Hire a MFP member as your personal trainer?

ladylu11

gotta go with Big_Lew

of course Bob Harper or Dolvett Quincy would be fine too

ilovedeadlifts

I'd like to train with a few of the guys on my friends list.

sidesteal
5joejccva17
PBjunky

stroutman81

Thanks for the shout outs guys!

jetscreaminagain

I'm limiting myself to my friends list. I have great friends who have KICKED BUTT with their own goals.

Bry comes to mind (how do you do that--stand up there in front of people in a bikini? Freakin bravest person ever! and HOT!).

GuruMeditationError is super smart, with a great set up to work out at home. He's lost weight and now he's getting all bulked up and muscle-y. AND he gives of his time and patience on these boards to others even when it gets tedious. He rocks.

Enginman is a new friend, but he is full of dedication and smart. It's pretty rad.

But for a trainer I'd pick Steve Troutman. Because he is all the above (minus the bikini and heels) as well as actually being a trainer. He is smart, patient, looks good, and clearly has a great studio. I'd trust him on aggregate nutrition too. The thing is, my personal goals aren't the same as the people with all the success above Steve. I totally admire what they've accomplished, but it isn't totally my thing. I think Stroutman can train me for what *I* want to do, because he really is a professional, educated trainer.

I'd want Contrarian, and Jorra and Candy on my team. Newer friends that I've just been thrilled I've added. Smart and kind and motivating. Godsp3n and Pffsass are ALWAYS positive, and I think I'm a person who needs folks like that around for when I get down.

I might pick karincakes or celotx because they have found and are continuing to find success further down the road I want to get down. Plus, they're wonderful friends on my news feed.

Dawn_is_getting_healthy

Big_Lew obviously. LOL

Thx u Joy, u always got my back :-)

Dang! I don't know much about Big Lew, but from the profile photo, he's hired!!

stroutman81

I'm limiting myself to my friends list. I have great friends who have KICKED BUTT with their own goals.

Bry comes to mind (how do you do that--stand up there in front of people in a bikini? Freakin bravest person ever! and HOT!).

GuruMeditationError is super smart, with a great set up to work out at home. He's lost weight and now he's getting all bulked up and muscle-y. AND he gives of his time and patience on these boards to others even when it gets tedious. He rocks.

Enginman is a new friend, but he is full of dedication and smart. It's pretty rad.

But for a trainer I'd pick Steve Troutman. Because he is all the above (minus the bikini and heels) as well as actually being a trainer. He is smart, patient, looks good, and clearly has a great studio. I'd trust him on aggregate nutrition too. The thing is, my personal goals aren't the same as the people with all the success above Steve. I totally admire what they've accomplished, but it isn't totally my thing. I think Stroutman can train me for what *I* want to do, because he really is a professional, educated trainer.

I'd want Contrarian, and Jorra and Candy on my team. Newer friends that I've just been thrilled I've added. Smart and kind and motivating. Godsp3n and Pffsass are ALWAYS positive, and I think I'm a person who needs folks like that around for when I get down.

I might pick karincakes or celotx because they have found and are continuing to find success further down the road I want to get down. Plus, they're wonderful friends on my news feed.

Well next time you're around my neck of the woods, feel free to let me know and I'll run through some things with you for free. That goes for anyone really. Not that I can cover everything in a simple meeting... but spending an hour or so in the gym can be quite enlightening.

StrengthIsBeautiful

Would anyone be interested in a tab on this site with a list of trainers by state/region/zip code/whatever? That way, if anyone seriously wanted to hire a PT, they could reference the list for potentials. It could show certs, area of expretise, rates, etc. Wouldn't hurt to throw some business to our fellow MFPers.

Of course, MFP wouldn't be liable for verifying the info - that would be on the consumer. I just got my PT cert, and I'd love to have some fellow MFPers as clients.

lol... I think I'd know if PBJunky showed up....

stroutman81

Would anyone be interested in a tab on this site with a list of trainers by state/region/zip code/whatever? That way, if anyone seriously wanted to hire a PT, they could reference the list for potentials. It could show certs, area of expretise, rates, etc. Wouldn't hurt to throw some business to our fellow MFPers.

Of course, MFP wouldn't be liable for verifying the info - that would be on the consumer. I just got my PT cert, and I'd love to have some fellow MFPers as clients.

Which cert did you opt for and why did you select it?

Also, are you working for a gym or do you own your own business?

Just curious.

millerll

Would anyone be interested in a tab on this site with a list of trainers by state/region/zip code/whatever? That way, if anyone seriously wanted to hire a PT, they could reference the list for potentials. It could show certs, area of expretise, rates, etc. Wouldn't hurt to throw some business to our fellow MFPers.

Of course, MFP wouldn't be liable for verifying the info - that would be on the consumer. I just got my PT cert, and I'd love to have some fellow MFPers as clients.

Which cert did you opt for and why did you select it?

Also, are you working for a gym or do you own your own business?

Just curious.

I used AFAA's weekend seminar. I know they're not the highest-rated out there, but they were one of the quickest, the price was right, and and they had a seminar in my area coming up within a few weeks. I just wanted to get some cert, ANY cert, at first, just to get my foot in the door, so to speak. I'd like to follow-up later with a more in-depth cert from one of the big guys, but this will do for now.

I based my choice partly on which certs were accepted by the Air Force for work in their base gyms. They accept AFAA, among others, and I just interviewed for a part-time position at the local base gym. The pay sucks, but it's a start, and there's no high-pressure sales work, which I loathe. There are also a few openings at local gyms, but I hate the thought of having to sell "packages" to clients. I suck at that.

Right now, I'm laid off from my previous career as an engineer, and the market in my area sucks, so I'm looking at a career change. I'm very interested in getting together with another trainer and starting a beach boot camp in my local area. I'm in Florida, so you can do it year-round, the overhead is low, and you can make some decent coin at it if you advertise right.

bizco

Stroutman81 (Steve). No doubt about it.

stroutman81

Would anyone be interested in a tab on this site with a list of trainers by state/region/zip code/whatever? That way, if anyone seriously wanted to hire a PT, they could reference the list for potentials. It could show certs, area of expretise, rates, etc. Wouldn't hurt to throw some business to our fellow MFPers.

Of course, MFP wouldn't be liable for verifying the info - that would be on the consumer. I just got my PT cert, and I'd love to have some fellow MFPers as clients.

Which cert did you opt for and why did you select it?

Also, are you working for a gym or do you own your own business?

Just curious.

I used AFAA's weekend seminar. I know they're not the highest-rated out there, but they were one of the quickest, the price was right, and and they had a seminar in my area coming up within a few weeks. I just wanted to get some cert, ANY cert, at first, just to get my foot in the door, so to speak. I'd like to follow-up later with a more in-depth cert from one of the big guys, but this will do for now.

I based my choice partly on which certs were accepted by the Air Force for work in their base gyms. They accept AFAA, among others, and I just interviewed for a part-time position at the local base gym. The pay sucks, but it's a start, and there's no high-pressure sales work, which I loathe. There are also a few openings at local gyms, but I hate the thought of having to sell "packages" to clients. I suck at that.

Right now, I'm laid off from my previous career as an engineer, and the market in my area sucks, so I'm looking at a career change. I'm very interested in getting together with another trainer and starting a beach boot camp in my local area. I'm in Florida, so you can do it year-round, the overhead is low, and you can make some decent coin at it if you advertise right.

Can't say that I'm a fan of the weekend seminar courses. But I understand where you're coming from. I'll be the first to admit that even the "big boys" in the certification game (NSCA, ACSM, NASM) leave a lot to be desired. I'm of the opinion that the fitness cert industry needs massive reform and higher hurdles/standards.

At a bare minimum, a future trainer should have a hands-on component such as an internship. As it stands now, far too many people are becoming personal trainers who have absolutely no business supervising anyone's health, body, programming, and even exercise form.

There's no doubt that regardless of the certification or even with a structured 4-year degree, the real education doesn't start until you actually get your feet wet on the gym floor. Which is why I understand your eagerness to get started.

While I loathe the typical commercial chain gym and their standards and practices, such as LA Fitness... there's something to say for using that setting as a platform to garner experience. You don't have to sell much there as they have a sales force that's usually separate from the training force. And since these types of gyms receive a ton of traffic, it gives new trainers a great opportunity to gain experience. Problem is, there's typically no quality trainers on staff to learn from.

Most trainers will have to take it upon themselves to learn this field. Seminars, books, research publications, etc... these have to be prioritized if the training field is going to progress.

Anyhow... rambling a bit. But if you're ever interested in some suggested readings, feel free to hit me up. For anything really. I wish you luck! It can be a very rewarding line of work.

grannygethealthy1111

For me it would be BigRedgw2010, hands down!

coppercurlz

bump