Instructor Certification achieved; Kangoo Jumps® video is next step

Three major steps are done, with one to go, on my path to becoming a licensed Kangoo Jumps® (KJ) instructor. I attended the KJ instructor workshop and also got my CPR/AED certification in August, and just this week received my Group Fitness Instructor certification from the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), after taking their workshop and test in September.  There’s one step left, but it’s got a lot of little parts to coordinate. (AFTER I get the license, there is still where will I teach, how will I get KJ boots to rent out, and all those details, but the license is today's blog.)

What’s left is to (successfully) submit a demo video of me teaching KJ. What has to come together is info on the preferred video format, a videographer who is available at the same time a suitable location is, “participants” if I need to have some in the video (rather than just teaching to the camera), and … oh, yeah, the hard part … rehearsing accurately.

You might not think rehearsing would be the hard part for me, since I love jumping anyway. The problem seems to come from the music. If I know the words, I start out cueing (calling out the moves just before the transition to each new one) but somewhere along the way I end up singing along instead. I think I will need to find music either without words (but with the right beats-per-minute (BPM) and structure) or with words I don’t know and won’t learn. My favorite KJ songs are all about 130 BPM, so if you happen to know any songs in that range in Japanese, Korean, or anything else I can’t sing along to, let me know.

The structure I need in the song is very consistent 8-counts, which is the building block of a choreography routine (like a musical Lego block). What works best for me is when each musical “phrase” lasts four measures (16 counts, or two 8-counts). An 8-count transition can work in the song, but a 4-count is too short to cue easily and a 12-count is harder for me to remember when to transition. (Remember, I am a beginning instructor, not an experienced pro.) Songs that work well for me jumping at home (non-commercially) include I’m Glad You Came and Let’s Go. Do you need all that detail, gentle reader? Probably not, but it helps me to clarify my search, so thanks for letting me share.

As soon as I hear what video format and length will be acceptable to submit, I will get to work planning my video project. Until then, I will “research” songs that might work for the demo video. And as always, I will keep jumping!

Latissimus Dorsi? Isn't that a star in a galaxy far, far away?

Yipes! I guess I have been so busy studying I forgot to keep track here of how all my preparation for the AFAA workshop and test are going. Let me give you a brief update.

It took almost a month to get through the Fitness: Theory & Practice textbook, a few chapters at a time. It's heavy and large, so I also read the AFAA Exercise Standards & Guidelines Reference Manual in between, because it's smaller, lighter, and easier to carry around and read a bit here and there. I kept taking my Kangoo Jumps classes, added the occasional toning class (resistance bands and more), and even made it to the local recreation center to lift weights a couple times.

Now I am down to the last week before the workshop and test. I am working my way through the Primary Group Exercise Certification (v4) Study Guide, going back to look up any answers I can't remember in enough detail, and writing the answers. Writing it helps me to remember the details because writing by hand is a physical activity (kinesthetic), I see what I am writing (visual) and I usually hear my own voice in my head as I write (auditory). After I make it to the end of the Study Guide, I will have notes to review if I have time. That feels like enough preparation for the multiple choice portion of the certification test.

As for the practical demonstration part of the test, that's where the intense studying this week will be. There is a section that requires about 15 minutes of demonstrating proper form, alignment, and execution of both strength and flexibility exercises, grouped by the specific muscle area on which they work. Listed in the study guide, those separate categories are these.

• pectorals
• trapezius, rhomboids, and/or latissimus dorsi
• deltoids
• biceps and/or triceps
• hip abductors and/or adductors
• gluteus maximus
• quadriceps and/or tibialis anterior
• hamstrings and/or gastrocnemius/soleus
• rectus abdominis and/or obliques
• erector spinae

So, I have to be able to remember—and execute—the right exercise for the right muscle group, for about a minute and a half per muscle group. On top of that, I then have to teach the group some exercise or "pattern" of my choice for 1-2 minutes, using either no music or music they provide that I probably have never heard. (Seriously, can I just slip on my Kangoo Jumps boots and jump a pattern for them all to learn? From what other certified people tell me, no, I can't.) If you actually know me, you know I love to rise to a challenge, so I can hardly wait to see how I manage this section.

I have to get to work now, so we won't be able to get into the details of "what shall I wear" and similar peripheral parts of the preparation.  (Oh, they do require clothes that show whether you are using proper form and alignment, so my typical baggy t-shirts are out. Sigh.)

Thanks for the encouragement I'm getting in both virtual and physical reality. I appreciate it!

The Kangoo Jumps® Instructor Adventure Begins

Welcome back. I am reviving Loraine Says So to let those who are interested follow my progress in becoming a licensed Kangoo Jumps® instructor. Posting it “in public” will also help me hold myself accountable for following through on the plan, step by step. If you’ve read some of the earlier posts here, you may remember I need that kind of outside feedback. You know, I give in to peer pressure easily so please pressure me to do what I said I should be doing. I really envy people who are more self-directed and don’t need outside encouragement, but that’s apparently not me.

The story begins in August 2011, when I tried on a pair of Kangoo Jumps boots for the first time. Chakaboom Fitness, my zumba instructors, added Kangoo to the classes they offered. Jumping has never been my favorite part of zumba, but the KJ boots absorb about 80% of the impact, so I figured I would try it. It was probably the hardest workout I have ever finished! I loved it. I went to class as often as they offered it, first twice a week, then three times (when I could), and this summer even four times some weeks.

In October 2011 I bought my own pair of boots. This was partly because wearing them as often as I did it would not take that long to “save” the cost of the boots by not having to pay to rent them. The other reason was because I figured I could get better at it faster if I wore the same pair of boots every time, rather than whatever pair was available. The best part of buying the boots was in the instructions. They actually say not to wear them for too long at a time because it may cause euphoria. YES! Bring on the euphoria! (We can discuss this more in a later blog, OK?)

I will fill in some of the details about the KJ workout and intervening months in later blogs, but I don’t want this one to end up as long as War and Peace. Short version, I jumped a lot, learned my best timing for eating before and after class, got cramps in muscles I never knew were there, started studying how muscles work, and kept on jumping like a little kid on a pogo stick after candy. Good times!

In mid-July 2012, my instructor mentioned that there would a KJ instructor licensing class at our site on August 12, in case anyone was interested. I went back and forth for four weeks deciding whether or not to try this. (Another blog on that decision process later, remember, no War and Peace today.) Two days before the class I decided and signed up. I now felt committed to doing this.

During the decision process, I discovered that in addition to the KJ instructor training, I would have to take and pass the certification for group fitness instructor through a major fitness organization (paper test and practical demo of skills), get my CPR/AED certification, and actually teach a KJ sequence (although I can submit that as a video). Doing the KJ first means I got what amounts to a certificate of attendance until I pass the other two hurdles.  (Since you ask, more details on the training later too.)

Here is the timing for what’s left.

• August 21, CPR/AED training
• August 22, study materials should arrive so I can study for AFAA test

• September 23, AFAA group fitness instructor training and test
• October (tentative), shoot video of me teaching KJ (plan still not clear for this) and submit it
• Later in October, hopefully receive KJ license to teach, celebrate like crazy, and find a way to start teaching Kangoo Jumps for beginners

Naturally, intense planner that I am, there are smaller step breakdowns for the studying and practicing for leading class. We’ll save those for another blog, another day.

Did I mention that I will turn 60 next February? I’m still figuring out if that is something I can use as a marketing asset to recruit students (Hey, if I can do it, YOU can do it), or if I should just ignore it because it’s irrelevant. Got an opinion on this? Feel free to share it.

So, this adventure has begun. Let’s see where it leads. Until next time, Loraine