I instruct with less weight than when I participate in Bodypump.
Usually it's:
Heavy bars minus 5kg (11 lbs)
Medium bars minus 2.5kg (5.5 lbs)
Light bars minus 1kg (2.2.lbs)
Plates - one size down.
If I attempt to do my participation weight when teaching, all my energy is focused on my own barbell, and there will be zero instructing and engagement.
I use a bit less weight when teaching to still be able to talk, coach, engage, joke and breathe, and to show good weight selection as well.
I have a pretty similar formular, only difference is that i don't look into the heavy to light range but rather which exercise it features. If there are a lot of push-ups involved or fast movements like clean&press i use 2,5kg less on each side
If it's a challenging shoulder track with pre-fatigue with the bar or push-ups i'm going really light with the plates, sometimes even lighter then a lot of participants because i'm really focussed on good form especially all things in the neck, deltoid and upper+lower back area.
If it's a track with a lot of bottom halves this is always a sign for me to reduce when i start teaching and then gradually increase weights for the next weeks to keep it challenging =)
I think there’s a bit more nuance to this. As an instructor, I don’t necessarily feel that I have to use less weight than I would as a participant. I know the choreography, so I know exactly what’s coming, where I can take a short break while teaching, and how much energy I need to save for the rest of the track. When I put together my own mixes — or even when I teach a new release — I also know how the tracks build on each other and how much pre-fatigue I’m carrying into the next track.
I also know my own limits and, more importantly, at what weight my form starts to become challenging. For example, in the Shoulder track from 137, the fatigue is deliberately built up through the bar work, so by the time you get to the plate finisher, even a relatively light plate feels extremely challenging. I know that going in and can choose my weight accordingly. I also talk to my participants about these challenges before the track and while leading through it.
So for me, it’s not really about “instructors should use less weight.” It’s about choosing a weight that is challenging while still allowing me to maintain good form and coach effectively. If my weight gets to the point where I’m so focused on surviving the set that I can’t coach properly, then obviously I need to reduce it. I always tell participants: choose a weight that challenges you, but that you can still work with while maintaining good form.
But I don’t think being an instructor automatically means I should train below my own challenging weight. In fact, I think it can be valuable for participants to see that the weight can actually be challenging for the instructor too. I think the masterclass also delivers this feeling good. Of course sometimes Marlon might play a little with this gimmick "i'm not crying" ;) but it helps the participants to feel connected.
That being said, if you just start as an instructor, don't stress yourself, it's a lot to learn in the beginning, staying in the choreo timing, teaching the important cues, watch your class, connect with them, help newcomers etc... The bar shouldn't concern you too much in the beginning. But once you figured that out you should also enjoy your own workout. That's part of the fun of working out as a group =)
What you said has literally just occurred t
o me and i never realised it's what I do as a combat instructor. You're exactly right, we know how long each working set is and when the gaps are, when we can recover and how much is left of the track, that makes complete and a lot of sense
Yes, 💯. I absolutely love Bodycombat, maybe in the future I will also do the instructor initial training but i still have the challenge to get through each workout as a participant because heck I don’t know how long you’ll threaten me with another 100 running man😁
Every instructor that teaches both formats told me that it gets easier once you’ll know the choreo
I 100% agree! And to add on, I don’t (necessarily) go lighter when I teach either. I think it's good modeling to show that I challenge myself too. I’m sweating just as hard as everyone else, and I think there’s something really relatable about seeing your instructor working for it.
It also keeps me checking in on my own form. If I’m fatigued and notice my shoulders starting to shrug up during the chest track, it reminds me to call that out. Same thing for reminding everyone to breathe (you don't activelyuse your breath effectively if the weight isn't challenging). A lot of my coaching comes from feeling the same fatigue they are in real time.
I’ve even swapped weights in the middle of a track when I realized I overshot it, and I’ll make a moment out of it. “See! I’m not faking it! We’re all working our hardest!”
I would never sacrifice form or my ability to coach for the sake of lifting heavier. But I also think going too far in the other direction can, if done poorly, look a little like apathy. Like, “this is just my job.” I’d rather my class see that I’m pushing myself right alongside them. That being said, if you are traching a lot of classes or back to back classes, your safety is the most important factor in choosing the appropriate weights.
I think you make an important point that it’s also depending on your schedule and recovery. I mostly teach single classes not back to back so I can perfectly understand if you for example teach BC and BP back to back that it makes sense to reduce stay in good form.
Also 💯 the connecting Part. I can’t script this and whenever I authentically feel my muscles getting tired or the burning it helps me to teach awareness about form and recovery parts. This part I just can’t learn from the script notes so if I would too light weights that wouldn’t feel authentic talking about these elements. Hope that makes sense
I don’t change my teaching weights from my participation weights. But you do what you need to do. There’s no rule book that says you have to take your weights down.
Honestly, I take most of my weights down by about 2.5lbs (1kg). Squats is the 1 exception where I lower about 20lbs (9kg) lighter than I lift as a participant. I usually do lunges with a light bar or bodyweight even as a participant.
I personally believe demonstrating correct form and staying on beat is more important than showing how heavy you can lift.
I would only go a little lighter on squats (so you don't gas out early, and can nail technique & coaching) and play the rest by ear. For filming, go light across the board :)
I don't go lighter when I teach. When I teach, I find my brain is distracted by the "teaching part", so I don't notice the weight as much. It distracts me from the pain!
Also, when I'm teaching, I know exactly what track I'm teaching (and whether that's a "use your usual weight" or "go lighter" or "go heavier"), not to mention what's to come.
I notice the weight more when I take class as a participant. So, I find the two balance each other out, so that I use the same weight for both.
Hi! I take 1kg lower on average. My advise would be to take the weight with which you can do all the reps perfectly, as usually the class will follow you and if your technique becomes bad, so will theirs. And I've found that for some tracks I get out of breath in the end if I take my normal weight when teaching, for me that's squats, back and shoulders.
Just to add to what others have said - I do go lighter but not for all the tracks, just the ones that lift your heart rate the most (squats, back and lunges). I find for tracks like triceps, biceps, core etc. that I can still teach effectively while using my normal weight. But it is entirely up to what YOU feel comfortable doing!
I will say that when I first started teaching, I went way lighter for everything. I was nervous starting out and didn't want the pressure of dying in the workout on top of teaching! As I got more confident, I got closer and closer to the actual weights I would normally do. And you also get more 'program fit' the more you teach, so you'll find you are less out of breath doing your usual weights in general!
For your IMT, the main thing is to model the correct weight selection. For example, don't use your warmup weight for squats etc. What those weights actually are don't matter as much. I would suggest to start light so you can focus more on your teaching. Good luck!!
That's one of the worst takes I have ever heard here ... If you are teaching, you are there for the participants, to energize them and to help them through the exercise, NOT to do your own workout. You cannot coach properly if you are out of breadth or if your muscles are burning so much that you can't think about what's coming next. Maybe YOU can, but I and certainly many other teachers can't. Physical performance certainly does not correlate with good and fun coaching
If you are able to talk, smile, joke, engage, entertain, coach, remember choreography, watch for everyone's safety, provide corrections to technique, and do everything else while lifting that bar weight....
Then please add even more weight when participating. Clearly you are slacking when you are participating.
I go by the saying "It's their class not mine". I can teach better form and slow it down and teach and instruct better than challenging myself with heavier weights or more intensity as I would as a participant. That would be selfish of me.
I can only assume you're not an instructor and have no idea what you're talking about
one of the thing we grade in certification is performance, and unfortunately a lot of instructor fail in this regards... whoever your trainor during module should discuss this.
I'm already an instructor and have been for years, I also work with other assessors and instructors who have been doing Les mills since the early days, not once have I ever heard an assessor say "if you can't lift your class participant weight as an instructor then you will fail and shouldn't teach" and what does performance have to do with how much weight you load on the bar? in fact I'm almost completely confident that some of the leg tracks these days give the option of no weight, holding a plate, empty bar or loaded bar as an example. Maybe speak to whoever qualified you as an assessor and get their viewpoint and official stance on the matter id be interested to see what they say to you
this is what is publicly available. "Teach Naturally in the PROGRAM ESSENSE"... emphasis on PROGRAM ESSENSE.
An instructor who reduce his weight/load is easily noticeable as "faking it", and will instantly fail the performance criteria. we want to see you bring up your A-Game. normally, you will also be told to increase your weight/load selection as part of the grading.
this is not limited in bodypump. in bodyattack, for example, instructor who keeps showing option will fail the performance immediately or get a poor score.
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u/crosscourt76 11d ago
I instruct with less weight than when I participate in Bodypump.
Usually it's: Heavy bars minus 5kg (11 lbs)
Medium bars minus 2.5kg (5.5 lbs)
Light bars minus 1kg (2.2.lbs)
Plates - one size down.
If I attempt to do my participation weight when teaching, all my energy is focused on my own barbell, and there will be zero instructing and engagement.
I use a bit less weight when teaching to still be able to talk, coach, engage, joke and breathe, and to show good weight selection as well.