? 4 personal trainers

[lennoxchi]

a friend of mine had suggested that i become a personal trainer, after i told him i needed a part time job to earn a little extra money. now the part time job could be a long term thing, and would most likely have to be if i was to become a P.T. so my question is, what course of action do i need to take to become a P.T.? classes? courses at the local college? how did you do it? what kind of pitfalls to avoid?

 

[Zero V]

Good thing to ask bro. I am preparing to do this while going through college. There are many ways to get to the endpoint, that being certified. Some courses you ccan take simply prep you to go take the tests to be certified, some colleges will take you through courses, where as other sources only give you the information that you then use to prep for the test. Personal trainers can be trained at gyms sometimes through classes from other PT's and such.

BEST thing to do os research, research, look at every possible oppurtinity, research more. That way you dont end up in a fly by night degree program...

Online
School
Personal source(such as gym)
mail

I personally dont know too much more, maybe one of the real PT's could throw in some info

 

[motive]

look for whats available in your area... alot of options may not be available to you

 

[lennoxchi]

look for whats available in your area... alot of options may not be available to you

Yea i'm kind of doing that right now. i'm in Chicago, so there's a poop load of options. the problem is there are online courses, and then there are schools that offer "hands on training" in real gyms and all that. guess it's just what i have time for and can afford. i don't want this as a full time job, just a part time gig, so i don't know if i want to spend a lot of $ doing this.........so many options here

 

[Zero V]

go to a couple gyms, ask some of the personal trainers walking around there if you can ask them a couple questions, most should say sure. Ask them how they got to where they are. How hard was it. Was it expensive. So on. I mean I am going to be a history/health teacher. Being a PT will play into possible coaching.

 

[holyintellect]

While I do not do traditional personal training, I do contest prep along with an IFBB Pro, and run the pro shop in the gym a friend of mine owns...here are a few tips....

There is no regulation in personal training right now...that means if you have NO certification it is just as good as the guy who has a degree....you can still train people....for that reason, I would never advise anyone to pay a lot of money to get a certification, get the cheapest one you can...obviously the education is beneficial, but it will not hinder your ability to work as a trainer...Also, I deal with a ton of people who walk in the gym and ask for trainers....NEVER do they ask about credentials....it may be important to us, but to the average joe, it really isnt.

Most facilites have staff trainers, which basically means they take the money and pay you a set rate per hour. Very few are like mine, where we have independant trainers...they pay us a monthly fee and we allow them to train at our facility...in turn they can charge whatever rate they can get...

You are going to find that personal training is going to be a "side" job compared to the amount of other things you do for your clients....your first job will to be their therapist...

holy

 

[holyintellect]

Just to follow up on my last post...if you are going to work as a staff trainer for Golds, lets say....certainly they will want you to have a certification...if you work as an independant trainer in a gym and get your own clients, ultimately they will be the ones who decide if your credentials (or lack therof) are what they are looking for....and like I said, I rarely ever have anyone ask about a trainers credentials...

holy

 

[Zero V]

So just acquiring the knowledge yourself and taking the tests to be certified would do good enough?

 

[holyintellect]

Well, "good enough" is relative...Let me say this...I think anything you can learn about nutrition and exercise science is not only going to be a plus for your clients, but its going to benefit you as well...

I was lucky enough to train with an IFBB Pro for years while I learned the trade...after I started getting a good enough reputation where guys came to me for certain things, it kinda snowballed....he would send me his overflow because I was the only one he trusted and I garnered a reputation amongst two groups of people....bodybuilders, and fighters/pro wrestlers....one step leads to the next and sometime years ago, I was fortunate enough to meet and become friends with Patrick Arnold...what I have learned from his has been insane, and I have furthered my knowledge because of that....I have trained many pro wrestlers, ufc fighters, and countless bodybuilders...guess what type of cert I have? Some piece of crap that I got online for little of nothing...why would I do that and risk my reputation with my clients over a shitty cert? Because they know me, know what I have done, and couldnt care less if I even have one...hell, come to think of it, most of them probably dont even know I have one...LOL...I essentially got one so my friend who owns the gym I train at can maintain the fact that all his trainers are certified...

holy

 

[Zero V]

I get alot of questions myself about training, but mostly from girls, and they want me to explain carbs, fats, cals, and why just running wont make them skinnier lol. They usually have these diet bars that cost alot, and an idea of what healthy eating is, which I usually break lol. I want to study in depth many of the ingredients used in supps, and that are found in foods and the effects on the body. All workouts, I would love to create a personal book I can use as reference to every workout, its effects/issues,etc. And ditto for the ingredients. I love the knowledge. A guy at work asked why I did something a certain way, and I think it involved anabolic pump. I took about 4 minutes to give an explanation, he just looked at me confused. I think most people forget that their body is more than just skin.....

I am naturally a teacher, I love working with people and helping them to find personal breakthroughs. PT is just something that makes complete sense. Teacher/youth pastor during school year. PT/youth pastor during summer. Writer year round


I went from being a skinny non sporty guy at church, to being a bit more bulky, skilled at sports, and stronger and with more confidence. Guess people take notice. And I still think I have tons to go, I cant get enough! My goal over the next year is 160, thats when I want to become a PT, because thats when I have learned my body and understand enough to feel confident in my abilities to help another.

 

[holyintellect]

It sounds like you have the desire and passion to do well....those are two traits that will help you keep clients once you get them...I'll be honest though...90% of the guys in the gym think they can be good personal trainers....of the almost 25 personal trainers I know personally, I would only recommend two of them to anyone...the industry is ripe with people who "think" they know what they are talking about (kinda like the message boards, LOL)...I think with your desire for knowledge you have the blueprint for becoming a good one yourself...

holy

 

[BodyWizard]

If you want to earn more than beer money it will pay you to get the manual that is for the certification test you want to take.

The test I took was NASM, which seems to be right in the middle of the pecking order (w/ NCSC being #1 & ACE being #5, just based on what I hear & the requirements for each). The test wasn't *hard* really - but simply knowing how to work yourself out effectively won't pass the test for you.

If you buy a package that includes an online practice test, be careful: if you start it & don't finish it, you may find you can't come back to it (it happened to me); I lost out on the chance to use it, and that practice test would have been a big help to me.

 

[lennoxchi]

Well, "good enough" is relative...Let me say this...I think anything you can learn about nutrition and exercise science is not only going to be a plus for your clients, but its going to benefit you as well...

I was lucky enough to train with an IFBB Pro for years while I learned the trade...after I started getting a good enough reputation where guys came to me for certain things, it kinda snowballed....he would send me his overflow because I was the only one he trusted and I garnered a reputation amongst two groups of people....bodybuilders, and fighters/pro wrestlers....one step leads to the next and sometime years ago, I was fortunate enough to meet and become friends with Patrick Arnold...what I have learned from his has been insane, and I have furthered my knowledge because of that....I have trained many pro wrestlers, ufc fighters, and countless bodybuilders...guess what type of cert I have? Some piece of crap that I got online for little of nothing...why would I do that and risk my reputation with my clients over a shitty cert? Because they know me, know what I have done, and couldnt care less if I even have one...hell, come to think of it, most of them probably dont even know I have one...LOL...I essentially got one so my friend who owns the gym I train at can maintain the fact that all his trainers are certified...

holy

jealousy is one of the most ugly human emotions......i am experiencing it right now....