Distance Learning

[Tailserg]

Hi everyone, looking for some advice if you can give it!

I'm currently looking at personal training courses (level 2 & level 3 advanced) and from what I've seen and the companies I've spoke to, Train Fitness are the one's who appeal to me the most.
I work full time in my families business so their distance course would be ideal. It's all done online except from assesments and the odd training day.
My plan, once qualified, is to do one to one personal training part time. I'll probably start with friends and family then hopefully get a few clients and see how that goes before I make any big career choices!

So, my questions are:
Has anyone heard of Train Fitness and recommend them? Will I be at a disadvantage doing it online rather than being taught in a classroom? I also see that when people qualify, they tend to get a job at a gym 1st for experience. Is this neccessary if you are planning on going it alone rather than trying to get a personal training job with a gym?

Hope someone can help and sorry for all the questions, I'm just making sure I make the right choices before I spend a fortune on a course!

[Ronin4help]

Hi everyone, looking for some advice if you can give it!

I'm currently looking at personal training courses (level 2 & level 3 advanced) and from what I've seen and the companies I've spoke to, Train Fitness are the one's who appeal to me the most.
I work full time in my families business so their distance course would be ideal. It's all done online except from assesments and the odd training day.
My plan, once qualified, is to do one to one personal training part time. I'll probably start with friends and family then hopefully get a few clients and see how that goes before I make any big career choices!

So, my questions are:
Has anyone heard of Train Fitness and recommend them? Will I be at a disadvantage doing it online rather than being taught in a classroom? I also see that when people qualify, they tend to get a job at a gym 1st for experience. Is this neccessary if you are planning on going it alone rather than trying to get a personal training job with a gym?

Hope someone can help and sorry for all the questions, I'm just making sure I make the right choices before I spend a fortune on a course!

You are 31 years old, yes? You need to hurry up with making a 'career choice'. Stop dragging your feet already.

[Tailserg]

I've been in a career for 11 years, I'm looking for a change. It is the family business and was a good job with great salary to go in to after leaving school, especially since I didn't have a clue what to do after school. Not everyone finds their perfect job right away, fitness in general wasn't my interest then, but is now a massive part of my life. I'm not 'dragging my feet', I've found something I love more than what I do now, it's a career 'change'. Nothing wrong with that, you make it sound like I'm too old to change careers, why should age be a boundary? and 31 isn't even that old!

Anyway, I'm only looking for a bit of advice, not criticism.
If anyone else has some helpful advice i would be very grateful!

[Ronin4help]

I've been in a career for 11 years, I'm looking for a change. It is the family business and was a good job with great salary to go in to after leaving school, especially since I didn't have a clue what to do after school. Not everyone finds their perfect job right away, fitness in general wasn't my interest then, but is now a massive part of my life. I'm not 'dragging my feet', I've found something I love more than what I do now, it's a career 'change'. Nothing wrong with that, you make it sound like I'm too old to change careers, why should age be a boundary? and 31 isn't even that old!

Anyway, I'm only looking for a bit of advice, not criticism.
If anyone else has some helpful advice i would be very grateful!

Easy turbo. Don't get all bent outta shape. 31 is too late for a career change. It isn't too late for a part time job, but if you think you are going to make a career out of personal training at the time when personal training is a dying industry, then you may be shockingly surprised. The industry is changing. Online wellness and fitness is going to replace personal training.

[Tailserg]

Sorry but I disagree, I don't see why it's too late.
I'm not going to approach it with a defeatist attitude. If it's something I love and want to make a career of, I fully believe I can. Being a personal trainer can open doors in to other parts of the Health industry too. If I'm focused and really want it, it'll work.
I'm obviously wasting my time here.

[KyleAaron]

Personal training isn't dying. It is changing.

Talberg didn't read the sticky, I have undeleted the thread.

[Ronin4help]

Sorry but I disagree, I don't see why it's too late.
I'm not going to approach it with a defeatist attitude. If it's something I love and want to make a career of, I fully believe I can. Being a personal trainer can open doors in to other parts of the Health industry too. If I'm focused and really want it, it'll work.
I'm obviously wasting my time here.

This is not a matter of belief in oneself or optimism. It's a matter of reality. 'If I'm focused and really want it.'?? You are not 12 years old. This type of adolescent motivational mindset is probably why you still are not well established in your desired career as of today. The older you get, the stranger people will find it that you work at the local gym with all the other teenagers. At your age, you should already have your own studio.. or two. Being a personal trainer in his thirties is perfectly fine. Being one who is at the bottom of the totem pole is not. The exact opposite is true for very young doctors. Most people would rather have a mature doctor than one barely out of med school.

[Ronin4help]

Personal training isn't dying. It is changing.

Talberg didn't read the sticky, I have undeleted the thread.

You guys will probably feel it well after we do. It's dying here in the U.S. It is a slow death, but it is a certain one. It's like full service gas stations. It took two decades for them to die off but now everyone pumps his/her own gas. Services that can be replaced by technology always die off. It is inevitable. Services that can never be replaced by tech will always remain (hair stylist, car detailing, window cleaning, etc.)

I agree that it's changing. It's changing from a personal one-on-one service to one satisfied with the assistance of tech and perhaps no trainer present at all. Personal training is dying (in the traditional sense) but not personal trainers.

[KyleAaron]

It's changing.

Mainstream gyms in Australia, along with the rest of the Western world, haven't grown since 2007. But they haven't shrunk, either. And the industry as a whole has grown. Growth has been firstly in 24hr gyms - cheap, no service, the "pump your own gas" model you mention. Secondly in women's only gyms - it's all that "safe space" stuff. Thirdly and very distantly in training gyms, small group stuff like crossfit.

Technology is only relevant for the 24hr gym crowd - the cheaparses who never go anyway will be the ones fcking around with apps, getting "online training" (eg Michelle Bridges has a secretary email you a diet you'll never follow) and so on. It's not going to substitute for the community of a gym, or women being around other women, or - for the always-small minority who want effective training - actual coaching in a small group.

People can get into this as a career, or career change. But they have to be open-minded and willing to learn. Most aren't. From my original PT school classes there were 42 people, 7 years later only 2 of us work as trainers. I would suggest that the sort of person who looks for shortcuts like distance learning is not the sort who'll do well in a competitive industry.

[Ronin4help]

It's changing.

Mainstream gyms in Australia, along with the rest of the Western world, haven't grown since 2007. But they haven't shrunk, either. And the industry as a whole has grown. Growth has been firstly in 24hr gyms - cheap, no service, the "pump your own gas" model you mention. Secondly in women's only gyms - it's all that "safe space" stuff. Thirdly and very distantly in training gyms, small group stuff like crossfit.

Technology is only relevant for the 24hr gym crowd - the cheaparses who never go anyway will be the ones fcking around with apps, getting "online training" (eg Michelle Bridges has a secretary email you a diet you'll never follow) and so on. It's not going to substitute for the community of a gym, or women being around other women, or - for the always-small minority who want effective training - actual coaching in a small group.

People can get into this as a career, or career change. But they have to be open-minded and willing to learn. Most aren't. From my original PT school classes there were 42 people, 7 years later only 2 of us work as trainers. I would suggest that the sort of person who looks for shortcuts like distance learning is not the sort who'll do well in a competitive industry.

I agree but the apps are just the beginning. Soon all the cardio and weight machines will have virtual trainers. Make no mistake, the gym owners do not want to hire trainers. They can't sell, the turnover rate is too costly (constantly hiring and training) and they are a legal liability. Once the tech gets good enough and the machines are retrofitted... bye bye trainer.

[KyleAaron]

Sure, and shortly after they do that the big gyms will close. The stats - which no big gym owner likes to look at - are that if a gym member has no staff talk to or even greet them, they quit. Just having one staff member talk to them once means 25% less chance of quitting next month. People go to a gym because they want people, if all they wanted was the gear they'd just buy some.

I know this because it's been tried in Australia. One of the branches of the Y I worked for went full-on with the tech, bikes with telly screens and a little guy cycling along imaged, you could race your mates, etc. Less staff, more gear. People didn't use that junk, they went to classes instead, and PT sessions took off - just as overall gym numbers dropped. People want people.

So half of them will get all the useless fancy gear and close, the others will trundle along making from a 5% loss to a 5% profit as now. Their main usefulness will be in filtering out the 80% of trainers who can't get and keep clients even with 2,400 gym members floating around, and training (by experience, not manager guidance) the remaining 20%.

[Tailserg]

It's changing.

Mainstream gyms in Australia, along with the rest of the Western world, haven't grown since 2007. But they haven't shrunk, either. And the industry as a whole has grown. Growth has been firstly in 24hr gyms - cheap, no service, the "pump your own gas" model you mention. Secondly in women's only gyms - it's all that "safe space" stuff. Thirdly and very distantly in training gyms, small group stuff like crossfit.

Technology is only relevant for the 24hr gym crowd - the cheaparses who never go anyway will be the ones fcking around with apps, getting "online training" (eg Michelle Bridges has a secretary email you a diet you'll never follow) and so on. It's not going to substitute for the community of a gym, or women being around other women, or - for the always-small minority who want effective training - actual coaching in a small group.

People can get into this as a career, or career change. But they have to be open-minded and willing to learn. Most aren't. From my original PT school classes there were 42 people, 7 years later only 2 of us work as trainers. I would suggest that the sort of person who looks for shortcuts like distance learning is not the sort who'll do well in a competitive industry.

Appreciate the feedback. From what I've seen, the distance course is quite thourough, although I am willing to go to courses during and after this to further my knowledge. Having a high mortgage, car etc, I saw it as a good way to learn as well as keep my full time job. I'm not looking for a shortcut, just a way in to the industry that can work around my family life. Maybe it's not the best option after all. There is full time and part time courses too, if I can get the time off work maybe this would be the best route.
Ronin4help, my situation at work is a tricky one. It's been bad for my health and I just want a fresh start, saw this as an opportunity to do something I love. You're probably right about part time being more feasible though. I've obviously got a lot to think about but will take both of your comments on board :-)

[Ronin4help]

Sure, and shortly after they do that the big gyms will close. The stats - which no big gym owner likes to look at - are that if a gym member has no staff talk to or even greet them, they quit. Just having one staff member talk to them once means 25% less chance of quitting next month. People go to a gym because they want people, if all they wanted was the gear they'd just buy some.

I know this because it's been tried in Australia. One of the branches of the Y I worked for went full-on with the tech, bikes with telly screens and a little guy cycling along imaged, you could race your mates, etc. Less staff, more gear. People didn't use that junk, they went to classes instead, and PT sessions took off - just as overall gym numbers dropped. People want people.

So half of them will get all the useless fancy gear and close, the others will trundle along making from a 5% loss to a 5% profit as now. Their main usefulness will be in filtering out the 80% of trainers who can't get and keep clients even with 2,400 gym members floating around, and training (by experience, not manager guidance) the remaining 20%.

They are already closing.

I believe that we are going to see something revolutionary. Nothing in the history of the industry can compare and so nothing from the past will be applicable. I believe we will soon have dynamic robotics with micro sensors in gym equipment. Machines that can select the correct weight, self-spot, self adjust in terms of seating and leg/arm positioning, etc. It won't just be a screen with some fake person on there telling the user what to do. It's going to be so revolutionary that people will love using the equipment in ways never seen before and the trainer, in comparison, will seem obsolete.

[KyleAaron]

Yeah it'll come along about the same time as the flying car and fusion power.

[Ronin4help]

Yeah it'll come along about the same time as the flying car and fusion power.

We dream big over here brother. If we didn't, you guys wouldn't have a smart phone to text on or the Internet to converse on.

BTW- Flying car already in production.