3 Key Steps: Design Inclusive Virtual Workouts
“With a device in between us and the participants, it's more important than ever that we think about ways to design an inclusive workout experience for everyone.” Dynasti Hunt is an authority on Talent Development as well as a fitness professional who helps rising Fitness & Wellness Leaders build authentic brands they love. Grab one of her workouts on the Struct Shop.
By Dynasti Hunt
Creating an incredible class experience is something that each of us as instructors wants to make happen each and every time we are in front of our students, whether it be virtually or in-person. We spend time checking the sound, reviewing our workout plan, making sure the playlist is just right but we often forget the most important person in the room: our students. And now, in a time where more of our classes are being taught virtually, it can be easy to focus on the set-up of the class and forget the student experience.
The truth though is that by not focusing on making the student experience the priority, we run the risk of our classes not being inclusive to all participants. And with a device in between us and the participants, it's more important than ever that we think about ways to design an inclusive workout experience for everyone.
If we are being honest with ourselves, the truth is that we don’t consider how diversity, equity, and inclusion should play a primary role in how we design our class workouts. It is so easy to get caught up into what you want to experience as the instructor, the type of moves you like to do, the type of music you like to listen to, that you forget that your job isn’t to create an experience that you love.
It’s to create one our students love and one that all students feel equally welcome to come to.
And now with a virtual device in between us and our students, we can actually perpetuate some of the non-inclusive behaviors we practiced in designing in-person workouts. We have an opportunity to shift our behavior and the experience in this moment so that each student feels that they have space to show themselves, get the workout they need, and feel equally included. How do we go about doing it?
“Just because you choose a diverse person for your flier does not mean you have created an inclusive virtual experience.” Dynasti keeps it real with three immediate steps you can take to create an inclusive virtual fitness class.
3 things to consider:
Prepare for what your students have ahead of time and build your classes accordingly: It can be disheartening as a student to show up to a workout to find that they need certain equipment and weights that they don’t have at home and can lead to them leaving the class because they are made to feel inadequate even before the workout starts. When you are planning your workouts, make sure you are planning for all scenarios that your students may be facing and give them pointers so that they don’t feel excluded. And going one step further: email the students who sign up for your class before it starts to simply ask if there are equipment barriers or injuries you need to know about. It will help you be more prepared to guide all of your students based on where they are and also save your students a feeling of awkwardness if they have to share on a live video stream that they are injured or don’t have the ‘required’ equipment.
Give equal love to everyone, not just the people you know: Yes, it is really exciting when someone who is a longtime client shows up to take a class and easy to give them praise, shout them out, and make sure they feel appreciated for showing up. But what about the individuals who’ve never had the chance to experience your class? Just like you would not want to ignore the people in the back of the room in person, the same rules apply for making sure you don’t miss including and praising those who are new to your workout space too. Don’t assume that someone doesn’t need praise because they are new or choose not to turn on their camera. Find ways to pause and spread the love.
Market to everyone, not one homogenous client: There is a longer conversation we should definitely have on this one but in the short-term, take a look at your marketing materials for your classes and make sure they speak to a diverse audience and not one homogenous client that has the same body type, race, age group, physical appearance, etc.
If you truly want your workouts to appeal to everyone who is interested, that means taking a deep look at the voice and visuals you use in your marketing efforts. And please remember that representation does not automatically equal inclusion, so just because you choose a diverse person for your flier does not mean you have created an inclusive virtual experience.
Be sure you are focusing on this step with the others to truly shift the student experience.
Designing an Inclusive Virtual Experience does not have to be hard but it does take intentionality on your part as the instructor to be aware, plan, and commit to not settling back into old behaviors that you may have embodied when teaching in-person classes. It’s a great time to shift your thinking, your approach, and make your class offerings ones that truly are for everyone.
About Dynasti Hunt
Dynasti is founder of www.dynastihunt.com, a Group Fitness Platform focused on developing and supporting new group fitness instructors across the country, creator of The Equity in Fitness Collaborative, and strength training coach. As an AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor and Indoor Cycling (Schwinn), she is committed to leading sweaty sessions across the globe that incorporate heavy-hitting beats, exercises that push you past your limits, and creating environments that pushes you to dig deeper and go harder. Dynasti’s fitness journey started off accidentally, as she began to seek out classes as a way to stop her own personal burn-out from long days of work. Once she began taking classes, she noticed that everyone who was leading classes had the same approach: same music, same style, and externally, looked the same, from age to body type to how they identified racially. Passionate about wanting to see the group fitness space move away from a homogenous approach, Dynasti became a Group Fitness Coach and is deeply committed to helping diverse instructors own their story and their space in the fitness community.
When she’s not pushing you beyond your limits as an aspiring instructor or client, Dynasti leads an active dual-career life as the Managing Director, Talent and Equity for a non-profit consulting firm with over 15 years of experience leading Human Resources teams and coaching CEOs, Leaders, and Executive Leadership Teams. A proud Nashville native and equally proud Bay Area resident, Dynasti has a B.B.A. from Mercer University and an MBA from University of Missouri, Kansas City.
Follow her at @dynastihunt and catch her classes on the Struct Shop.
