Strength Foundations Teacher Training
Strength Foundations Teacher Training
with Marian V. Lally, NCPT, CPT
Fri May 1 & Sat May 2
Fri Jun 5 & Sat Jun 6
Join in person or online. Can't make it live to all sessions? Recordings from each session will be available for replay for 30 days after the training.
About the training
Bridging traditional strength training with mindful movement and body awareness, the 20-Hour Strength Foundations Teacher Training focuses on building strength and mobility for everyday living.
Participants will learn essential principles of resistance training and functional movement, gaining the skills to design and teach safe, effective group strength classes or incorporate resistance training into one-on-one work with clients. While designed for yoga teachers, group fitness instructors, and personal trainers, the program is open to anyone interested in adding more resistance training and functional movement to their personal practice.
Through lecture and practice, participants will explore how strength training can be taught as a whole-body, nervous-system-informed practice, with the hands and feet serving as key points of connection to the ground.
We practice barefoot in Strength Foundations, which provides a stronger sensory connection to the floor, improves balance and stability, and generates power more efficiently. Through mindful engagement with the floor and an understanding of the kinetic chain, you’ll learn how to guide movement from the ground up—supporting joint stability, balanced muscular development, and resilient strength that can help prevent injury.
Strength Foundations emphasizes building strength with neutral-spine alignment, which can be especially supportive for those working with osteoporosis or osteopenia. Trainees will learn how to use simple, inexpensive PVC pipes as props to help students feel and maintain spinal alignment through various movements.
Participants will learn how to integrate dumbbells into group strength classes or one-on-one sessions. Using hand weights, Strength Foundations focuses on timed sets rather than a fixed number of repetitions. This lower-weight, higher-repetition approach can be both accessible and effective for a wide range of students.
What else you'll learn
In this course, participants can also expect to learn:
⮕ Why strength training is essential for lifelong health, mobility, and healthy aging
⮕ The foundational principles of resistance training—including strength, hypertrophy, and muscular endurance
⮕ How to introduce and progressively build strength in a group class setting, while avoiding plateaus
⮕ The types of muscle contractions and how they function in strength training
⮕ Principles that cultivate a strong mind-body connection and full-body coordination
⮕ How the hands and feet communicate with the floor, influencing stability, force production, and nervous system engagement
⮕ Principles of the kinetic chain and how to teach movement that develops strength from the ground up
⮕ Strength exercises for major muscle groups and how to sequence them into a balanced, well-rounded class
⮕ How to address common muscular imbalances while building functional strength
⮕ Foundational nutrition principles to support strength training and recovery
What's included
The training includes 16 hours of classroom instruction, which may be completed live in person at Circle Yoga, virtually, or with recordings. Class recordings will be available for replay after each session and for 30 days following the end of the training.
Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to join at least 4 hours of group practice-teaching sessions, either in person or online, beginning in May. These will be scheduled after our first training session, with dates and times selected based on participants' availability.
The course is pending approval for CECs with ACE (American Council on Exercise). Fitness professionals who are certified with other organizations can petition for continuing education credits.
About Marian V. Lally, NCPT, CPT
For four decades, Marian has followed her passion for teaching people to move with efficiency and ease, so they can age with grace and limit pain. After dancing much of her life, she became certified in Group Fitness, which sparked her love of anatomy and how the body works. After having three kids, she gave up her day job to become a certified Personal Trainer. Her craving for a deeper understanding of how to heal through movement led to her 600-Hour Comprehensive Pilates Certification through Balanced Body. While Marian teaches many fitness formats, she has come to appreciate how important it is to build strength and stability as we age. Her Strength Foundations class incorporates a focus on alignment, movement efficiency, balance and range of motion. She also includes the Pilates principles of concentration, breath and centering. Outside the studio, Marian loves to prepare and eat healthy food, dance in her studio when no one is watching, and travel.
Schedule
Fri, May 1 – 1:30-4:30pm
Sat, May 2 – 1:00-6:30pm
Fri, Jun 5 – 1:30-4:30pm
Sat, Jun 6 – 1:00-6:30pm
Class recordings may be used to make up missed session. Recordings will be available to all trainees for 30 days after the training.
Fees
Early Bird Fee (register by April 5) — $595
Standard Fee (after April 5) — $645
Scholarships
Circle Yoga offers as many partial scholarships as we can support to people who are experiencing financial hardship. Learn more and apply.
Refund Policy
If you need to cancel your registration, submit your request in writing here at least one week in advance of the first training session, and your registration fee will be refunded minus a 20% administrative fee. No refunds will be given for cancellations made less than one week in advance of the first training date.