Careers

[beth6395]

I am on a countdown until my son goes to school full-time. I have been a stay-at-home mom for 6 years now 3 more to go. I am ready to get going on getting a career in place and fitness is my love. I would like to know about becoming a personal trainer My first step is to get certified I went to the ACE website they have a study premiere package for $399.00 is this the way I should start? I do not and have not worked out in a gym is this a problem? It seems the only big fitness center in my area is Fitness USA one burned down in my area and they never moved or rebuilt so it left one available and it is so jammed packed it is ridiculous.

Anyhow can someone kind of walk me through how to get started and my next steps that should follow they have. Like I mentioned I have 3 years to get this in place. How easy was it to find a position? What certifications did you get and what are you doing? Did you start your own facility or working out of your home how easy was getting clients? I am so new to this I just want to jump in and start getting my feet wet So any help would be great or any advice.

Thank you

beth6395

 

[MarleysMom]

My 2cents, the ACE exam is really hard (I am a smart girl and it took 2 tries for me to get it right), you need to study at least 6 mons prior to taking it. You might want to look at the AFAA as a start, it is a little easier and it can help with the ACE.
My own personal experience was starting teaching group-ex at a young age, make myself known, then after getting my ACE exam going to the PT manager and start to work 1/2 on group-ex and 1/2 on PT. I also then got into Pilates on the reformer and that was a good thing to do.
If you start your own business you need to consider insurance and many clients will want to know what certifications you have, so that is really IMO the first place to start.

PM me if you have any more questions. Being a PT is a great job.

Good luck to you,
Jana

 

[pixie9]

Beth,
My advice to you is to start small. First, you do need to get certified. ACE is good (I'm certified through them as a Personal Trainer and Group Instructor). ACSM and NSCA (to name a few) are both probably better. AFAA is good because I believe they offer a weekend course where you get "hands on" experience, which is very useful. AFAA is a great place to get started but it isn't very difficult to get certified through them so keep that in mind. If money isn't a factor, I would do the AFAA and then take the ACE exam. As you build your knowledge and confidence, you may want to consider taking more difficult exams and even possibly taking some college courses in exercise science and/or nutrition. The more experience and education you get on the subject, the better and more successful you will be.

Keep in mind that is is kind of difficult to make personal training a career. Whether or not you are actually working depends on how many clients you have, and clients come as go. In other words, it's not very reliable. I'm not trying to discourage you though because many people make a good living doing this. So like I said, start out small. Maybe try to get a job at a local gym to gain some experience and confidence. Usually when you are hired at a gym, they'll let you shadow another trainer so you can see how other people do it. Once you feel comfortable as a trainer, you may want to consider training people on your own. I've heard of trainers renting out commercial spaces and setting up small gyms or working out of their homes. Some trainers will travel to client's homes as well, or even do all of the above. It's really up to you as to how you would like to train people.

I'm still in that 'training' phase of my career. I work at a local rec center and I'm learning a LOT about training and teaching group classes. (BTW, teaching group classes is a GREAT way to get new clients so you may want to consider doing that as well.) I'm also learning a lot about what type of trainer I'd like to be and what I'd rather not be. I'm hoping to become a freelance personal trainer(and possibly an RD)in the future so I'm just now getting the feel of what it takes and what I can offer. Eventually, my husband and I would like to open up our own small gym/rehab center together.Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions. You'll love this job, it's so much fun and rewarding!

carolyn

 

[Kat2002]

I'm very interested in this also. Can anyone tell me about their experiences with the different certifications and how it effects being hired by a gym? They say ACSM is the "gold-standard" certification, does it really give someone an edge in that regard?

 

[pixie9]

Kathleen,
I'm sure it would make a difference in a gym setting say, if you're trying to get a job training other personal trainers or running a gym. I'm sure if someone had to choose between hiring someone with an ACSM certification or someone with an ACE cert., then the ACSM person would probably win hands down. I'm not sure how much of a difference this would make with clients though. Many people outside of the training and medical world don't know or care to know the diffence between the different certifications. Heck, a lot of trainers out there aren't even certified at all but somehow they still have clients. I'm not advocating not getting certified, I just don't see how it would make that big of a difference if you're just trying to get clients. That being said, the ACSM and NSCA exams are more difficult, therefore you do need to have more knowledge on the subject. Having more knowledge probably makes you a better personal trainer (but not always, afterall we've all met terrible physicians) and hopefully a more successful one to boot.

Carolyn

 

[Kat2002]

Thanks for the quick reponse, Carolyn! This is something that I would love to do as a part-time career (I'm also a student)..I'm tempted to go for the better cert. because my inexperience and age might be a strike against me as far as hiring goes, but then I also don't want to invest the time and money to fail the exam. I basically have 3-4 months where I will have unlimited free time to prepare...it sounds like for the ACSM I would need much more. So perhaps I should go with AFAA or ACE and consider ACSM for the future?

I also have ALOT to learn but I'm pretty good with memorization and do well on standardized tests. Of course, none of this would make me a good trainer, but I'm hoping to get my foot in the door..

 

[pixie9]

If you are good with memorization and tests then I would consider taking the ACSM, especially if you already have knowledge about exercise science, anatomy, nutrition, etc. I haven't taken the ACSM or the NSCA certs but maybe someone else on this forum has. I started with the ACE because it is a decent cert and I was honestly afraid of failing the test and having to take it again. Another thing to consider is the timing of the test. ACE offers testing only on certain times and dates whereas ACSM(I think)allows you to take the exam anytime online. I remember AmyG was considering both of these and I think she even has the ACSM study material. You may want to ask her. I know she ended up taking the ACE and passing it but she may have some more info about the ACSM.

Carolyn