Kristel Tamm: 28 years as an aerobics instructor

Kristel Tamm became an aerobics instructor in the early 90s, when Jane Fonda sweatbands were in fashion and step platforms were made locally from sawn timber. Her journey from the village community center in Väike-Maarja to Forum’s golden years and on to Sparta spans almost the entire history of group training in Estonia.

Kristel Tamm: from Väike-Maarja to Tallinn

They say ships used to be made of wood and men of iron. In the aerobics world, the equipment was wooden too, and the instructors were forged from pure enthusiasm. The end of the Soviet era left a gap in Estonia’s fitness scene that Jane Fonda video clips could only go a small way toward filling. A new generation stepped in.

Kristel was one of them. With a background in badminton, she studied physical education with a specialization in gymnastics at Tallinn Pedagogical Institute (now Tallinn University). After graduating, she moved to Väike-Maarja to develop local sport and physical activity.

“I started attending various aerobics courses around Europe — the standard was incredible!” she recalls, her eyes still sparkling. At first, determination made up for the lack of proper equipment. Kristel had her first step platforms cut from wood at the local sawmill. “Later, the local council helped out with proper platforms.”

People turned up for workouts in all sorts of outfits — baseball caps and sweatbands, some wearing long socks. The aerobics bug spread like smoke through the small municipal center and the surrounding area.

One student who found his way into Kristel’s class was future bodybuilder and Sparta head gym coach Argo Ader. “Word went around the school that an aerobics instructor had arrived in Väike-Maarja who was the most beautiful woman in Estonia,” Argo recalls with a grin. “My friends and I plucked up the courage and went to her class.” The future gym enthusiasts never made it to the end of the workout — it was too hard and too intense.

The Forum years and Kristel Tamm’s signature class

Kristel arrived in the capital around 1997. Her new employer was Forum, a popular, fashionable fitness club that drew the city’s entire trend-conscious crowd. The running joke was that if you weren’t at Forum, you didn’t exist.

Training alongside her were fellow Estonian aerobics pioneer Riina Suhotskaja and personal trainer Marek Morozov. In the gym, bodybuilders Ott Kiivikas and Arnold Tokko were starting to pack on muscle. The star instructors of the day, Fred Antson and Ervin Liiber, also taught classes.

“Ott Kiivikas, Arnold Tokko and I were regulars at Kristel’s classes. She ran a men’s step workout on Sundays — it was very popular and a useful change of pace,” recalls Marek Morozov.

The timetable was as full of holes as a poor man’s sock: one workout at 12 noon and another in the evening. Yet the studios were packed, tickets were scarce and available spots were a rarity. Kristel’s signature class at the time was Dance Step — an explosive cocktail of dance and step aerobics. “The studios were so full that the mirrors fogged up on the inside,” Kristel says with a grin.

Alongside teaching, Kristel also competed in the first Queen of Aerobics competitions, taking third place several years in a row. She was also among the first to pass the Estonian Olympic Committee’s professional qualification exam for aerobics instructors and become a certified instructor.

Kristel Tamm — Estonia’s first Core instructor

Alongside step aerobics, FitBall and rocking on a Coreboard emerged as highlights of Tallinn’s aerobics scene in the 90s. “I went to Finland specifically to learn how to teach Core workouts, and I was probably Estonia’s first Core instructor,” Kristel recalls.

There were no preset class formats in the aerobics world back then. Each instructor worked out how to make their own classes engaging. “I loved that freedom and creativity. I’m a creative instructor, and only recently have I learned to enjoy having the formats prepared and everything laid out for me — all the instructor has to do is turn up to teach.”

The Wild West era of Estonian aerobics didn’t last long. In the late 90s, the first workout with a fixed structure — BodyBalance — was introduced, marking the start of the rise of body & mind classes in Estonia, which continues to this day.

Today, Kristel’s teaching repertoire at Sparta is as colorful as Kihnu-Virve’s skirt: FunctionalBody, TBA, training for older adults, SeljaEri, VinyasaFlow, ABSExpress and YogaFUNcin. “I’m a real exercise addict,” she says.

28 years in the same field — come hail or sunshine. “My clients have shown me so much care and love. I simply love people,” she says, summing up her philosophy. “I’m doing 100% what I enjoy, and I hope to stay in this field for the rest of my life — I simply can’t imagine myself doing anything outside sport.”

Frequently asked questions about Kristel Tamm

Where does Kristel Tamm currently teach?
At Sparta fitness club. Her classes range from functional training and training for older adults to yoga and back-focused classes.

What is the Core training that Kristel brought to Estonia?
Training for the deep core muscles on an unstable platform (Coreboard), which develops balance and core control. Kristel went to Finland to learn it in the late 90s.

How long has Kristel worked as an aerobics instructor?
28 years. Her career began in Väike-Maarja in the early 90s, continued at Forum fitness club in Tallinn and now continues at Sparta.

Author:Turg.Finess.ee

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