Brit Bergmann: meet an Estonian coach
Brit Bergmann was 26 years old at the time of this interview and already firmly on her own path: group fitness classes, dance, step and a big appetite for getting people moving from the stage. This story keeps her own voice but puts the thoughts into clearer shape: where a coach comes from, what keeps her going and what a beginner can take away from it.
Brit Bergmann and the road to becoming a coach
Brit’s sporting background didn’t begin in a sports club or on a course. She says she has done sport for as long as she can remember. As a small child, she begged to tag along to Dad’s basketball training sessions, later came athletics and then several years of equestrian sport. Even her name was chosen after an athlete, as she jokingly recalls.
After moving to Tallinn (she is originally from Tartu), equestrian sport unfortunately fell by the wayside. Then she started looking into sports clubs. The first group fitness class was at the former PlanetSport, now MyFitness. That experience stuck. Not simply in the sense that the workout was fun, but in the sense that a thought appeared: I’d like to be a coach too.
The people around her played an important role. Especially Gea Simson, who saw potential in Brit and helped her find a direction. Brit took it on, signed up for a training course and by the time of the interview had been working as a coach for about 4-5 years. A simple truth: sometimes a profession begins with someone seeing something in you before you truly believe it yourself.
Brit Bergmann as a coach: work, hobby and character
Brit teaches DanceStep at Viimsi SPA, leads an aerobics elective at Tallinn University and has worked as a substitute instructor at MyFitness. That says quite a lot about her job: one part is stage energy, the second is teaching and the third is being ready to adapt to different people.
On the education side, she attended Tartu Descartes Lyceum and earned her coaching qualifications at the EOC Gymnastics Federation, levels I and II. She has also completed courses with Guillermo Gonzalez Vega: dance, step and PT, where the emphasis was primarily on teaching methods. On top of that come Alexandre Mallier’s step course, Gil Lopez’s dance course and conventions in Italy, Dublin, Düsseldorf and Estonia.
Is coaching a job or a hobby? Brit’s answer is short and honest: the best hobby there is, and you even get paid for it as a bonus. It sounds light, but there is actually a lot packed into it. A good group fitness instructor doesn’t just count steps out loud. She keeps the energy in the room up, notices people, explains things clearly and does all of it so that people want to come back to the workout.
Brit believes you are both born a coach and become one. You become a really good coach through experience and courses, but a person also needs certain character traits. The ideal coach knows how, what and why they are doing something. As a person, they are sincere, an open communicator, fun, and love their work.
What does Brit Bergmann do outside of sport?
A coach isn’t in the coach role all the time. Brit says that when she is in the countryside in summer, she still plays basketball with Dad. Horses and equestrian sport are still close to her heart, although there is little time for them right now. That makes her story human: even a coach can’t fit all her favorite things into the calendar.
One of her big passions is football. She doesn’t remember exactly why she started watching football about 10 years ago, but according to her there is something in it that captivates in the same way as basketball. She doesn’t play, although she would like to. Her own joke was that, sadly, she’s already too old.
When it comes to favorites, Brit can’t settle for a single answer. In Estonia she roots for Nõmme Kalju, abroad for FC Barcelona. Among national teams she likes Italy and Spain. Her favorite players are David Villa, Fernando Torres and Karim Benzema.
Training, energy and everyday choices
Brit gets motivation from abroad and from attending conventions at home. When she sees presenters on stage, the smile stays on her face for several days. By her own account, the energy never runs out, because she is a restless type of person. Honestly, in a group fitness instructor that is quite a good trait, as long as you know how to channel it in the right direction.
She doesn’t take any supplements at all. In the mornings she drinks coffee and mostly eats sandwiches, sometimes a curd snack or porridge with jam. Lunch is a hot meal and evenings are usually something lighter, such as a salad or fruit. This isn’t an ideal menu made to look complicated on paper, but a real person’s everyday life.
The worst habit? Sleeping, and for a really long time too. Time free of workouts suits her for resting, and the best way to relax is being with friends. As a child, Brit wanted to become a hairdresser, a doctor and a teacher, as little girls tend to. Her brother came up with an even better answer: he wanted to become a rally car.
From school physical education, what Brit remembers most is sprinting. She liked running 60m/100m and often had to run alongside half the girls in the class, because she was fast and helped the others get a better result too. For a small girl, she threw a ball a long way, somewhere around 60-70m. She didn’t like running long distances then and still doesn’t.
Brit Bergmann and advice for beginners
Speaking of future plans, Brit wants to become an international presenter. A small start has already been made: in March she presented at a convention in Germany. She would also like to take part in some newcomer competition in the future, but as she puts it: there is time for that, no need to rush.
She rates the average Estonian’s interest in recreational sport as good. In her words, Estonians are quite a sporty people, and over the years you can see its popularity growing. It’s great to watch, especially when people don’t come to training out of obligation alone but find something they genuinely enjoy.
Brit’s advice for a beginner recreational athlete is simple: find the training that’s yours and enjoy it to the fullest. That’s better advice than any complicated plan. If training is nothing but suffering, people usually drop it halfway. If it brings joy, consistency appears almost unnoticed.
FAQ
What training classes does Brit Bergmann teach?
She teaches DanceStep at Viimsi SPA, an aerobics elective at Tallinn University, and has worked as a substitute instructor at MyFitness.
Does Brit Bergmann see coaching as a job or a hobby?
For her, it’s the best hobby there is, one that even pays a bonus. That says a lot about why joy and energy shine through in her answers.
What does Brit Bergmann recommend to a beginner recreational athlete?
She recommends finding the training that’s right for you and enjoying it to the fullest. At the start, the most important thing is that the activity is genuinely enjoyable.
Author:Turg.Fitness.ee
Come and train! ArtGym
