Resource
for Fitness Instructors
These are my recommended materials to support studying and teaching Essentrics.
BOOKS
for learning
It gives you which color to use and what order to color. It comes with academic narrative in summary to describe each page. Fun and educational distraction when you don’t feel like studying anatomy.
RENT option avaialble for less than $40. Newer edition is becoming available, too, so be sure to look around.
This book is playful and informative with lots of illustration, name, attachment, insertion, action. It teaches you how to palpate, which you may find helpful when learning anatomy.
As we become more experienced, incorporating the WHY into our teaching is important to help students stay engaged and motivated to return. As an instructor who may need to promote your new business, understanding YOUR WHY is going to be helpful not only in your marketing effort but also in keeping you grounded when we must evolve with rapidly changing fitness world.
Equipment
for teaching
Ultimate Ears (UE) 3 is also avaialble, but 2 is what I have. Meg was using one of the earlier versions at her Live Training in Vancouver. It sounds great in a studio setting.
I got this model in 2020 after several painful experience with my cheap and old laptop that wasn’t cut out for the new task of online teaching.
It’s fast startup (I am in the zoom window within 30 seconds), camera is wide angle (it captures wider view than my old one, so I don’t have to stand so far away). It’s great for early morning classes.
Downside is you have to get all sorts of attachments as there are no plugs other than power. (No USB, Ether, HDMI etc…) It’s expensive, looking at $1,500 investment after all said and done. But I am 100% glad I made that investment since it used to take 20 minutes to start up my old laptop.
This is for anyone trying to save operational cost.
Becoming an instructor forced me to switched to a smart phone, but I didn’t have a budget for it. TracFone has been a really great option for me, to whom I pay average of $100 per YEAR for my phone/data service. I limit unnecessary use of my phone and data. Most activities done on wi-fi. I get good signal and service whenever I need it.
I don’t have a specific mat to recommend. One important thing to consider is thickness.
1/8″ is ideal as it gives you stability during standing exercises, and a little cushion if you have foot pain.
1/4″ is ideal for floor exercises to give a nice padding for your spine.
I use 1/4″. I find 1/4″ is a bit too thick for standing, but 1/4″ is perfect for floor.
If your mat is thicker than 1/4″, skip the mat for standing exercise. You will be too wobbly.
If your floor is thick carpet, go with 1/8″ for better stability. (some flooring material, including carpet, can be slipperly and unsafe to exercise without a mat).
I got one with 1/8″ thickness that costed me less than $10 and is from a discount grocery store. I paid $38 for a 1/4″ and isn’t that much better. It’s all preference. Manduka brand was recommended by some fellow Essentrics Instructors.
For Essentrics’ class purpose, I recommend black or blue (both heavier duty).
Latex material. For those who are allergic to latex, a non-latex option is listed next.
If you like to sell them in your studio, it also comes in a large roll.
Non-latex option. 3-color set. Blue=heavy, Black = extra heavy, Silver =super heavy (heavy=more resistance.) I find non-latex to be quite less elastic compared to latex theraband. Unlikely to bunch up during your foot/ankle exercise on the back.
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