10th March 2011

Hello and welcome to the Choreographytogo Instructor Newsletter. This is a free weekly resource that I designed 9 years ago years ago to provide support, ideas and back up for all Instructors and Personal Trainers. I love to receive your feedback, so if you do have any comments or would like to contribute in any way please email lesley@choreographytogo.com or please use the very lively forum.

For website/membership/course bookings and general admin email Lesley@choreographytogo.com or call the C2Go office 07854 739285. Please add Lesley@choreographytogo.com to your address book as mail sometimes can go to your junk/spam mail box. You can also find the answers to many of your questions in the FAQ section and Help section of the site click here for FAQs

Rachel Holmes Snippets and updates

First of all a massive thanks to everyone who came over last weekend to Fitness Pilates Explosion workshops in Oxford and Cambridge, it really was so fantastic to see so many old faces! There were  Instructor friends attending  who I had met over 20 years ago.  I am loving delivering this workshop, it’s been a breath of fresh air and has been so well received. I can barely believe there are only 2 more dates till it wraps up in April. Pilates Instructors  and their classes all over the UK appear to be doing well, with record numbers attending and Instructors with waiting lists. If you have qualified with me in Fitness Pilates over the years then why not launch in the community now? Maybe you used to teach in the community and perhaps let your classes go, whatever the reason, NOW is the perfect time to crack on in the community and make your business work for you, not the other way around.

Get Fit with Mel B

It’s been a pretty varied week already as this week I met up again with former Spice Girl Mel B to launch International Fitness Week with Fitness First and do press and interviews regarding the Get Fit with Mel B Workout, which I choreographed and designed for her. Mel is the ambassador for Fitness First and we have worked together before on this project, so it was great fun doing press and interviews with her. You can see some photos on my Facebook and Twitter.

This week’s newsletter has some great articles on launching Fitness Pilates classes, marketing ideas, setting up a slimming class and more information on my brand new Social Media Package for Fitness Professionals. So grab a cuppa, sit back and be inspired!

Facebook Debate

I’ve been talking on Facebook about the future of Freestyle HiLo & step and whether these formats are dying out. As I travel around the UK presenting in health clubs these classes seem to be few and far between on timetables. It’s all Zumba, Bootcamps, Conditioning classes, Indoor Cycling and  Les Mills. Where has all the freestyle gone??? If you want to join in the debate please go to the Choreographytogo Facebook page and click LIKE and join in.

http://www.facebook.com/choreographytogo

Top Tips for launching a successful Fitness Pilates Business.

Fitness Pilates is a progressive and functional form of Pilates. FP takes the brilliant theory and techniques of Joseph Pilates and combines it with functional anatomy and physiology. Fitness Pilates utilizes tri plane movements and exercises, which ensures the client gets a fully functional and 3d conditioning class.

How to organize and run your FP Classes

I would recommend running your classes as 6 – 8 week course where clients pay up front in blocks that run concurrently with school holidays and term times OR run your classes ongoing but operate a monthly direct debit option. This works if you are running on going classes throughout the year.

Why?

You know exactly how many participants you are having and the income it generates. Pay as you go can be very hit and miss, some weeks busy some weeks quiet. It will help you plan your finances, plan each session in advance more effectively and  prevent burn out!

How to kick off  your Fitness Pilates class

1. Use your Facebook account – Start using Facebook as a business tool to promote you, your brand and your business.

2. Open a Twitter account and begin working Twitter in conjunction with Facebook.

3.Get a website or blog and  a web account to  capture everyone’s email who comes to your classes and visits your website. Update this with tons of great information pertinent to your demographic.

4.Send a text to everyone in your phone about your new class. Invite friends and family.

5.Have a free taster session and invite everyone.  At the end sign up clients for your following course.

6.Promote like crazy in all of your existing classes.

7.Posters/leaflet everywhere

8. Network and word of mouth. Goggle local business groups, Women’s groups, WI and go along and network every week.

Embrace Social Media but don’t neglect marketing basics…….

You know I am a massive advocate of employing social media to help promote you and your personal brand but don’t neglect basic tried and tested marketing techniques. Ensure you get out and talk to prospective clients, network with groups and use leaflets and posters to get your launch right in front of EVERYONE!!!!

Factor in Easter, Royal Wedding and Bank Holidays nearly every week in May

Give yourself 4 weeks to promote your new class or course. The next great time to start a class is after EASTER but beware of Mondays as there are so many Bank Holidays in April and May with Easter falling late this year, then the Royal Wedding, then the late Whit break so a Monday might not be a great night to start during this time.

Are you ready for the next phase of your fitness business?

I think there are 3 stages to most community fitness businesses :

Stage 1 – Setting up community classes – building your name, your brand, your business.

Stage 2 – Employing other Instructors to teach your brand and expanding your business whilst you teach AND focus on building an online and passive income.

Stage 3 – Phasing yourself OUT of the majority of teaching and concentrating on online opportunities and managing your business rather than working IN it constantly.

Jayne Nicholls How Fit are you?

j a y n e 

jayne nicholls
Group X Training
07989433969

Social Media Package for Fitness Professionals.

You don’t have to behave like Charlie Sheen to get tons of followers and fans to your Facebook and Twitter accounts 🙂

There is a method to it and having the right strategy is the first step to getting the best results from Social Media

Here’s how I can help

I have come up with a 3 monthly trial “done-for you-package” with myself and my own personal social media team. We will schedule all of your Facebook messages, Tweets, special offers and help position your personal brand and online presence.

Between us we will work out the best strategy for growing your followers and promoting your brand.

As this is a new and exclusive service I am only offering this service for a further 10 clients and it will be first come first served.

There is no obligation – All you need to do is enter your email and answer a questionnaire about you and your brand

If you would like me to email the questionnaire click on the page below and fill in the form right away. Please fill it in as completely as you can and I will be in touch in the next few days to arrange a skype or mobile phone calla with you where we can discuss your needs.

Click here for Form and details

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I will then create a full profile for you for you to check and agree, we will then work out how to manage your Facebook, Twitter and Linked In accounts.

The cost for me and my team to run your social media is only £30 per week, which is the cost of a personal training client or a new client coming to you group exercise classes 4 times in 1 month…meaning your whole social media will be automated every week without you having to constantly check your accounts. I will personally oversee the whole process giving you my input and help. You will get a Skype Call from me to go over the whole process.

Functional Training  MOVE YOUR FEET by Marvin Burton

One thing that I would like to expend on and share with the rest of our community is the importance to where your feet are in relation to the exercise you are performing. This will change, impact and increase/decrease the desired contraction or outcome from the exercise. Never take this tool for granted. The participants of my workshops all felt the difference and understand that by making small changes in foot position (the vector principal) you will manipulate the exercise more than you could have ever imagined.

By internally rotating your feet just 5 degrees, the chain reaction occurring in the Glute’s is very powerful. This foot position asks your Tibia to internally rotate and Femur. If you track the muscles line of the lateral leg you will be impacting lots of muscles. Mainly Perineal Brevis (which impacts the foot and ankle motion) lateral hamstring (which decelerates knee motion and can effect knee mechanics) IT band (that hurts) and switching on the Obturator, Piriformis, Glute’s etc, etc. So if you are looking to eccentrically load the leg better than any LBT class on the planet try:

Standing feet hip width apart

From this position perform an anterior lunge with your left leg

Keep your foot positioned at end range (in the lunge position)

Now internally rotate both front and back feet 5 degrees

Lean forward with your upper body

Rotate your torso left (over the lead leg)

Now reach bilaterally (both arms) at ankle height, left anterior laterally (north, west if you know how to use a compass)

I hope you are not in a tangled web… from this position try 20, 3 inch pulses up and down, in this position.

I hope this worked.

You just took your muscles through a 3-D trilogy of movement at the same time. Flexion, adduction and internal rotation of the hip joint on the left leg. This is the position your hip muscles load into during walking. Obviously not to this range. However training your muscles to accommodated extreme changes in length and still have power is a strategy that is confused by traditional methods of training. You would know this as flexibility. My point is this. With only range in your muscles you are powerless. Hyper mobility will not feed success in powerful movements, e.g. walking, running, climbing, jumping. To develop strength and flexibility you would need to load the muscles in 3 planes and be efficient at both end, and short range or the Proprioceptic response and muscle recruitment wouldn’t react subconsciously.

Few. That feels better. I needed to unload some science onto you all. If you don’t understand, have questions or need to see it to believe it then drop me an email. info@marvinburton.com

Have a good week and see you on Sunday in oxford if you are attending level 3 Fitness Pilates NVQ.

Remember! Your feet are attached to your legs, they can move. Try something different today..

Marvin Burton- Technical Director.

Have a fantastic week

Love Rachel xx