Becoming a personal trainer to get into shape?

sengalissa

slhall0822 wrote: »

MrM27 wrote: »

I don't think I have ever seen that questioned asked here before, I may be wrong. I personally feel the other way around is a good way to go. You want to be able to motivate your clients and you should be able to motivate yourself as well. If you can't motivate yourself without becoming a trainer first then you'll be lacking some qualities that go into the trainer/client experience.

I wondered that as well (how can I motivate others if I can't motivate myself?) but then I realized that for me, knowledge really is power. Take massage for example, I always knew that self care (like stretching and relaxing your muscles) is good for you... but I never really knew WHY. Since my massage school education, I now know exactly WHY self-care (in the form of stretching/flexibility/relaxation) is good for your body and the WHY is what motivates me. I am hoping that learning more about the exact reasons behind how physical activity benefits your body will help to not only motivate myself, but to motivate others. If I'm passionate about something and REALLY understand and believe how and why it works, then I'm much more likely to want to motivate others. Does that make sense?

I like that you are trying to work with your strengths instead of working against your weaknesses All this makes total sense to me. I have thought about it myself because I am a person who needs to know the why as well. I have been following a few blogs and read a lot, and now I feel like at least I should spread some of that instead of keeping it to myself.
Do you enjoy reading about fitness, or just wellness? Why don't you start there and contemplate a little longer?

CSARdiver

It certainly would help act as a part of the positive feedback loop - inspiration through others, a need to stay physically fit, providing inspiration for others. Certainly a good goal while you are getting back into shape, but as in any sales job - you aren't so much selling your product than yourself. A PT in poor shape is not going to gain many clients. A good friend of mine just achieved her ISSA and left the corporate world to become a full-time PT - loves every minute of it.

slhall0822

MakePeasNotWar wrote: »

aggelikik wrote: »

slhall0822 wrote: »

aggelikik wrote: »

If you cannot currently exercise and get in shape, why do you think you would be good at this job? Shouldn't you at least give it a try before deciding on fitness as a career? You say you are currently struggling to stay active, so what makes you think this is the type of job that you could be passionate about? Also, while I am sure a certification is important, why would anyone hire a trainer who does not train herself and is just a beginner? If you start now, it will take years before you have the actual experience. You cannot just learn from a book and a few months seminars, it takes practice. With e.g. a couple of years of going to your gym yourself, you will still be a beginner. A beginner with some theoretical background, but still a beginner. And the lack of practice is at best going to mean you have no clients, at worst it will mean some of your clients will get hurt, because you will be pretty much learning with them.

Everyone has to start somewhere. My main motivation for being interested in pursing a personal training certification has very little to do with the potential career aspect. I'm actually very happy in my current career as a massage therapist and I'm doing very well. Should I pursue a personal trainer certification, I would never dream of training someone until I feel that I have the experience necessary to be a good trainer and not potentially injure a client. Over 10 years ago, I experienced a pretty severe injury due to a trainer who was overzealous and had very little knowledge about a contraindication of mine - of which I made him very aware. I don't blame him, he was clueless and was the graduate of a fly-by-night personal trainer certification course. But I do blame myself for not doing my research to make sure that I was being trained by a trainer with sufficient credentials.

I wouldn't expect, nor would I want, anyone to hire me as a trainer if I were out of shape and didn't train myself first. Why would I expect someone to take anything I say seriously if I don't represent what I'm trying to teach? I would fully expect my potential clients to vet my credentials and would be disappointed if they didn't. I am fully aware that should I decide to pursue this, it would potentially be years before I could market myself as a legitimate trainer. This is why I'm researching the best certification program available. This is why I'm reaching out to other more experienced trainers to get their suggestions and ideas. I'm passionate about helping others and I'm passionate about knowledge. That's one of the reasons I think I might make a good personal trainer. Plus, if I can learn what I need to learn to turn my life around - fitness wise - then I think that gives me a little extra understanding to help clients who are struggling... more understanding that someone who has been a gym rat their entire life and has no idea how to relate to their clients.

When deciding where to pursue my massage therapy education, I sought out the best program within my reach. The school I chose was an hour away from my home, cost almost twice as much as the local massage programs at technical schools near my home, and the program I chose was twice as long as the average massage therapy program. I wanted to make sure I got the best education possible. Now that I'm a licensed massage therapist and know what's out there - I am SO incredibly glad that I invested more time and money in a quality education... my clients have repeatedly told me how much of a difference it has made in the quality of a massage they receive from me. To this day, there are hundreds of so-called massage "modalities" that you can become "certified" in. But I refuse to take a weekend course just to get a so-called certification, call myself an expert, and then practice some random massage technique on my massage clients. You're right... the lack of knowledge and false sense of confidence will most definitely lead to injuring someone. I think that I'm extremely responsible when it comes to making sure I'm fully qualified to do what I claim I'm qualified to do. When my massage clients present with an issue that I'm not qualified to address, I don't hesitate one bit to refer them elsewhere... and I've had to be pretty adamant with some of my more loyal clients that I am not qualified to address certain issues and won't ever try to lead them to think that I can.

Should I decide to pursue personal training, I will most definitely approach it with the same sense of excellence that I approached massage therapy, and my previous education. I believe getting a personal trainer certification is the first step at educating myself and fostering a growing passion in getting healthy - versus just showing up at the gym and haphazardly fumbling my way through the workouts and equipment. At the very least, I would like to use my new found knowledge to learn how to properly incorporate physical fitness in my life. If I'm successful with my own progress - then and ONLY then will I decide if I want to actually market my knowledge to help others. If I never feel confident as a trainer, I would be perfectly fine with being certified and never using it to earn income.

Ok, I understand what you are saying, although I cannot say I agree. It sounds a bit like saying, "I will only order takeaway and not even try to boil an egg until I have completed the training to become a chef". If the goal is to get in shape, wanting to first get certified as a personal trainer, then start moving, it sounds like an excuse to not exercise, sorry. Go for a walk, take your kids to the park and chase them around, and there, you have done it, without a degree. Not having enough knowledge to start moving, so being obese until you gain this knowledge, it is an excuse. You do not need some deeper knowledge to turn their life around when it comes to exercise, noit unless you are already at an elite athlete's level. You just need a pair of walking shoes.

I don't think she said anywhere she was going to wait. I started studying fitness and nutrition in order to keep myself highly motivated with my training and it actually helped me to get into better shape than I had ever been, both because I was able to customize my training to my goals and because my adherence was much better when I understood the benefits of each specific exercise and nutritional change.

I would have never got to an athlete level without the knowledge I got from my studies. Some people can follow a program and trust that it will work, but others (like me and OP) need to understand WHY in order to keep going when the progress isn't apparent, or when things don't go exactly as planned. Neither way is better or worse, they just work for different people.

Exactly! This! I'm glad some people completely understand

SideSteel

I have my doubts that this will work, but:

If you have the disposable income to purchase a training certification
and
you aren't expecting to turn this into a career (at least not yet)
and
you think this is going to be the thing that causes you to adhere to diet and exercise

..then I'd say do it.

Curtez

Get in shape first.
As the saying goes: "cant trust a skinny chef."

alpine1994

I started studying for the ACSM cert but had to stop due to increased responsibilities with my full time job, but I enjoyed what I learned. It is now a few years later and I actually just got certified to teach spinning (indoor cycling) because a spot opened up at my gym and they encouraged me to get certified. Now I get paid to do my favorite workout. Score! So yeah, I think it goes well with your massage therapy and if it would motivate you, then go for it!

jetortola

I just want to pop in to say follow your intuition and your dreams -- you know yourself best and you understand what motivates you -- and best of luck!

I think its perfectly reasonable to get in shape WHILE working on your certification -- you will learn from both experiences and each will benefit the other. Take it as far as you want to go.

To those who say that someone not in shape shouldn't be a trainer... well, I think the idea is that by the point she is actually training, she will be in shape!

CADAVER0USB0N3S

Honestly, I dont think you should waste the money and time on the certification if you dont plan to do it as a career. You are better off just learning it on your own, and I think maybe getting personal trainer to help you learn/keep you motivated would be a better idea. but I am glad to hear you like massage therapy, I am actually going to start my training for massage therapy in a few months I need to start getting in better shape and learning healthy habits myself.

47Jacqueline

I'm a personal trainer and aquatic instructor. I spent my entire life staying in shape because I like the feeling of being strong and competent. I also spent my career as an industrial designer as well as teaching college. When I retired I decided to pursue my lifelong interest in fitness, starting by losing 30lb on MFP.

I was already in good shape, but sort of jiggly. I spent a year losing weight and getting stronger, I spent the last year getting licensed to teach Zumba; certified as a group fitness instructor through ACE and AFAA; finding a passion about aquatic fitness and getting licensed to teach Aqua Zumba; getting certified through AEA and learning about teaching aquatics; and finally getting certified as a personal trainer through AFAA. I started teaching Zumba and Aqua fit and working with a couple of pt clients and getting good feedback. I spent time learning a bunch of different dance disciplines (Salsa, balllet, Flamenco, Groove, Ecstatic dance) to learn more about my body. I will be starting a program to become a wellness coach in July

It's more of a calling for me than just a career - I believe in my ability to help people's lives. I think whatever you do, you need to be passionate about it. This won't ensure that you lose weight unless there's more to it than that.

KrissyRawrz

MrM27 wrote: »

I don't think I have ever seen that questioned asked here before, I may be wrong. I personally feel the other way around is a good way to go. You want to be able to motivate your clients and you should be able to motivate yourself as well. If you can't motivate yourself without becoming a trainer first then you'll be lacking some qualities that go into the trainer/client experience.

^ this

andrikosDE

Curtez wrote: »

Get in shape first.
As the saying goes: "cant trust a skinny chef."

complete BS.
I do not trust a fat chef. That shows me that there's no discipline and/or discriminating palette from his/her side...

andrikosDE

Just to add to the conversation.
To the OP:

Not sure what type of advice you need.
It's pretty obvious that becoming a PT is not exactly "rocket science".
All you need is tons of work and dedication just like any other endeavor worth pursuing.
No one can convince you that you can do it or not other than you.

There's absolutely nothing that dictates that you cannot do it.
I say go for it, and if you fail, so what?
Most of my valuable experiences came from utter and complete failure.
Don't be scared of failure, not trying is far far worse...

martinel2099

This thread is a little old now but message to OP or anyone who is considering this.

There's nothing wrong with becoming passionate about your personal fitness and wanting to learn all that you can, I just think it's over-kill at this phase to get the certification to become a personal trainer.

The most important thing right now is getting out there, staying active and developing yourself as you go. If you've already started a good beginners lifting program and are carefully and accurately tracking your calories according to your goals I don't see an issue with taking the certification to becoming a personal trainer. Just don't think this is a requirement to becoming physically fit.