Great Coaching Starts Before the "Final" Exercise
June 7, 2026
Great Coaching Starts Before the "Final" Exercise
One of the biggest shifts we see in newer instructors happens when they stop asking: "What's the best exercise?" and start asking: "What's the best starting point for this person?"
It's a subtle change, but it completely transforms how you coach.
Over the years, we've worked with people from a wide range of fitness backgrounds. Some members arrive with years of strength training experience. Others are returning to movement after a long break. Some are managing injuries, balance concerns, confidence challenges, or simply learning a movement pattern for the first time.
When instructors only focus on the most advanced version of an exercise, they unintentionally leave a lot of people behind. Great coaching isn't about showing the hardest exercise in the room. It's about helping more people participate successfully.
A Hinge Progression Example
Take a hip hinge pattern. Many instructors immediately think about Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs). RDLs are a fantastic exercise, but not everyone is ready to start there. Instead, we often teach the pattern in stages:
Stage 1: Hinge Pattern Awareness
Using a body bar, dowel, broomstick, or PVC pipe along the back of the body can help clients feel what a neutral spine actually feels like.
The goal isn't strength yet.
The goal is awareness.
Many people intellectually understand the cue "keep a neutral spine," but the dowel provides immediate feedback that helps them feel it.
If the upper back rounds, the dowel loses contact with the lower back. If the head shifts forward, the top point of contact changes.
Suddenly the movement becomes easier to understand.
Stage 2: Bodyweight Good Morning
Once the movement pattern feels more natural, a bodyweight good morning allows clients to practice the hinge independently.
The pattern remains the same.
The support simply decreases.
Stage 3: Loaded Good Morning
As confidence and control improve, external load can be introduced.
Now the focus shifts toward building strength while maintaining the movement quality established in earlier stages.
Stage 4: Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
Only after the movement pattern is understood do we progress to a more complex loaded variation. The RDL isn't "better" than the earlier stages. It's simply another progression within the same movement family.
Why This Matters for Group Fitness Instructors
In a group setting, you'll rarely have a room full of people who need the exact same exercise variation.
One member may thrive with a loaded RDL. Another may need a bodyweight hinge. Someone else may benefit from using a dowel for feedback. The more options you can confidently provide, the more people feel successful in your classes.
And when people feel successful, they are more likely to continue showing up.
How We Teach This in Our Instructor Training
Inside our Online Instructor Training program, we spend a lot of time discussing progressions, regressions, modifications, and movement options.
We believe one of the most valuable skills an instructor can develop is the ability to recognize multiple entry points into the same movement pattern.
Our Exercise Library is built with that philosophy in mind.
Rather than viewing exercises as isolated movements, we help instructors understand how different variations connect to one another, how to scale them up or down, and how to help more people feel included in class.
Because great coaching isn't about finding the "perfect" exercise. It's about helping the person in front of you find the version that works for them.