Class Format Suggestions - Freeweight
The freeweight class format is relatively new at most health clubs, and finally offers women (and guys) a way to get strength training without enduring the unique atmosphere of the freeweight room.  However, weight lifting is probably one of the oldest form of exercise.  There are hardly any earth-shattering breakthroughs in moving heavy objects repetitively just because it is being done in an aerobics room.  Having said that, there are some great opportunities available to make lifting more enjoyable with the addition of music and the group setting (even this was practiced by the Romans - though it was live music then).
The main muscle groups are:
            Lower body: Gluteals, Quadriceps, Hamstrings, calves (Gastrocnemius and Soleus)
            Upper body: Pectorals, back(Latissimus Dorsi, Trapezius), Deltoids (shoulders), Biceps, Triceps, Forearms
            Abdominals
There are more groups in the upper body, mostly due to the shoulders.  This area has many planes of motion and rotation that is not present in the hip area.  Further, the shoulder girdle has no equivalent in the lower body.  To work each muscle group individually would take at least 11 tracks.  Most formats leave out some muscle groups assuming that the exercises in the remaining group will at least partially get the missing groups.

Weightlifters do not have this dilemma - they very rarely work all muscle groups the same day, but will spread the muscle groups over two to three workouts.  This option, while available for the group format, does not work as well.  There may not be two time slots available at about the same time on two separate days, and members may only be able to make one class, thereby missing the muscle groups of the second class.

What can be borrowed from weight lifting is the different exercise protocols that are used for strength improvement.   While the most popular protocol is Power/Isolation, using another format allows changing which track of the music goes with what muscle group.  It also changes the order that muscle groups are worked.  This has a strong effect on muscle groups that are used during several tracks, such as shoulders.
Power/Isolation
 This is the most common strength training protocol.  Power exercises are defined as those that move two or more joints and use two or three muscle groups.  The bench press is an example of a power exercise, where the shoulder and elbow are moved by the pectorals, triceps and a lesser extent, the forearms.  Isolation exercises move only one joint and the attempt is to isolate a single muscle, though in most cases other muscles are involved in a minor role.  Bicep curls are an example of an isolation exercise, where elbow flexion is accomplished mainly by the biceps, with some assistance from the forearms.

Power/Isolation is accomplished by executing power exercises first, followed by isolation exercises for the muscle groups involved in the power exercises.  Bench presses (pecs and triceps) followed by flys (pectoral isolation) and kickbacks (triceps isolation) is an example of Power/Isolation, though multiple power exercises are typically done before proceding to the isolation exercises.

Here are some examples for the class format:
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Legs - squats, heel raise
 Legs - squats, heel raise
 Chest - bench press, flys
Chest - bench press, flys
 Back - dead lifts, bent rows
 Triceps - face busters
Triceps - face busters
 Biceps - curls, wrist curls
 Shoulders - Lateral raises
Legs - lunges
 Legs - lunges
 Legs - squats, heel raise
Back - dead lifts, bent rows
 Chest - bench press, flys
 Back - dead lifts, bent rows
Biceps - curls, wrist curls
 Triceps - face busters
 Biceps - curls, wrist curls
Shoulders - Lateral raises
 Shoulders - Lateral raises
 Legs - lunges
Abdominals
 Abdominals
 Abdominals
Pre-exhaustion
Pre-exhaustion is nearly the opposite of Power/Isolation.  The goal here is to exhaust muscles that play the minor role in a power exercise first, in an attempt to make the main mover take on more of the load.  The reason is that large muscles are difficult to isolate with isolation exercises safely.  For example, though flys are used as a pectoral isolation, to adequately load these muscles requires a relatively large weight, placing a significant load on the shoulder and elbow joints.  If the triceps are worked first, to the point of failure, they will be of marginal assistance while executing the bench press, making the pectorals take on more of the load.

Caution - the weight for the bench press will be lower!  Also, pay more attention to controlling the weight since the triceps provide much of the direction control in a bench press.  Because of control issues, pre-exhaustion is not recommended for lower body exercises when a squat rack or spotter is not available (which is most group exercise classes!)
Maximum Rest
The maximum rest protocol attempts to have each muscle group be as fresh as possible for its track.  Triceps are moved away from the chest track so that they have at least partially recovered from their involvement in the bench presses before being called upon for the triceps track.

Example 1
Back - dead lifts, bent rows
Chest - bench press, flys
Legs - squats, heel raise
Biceps - curls, wrist curls
Triceps - face busters
Legs - lunges
Abdominals
Shoulders - Lateral raises


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