certified personal trainer

[Guinness Snout]

Thinking about becoming a personal trainer this coming year.  I'm leaning towards ISSA online course.  Does anyone have any experience with them or other suggestions?  I've contacted them and they have sent me info.  They seem like a good choice.  Just askin' around to see if there are other personal trainers here and where they got certified and how do they compare?  Thanks for any and all replies.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

Why are you getting into it?

Supplemental income or an actual career move?

[Guinness Snout]

I already have a career as a full time FF/EMT.  I looking to do it on my off time.     I really want to help people get healthy and have a better quality of life.  I've always like working out.  I've learned a lot just from reading online articles and online forums (bodybuliding.com, anabolic minds etc..). I myself was almost 300lbs a year ago and now I'm down to 223lbs.  I want to do it for extra income but I also want to help people to become a better person physically, mentally and emotionally.  Its just something I'm really interested in.  I hope that helps.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

Gotcha I was just curious.

Sounds like you're doing it for the right reasons which is good.

I personally don't have any experience with ISSA but I know people who have held that cert. It's typically fine but IMO not as well respected as some others. In fact, some of the people I knew who had it went back and got a another cert in addition to ISSA because of that fact.

Anyway the one I held was the NSCA-CPT and is widely recognized and well respected. I no longer have it since I'm not actively training anymore and didn't want to keep paying the recert fees but I've got a BS in exercise physiology and several years training experience from college athletes to soccer moms so I can generally get away without a cert at most gyms.

That said if I started up training again fulltime I would go ahead and recert and would still go back through the NSCA as I consider them and the ACSM the gold standard personally.

Anyway ISSA would be a fine entry level cert but if you want a cert that will be recognized and respected at any gym you train at I'd go with the NSCA or ACSM cert.

[Guinness Snout]

Thanks I appreciate the help.  I'll check those out.  Any advise on getting started and things like that?  Thanks again for the help.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

No problem man.

Personal training as I'm sure you know is as much about people skills as it is training knowledge and the more you work with people the better you will be at it. A lot of times you're their psychiatrist as much as their trainer.

The biggest thing is trying to find out what makes them tick. Some clients love to be pushed while some like a more laid back approach. You have to kinda be a chameleon with your training programs as well as relating to your clients. I don't mean in a bad way you just have to know how to relate and communicate with them in a way that you get them to trust you and buy into what you're doing so you can get the most out of them.

As far as logistics make sure you stay organized. Get a date planner and be meticulous. At one time I had over 35 clients. Some training once a week, some training several times a week, some at night, some at 5 a.m., and without that date book I would have been lost.

Also keep logs of your clients workouts as well as body composition data to track progress not only for yourself but your clients as well. Have a plan, implement your plan, and adjust or modify as needed for the desired results.

Every gym will have their way of doing things so just learn the lay of the land and go from there.

In the end keep it fun for you and your clients and keep it fresh. Remind them that they are there to better themselves and you are merely their guide. You can show them the way but the want to has to come from them (of course with a little nudging from you from time to time).

Some clients you'll enjoy training more than others that's just the way it is but give each one your all since they deserve no less. Be courteous and professional and expect the same from your clients.

Oh and no cookie cutter workouts either please, give your clients an individualized plan that they deserve. Keep learning and evolving your methods and don't be afraid to try new things.

Anyway above all just be yourself and enjoy what you're doing and everything else will work itself out.

I'm sure you'll do great and let me know if you've got anymore questions.

[Guinness Snout]

Thanks for all the info. 

[clutch]

How long have you been working out and studying training methods? The reason I ask is because you will want an understanding of multiple different training approaches. It sounds like you've had great success with your personal plan of attack, but that may not be what some of your clients need.

Not trying to make it sound like you aren't ready to do this, because I have no idea of what you know. I just see a lot of trainers that jumped into it because they liked working out and while they had good intentions, they didn't always know how to design plans that are best for their clients. That has always irked me. I feel like if you are going to charge people to train them then you should be able to design plans that suit their needs and accomplish their goals.

If you are capable of doing this, then jump right it. It would be a gratifying job for sure. Just make sure first that you are in fact knowledgeable enough to design and tweak your plans for individual clients. As Hogsmo said, no cookie-cutter workouts. Exercise and diet plans are definitely something that has to be very personalized. You have to have the ability to identify what your clients body is responding to and what it is not. There's definitely a lot more to it than just telling them to do an exercise and don't give up.

With that said, good luck to you. Change some lives this year.

[Guinness Snout]

I've been lifting weights off and on for years just never really comitted to it cause I was lazy.  I've been ready various material for about two years now.  I know that what works for me may not work for someone else.  I'm. Use to my body and what it responds to.  I definetly want to help people especially with the nutrition part of it cause it starts there.  I'm have a certain amount of knowledge but I'm looking for a good online program to really teach me how things are done and how to adapt workouts and nutrtion plans to fit a person attitude, life style and personal drive. 

[Guinness Snout]

I've also had a lot of personal ups and downs from always being the chunky kid to drug and alcohol problems over the years and a broken marriage.  Health and fitness has become my outlet. 

[McKdaddy]

I recently began utilizing a personal trainer at my gym, Lifetime. It's early, but I enjoy the motivation if being accountable to him and his providing me different, creative, & flexible workouts.

[Guinness Snout]

Keep up the hard work makdaddy!  Remember we didn't get in the shape we're in overnight so getting in the right shape takes time.  Its a marathon not a sprint.  Keep pluggin' away at it and you'll reach your goals.

[clutch]

Sounds like you are on the right path then. Just keep soaking up everything you can possible learn. Like I said, too many trainers out there now that jumped in just because they liked working out. We need more in the world that actually take the time to learn different approaches to apply to their clients.

[Hogsmo Kramer]

Sounds like you are on the right path then. Just keep soaking up everything you can possible learn. Like I said, too many trainers out there now that jumped in just because they liked working out. We need more in the world that actually take the time to learn different approaches to apply to their clients.

This is completely true and to be honest the whole "weekend cert" kinda chaps my arss a little (no offense Guinness).

Reason being is I went to school and got a Bachelors degree in this stuff as well as have spent countless upon countless hours gaining experience in many different facets of training but someone who goes and spends a fraction of the money or time I have in this field can make close to the same as me and have the same title if we work at the same gym.

It's complete BS and many of the trainers I've been around have no business training. Heck half of them don't even look like they've spent any time in the gym at all themselves.

Anyway it's just not regulated the way it should be in my opinion to weed out the people who don't need to be trainers and as a result the clients suffer as does the profession.

That said I've got faith Guinness that you're not gonna be one of these knuckleheads though so it's all good.

Oh and sorry for the rant

[clutch]

This is completely true and to be honest the whole "weekend cert" kinda chaps my arss a little (no offense Guinness).

Reason being is I went to school and got a Bachelors degree in this stuff as well as have spent countless upon countless hours gaining experience in many different facets of training but someone who goes and spends a fraction of the money or time I have in this field can make close to the same as me and have the same title if we work at the same gym.

It's complete BS and many of the trainers I've been around have no business training. Heck half of them don't even look like they've spent any time in the gym at all themselves.

Anyway it's just not regulated the way it should be in my opinion to weed out the people who don't need to be trainers and as a result the clients suffer as does the profession.

That said I've got faith Guinness that you're not gonna be one of these knuckleheads though so it's all good.

Oh and sorry for the rant

That's the biggest reason it's hard to make any real money doing it. Gyms are flooded with trainers who shouldn't be trainers, so the ones that should have a hard time making a living doing it.