AFAA certification process, please share your links with us by leaving a comment.

I’d like to thank all of you who have visited and provided feedback and questions for the series to assist with your fitness instructor training through the AFAA Primary Group Certification Worshop. Since those posts went up, there have been questions asked both on and off the blog about various aspects of the certification process that I did not specifically cover. In this post, I will attempt to further aid you in becoming a fitness instructor by providing answers to those questions. It is my hope to give you further insight into the workshops and fitness certification process. If you want to see the series, start with Post 1.
[Read more →]

Apex is returning this fall! This truly is an unbelievable deal. AFAA is highly reputable and one of the best certs available for group fitness instructors. You can get your Primary Group Certification (valued at $299) for only $99! If you have been thinking about turning your enthusiasm for group fitness into extra cash and a free gym membership, now is the time. It’s also a great deal on CEUs. The dates are set for Sept 11, 12, 13 and they will be in the following cities:

San Diego, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Stamford, CT
Jacksonville, FL
St. Louis, MO
Charlotte, NC
Denver, NC
Long Island, NY
New York, NY
Columbus, OH
Philadelphia, PA
Memphis, TN
Houston, TX

If you are interested, check out the website to get registered: http://www.afaaapex.com