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!