From Spin Class to Sports Massage: Expanding My Fitness Horizons

Following on from my previous post, where I had just started my PT business while continuing to coach golf and work at Fitness First, I was eager to improve my income and expand my skillset. So, I began adding class coaching to my repertoire.

My first foray into group fitness was as an indoor cycling (Spin) instructor. I absolutely loved it! The atmosphere of the group, creating playlists, and keeping energy levels high during the class with physical and verbal cues – it was all so exhilarating. It was here that I truly discovered the joy of the “stage” that is group coaching. My class always had a waitlist, and it brought me a ton of energy.

Next, I added a boxing class, which I was particularly proud of. It was more technique-focused than a lot of the boot camps and circuit classes I had seen. For me, movement efficiency has been a priority since I started coaching golf, and it always will be.

Believe it or not, I even qualified to become an exercise-to-music instructor (think aerobics/step!). This was one of the toughest qualifications because it required a combination of good demonstrations, great on-the-fly coaching, and building a workout that matched the timings of the beat. The final exam involved programming, choreographing, and coaching a live class with random participants. I love music and a bit of dancing, so it was right up my street!

The best thing about being part of that group of coaches was the camaraderie. For most of us, the exercise-to-music part was a side hustle done for fun, which meant that any seminar or educational event was a vibe – a big dance party with some lectures thrown in. It was so good that at one point I even considered training to coach Zumba!

All of this is a big reason why I love it when my CrossFit class is packed. When we have a busy gym with the music pumping, the energy becomes infectious! Although the workouts are very different to what I coached before, the atmosphere is the same.

Adding a New Dimension: Sports Massage

After a couple of years at Fitness First, I decided to add a Level 3 Sports Massage certification to my qualifications. I was basically adding different elements that linked golf and fitness, and I knew I had clients who could really benefit from this. The best part about this qualification was the education on anatomy. You dig deep into the details of the musculoskeletal system, and this knowledge, although learned during your PT Level 3, becomes more ingrained when you’re targeting specific muscles in a sports massage.

I started my massage business by renting a room at a local wellness center, which eventually led to me moving my entire PT business there. As always, I wanted more and more independence in what I did, and this allowed me to set up as I liked. Within a year, I moved from this room to a building next door that had a room and an adjoining riverside garden space, which I was allowed to astro-turf and cover to create my first real PT studio space.

The Problem with Being a Jack of All Trades

The main problem I had at this time was that I was doing everything and had absolutely no focus. At one point I was:

• Golf Coaching
• PT
• Group Fitness Instructor
• Massage Therapist

I even had a client that I coached at his home at 9 pm! There were days where I would go to the gym first thing, cycle from Berkhamsted to Chartridge, then cycle to Tring (where he lived), and then cycle home!

Despite all of these sources of income, I was still living day-to-day financially. That all changed with the help of a couple of my clients, which I’ll discuss in the next instalment! (Don’t worry, we’re nearly at the point where I actually start doing CrossFit!)