Becoming a personal trainer to get into shape?
slhall0822
Posts: 128 Member
I'm contemplating pursuing a personal trainer certification and am interested in hearing other's experiences that may be related to my own (those who are personal trainers, those who are currently studying to be a personal trainer, etc.)
A little about myself: I'm 32, married, have a very active toddler, am a self-proclaimed book worm... and am obese (~220 pounds at 5'6"). After having my toddler, I made a drastic career change and went from being a corporate, ladder-climbing career woman to part-time massage therapist. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new career. Because of my career change, I have spent the last few years becoming more involved in the world of health and while I am very aware of how important it is to stay active, I struggle to practice what I preach.
While picking my brain lately to try to determine why I have such a hard time motivating myself to stay active, I realized that when I do have rare moments of free-time, I'd much rather bury my nose in an anatomy book and learn. I know, I'm a dork... but for me, keeping my mind busy is much more fulfilling than walking in circles around my neighborhood (or partaking in other physically-oriented options). Many years ago, I was in the Army... so I'm no stranger to physical fitness. I am well aware of the benefits of living an active lifestyle. I just much prefer to sit with a book and put knowledge in my brain :-).
So, that got me to thinking... maybe I should pursue a personal trainer certification. I feel like it's the perfect gateway to taking advantage of what has always motivated me (acquiring more knowledge) in order to not only get into shape myself, but to eventually use my new-found knowledge to help others. I feel that by training to be a personal trainer, I'd be forced to practice what I'm learning in order to be the best at what I do. And I figure, what have I got to lose? Overall, getting certified doesn't seem to cost a huge amount of money. Lord knows that I've spent countless amounts of money trying to lose weight other ways. Plus, I think that the "strengthening" aspect of personal training is a great compliment to the "therapeutic" aspect of a massage therapist career. I've been looking into the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) certification, as I've heard that it is the "gold standard" of personal trainer certifications.
Anyone else out there on the same trek? Any other personal trainer bookworms?
Any personal trainers with any thoughts or comments or suggestions? I appreciate any feedback as I try to brainstorm my next career move in life.
A little about myself: I'm 32, married, have a very active toddler, am a self-proclaimed book worm... and am obese (~220 pounds at 5'6"). After having my toddler, I made a drastic career change and went from being a corporate, ladder-climbing career woman to part-time massage therapist. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new career. Because of my career change, I have spent the last few years becoming more involved in the world of health and while I am very aware of how important it is to stay active, I struggle to practice what I preach.
While picking my brain lately to try to determine why I have such a hard time motivating myself to stay active, I realized that when I do have rare moments of free-time, I'd much rather bury my nose in an anatomy book and learn. I know, I'm a dork... but for me, keeping my mind busy is much more fulfilling than walking in circles around my neighborhood (or partaking in other physically-oriented options). Many years ago, I was in the Army... so I'm no stranger to physical fitness. I am well aware of the benefits of living an active lifestyle. I just much prefer to sit with a book and put knowledge in my brain :-).
So, that got me to thinking... maybe I should pursue a personal trainer certification. I feel like it's the perfect gateway to taking advantage of what has always motivated me (acquiring more knowledge) in order to not only get into shape myself, but to eventually use my new-found knowledge to help others. I feel that by training to be a personal trainer, I'd be forced to practice what I'm learning in order to be the best at what I do. And I figure, what have I got to lose? Overall, getting certified doesn't seem to cost a huge amount of money. Lord knows that I've spent countless amounts of money trying to lose weight other ways. Plus, I think that the "strengthening" aspect of personal training is a great compliment to the "therapeutic" aspect of a massage therapist career. I've been looking into the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) certification, as I've heard that it is the "gold standard" of personal trainer certifications.
Anyone else out there on the same trek? Any other personal trainer bookworms?
Any personal trainers with any thoughts or comments or suggestions? I appreciate any feedback as I try to brainstorm my next career move in life. 0
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Hello there-
I am in the final process of wrapping up my certification as a personal trainer through ISSA. I was already a gym rat, and figured that it would both be good for me to expand my knowledge base as well as try to use that passion to inspire others to improve their health and fitness levels as well. I am intending this to be something on the side, as I already have a full time job. So far it has been a good experience and I have learned a great deal and I do try to implement it into my own life as well. Best of luck to you!0 -
Being a trainer won't help you get more fit and more active.
People become trainers because they already are like that and want to help other people. Secondly if you can't motivate yourself with no outside push- no internal drive- now how do you expect to motivate other people?0 -
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?0 -
knowledge is power.
so get educated and go train yourself.
use yourself as your first test client.0 -
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Before I became a massage therapist, massages seemed like a luxury item, not a necessity. Now I feel like everyone should get a massage as often as possible because of the health benefits. Then again, in general, I don't give relaxation massages and primarily practice deep tissue/neuromuscular massage for pain relief. I am so motivated for others to get massage that I'd massage people for free if my bank account wouldn't suffer LOL. I'm hoping I find the same motivation by acquiring the knowledge it takes to be a personal trainer.0
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slhall0822 wrote: »Before I became a massage therapist, massages seemed like a luxury item, not a necessity. Now I feel like everyone should get a massage as often as possible because of the health benefits. Then again, in general, I don't give relaxation massages and primarily practice deep tissue/neuromuscular massage for pain relief. I am so motivated for others to get massage that I'd massage people for free if my bank account wouldn't suffer LOL. I'm hoping I find the same motivation by acquiring the knowledge it takes to be a personal trainer.
If you want to add in a few more years of schooling -- what about becoming a Physio Therapist? That's what I thought of when you said you liked anatomy books.
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I think it's an awesome idea. My first personal trainer (which I had for 4-5 years) was still in school when I hired him. And he had lost 80 lbs himself, so he understood what a struggle it is to lose weight. He achieved his ultimate goal of owning his own gymn just last year.
Even if you never use the certification with actual clients, it will be worth the benefit that you get out of it for yourself. :-)0 -
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jojoeastcoast wrote: »slhall0822 wrote: »Before I became a massage therapist, massages seemed like a luxury item, not a necessity. Now I feel like everyone should get a massage as often as possible because of the health benefits. Then again, in general, I don't give relaxation massages and primarily practice deep tissue/neuromuscular massage for pain relief. I am so motivated for others to get massage that I'd massage people for free if my bank account wouldn't suffer LOL. I'm hoping I find the same motivation by acquiring the knowledge it takes to be a personal trainer.
If you want to add in a few more years of schooling -- what about becoming a Physio Therapist? That's what I thought of when you said you liked anatomy books.
Thought about it. Seriously thought about it. I already have a Bachelor's degree, but it's a Bachelor's of Arts... so I'd have to take a year or two of prerequisites before I'd even be eligible for admission into my local physical therapist program. PLUS, I am still paying off student loans from my Bachelor's degree and would rather not accumulate tens of thousands more in student loans :-).
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My friends who are personal trainers say that their job keeps them active, but the busy lifestyle can mean it is tough to focus on your own fitness.0
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I think it's an awesome idea. My first personal trainer (which I had for 4-5 years) was still in school when I hired him. And he had lost 80 lbs himself, so he understood what a struggle it is to lose weight. He achieved his ultimate goal of owning his own gymn just last year.
Even if you never use the certification with actual clients, it will be worth the benefit that you get out of it for yourself. :-)
That's awesome. That's another thing. If I am successful in changing my life around, I'd have a great success story and would hopefully be able to relate to my clients who struggle with busy lives and losing weight.0 -
Honestly, it seems like an excuse to me. Saying that you're not going to work out and eat right until you've spent months studying the subject is a good way to put it off for quite awhile.0
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fallenoaks4 wrote: »Honestly, it seems like an excuse to me. Saying that you're not going to work out and eat right until you've spent months studying the subject is a good way to put it off for quite awhile.
I don't think I'm making an excuse. I'm not saying I'm going to wait until I'm certified before I practice what I've learned. I could sit on my couch and eat pizza without even considering becoming a personal trainer. I am currently actively practicing becoming more active and eating right... but if I'm being completely honest, it's something I struggle with... especially the staying active part. I'd rather spend my time learning something than just running like a hamster on a treadmill. I need something that challenges my mind, not just my body.0 -
slhall0822 wrote: »Before I became a massage therapist, massages seemed like a luxury item, not a necessity. Now I feel like everyone should get a massage as often as possible because of the health benefits. Then again, in general, I don't give relaxation massages and primarily practice deep tissue/neuromuscular massage for pain relief. I am so motivated for others to get massage that I'd massage people for free if my bank account wouldn't suffer LOL. I'm hoping I find the same motivation by acquiring the knowledge it takes to be a personal trainer.
Free massage!!!
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slhall0822 wrote: »fallenoaks4 wrote: »Honestly, it seems like an excuse to me. Saying that you're not going to work out and eat right until you've spent months studying the subject is a good way to put it off for quite awhile.
I don't think I'm making an excuse. I'm not saying I'm going to wait until I'm certified before I practice what I've learned. I could sit on my couch and eat pizza without even considering becoming a personal trainer. I am currently actively practicing becoming more active and eating right... but if I'm being completely honest, it's something I struggle with... especially the staying active part. I'd rather spend my time learning something than just running like a hamster on a treadmill. I need something that challenges my mind, not just my body.
You will actually learn a lot more about overall fitness and weight loss from just reading about it online (and picking the brains of the people who have made the announcement posts) than you will from a basic certification. I workout with a lady who has her personal training certification, I'm constantly teaching her things that her book didn't. I learned from reading and talking to personal trainers with many years of experience (plus multiple certifications).0 -
slhall0822 wrote: »fallenoaks4 wrote: »Honestly, it seems like an excuse to me. Saying that you're not going to work out and eat right until you've spent months studying the subject is a good way to put it off for quite awhile.
I don't think I'm making an excuse. I'm not saying I'm going to wait until I'm certified before I practice what I've learned. I could sit on my couch and eat pizza without even considering becoming a personal trainer. I am currently actively practicing becoming more active and eating right... but if I'm being completely honest, it's something I struggle with... especially the staying active part. I'd rather spend my time learning something than just running like a hamster on a treadmill. I need something that challenges my mind, not just my body.
You will actually learn a lot more about overall fitness and weight loss from just reading about it online (and picking the brains of the people who have made the announcement posts) than you will from a basic certification. I workout with a lady who has her personal training certification, I'm constantly teaching her things that her book didn't. I learned from reading and talking to personal trainers with many years of experience (plus multiple certifications).
That makes sense... I worked out with a personal trainer for several months while I was in massage school. I was amazed that she knew less about muscles than I did. She was a great trainer, don't get me wrong... but you'd think that trainers would be required to know much about muscular anatomy.
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slhall0822 wrote: »slhall0822 wrote: »fallenoaks4 wrote: »Honestly, it seems like an excuse to me. Saying that you're not going to work out and eat right until you've spent months studying the subject is a good way to put it off for quite awhile.
I don't think I'm making an excuse. I'm not saying I'm going to wait until I'm certified before I practice what I've learned. I could sit on my couch and eat pizza without even considering becoming a personal trainer. I am currently actively practicing becoming more active and eating right... but if I'm being completely honest, it's something I struggle with... especially the staying active part. I'd rather spend my time learning something than just running like a hamster on a treadmill. I need something that challenges my mind, not just my body.
You will actually learn a lot more about overall fitness and weight loss from just reading about it online (and picking the brains of the people who have made the announcement posts) than you will from a basic certification. I workout with a lady who has her personal training certification, I'm constantly teaching her things that her book didn't. I learned from reading and talking to personal trainers with many years of experience (plus multiple certifications).
That makes sense... I worked out with a personal trainer for several months while I was in massage school. I was amazed that she knew less about muscles than I did. She was a great trainer, don't get me wrong... but you'd think that trainers would be required to know much about muscular anatomy.
You will learn some important things from certification, but you really don't get the full spectrum of things you should know as a trainer. Don't throw money into certification yet. Wait a while and learn as much as you can before considering becoming a trainer again.0 -
I've seen many people make big time changes to their lifestyle and then become PTs but I don't think I've ever seen anyone use becoming a PT as a modality to change their lifestyle. I've completely changed my life from where things were just a few years ago and I would love to share that with people and become a PT, but I unfortunately can't quit my day job. I still work with several people though more as an overall wellness guide than an actual PT and I'm not certified or anything. I would actually like to be someday and maybe make it my pre-retirement/retirement gig.
I also agree with usmcmp, you can and probably will learn a lot more just diving in and doing your own research than you will gain through the certification process. There are a couple of top notch PTs at my gym, but I know more on my own than the vast majority of them there do.0 -
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slhall0822 wrote: »I'm contemplating pursuing a personal trainer certification and am interested in hearing other's experiences that may be related to my own (those who are personal trainers, those who are currently studying to be a personal trainer, etc.)
A little about myself: I'm 32, married, have a very active toddler, am a self-proclaimed book worm... and am obese (~220 pounds at 5'6"). After having my toddler, I made a drastic career change and went from being a corporate, ladder-climbing career woman to part-time massage therapist. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new career. Because of my career change, I have spent the last few years becoming more involved in the world of health and while I am very aware of how important it is to stay active, I struggle to practice what I preach.
While picking my brain lately to try to determine why I have such a hard time motivating myself to stay active, I realized that when I do have rare moments of free-time, I'd much rather bury my nose in an anatomy book and learn. I know, I'm a dork... but for me, keeping my mind busy is much more fulfilling than walking in circles around my neighborhood (or partaking in other physically-oriented options). Many years ago, I was in the Army... so I'm no stranger to physical fitness. I am well aware of the benefits of living an active lifestyle. I just much prefer to sit with a book and put knowledge in my brain :-).
So, that got me to thinking... maybe I should pursue a personal trainer certification. I feel like it's the perfect gateway to taking advantage of what has always motivated me (acquiring more knowledge) in order to not only get into shape myself, but to eventually use my new-found knowledge to help others. I feel that by training to be a personal trainer, I'd be forced to practice what I'm learning in order to be the best at what I do. And I figure, what have I got to lose? Overall, getting certified doesn't seem to cost a huge amount of money. Lord knows that I've spent countless amounts of money trying to lose weight other ways. Plus, I think that the "strengthening" aspect of personal training is a great compliment to the "therapeutic" aspect of a massage therapist career. I've been looking into the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) certification, as I've heard that it is the "gold standard" of personal trainer certifications.
Anyone else out there on the same trek? Any other personal trainer bookworms? Any personal trainers with any thoughts or comments or suggestions? I appreciate any feedback as I try to brainstorm my next career move in life.
I haven't yet gone the certification/client route, but I have been taking different fitness and nutrition courses for the last couple of years, and I definitely find that understanding the rationale behind different fitness activities and nutritional strategies helps me stick to them. I read a lot and with all the conflicting information, I found myself changing my plan after every new book, article, etc., so I decided to go back to the basics and get a theoretical foundation upon which to build my own plan. I originally was planning to get a certification, and still might, but every time I learn something new, I realize how much there is that I don't know, so I'm not sure I'll ever be confident enough to pursue fitness as a career.
I too thought about going back to school for another degree, but with two undergrads and a graduate degree already I am not sure I want to start another 4 year program (not counting the pre-health courses, as my education is in finance and in design.) I might have done it had I stayed in Canada, but university in the US is just so expensive, I can't really justify it, especially since it will not do anything to increase my earnings.
I think studying anatomy and basic exercise theory definitely helped me to become a better fighter and stronger overall, and now that I have some health problems that limit my exercise ability, I am getting more interested in the nutrition side and have seen some big improvements from putting my new knowledge to work. I have become the "go to" person in my social group for fitness and nutrition questions and have tried to help out some of my friends, and that is also really motivating for me.
I think your plan is a great one. I found that once I understood the theory of fitness and nutrition, it was much easier to motivate myself to put it into practice. It sounds like you might be a bit like me: being told to do something isn't enough; you need to know why and how the plan was developed in order to have confidence in it. Whether or not you get to the point where you become a practicing trainer, that understanding will help you reach your personal goals.
Just don't skip your workouts to get some extra studying done.
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MakePeasNotWar wrote: »
I think your plan is a great one. I found that once I understood the theory of fitness and nutrition, it was much easier to motivate myself to put it into practice. It sounds like you might be a bit like me: being told to do something isn't enough; you need to know why and how the plan was developed in order to have confidence in it. Whether or not you get to the point where you become a practicing trainer, that understanding will help you reach your personal goals.
Just don't skip your workouts to get some extra studying done.
That's exactly how I am... I can't just do something because someone tells me to do it. I don't just blindly believe someone when they tell me that something is good, or bad, for me. I have to read, analyze, and understand the research for myself. I like to use my own mind to make my own decisions. Thanks for the input everyone, this has been really helpful!0 -
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.0
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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.0 -
I guess it's good that you aren't bothered about using it for employment or not. I don't want to be a meanie here. But if I went to a trainer who was an obese beginner, I would not feel at all confident in their knowledge/abilities, no matter how book smart they were. As others have pointed out, it usually goes that a person becomes more fit and then seeks PT certification.
You can't compare knowledge gained from a textbook or online with hands-on experience. Are you really going to demonstrate how to do moves that you will have to modify due to your own size? Please don't think I'm having a go at you--8 months ago I was obese and I'm still chubby--but this seems backwards.
If you're doing it just to have the knowledge, great. But this doesn't seem like the most efficient way to meet your own fitness goals.0 -
barbecuesauce wrote: »I guess it's good that you aren't bothered about using it for employment or not. I don't want to be a meanie here. But if I went to a trainer who was an obese beginner, I would not feel at all confident in their knowledge/abilities, no matter how book smart they were. As others have pointed out, it usually goes that a person becomes more fit and then seeks PT certification.
You can't compare knowledge gained from a textbook or online with hands-on experience. Are you really going to demonstrate how to do moves that you will have to modify due to your own size? Please don't think I'm having a go at you--8 months ago I was obese and I'm still chubby--but this seems backwards.
If you're doing it just to have the knowledge, great. But this doesn't seem like the most efficient way to meet your own fitness goals.
Definitely don't think you're being a meanie :-). And I totally agree... even as blubbery as I am, if I went to a trainer and they were out of shape, I would also question their expertise and likely judge them (and I try my best to stay non-judgmental). Should I decide to train others, I'd definitely not do it until I was in great shape and could show that I practice what I preach.0 -
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.
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slhall0822 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.0 -
You've got it backwards. Become a personal trainer so you can inspire others to do the same by your good example. If you can't motivate yourself, how do you expect to motivate others? A personal trainer has a responsibility to help people improve their lives through fitness. You can't do that for someone else if you can't do it for yourself.
Get moving. Eat right. Learn about getting well and staying healthy. You don't need to be an athlete, but you need to know the drill. It's a lot cheaper and easier to focus on yourself.
You might not want to be a personal trainer when it comes down to it. If what you are looking for is motivation to get in shape, then start by finding activities you like to do. As several people have mentioned - just get moving.
You've got a lot of excuses for not moving. Working with other people is difficult. All you will find is that just like not being able to motivate yourself, you will not be able to motivate others. Motivation is something that comes from within. By trivializing any activity to walking around in circles or whatever, you're ensuring that you don't start. By not taking the time you need to put into fitness for yourself, you're perpetuating your problem.
Working out takes 4% of your day.0
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