The first Nordic Les Mills Strength Development Instructors are here

Anna Torstensson and Sofia Rönkä, Nordic Wellness Kortedala and Kviberg Arena

Sofia Rönkä and Anna Torstensson from Nordic Wellness were among the first instructors trained to teach the brand-new Les Mills Strength Development program in the Nordic countries.

“Everyone Wants to be Strong! We were very proud to be the first instructors outside New Zealand to be educated in Strength Development, for us this has been a huge experience!

Strength Development is an empowering workout that will make you stronger. It is slow-paced training, so it really fits everyone. We attract more people to group fitness now, from gym goers. We have broadened the number of participants in group fitness. At Nordic Wellness we have scheduled the workouts so that we do one workout for one month and then we introduce the next workout. It is nice to see our members developing with this workout.

In the first workouts, we saw them being a bit careful and trying out the weights and then slowly after a few classes, adding more and more weight on the bars. In these workouts, the participants have up to 20-30 seconds time to adjust weights, so there is plenty of time compared to other programs where weights are used, you typically have only a few seconds for adjustments.  For many members, it is easier to work out in a group. They would not go to the club if they didn’t have group fitness classes. In the group, we are all equal and group fitness is so important to our members. It is also important that we as instructors really love what we do. If we lost the joy, the participants would see that and vote with their feet.

Our clubs are focused on delivering a large variety of classes, so there is something for every member to choose from. I believe Strength Development will stay popular. I have been teaching BODYPUMP® for many years. With Strength Development I can go to the floor and coach the members with their technique more making sure their movement is good quality and safe. We can see this type of workout is something that group fitness has been missing and we really believe in this program.”

Åsa Carlsson, Group Fitness Coordinator and PT at Nordic Wellness Halmstad

"Strength Development is a class we have missed at Nordic Wellness. We have other classes that are quite fast-paced, but this class has a slower pace that fits more people. You can really say that Strength Development is for all levels of fitness and everybody. It is such a great complement to the other classes that we have. So far it has been a huge success at our club in Halmstad. Last week I taught a class to our senior members, and they really loved it. Women often want to train in groups, but in Strength Development we have also seen men and younger generations. Also, our Personal Trainers have brought their customers to visit this class.

We kept the marketing rather small, but it was still a great success right away. We have a really dedicated staff and professional instructors. Our members trust us, but they also have high expectations from us so that keeps our standards high. Our members trust us to deliver. According to research, strength training has also positive effects on women in menopause, but they can sometimes feel intimidated to go to the gym. For many members, it is nice to have an effective and simple program to follow for strength training that also carries so many benefits for all ages and genders.”

If you are already licensed in BODYPUMP, Les Mills GRIT, Les Mills CORE or Les Mills TONE programs, or a trained Personal Trainer or Gym Trainer, , then this 1-day education is a great add-on and you get licensed on the spot so you can start teaching right away.

For more information go to Strength Development (lesmills.com)

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