IM=X® recently hosed an Advanced certification with ten instructors from across the US: New York, California, Texas, North Carolina, Florida and Oregon were all represented in this advanced curriculum designed to take IM=X® Pilates-certified instructors to the next level of proficiency at delivering the proprietary IM=X® workout formula.
Since 2020, IM=X® has been delivering virtual certifications for franchise studio staff as well as independent instructors across the United States. Up until 2020, certifications had always been delivered live and in-person, on site at over 30 franchised locations across the country – until the Covid-19 pandemic ground travel to a halt. At that time, IM=X® Pilates and Fitness completely pivoted to virtual certifications. The silver lining as we recovered from the Covid pandemic was that IM=X® now has the ability to deliver the same high-quality education in a virtual format. All certification material is now compiled into a Master Trainer portal complete with virtual presentations that could be delivered from anywhere, to anywhere. During the 2+ years of Covid, IM=X® certified over 300 instructors virtually – many of them (especially in the early days) getting certified completely from home! Now, in the post-Covid landscape, IM=X® Pilates studios owners have the ability to choose between the convenience of a virtual certification, or hosting an on-site certification, to meet their individual needs.
Elyse McNergney’s IM=X® curriculum is designed to provide building blocks over time which gradually unlock more and more format options. The IM=X® Pilates Advanced certification is typically the second or third stop on an IM=X® Instructor’s certification journey (the first step is always the IM=X® Basic, and the second may be either the IM=X® Review and Remix, the IM=X® Tower and Tower/Barre or the IM=X® Advanced, depending on the particular studio needs and instructor’s goals). It is possible to take the IM=X® Advanced as either a full 5-day program, or just the IM=X® Mat or the IM=X® Xercizer individually. The IM=X® Pilates Advanced Mat and Xercizer programs are taught in a total of five days including two days for the floor and three days for the reformer. In the Two-Day IM=X® Advanced Floor, the eight IM=X® Basic floor sequences are expanded into 35 sections with many new exercises, combining to produce an endless variety of new routines to challenge and engage clients of all levels. Trainers also learn variations how to format these new exercises for teaching new workouts including the IM=X® Ring, IM=X® Stretch, IM=X® Floor Motion and IM=X® Classic Pilates workouts.
In the case of the recent virtual certification, the Three-Day IM=X® Advanced Xercizer was held as a standalone course to support instructors who primarily teach this (most popular!) workout. In the Advanced Xercizer course, the eight IM=X® Basic Xercizer sequences are expanded into 65 sections, combining to produce an endless variety of new routines to challenge and engage clients. In addition, instructors learned the following new format styles: IM=X® Interval Training, IM=X® Stretch, IM=X® Floor and Xercizer Hybrid and IM=X® Abs.
Ahead of the certification course, all participants received a manual and purchased access to the IM=X® OnDemand bundle so that they could prepare for their coursework ahead of the course start. About a week prior to the certification course, all registrants received an email with course details and Zoom link to join. Everyone was prompt and on time to join the Zoom meeting, and participants were required to keep their video camera turned on and microphone turned off (except to ask or answer questions) throughout all hours of the course. All but one of the participants joined from their local IM=X® studio in order to have access to the IM=X® Xercizer, and to be able to work together with their coworkers for practice teaching sessions. One participant was abel to join from home as she has IM=X® equipment in her home gym which she was able to use during the course as well as for home workouts and practice teaching.
The course started at 10:00 AM Eastern Time to accommodate all time zones represented (some courses have participants representing every US time zone!). The course started with an introduction and review of anatomy, exercise science research, and the IM=X Five Fundamentals. Instructors were “put on the hot seat” a few times as Master Trainer Renee challenged them to recall information taught in the IM=X® Basic certification course. After that, it was time to start diving into the new exercises. All exercises were presented and explained by Master Trainer Renee with attention to equipment configuration, verbal and tactile cues, appropriate modifications and progressions, goals and target muscles of each exercises, and other applicable notes. Next, participants got to “practice teach” which is a fun experience as it allowed them to work together with other participants in other states. The last two days included a variety of practice teaching modules, periods of lecture presentations and demonstrations, and workouts to experience the new formats taught in the Advanced course.
Following the Advanced course, practice teaching hours are required to memorize the program and teach with proficiency. Our instructors are now hard at work teaching friends, family and clients to prepare them for the final step of scheduling and completing a practical exam with an IM=X® Master Trainer. Exams will be scheduled through an online scheduling link and conducted via Zoom. After their practical exam, each participants will receive a detailed grading sheet with constructive feedback and are awarded either a passing or failing score. Assuming a passing score for this amazing bunch of instructors, certificates weill be sent out in the mail to each host studio and we will have a new batch of instructors who are officially IM=X® Advanced certified!