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Full-Text Articles in Sports Sociology
Looking Good And Moving Well: Aesthetic Labor Imperatives In Les Mills Instructors' Coaching Experiences, Manuel R. Enverga Iii
Looking Good And Moving Well: Aesthetic Labor Imperatives In Les Mills Instructors' Coaching Experiences, Manuel R. Enverga Iii
Economics Department Faculty Publications
This paper examines aesthetic labor in the context of Les Mills (LM) group fitness instruction, focusing on the embodied demands of sounding right and moving well as central coaching imperatives. While existing literature on aesthetic labor often emphasizes physical appearance and verbal polish, this study argues that vocal precision and kinesthetic proficiency are fundamental to effective coaching in LM classes. Drawing on interviews with LM instructors from a gym in Manila, the Philippines, the analysis shows that instructors integrate motivational vocal delivery with skilled movement execution to ensure participant safety, engagement, and enjoyment. Although a fit appearance contributes to an …
Synthesising Les Mills’ Five Key Elements: How Readiness-To-Hand Is Developed Among Group Fitness Coaches, Manuel R. Enverga Iii
Synthesising Les Mills’ Five Key Elements: How Readiness-To-Hand Is Developed Among Group Fitness Coaches, Manuel R. Enverga Iii
Economics Department Faculty Publications
This paper examines the process by which Les Mills group fitness instructors in the Philippines develop a seemingly effortless coaching style. They simultaneously perform exercises alongside their participants, correcting and motivating them, while maintaining awareness of the music playing. Using ethnographic data from a local Philippine gym, pseudonymously referred to as The Fit Stop, it is argued that the apparent naturalness of their teaching develops through numerous stages of practice and feedback. Throughout the process, instructors gain mastery over what Les Mills calls the Five Key Elements of instruction: choreography, technique, coaching, connection, and performance. As they become more adept, …