So let's just say I want to be a trainer when I grow up

[Determined]

I already have all the book knowledge. Ask any fat girl who's literate and determined any health question, ever, and she has the facts, figures and percentages. It's a frightening thing, but the knowledge is there.

So I'll get the body to match. Fair enough, that'll tale discipline.

What then? Has anyone ever made this move? How? What'd you do?

[Vintage]

You don't have all the book knowledge. No one does. One sign of a good trainer (like in many things in life) is that they are constantly learning, reading, asking people with more experience/knowledge for advice, etc. Going into something thinking you don't have anything you need to learn is an extremely limiting frame of mind. This connects to the need to do the physical work yourself as well - use that as a learning experience, not just some appearance you have to have to sell yourself. If you approach it right, you'll learn an incredible amount, not only about training techniques, but also about the psychological aspect of things, which is absolutely vital. 

 

 

What kind of training do you want to do? That's an important place to start.

[Huntress]

You don't have all the book knowledge. No one does. One sign of a good trainer (like in many things in life) is that they are constantly learning, reading, asking people with more experience/knowledge for advice, etc. Going into something thinking you don't have anything you need to learn is an extremely limiting frame of mind. This connects to the need to do the physical work yourself as well - use that as a learning experience, not just some appearance you have to have to sell yourself. If you approach it right, you'll learn an incredible amount, not only about training techniques, but also about the psychological aspect of things, which is absolutely vital. 

 

 

What kind of training do you want to do? That's an important place to start.

 

Yeah I agree. My trainer is always talking about the new things he's learned. One of the reasons I pay him is that he's a total fitness nerd who knows a hell of a lot more than me and is gonna keep on learning new fitness things that will be of my benefit.

I don't really see how why someone would have the knowledge to be a PT because they were a "fat girl who's literate". PT is about so much more than weight loss. What if you had a client like me, whose PT has no emphasis on weight loss or anything to do with trying to "get the body", and everything to do with overall fitness improvement? I mean do you really know already how muscle density is built most efficiently and is your form with every free weight exercise absolutely perfect? How would you help your clients increase rapid increases in cardiovascular fitness or their agility and balance or their explosive power? Can you develop a specialised program to help someone rehab from an injury?

And not just the theory, do you actually know how to teach it to a range of different people with different learning styles who will be motivated by different things. That's the sort of stuff you're gonna get hit with if you become a trainer. 

[Malfurion]

First you can have to be representative of what you sale...if you train people to get fit and you are not fit yourself....that will not make it...

Second you can have to know and have tested what works on different type of bodies.

And then know about group training and personnal training....

[Determined]

Group training interests me, but one-on-one makes me feel like I could really do more to help someone.

 

I guess I made it sound like I had "all" the knowledge of ever. Poor phrasing - I guess I'm not that literate after all! Then again, if I had "all" the knowledge, I likely wouldn't have asked the question.

 

What I need to know is, how do I go about expanding what I already have as a base, in order to get to the next level. Do I need a biology degree? Or would that merely be an asset? Do I shadow someone in order to become accredited?

 

That's the kind of thing I need to know. Thoughts?

[connada123]

If all you want is to start training people at a local gym, it's pretty easy to get started. Find out what certifications they accept, and then get one of those certifications (NASM, ACSM, ISSA, ACE). Certs can run anywhere from $500 to $2k depending on how much prep you want for the exam. Depending on your educational background and available time, it'll probably take anywhere from 4 to 12 weeks to study all the materials before you feel ready to take the exam. The exams aren't "easy" but they're not rocket science either. Any local gym will likely hire you as soon as you get your cert. You're another body to do sales for them, that's enough.

 

Be aware that most trainers don't get paid very well. I know a few that do really great (six figures), but I know a lot more than don't make a third of that. My experience is limited to large metro areas, but I think most trainers around here make ~$45k/year (US). Also, most gyms will judge you not on how well you help your clients, but how many sessions you sell. You'll feel more like a sales person than a trainer a lot of the time.

 

The most successful trainer I ever knew would train clients at their own house without a lot of equipment. She spent a lot of time studying rehabilitation, and would network with physical therapists. When a physical therapist was finished with a patient that maybe still needed some extra work to get from 75% to 100% (or the insurance stopped paying), the physical therapists would recommend this women. She would work directly with the physical therapist to develop a program for the patient/client (took her all of 5-10 minutes over the phone to find out what the patient could and couldn't do, and to get specific recommendations from the therapist). She would then charge a premium to the client (but less than paying cash for a physical therapist), and basically walk these clients through a basic physical therapist routine. Eventually she'd translate more to a typical strength program. She helped a lot of people and made very good money. Because of her specialty, she gained a great reputation, and was "the" trainer in the area, even for those without specific limitations or injuries. Honestly, outside the scope of her little niche, I never thought much of her as a trainer, but she was a great sales person, and knew her niche better than anyone I ever met.

[Determined]

That's great info - thank you!

I'm currently working with my underweight roommate to make sure her body doesn't eat its muscle. It's weird being on the other side of the calories in/out equation. But she needs help, and I love the thought of finally getting her on a healthy path. It's something I've become very passionate about.

[connada123]

I understand the desire to help others, but I'll caution you against working with your roommate, particularly if you're passionate about doing so. If she's not begging for your advice, don't get involved. If she doesn't take your advice, you can't get all worked up about it. Stick only to the topics that she brings up, and when she brings them up. If she's suppose to eat X amount of calories per day, and you see she's clearly not, keep it to yourself unless she wants to talk about it. Don't make this about what you want, it has to be about what she wants, and what she's willing to do. Everybody wants to be healthy, but most don't feel it's worth the time and effort. That's their decision, regardless of how anyone else feels about it. I can think of few things worse than having someone I live with harp on me about healthy eating habits when I'm not exactly following "the plan". If she asks, give her the knowledge, but it's not your job to hold her accountable. The second you feel like you need to hold her accountable, take a second, step back, and realize that you're probably about to overstep your bounds.

 

When you give her advice, make sure you can explain the "why". If you don't know the "why", do more research. If you can't explain the "why", you probably shouldn't be giving advice on it.

 

Good luck to you, hope it all works out for you.

[Raikas]

What I need to know is, how do I go about expanding what I already have as a base, in order to get to the next level. Do I need a biology degree? Or would that merely be an asset? Do I shadow someone in order to become accredited?

 

The accreditation rules depend on your location, but generally you'll have nationally recognized accreditation programs, so you could start with one of those.

 

People generally assume that a trainer is at least certified with a national group (I'm in Canada, so it's usually canfitpro here) - that just requires passing a written + practical test.  But if you look at job listings at decent gyms, most of them require more than that and so at those places you'll see trainers who have either a university degree (usually in Kinesiology) or a college diploma (sometimes kinesiology, sometimes fitness).  And then if you're looking for a specific style of training (or to open your own gym with a branded name) those come with their own training programs and regulations (like how the crossfit or nia names are guarded).

 

There are certainly other routes (there are even free certifications in some places), but consumers are usually more wary of those, so while that might save you money up-front, it might cost you potential customers in the long run.  Similarly, people like the freedom of working for themselves, but without a high number of clients the cost of liability insurance can mean that working for a gym makes more financial sense at first.