Swap Day: What Happens When Our Instructors Become the Students

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Our Fitness and Wellness instructors spend most of their time at the front of the room, cueing, correcting, and encouraging. Over the past several months, they’ve been trading places. At each monthly staff coffee-and-treats meeting, a different instructor taught their specialty to the rest of the team, so everyone got a turn as the beginner.

The point wasn’t to find out who’s the “fittest.” Every format asks something different of your body, and even experienced instructors had to slow down, listen, and learn. Here’s what the team tried, one month at a time, and why each class might be worth adding to your week.

Barre with Alaina

Barre borrows from ballet, Pilates, and strength training. Instead of big, fast movements, you work through small, controlled ranges of motion and hold positions longer than feels comfortable. That’s where the famous “shake” comes from: it’s a sign your muscles are working to their endurance limit. Barre builds muscular endurance, posture, and core control, and it’s low-impact on your joints. Even heavy lifters often find it humbling.

Yoga with Colleen

Yoga builds flexibility, balance, and body awareness, all tied together with the breath. For strength-focused athletes, it’s often the missing piece: better mobility in the hips, shoulders, and spine helps you move well in every other workout. Yoga also gives you a chance to slow your nervous system down, supporting recovery and stress relief. Holding a balance pose steady is harder than it looks.

Kettlebell Swings with Taylor and Amy

The kettlebell swing is one of the most efficient full-body exercises, combining strength and cardio in a single move. The key is that it’s a hip hinge, not a squat and not an arm lift. The power comes from driving your hips forward using your glutes and hamstrings, while your arms simply guide the bell. Learning that hinge takes practice, which is why good coaching matters.

Glute Activation with Taylor and Amy

Many of us spend hours sitting, and our glutes can get “sleepy” as a result. Glute activation exercises, like bridges, clamshells, and banded walks, wake those muscles up so they do their job during bigger movements. Strong, active glutes help support your lower back, knees, and hips, and they make lifts like swings and squats more effective. It’s a small time investment with a big payoff.

Everyone Starts Somewhere

Swap Day reminded us that being a beginner is part of the process, even for people who teach fitness for a living. Each class builds something the others don’t, and together they create a stronger, more balanced body.

If you’ve been sticking with the same class for a while, this is your sign to try something new. Check out the group exercise schedule at your closest gym and pick one class outside your comfort zone this month. Even instructors know exactly how it feels to be new!