Les Mills Qualifications

Overview

What are Les Mills Qualifications?

Les Mills Qualifications are a brand-new assessment framework to help you become the best version of you. They are designed to recognize and reflect your ability as an Instructor, your commitment to continuous improvement, and provide a personalized development plan based on your strengths. Ultimately, they will enable you to pack your classes and keep teaching for the long term!

Why has LMQ been developed?

Les Mills Qualifications recognize that group fitness instructing is an art, and the levels and grades represent the teacher’s progression towards teaching mastery. As leaders in the education and training of group fitness professionals, this is the next step in the Les Mills gold standard of development and recognition.

How does it work?

The qualifications are all about your strengths in the 5 Key Elements:

  • Choreography
  • Technique
  • Coaching
  • Connection
  • Performance

You will receive a grade between 1-3 for each of the 5 Key Elements, and a combination of these will give you an outcome - a level. The focus is on the grades. As you move towards higher grades in the 5 Key elements your level will recognize and reflect this.
Les Mills Qualifications will be accompanied by development opportunities, including complementary self-directed tool boxes and personal development plans.

Find out more

Check out the full overview of the grades and levels, as well as the grade reviews for the programs currently available for submission.

Grades and levels

Resources

Check out the available resources for Les Mills Qualifications, and look out for upcoming tools and webinars to help you make the most of this new assessment framework.

Members of our TAP team held a webinar on the launch of Les Mills Qualifications and what it means for you. You can register and watch the webinar on demand here.

FAQs

I’m excited to get my level! When can I get assessed?

Les Mills Qualifications is live in the United States with all programs except Born to Move™.

I’m currently Certified or Advanced or Elite. What does this mean for me?

You will keep your current certification status. Advanced, AIM 1 Complete, AIM 2 Compete, and Elite Instructors will have the opportunity to have their personal grades against each of the 5 Key Elements assessed. Thank you to all our instructors who continue to work on their craft and attend the additional education that we offer.

How will this affect my certification (could I lose it)?

As a certified Instructor, you have met the requirements for certification so will not lose your certification. You can of course be assessed again if you’d like to ensure your strengths are clearly identified and to have a personal education pathway specific to your needs.

What level do I need to receive to be invited to apply for the Trainer Assessor Presenter team (TAP)?

The purpose of Les Mills Qualification is to help you understand your strengths and development areas to continue to improve as an Instructor. We are not actively recruiting for the US TAP team at this time.

How do I change my level or grade?

Your level and grade changes based on the development of your individual strengths. Each of the 5 Key Elements will be assessed to a certain grade and the combination of those grades is what creates a level - the overall outcome. Participate in Advanced Training and continue your personal education pathway to develop your strengths, so that when you send in your next video for assessment you will see the improvement in level to match your improvement in the Key Elements.
Levels are allocated via assessment and Instructors are welcome to submit assessments for review at any time.

Do I have to submit assessment videos consistently to maintain my level?

No, you do not have to continue to submit assessment videos to maintain your level, but you will need to submit assessment to increase your level and grades as your strengths improve.
An Instructor must stay active to retain their current level. The requirements to stay active vary from market to market; please contact your local office if you are unsure of these.

Can I have different levels for different programs?

Yes, although most likely your strengths are similar, each program has its own assessment criteria for the 5 key elements - just like we do today for certification.

Why is there no Grade 3 for Choreography?

Choreography has 2 grades to reflect that we are all human and make the odd choreography mistake! The power of the workout comes from a combination of ALL the 5 Key Elements.

Why is there a level 6 and 6.5?

All of the 5 Key Elements are assessed ongoing, and as you move up the levels, you will be recognized for achieving a combination of grades 1, 2 and 3 against each Key Element. You will see there are two pathways within each level. This is to recognize that some of us may develop all 5 Key Elements at about the same pace and some of us may have a strength in one or two key elements while still developing the others. Levels 6 and 6.5 are so close in development, which is why they are displayed within the same level.

LES MILLS GRIT has 3 skills rather than 5 key elements? How will it be graded?

The LES MILLS GRIT assessment for the grades will be against the 3 skills rather than 5 Key Elements, but the grades to make up the levels will be consistent with other programs.