how to teach fitness ?

[warchild2005]

Hi Cathe, I'm 17 and really into fitness, and I want to make it my career. I'm a senior in high school and I do your videos as well as do weight training on my own in my house. I love anatomy. I was overwieght once and I know what it feels like to be teased in school. After I lost the weight I wanted to help other teens like me lose weight. I want to teach fitness more than anything! when I'm 18 I want to get certified by the AFPA for Personal Training and Group Fitness. I have cardio music, a step, and weights. my question was how do I know what to do when I do step or aerobics, as in what are some moves? what do I need to know to get to my goal of teaching fitness? what type of college classes do I need after certification? just some advice on how to get started. thanks for your help Cathe! much love Luis.

 

[Aquajock]

Hi, Luis! I'm not Cathe, but she's very busy completing the Hard Core production so I thought I'd offer a few suggestions. I've been an ACE-certified group fitness instructor for almost eight years.

#1:

Talk to the group fitness coordinators and personal training coordinators in the fitness clubs in your area, and see if you could find someone to mentor you in live classes, perhaps allowing you to lead portions of the class to get a feel for what live instruction is like.

#2:

Go online and see if you can find some live workshops coming to your area that teach you how to instruct and train. There are many, many workshop presenters out there, and it would be very helpful to you to connect with them. Just do a Google search with keywords like "fitness instructor training" or "personal trainer preparation" and I'm sure you'll get many hits.

#3:

Contact the colleges you are thinking about going to, and see if they have majors or minors in exercise science, kinesiology, sports conditioning, etc. These are very science-intensive courses of study, so make sure to work hard at all your high school science and math classes. Also make sure to study up on human behavior!

#4:

Check out the Turnstep website (www.turnstep.com) and the Fit-Pro website (www.fit-pro.com). These sites are specifically for fitness professionals and welcome inquiries from prospective fitness pros like you.

#5:

Check out the IDEA website (www.ideafit.com). IDEA is a member organization for fitness professionals (instructors, trainers, coordinators, managers, etc.) and is really one of the great clearinghouses for information and professional development.

That oughtta get you started. You go, girl!

A-Jock

 

[warchild2005]

Thanks so much! I'm excited to start looking up some great things on line. Because you said "You go Girl!" I think you thought I was a woman, but I'm not I'm male and thats cool, were I can maybe see how you you thought I was female. It's all good though! Thank you again for all your help! It'll really help me!

Luis

 

[Aquajock]

Luis, I'm about as embarrassed and sheepish as a bald woman can be!

You'll chuckle to know that, because I'm bald and because I have a pretty husky voice (from years of aqua instruction), I've had more than a couple "Yes sir" 's thrown at me over the past two years.

When you are doing your online search, make sure that the workshop providers you are looking at are reputable. That's where IDEA, ACE (the American Council on Exercise) and the certifying agency you mentioned earlier really come in handy. Just a warning: there are a lot of really cruddy, worthless certifications out there, and a lot of really cruddy, worthless workshops that take your money and give you nothing of value in return. Beware of that.

Also check out the websites for The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the National Association of Sports Medicine (NASM) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). These are largely the gold standards for all things fitness (cardiovascular AND strength training) for short- and long-term preparation.

A-Jock
Sheepishly Bald

 

[Bobbi]

A-Jock, you are so funny. Don't be embarrassed! I live in Tucson and two of my three best friends are awesome Latinas and I read Luis' post and was uncertain about my "You go,....!" because in cyberspace, it is so difficult to dicern the sex of the writer. Your advice is terrific, thorough intelligent, as usual. Luis, you go! Your post (almost) makes me wish to be 17 and so full of dreams and enthusiasm. I say almost because I am quite content as I am but I wish you all the best. A-Jock's advice is wonderful and I think you will make an amazing instructor!
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

- Mary Oliver

 

[warchild2005]

Thank you all for being so supportive! All these sources get me excited, because I love learning! and being around people. I did do a Job Shadow with a local Gym 'Family Fitness Center' for a school project and have since returned! and I'll be ordering some music in the comming weeks off this website...so I'm excited!

 

[Aquajock]

Luis - if you want some REALLY awesome fitness music, check out Power Music (www.powermusic.com). I buy my music for my classes only through them, and they produce music for ALL types of classes and training.

Also for music check out Muscle Mixes, Dynamix and Muscle Flex (IMHO Muscle Flex isn't that great, but it's there).

A-Jock