DC : I can paint that picture by telling you exactly how our full-time fitness crew is set up . Each of them is the best at something , so if one of them has a weakness , the other one lifts them up . We ’ ve got one person who ’ s probably the most detail oriented . He ’ s very nuanced with catching form and technique and gives good cues . We ’ ve positioned him as our coach in our four-week structured program . Then we ’ ve got another coach who has a degree in exercise science with a specialization in corrective exercises . He ’ s good at doing recovery sessions , assisted stretching , myofascial rolling . So , he ’ s the go-to person if a guest is sore , or achy . And then we brought on someone who has a background in dance and choreography . None of our other full-timers have a sense of beat at all , so we were really lacking that in the full-time department . Each of them has a strong suit . Most of us can cover for each other , but what I found is the specialties reduce the likelihood of me-versus-you within the department .
Pulse : How do you protect yourself and the people who work with you from injury or burnout to extend the life of their careers ? DC : We do have a handful of instructors who have been in the industry for 30-plus years . If you ’ re teaching aerobics and more choreographed classes and you ’ re doing the workouts with them , that can wear you down quickly . One thing about our facilities and classes is that you don ’ t have to be doing the workout with the participant . Your job is to set them up for success . You might demonstrate exercises but really your focus is to walk around , correct form and make sure everyone is doing it safely .
And then there ’ s the enjoyment factor . One thing I ’ ve noticed for the people who have been doing it for longer is that in the beginning they were more generalists , but became specialists . Our yoga instructor who has been in the industry for 25-plus years didn ’ t start off as just a yoga instructor . She did a lot of other things , but found that for her yoga was her true passion , so she continues to nurture that passion and learn more about yoga and it ’ s very sustainable for her .
I guess what I found for the people who ’ ve been in the fitness realm for a long time , is they do it because it also helps themselves . Then they ’ re so excited that they want to share it with everybody else . And they continue to be curious about it and excited to learn more .
Pulse : Can you talk a little bit about how you combine employees with independent contractors ? DC : Our full-time employees are here at least 30 hours a week . They ’ re busy six to eight hours a day . And then the
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