Interview anchor Carly Knowlton sits down group fitness instructors, Laruen Parker and Carley Larosa. Lauren and Carley tell us more about their responsibilities and what type of classes they teach.
welcome back to PSN news I’m kly Nolton
and joining me tonight is Lauren Parker
and Karly L Roa two group fitness
instructors at Penn State thanks so much
guys for coming in tonight thank you for
us I appreciate it so let’s get started
what is your role as a group fitness
instructor
here so um so I’m I’m a group F
instructor I teach this semester
yogalates and pilates um so really mind
body oriented um Lauren yes so same
thing um very much Mind Body um oriented
group instructor here and yeah when did
you get started how did you find out
about this job I’ve been teaching for
about 2 years now so and I found it
through the program manager and a
champion nice I just needed to I was
looking through all different classes um
that I needed and so Kines 93 which is
the class that you take in order to
become a fitness instructor or um
personal trainer U I saw that and I was
like this is definitely something I
would be be very interested in nice so
yeah so I took the class and that was
sophomore year what does the class kind
of consist of what are you doing in that
time frame yeah so it’s a semester long
course um pretty much like two credits
so you’re pretty much like regular
lecture class but also they have
different Labs so you’re doing you know
your everyday Monday Wednesday Friday
class but then also you’re doing
evaluation so you’re taking classes
you’re shadowing classes and then you’re
also teaching classes throughout the
semester so it’s a lot but it’s a lot of
fun and then I heard earlier that you
have a mentor program how does that
normally work if you’re involved in that
so usually um after about a semester of
teaching um or two you you can have the
option to um have a mentee and so you
can it’s there’s a lot of opportunity to
grow in the programs that are offered
through campus recre um within both of
the personal training and the group
fitness instructor options and so um
this semester both of us have mentees
and it’s been really fun because it’s
it’s cool because you you get to meet
people who are also passionate about
Fitness and about helping other people
um and you know so on so uh so yeah so
you you have that option and you meet
once a week or if you would like to meet
more you can usually for about an hour
um you practice cardio you practice um
you know strength and you go over what
their the uh syllabus and like the
coursework is for every single week
great yeah um so how much of a time
commitment normally is all of this is it
a lot to handle as your students and
trying to graduate to your other classes
yeah I mean I feel like it’s usually
personal preference so I teach about
four classes a week and then sometimes
I’ll pick up one if someone needs a
cover wow but um I will say it kind of
depends on the person if you can only do
one class a week that’s okay if you can
do four or five like me then that’s okay
too so usually personal preference there
and how much do you teach so um I’m I
have a little bit heavier course load uh
School School academic wise this
semester so I teach only two but again
like Lauren said you have the option to
cover and it’s not just Mind Body even
though that’s what both of us teach
teach um you can do anything cycling
anything that’s offered hit um you know
uh bar anything so I would say for me
for a class is about 45 minutes long and
so before and after usually 20 minutes
or so 25 minutes before um and then
about you know 10 10ish minutes after so
it’s a good it’s like you know a little
bit over an hour almost an hour and a
half um for every class so it’s easy to
manage throughout the week you’re only
teaching one or two yeah cool yes um so
I guess what I wanted to ask next you
probably have regulars that come in
every week do you kind of get to make a
bond with those students or faculty oh
of course yes definitely it’s our
favorite part I mean I think that’s the
hardest part about leaving since I’m
graduating in May and you get to know so
many people and just you kind of create
these little connections and you look
forward to seeing everyone week by week
um and yeah it’s fun to like connect
with them on Instagram through your
accounts and stuff but yes I think it’s
nice to meet other students who are like
your age um but then also faculty as
well definitely and it’s probably fun to
see people out and about on the street
and they’re like you’re like right gosh
I was at one time I was at a frat party
this was last year and this girl come up
to me and she was like I take your class
and I I remembered her and I was like I
I just it was it’s just awesome you know
it’s it’s but even um you know like this
semester I’ve gotten coffee with some of
the people that come and that are my
regulars and you just you get to really
Bond that’s that’s my favorite part of
this whole thing is is you’re you’re
helping other people um and you’re
learning from them as well oh that’s
adorable so are there ways now that you
finish Kines 93 are there ways that you
can connect with the course or even the
teacher still oh of course yeah I feel
like we see the teachers and instructors
all the time especially when you’re in
IM um you know we have our little
fitwell section so I try to go there and
see my instructor as much as I can and
just check in but I feel that they offer
so many opportunities and we always have
a monthly meeting with everyone so nice
and then they have a brand new class
called nit fit right have either of you
taken that yet I have not no not yet I
want to I hear that it’s very fun cuz
they have a group fitness instructor and
a personal trainer teach the class right
yes cool and it’s kind of like your hit
class just um you get more cool
equipment there and then you have more
Hands-On help there so it’s really fun
how can a student get involved and these
classes are free for them right cool so
how do you recommend that they sign up
so um if you look up campus Rec
Recreation um or like the IM building I
whatever um anything that brings you to
the page that’s the the I am uh you know
homepage you go to group fitness classes
I believe um and you see the whole list
of every single class that that is
offered and like they’re you know
they’re free um and it’s you just you
can register two days in advance to
every class um but yeah use your student
ID you just type in your number and then
you’re you’re set to go awesome it
sounds like a really fun time yeah and
I’m going to come in I’m going to try
come to your body classes I nor do the
hit total body strength but I need to
get more into the yoga especially with
finals week coming up is that a popular
week for my body oh definitely like our
holiday yes yes I was talking to a few
of um the people that come that are my
regulars last night and they were saying
we cannot wait for next week it’s like
it’s like they have a whole hour before
and and everything they just sort of you
are taking that time it’s and that’s
what we were saying before we were
chatting and it keeps us sane it keeps
us you know it’s a it’s a it’s outlet
for your yourself to just express
yourself and um you know for people who
also align with that it’s a space for
them and picky backing off of Carly I
feel like a lot of Penn State students
need that time just to take care of
their minds their bodies and just take
that 45 minutes especially in their
schedule for themselves so so we’re
almost out of time here but my final
question do you want to tell the viewers
um what you teach and what time in case
they want to show up sure sure you can
just name a few I know you have a lot um
I teach Pilates Monday Wednesdays and
Thursdays and then yoga lotes as well on
Tuesdays and those are at 9:00 a.m.
12:15 and 7:15 great um and I teach
Pilates on Monday at 600 pm. at the IM
building and yogalates at 7:15 on
Tuesday also at the building fabulous
well Lauren and Carly thank you so much
for coming in tonight really appreciate
it I learned a lot so if you want to
hear more about campus Rec you can visit
PS pennstate campus.org and if you’re
interested in becoming a personal
trainer or um group fitness instructor
check out k93 online path now stick
around because coming up next Jason Emma
will have the latest news from across
the nation
