Question for fitness proffessionals and personal trainers....

[Imafitnessfreak]

I really would like to get into this line of work. I am so extremely fasinated with fitness and nutrition, I think I would love it! I think about it non stop, FitTV is on 24 hours a day (almost). I watch one workout while doing another. Some may say it is an obssession, I am just so interested!!

Anyway, what type of education do I need? Are the programs that allow you to study at home and online and test from home and online credible? Help! I don't want to pay for something only to find out the classes I took from home are useless!

 

[jtlane25]

Hi, I am a AFAA, Turbokick, and Tae Bo certified. I would suggest looking into AFAA or ACE. I believe the websites to visit are www.afaa.com and www.acefitness.org. These would be the main certifications to start with. It CAN get expensive but if it's in your heart....it is worth it. I know there are some online ways of going about it....but most gyms don't recognize them. They usually want AFAA or ACE. Once you establish your cerification you can go online to get additional CEU's (Continuing Eductation Units). You do have to get additional CEU's to maintain your certifications.

I don't think it's an obsession to watch Fit TV. I love it too! You can NEVER gain too much knowledge. The more you know...the more you can share with others! That is what makes a good teacher! Having the desire to always want to learn more!

Hope that helped some!

 

[Imafitnessfreak]

That is a HUGE help! So gyms require AFAA or ACE? What else do they look for? ANY info you have is greatly appreciated. I feel I am at a huge crossroad right now and something is screaming at me to finally go after what I have always wanted to do. I want to do so aggressively but even more, constructively. If it is pricey, so be it. Just so it will help me on my path.

 

[maxwells]

Hey Imafitnessfreak --

I was exactly where you are about a year and a half ago. I was burned out at my job (software engineer) and had never considered getting into a fitness-related field until my own personal trainer encouraged me to do so.

jtlane25 gave you some good information: AFAA and ACE are recognized by everyone. As for personal training certification -- ACE is known to be more prestigious but I think AFAA is currently taking steps in an attempt to beef up their PT certification.

I am an AFAA certified group fitness instructor. I also have my personal trainer certification from The Cooper center here in Dallas (they are also recognized as a respected certifying body). There are also all kinds of specialty group fitness certifications: Step, Kickboxing, Cycling, Yoga, Pilates, PowerPump/MuscleFlex -- you name it. There are also many different specialty PT certifications: older populations, children, performance training, etc. I mainly teach step, although I do not have a specialty certification for step, but my gym requires me to have certifications for MuscleFlex and Kickboxing prior to teaching those classes.

Most gyms will be happy with either AFAA or ACE. But some may require you to go through their own certification (I believe 24 hour fitness does this with their PTs).

So, it CAN get expensive especially when you are first starting out. That is why I'm still keeping my day job Also, if you are wanting to make this your full-time job, you will need to spend some time planning how you want to go about doing it. Do you want to work for a gym as an employee? Do you want to have your own business? You need to weigh the pros and cons of each.

I started with an ebook at /www.fabjob.com/trainer.asp. It was well worth the $15 I paid for it (which is also tax deductible if you have your own business).

I'm taking things a little slow in order to get my business up and running smoothly (I decided I didn't want to be an employee), but I'm currently teaching classes at a local gym (1 regular class and subbing) and I had 4 PT clients prior to the holidays.

One thing to note: as a PT, beware of "start-up" gyms. I've seen it happen a lot -- a new gym opens, stays open for about 6 months (just enough time to get membership money from people), and then closes quietly overnight. If you decide to work as an *independent* trainer -- do not, under any circumstances, allow the gym to be in control of the money paid by your clients. Your clients should pay YOU and then you give the gym its "cut" (however that may be determined). That way, if the gym closes, you can refund the unused sessions to your client or find another place to train them (and, therefore, neither of you are out of money).

I feel lucky to be moving slowly with my business because I feel like I can do it on my own terms. I don't have to settle for an arrangement with a gym that isn't good for me because I am not in a desperate situation.

Good luck! It is an exciting journey!

Shonie

 

[Aquajock]

I've been ACE-certified since Feb. 1997. Gyms - good gyms at least - require you to be certifed through a recognized entity like ACE or AFAA, or NASM or NSCA if you want to be a personal trainer. You also have to be CPR certified to be employed by a gym AND to maintain your certification.

ACE offers textbook, study guides and practice tests as study materials for its primary certifications, and I was able to pass the test on the first bounce by these means alone, without any extra classroom assistance. Be prepared to study hard, both to pass the test AND to internalize the material, which is very important.

Most gyms also look for outside training and/or certification in the mode/s you wish to instruct: spin/indoor-cycling, kickbox, step, aqua, what-have-you. A good way to get your foot in the door is to become a member of a gym with a good complement of group fitness classes, take a ton of them, decide which you want to instruct, and try to get a mentor-instructor on board with you.

Just a caveat - instructing is a whole new world. There are a lot of headaches along with the enjoyment of instructing, including participants who may not be as smart - or polite - as the Cathe crowd, low pay, insurance liability issues, less-than-optimal working environment, less-than-optimal instructing schedules, etc. You also are responsible for finding subs for your classes if you have to miss one, and that can be very, very difficults.

Check out the Turnstep bulletin boards for GFI's and Personal trainers - www.turnstep.com.

HTH -

A-Jock

 

[CurlyQ]

Check out ACSM.org (Amer. College of Sports Medicine), they've just recently added a personal trainer certification - it used to be just for students in college programs.

I'm currently in an associates program for Exercise Physiology and I love it. I just completed a class that was basically field trips to different gyms, physical therapy/ sports medicine facilities, cardiac rehab in hospitals, wellness programs, etc. It was great to see the variety of careers that are available and talk with people in the field. Your local colleges may offer a similar program.

One thing to note is that many of the gyms that we visited required their PT's to have a degree in Exercise Phys. (they're making it harder b/c of injuries/liabilities), the group fitness instructors aren't required to though. All of the professionals that we talked to said the two most important certs. to have are ACSM or ACE, some places required a cert in NSCA (nat'l strength and conditioning assoc.) but that's only available if you're in a bachelors program.

HTH