Here is another article...that is made up entirely of opinions of mine. Enjoy!
I can feel the fists clamping and the teeth grinding as I write this. I can see the eyes slither up as if an un-welcomed cousin has entered the party. I can hear the whispers and the “whatevers” under everyone’s breaths. Well...if you are still interested in reading this, its because you want to stand apart from the 125,000 new fitness professionals that join the ranks every year, and hopefully, you don’t want to be one of the 25,000 that quit after 1 year.
In my opinion, you are going to continue reading this because you want to hear what I have to say. And who they hell am I you may ask? I am a lot of things....an observer, a student, a teacher, a leader, and a friend. I am a professional, an educator, and a coach. I remember being asked what I did for living years ago and replying, “I’m a personal trainer”, and everyone kinda looking at me like I had 3 heads.
“You mean you show people how to use those machines?”
“....Mmmmm, close....I help fat people get skinny and I help slow people run faster, and I help scared people be brave...and I help weak people be stronger, and I help diseased people become healthy”.
So, being labeled a personal trainer has come around over the last 3-4 years. Being one is not as foreign as it used to be when I first started out. Of course, they’re those that started out before me. Oh, yeah...they were called Biff, Zach, and Lance. They were the biggest guys in the gym with the darkest tans, and the highest Ottomix shoes around. They wore bandanas, belts, and earrings in the gym. They smelled like protein and they had more weightlifting gloves than some women had shoes. Some were old too...frequently telling me stories of feats past—big benches, big deads, big squats....torn pecks, bad backs, and messed up knees.
So these guys eventually fizzled out and a new breed of trainers came around. These trainers came out of college with degrees and athletic backgrounds. These new trainers came out of aerobics rooms and sought out certifications. These new trainers rose up out of the dungy gyms and became students of the game. These new trainers used what they learned in books and did research on themselves. They understood the function of the hamstring in a lunge is to decelerate the movement....they understood the function of the rotator cuff...they understood that cardiovascular performance was directly related to functional capacity. These new trainers even looked professional. They wore khaki’s, polo and golf shirts, dress shoes, and had smiles. These new trainers practiced what they preached because they learned in their own trainings; they learned in athletics; they learned in step classes; and they learned through trial and error. These trainers had a passion to share the knowledge they obtained with the average joe and once they were able to help their first client...a confidence was born. These trainers understood that their passion was becoming their bread and butter. These trainers began to understand selling their services was part of the game and they wanted to market their success to more and more clients. They understood they can achieve longevity in this field, rather which assuming it was a short term career detour. They made money! They helped people lose weight! They helped the weak become stronger, and the youths become more athletic. They wore the distinct “Trainer” label on their shirts and they carried their own business cards! Soon, word of mouth was the best sales tactic they could use...client were referring friends and family! Results were being noted everywhere—in the gym, at family reunions, at church gatherings, in public, and in homes!
But then “they “came...
Yes, then the ones that had little or no experience came in. The ones that wanted all the glamour without working for it. The ones that thought their time was too valuable and demanded to be paid more. The ones that followed all the false prophet magazines. The ones that felt they were destined to be trainers.
I wrote this article because in 6 years of direct personal training and 3 years of direct management of personal trainers, I have had the opportunity to interview 43 “wanna-be” trainers in my career. Some were destined to be good trainers and I hired them, some were destined to waste my time. I have the opportunity to instruct classes on personal trainers in community colleges in Connecticut and each year, I meet over 100 new people wanting to become a personal trainer. I workout in 4 different clubs 3 times a week and I have the opportunity to observe trainers in action. I teach workshops on advanced strength training techniques for trainers 4 times a year and have the opportunity to speak to trainers in their first year “on the job”. I talk and I listen, and I realize that 50% of the trainers fail. Here are my top 5 reason why:
(Look for Part 2 soon)
I can feel the fists clamping and the teeth grinding as I write this. I can see the eyes slither up as if an un-welcomed cousin has entered the party. I can hear the whispers and the “whatevers” under everyone’s breaths. Well...if you are still interested in reading this, its because you want to stand apart from the 125,000 new fitness professionals that join the ranks every year, and hopefully, you don’t want to be one of the 25,000 that quit after 1 year.
In my opinion, you are going to continue reading this because you want to hear what I have to say. And who they hell am I you may ask? I am a lot of things....an observer, a student, a teacher, a leader, and a friend. I am a professional, an educator, and a coach. I remember being asked what I did for living years ago and replying, “I’m a personal trainer”, and everyone kinda looking at me like I had 3 heads.
“You mean you show people how to use those machines?”
“....Mmmmm, close....I help fat people get skinny and I help slow people run faster, and I help scared people be brave...and I help weak people be stronger, and I help diseased people become healthy”.
So, being labeled a personal trainer has come around over the last 3-4 years. Being one is not as foreign as it used to be when I first started out. Of course, they’re those that started out before me. Oh, yeah...they were called Biff, Zach, and Lance. They were the biggest guys in the gym with the darkest tans, and the highest Ottomix shoes around. They wore bandanas, belts, and earrings in the gym. They smelled like protein and they had more weightlifting gloves than some women had shoes. Some were old too...frequently telling me stories of feats past—big benches, big deads, big squats....torn pecks, bad backs, and messed up knees.
So these guys eventually fizzled out and a new breed of trainers came around. These trainers came out of college with degrees and athletic backgrounds. These new trainers came out of aerobics rooms and sought out certifications. These new trainers rose up out of the dungy gyms and became students of the game. These new trainers used what they learned in books and did research on themselves. They understood the function of the hamstring in a lunge is to decelerate the movement....they understood the function of the rotator cuff...they understood that cardiovascular performance was directly related to functional capacity. These new trainers even looked professional. They wore khaki’s, polo and golf shirts, dress shoes, and had smiles. These new trainers practiced what they preached because they learned in their own trainings; they learned in athletics; they learned in step classes; and they learned through trial and error. These trainers had a passion to share the knowledge they obtained with the average joe and once they were able to help their first client...a confidence was born. These trainers understood that their passion was becoming their bread and butter. These trainers began to understand selling their services was part of the game and they wanted to market their success to more and more clients. They understood they can achieve longevity in this field, rather which assuming it was a short term career detour. They made money! They helped people lose weight! They helped the weak become stronger, and the youths become more athletic. They wore the distinct “Trainer” label on their shirts and they carried their own business cards! Soon, word of mouth was the best sales tactic they could use...client were referring friends and family! Results were being noted everywhere—in the gym, at family reunions, at church gatherings, in public, and in homes!
But then “they “came...
Yes, then the ones that had little or no experience came in. The ones that wanted all the glamour without working for it. The ones that thought their time was too valuable and demanded to be paid more. The ones that followed all the false prophet magazines. The ones that felt they were destined to be trainers.
I wrote this article because in 6 years of direct personal training and 3 years of direct management of personal trainers, I have had the opportunity to interview 43 “wanna-be” trainers in my career. Some were destined to be good trainers and I hired them, some were destined to waste my time. I have the opportunity to instruct classes on personal trainers in community colleges in Connecticut and each year, I meet over 100 new people wanting to become a personal trainer. I workout in 4 different clubs 3 times a week and I have the opportunity to observe trainers in action. I teach workshops on advanced strength training techniques for trainers 4 times a year and have the opportunity to speak to trainers in their first year “on the job”. I talk and I listen, and I realize that 50% of the trainers fail. Here are my top 5 reason why:
(Look for Part 2 soon)
