Owner of Zone Health & Fitness in South Australia, Brad Woolford’s own Les Mills Instructor journey began 25 years ago, when a friend took him to a BODYPUMP® class, during a period when he wasn’t in a good emotional place. From there, Brad never looked back, going from the back row, to teaching BODYPUMP every night of the week, to becoming a Les Mills presenter in BODYCOMBAT® and BODYJAM®. “I’ve also since trained in LES MILLS SPRINT™, LES MILLS GRIT™, LES MILLS CORE™ and LES MILLS TONE™,” says Brad. “I realised that the longevity of these programs lay in offering a platform for others to carry on the passion, so amongst all that, I built my own club, so I could bring Les Mills programs to more people.”
Today, Brad still teaches two to three BODYPUMP and BODYCOMBAT classes a week. “Me being a Les Mills Instructor has definitely impacted the club immensely, because my passion for group fitness and my own experience is what led me to start the club in the first place. Being an Instructor and maintaining a high standard of teaching, has allowed me to mentor and this keeps me accountable for my own quality of instructing. It’s also attracted existing Instructors to the club and has inspired several of our members to become Instructors, who now regularly teach on the Zone timetable.”
While Zone Health & Fitness doesn’t have a formal process for members who want to become Instructors, “we constantly encourage our members who are interested to ask, then we direct them to a Les Mills training module,” explains Brad, who says the qualities of a good Instructor include physicality, drive, humility and a solid work ethic.
“One of our club’s superstar Instructors, Josh Farmer, was recently part of the Presenter team at the filming in New Zealand, of the Q3.2021 Releases. In Instructor terms, this is a huge deal, and it’s reflective of Josh’s incredible skills and passion for his program – BODYATTACK®.”
After completing high school, Josh joined Zone as a member. “At first Josh seemed quite shy and reserved as a member, but I could see his enjoyment and commitment to the programs he was participating in (BODYPUMP® being the main one). Josh became a regular in BODYPUMP classes and very quickly, his selfless and encouraging nature made it clear that he had huge trainer potential. Once I realised what kind of character he had, I talked him up at every opportunity, and encouraged him to consider completing Initial Module Training.”
When his career in education took him to Queensland for 12 months, Josh found another club and continued participating in Les Mills classes. Whilst there, he undertook his Initial Module Training in BODYPUMP, and when he returned to Adelaide, he continued as part of the Zone Instructor team.
“Josh’s initiation to Zone Health & Fitness saw him shadowing classes with me for three years. His commitment demonstrated a solid work ethic, and his confidence and connection with the participants gave me no choice but to put him on the timetable; a decision I don't regret, to this day!” says Brad.
Brad believes developing members into Instructors is a smart strategy as “they’re already participating and passionate about Les Mills programs.”
Zone Health & Fitness offers BODYATTACK, BODYBALANCE®, BODYCOMBAT, LES MILLS CORE, LES MILLS GRIT, BODYJAM, BODYPUMP, RPM™, SH’BAM® and LES MILLS SPRINT, with BODYPUMP and RPM being the most popular. Les Mills Programs contribute immensely to the success of the business, as they’re the basis on which the club has been built.
“Our members love the variety and structure of the programs, and when you add in our passionate Instructors, training in a group environment becomes so easy and fun!
Zone Health & Fitness use SMART TECH equipment to enhance their members’ group fitness experience. “SMART TECH’s versatility and functionality, and the design of the weight plates, makes them easier to use, especially in some programs where members want to quickly and easily change plates on the bar. And being Les Mills-branded means they also look professional, which fits in well with our studio’s purpose.”
