Group Fitness Instructor

You teach classes — spin, yoga, HIIT, Zumba, whatever the gym schedule says — and your primary job is to make exercise feel less terrible through sheer force of personality. You're performing while working out, and the energy has to stay at a 10 even when your body is at a 3. The pay is per class, which means you're probably teaching at three different gyms to make rent.

What you'll actually do

• 01Lead group fitness classes while projecting enthusiasm you may not feel at 6 AM
• 02Choreograph or plan class routines and playlists
• 03Set up and break down equipment before and after classes
• 04Modify exercises for different fitness levels without singling anyone out
• 05Build a following because your paycheck depends on class attendance
• 06Teach back-to-back classes and somehow make the second one as energetic as the first

Career Path

Where this role sits in the bigger picture — and where it can take you.