“I’ll try”… two words that are music to a fitness instructors’ ears! As a fitness instructor, it’s not only my job to lead a safe, challenging workout, but it’s also my job to try and get people out of their comfort zone, to teach them new things and to give them encouragement to try something new. Something that they may not think they can do.

But, there’s a fine line with being motivating and helpful and encouraging and with pushing people too far and making them feel UN-comfortable. So, I’ve always got this in the back of my mind when I go over to help correct someone’s form or ask them to try it a different way or to increase their weights. Some people take really well to this, but some get offended, which is always a tough situation. When I correct someone’s form, I NEVER intend on offending them; merely, I’m doing it to help them do things the correct way to avoid a potential injury.

In my class on Wednesday, I had a few new people. I like to ask if anyone is new at the beginning of class so that I can make sure to keep an extra eye out for them throughout the class to make sure they are using correct form and are doing ok (pushing themselves hard enough, taking it down a notch if necessary, etc.). I was having them do Goblet squats with the focus on squat depth, ie: feet a little wider than hip width, kness and toes at a 45* angle, dropping deep and keeping the chest up. One new participant was doing more of a plie squat, which is fine… if we were doing plie squats 😉 Since we were doing a Goblet squat, I went over, moved my mic away from my face and talked her through form correction for the Goblet squat, which is when she said “I don’t know if I can do that, but I’ll try”.

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What I loved was that she was open to my comments and corrections and was open to TRYING something new to her. And, you know what? SHE DID IT! The look on her face after she did her first rep of a Goblet squat was amazing- you could see the initial surprise at her accomplishment and then just sheer happiness. “I guess I can do it!” she said as I gave her the thumbs up and walked away.

It’s classes like that… members like that, that make my job SO rewarding. Because I can guarantee you that she left that room feeling better than she did when she walked in, and if I can help someone accomplish that, it’s pretty wonderful. And, it got me thinking about the last time I tried something that I wasn’t sure I would be able to do. I think for me, it was a pull-up. I was always curious as to whether or not I could do it, but was afraid of trying- and failing- in front of a gym full of people. Why? Who knows. One day I finally tried one and you know what? I did it! It’s crazy what can happen just by trying something.

So, I ask you- when’s the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone and tried something that you didn’t think you could do? Is there something you want to try, but are afraid to take the leap and actually try it? If so, what’s holding you back? If it’s the fear of failure, I challenge you to push those thoughts aside and give whatever you’re thinking about a try. There’s no harm in trying, only the chance to succeed. And, if you don’t at the first try, you have a base to start from and something to work towards.