About Tyler
Tyler Valencia, PhD(c) is the President of the Kinesiology Institute for Performance Specialists (KIPS) and Kettlebell Concepts, and recently started Time 2 Train Fitness which specializes in at-home online workouts. He has worked for companies such as NESTA, NCCPT & Smart Fitness, and throughout the pandemic has been focusing on free tutorials for fitness professionals that can be found on the KIPS YouTube channel. Tyler holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in kinesiology and will soon be finishing his doctorate in health and human performance.
Times have changed over the last few months for the fitness industry, but for fitness professionals the need to generate income has not. Within the fitness industry we are seeing an increase in virtual workouts, and it’s more important now than ever to make sure you put your best “virtual” foot forward. There are a lot of virtual training platforms popping up and even more competition coming from larger companies that have the resources to create a popular online platform. These businesses often look to hire professional fitness instructors and making sure your virtual interview is well planned can set you apart from the competition.
In this blog post I’ll give three tips to make sure you make an impression and prepare you for your next online interview opportunity.
- Clean up your background.
When I do an interview for my online workout business, Time 2 Train Fitness, one of the first things I’m paying attention to is how professional the instructor’s background looks. Are there cups and stacks of paper in plain view of the camera? Did the instructor take the time to clean up their streaming space and make it professional for viewers? Even though it’s not “for real”, ideally the fitness professional being interviewed should act like they are about to teach a class and have their space squared away. Do you need to redesign your living room or dedicate a bedroom in your house? No, but the space being shown within the frame should not distract the participants.
Here are my suggestions:
- Find a place in your house that you can utilize each time you stream a workout. Make sure this space can be easily cleaned or needs little cleaning. Some popular suggestions are a clean wall in your house, your backyard patio, or a well-organized living room.
- Make sure all that can be viewed within the frame looks good and doesn’t contain anything distracting. If you’re streaming in your living room, make sure your couch is organized and that there’s no shoes, cups, plates, blankets, toys, etc. that can be seen.
- Some of the best spaces I’ve seen for a streaming workout are in a garage gym, but that can take an investment. There’s also the element of how strong your internet is within your garage area to consider.
- Use your best equipment.
Most streaming businesses looking to hire a new instructor will have equipment requirements that will boost the quality of a streaming workout, but make sure you have your best set up ready to go. Your usual set up might be amateur compared to what the company can provide you but show them you came prepared to teach a class. One of the biggest turn-offs I’ve come across is when an instructor doesn’t have their equipment ready and you’re going through the set-up process with them. In my opinion, a virtual interview should be treated just like a live interview. With a live, in-person interview it is best practice to show up early and dress the part. During a virtual workout you don’t have to worry about traffic making you late, but instead use that time to prepare your streaming set up. Just like with a live interview, it’s always better to over prepare than come underprepared.
Here are a couple tips:
- Have your camera in your tripod and framed appropriately for where you teach.
- Have your studio lights ready or all the natural light you use already set up.
- Set your music up so that all your need to do is press play to demonstrate your current class.
- Confirm any prior details.
Going into a virtual interview, it’s important to have all the details for the session but also to make sure you can prepare yourself mentally. The biggest mistake I’ve seen is when an instructor comes into the interview and states that “they weren’t sure of what to prepare for.” The instructor should clarify prior with the person doing the interview and not be worried they are bothering them. In fact, clarifying any details prior to the event shows professionalism in my opinion and dedication to your craft.
Here are a couple tips:
- Send a confirmation email 24-hours in advance and include what you believe will be happening during the interview.
- On the day of the interview plan to teach your online workout regardless. Over preparing can make an impression and showcase that you came ready to teach.
Conclusion
As the fitness industry continues to adjust to the current environment, it’s important that every fitness professional maximize their opportunities. I know that the idea of online workouts seems like it appeared because of the current pandemic, but it’s important to know that many online workout businesses were already getting started prior and that the pandemic accelerated these new platforms. Will things go back to how they were before? It’s a good question and nobody knows, but what we can focus on is how we can take advantage of online workouts. If these opportunities create a new and consistent revenue stream, then why not continue it? In my opinion I believe the fitness industry will take some time to recover and every fitness professional should plan accordingly.
