It’s chill, guys, I’ve only had the most epic weekend ever.  Honestly, what an awesome time all around.  On Saturday, I got to teach my first Spinning® Class and it was everything.  It felt completely natural up there on the bike and I had a great time rocking out with the class.  The energy was great, the ride was challenging, I couldn’t have asked for anything better.  I got a lot of positive feedback following as well, which really was awesome to hear because being a sub ain’t easy.  I’ve got three more classes coming up in the next two weeks, so if you’re in the Central Jersey area, let me know and I’ll hook ya up!

On Sunday, after getting to spend an amazing Saturday night in Philly with some of my BBG girlfriends, it was up and at em for the BBG Philly Meet-up.  The BBG Philly Meet-up happens once a month and it’s epic.  This month was especially amazing for me because I got a chance to lead the workout alongside some of the best ladies.  The workout was difficult for sure and the 90 degree heat added a little extra struggle, but there were smiles on every single persons face through the pain and it made it fly by.  I wouldn’t have traded Sunday for the world.

Planning the workout for Sunday was a bit of a challenge.  I knew that I wanted to do something that was tough, but modify-able to suit all fitness levels.  I also knew that in meet-ups past, the workouts had been a little more haphazard and I wanted to keep it true to what I know makes for an effective workout.  I think education is extremely important in fitness and often overlooked.

These days, image is everything.  We are inundated with pictures on Facebook, Instagram and the like with some fitness-celeb-want-to-be hocking the workout they just did promising you’ll get their results too if you just follow what they’re doing.  They are spewing information left and right, but they’ve got no substance to back it up.  Just because someone looks the part does not mean you should take their word as gospel.

There’s a reason I became a NASM certified personal trainer and I went out and got my Spinning® certification before I taught a class, I never wanted to give someone an answer to a question without knowing with confidence that I was correct.  I studied hard for both of those exams and passed them easily my first time through because learning is important to me.  You can tell the difference between people who know what they’re talking about and those who don’t.  That’s why I get irritated when people teach classes or create workout plans when they don’t have the certifications to back it up.

You wouldn’t hire a doctor without an MD or a lawyer without a JD, but you’ll willingly go to someone’s class who you’ve only seen pictures of on the Internet because they have a lot of followers?  That’s silly.  Chances are, they’re just doing what they think is good and it very well might be, but they could be missing out on crucial aspects that could prevent you from maximizing your workout or could lead to injury.

Take for instance a very prominent Soul Cycle trainer that’s often touted as a semi-god on Instagram.  Well, I attended one of his classes a couple of weeks ago and was shocked to see how uneducated he was.  He had us doing extremely risky moves on the bike like one armed push-ups while standing, which is a hugeee nono if you’re a good instructor.  One false move and you’ve got a liability lawsuit on your hands.  He also went around and upped people’s resistance, another huge no.  Too much resistance at a fast pace can easily blow out your knees and you never know anyone’s limits.

Don’t get me wrong, there are Instagram famous fitness celebs that are certified and you can tell.  Kayla Itsines, Lauren Gliesberg, and others have the knowledge to create quality plans and lead workouts based on science.  You can read the NASM textbook and compare it to either one of their guides and they fit to a T.  The same cannot be said for others.  There is a lot of information on the internet that makes people think that because they’ve read a series of articles, they have the qualifications to make recommendations to others.

I don’t think everyone has to get certified to educate themselves, but if you are truly interested in leading others and giving your opinion, you should have the credentials to back it up.  If you are just someone who enjoys working out and going to classes, there’s no need to dole out the cash for a certification, just make sure you are getting reliable information from credible sources when you need questions asked.  If you in anyway want to teach a class or offer personal training services, you best believe a certification should be in your future, I don’t care how many followers you have.
-sj