21 year old who wants to be a personal trainer, please help

[phlifter]

hey ive been working out for about 6-7 years now and i have decided that i would like to take a step toward being a trainer, i know alot of you will prolly put me down and say i havent worked out enough or whatever, but i was super skinny and have chrones disease and now im in better shape than almost everyone i see (especially people my age). i was wondering how difficult or even more importantly my first and second step,as the difficulty doesnt matter cuz i think i can do it! i live in Orlando, FL, idk if there are different laws or something per state. any advice or anything would be great, thank you all! also i have a little information from my sister who teaches spinning and other classes in NY but its not the same as a trainer, or do you guys think its easier to teach a class? any help would be great!

[SFT]

hey ive been working out for about 6-7 years now and i have decided that i would like to take a step toward being a trainer, i know alot of you will prolly put me down and say i havent worked out enough or whatever, but i was super skinny and have chrones disease and now im in better shape than almost everyone i see (especially people my age). i was wondering how difficult or even more importantly my first and second step,as the difficulty doesnt matter cuz i think i can do it! i live in Orlando, FL, idk if there are different laws or something per state. any advice or anything would be great, thank you all! also i have a little information from my sister who teaches spinning and other classes in NY but its not the same as a trainer, or do you guys think its easier to teach a class? any help would be great!

How long you have worked out really doesn't matter. People will likely put you down because you really didn't ask any specific questions. Use the search button and find threads like yours. You are correct in assuming that teaching spinning is different than personal training. Teaching classes can be difficult depending on the group size and the type of class. Spinning is not quite as technical as other classes, but you still need to be confident and competent or people will walk all over you, or potentially become hurt. I suggest that you shadow a local trainer and come back with more specific questions once you have done more research.

[rockangel]

Spinning can be as technical as you want it to be. Just like anything else, it can have different goals. Strength, endurance, cross training, increasing vo2 max, cal burn, etc. And there are things to teach as far as proper form and technique. Its different than training yes, but it still requires you to make a fun challengeing class with a goal in mind that keeps people coming back. In fact, the challenge is to structure your class for the goal and take into consideration that you are teaching others with a wide variety of fitness levels.
Training is different in the knowledge and appliation of that specific knowledge, but the basis is the same as in you still have to have a program that is fun challenging and keeps your client coming back.
But i agree you should do some more research.

[RickyIB]

Exactly what was said. How much u workout is irrelevant. U can b the biggest guy or girl in the gym but the knowledge u have or pass on could determine ur outcome. Being an instructor or PT isn't about the way u look, ok image is important cus no one is gonna take the fat instructor seriously but it's the knowledge u possess that's important. Get qualified, use a search engine and ull soon realise that it's not about how big u r, it's about how u got there.

[gabytheft]

Hey it doesn't really matter what you look like if you know your **** and you have the right personality. There's a fat trainer at my gym and she's got the most clients because she has a variety of exercises and knows how to talk to people. Although it is very unnecessary and there are cheaper ways to get certified, since you live in orlando I highly recommend you check out National Personal Training Institute (NPTI). I went to school there and I wouldn't trade the knowledge I gained there for anything in the world. They are a big part of why I'm a great trainer today. I went to school there (I'm also 21) and am working two fitness jobs now and they helped me out a lot. http://nptifitness.com/ check them out.

if you really want to be a personal trainer set your mind to it and reach your goals. good luck

[weaponxpf]

It ultimately depends on your goals and how far you want to take your educational training. Most gym will take basic certifications like ACE, etc. But if you want to be regarded as an expert in your field that a physician would even recommend clients to you then get that degree!

I have my ACSM personal trainer certification. Man was it tough! Passed on the second try. I run my own successful business with just that and a business background. I have the eTextbook version of the ACSM personal trainer certification books and the NASM certification book. If anybody is interested just PM me or check out the link in my signature below :-)

[JoeCannonMSCSCS]

My best advice for you since you are just starting out is to get a copy of my book Personal Fitness Training Beyond the Basics. I train personal trainers. I know what they dont know and what they need to know http://www.joe-cannon.com/my-other-books/

Not trying to sell a book. just trying to get you started the right way. you don't know me so go get it at Amazon. I make almost nothing from an amazon book sale. The important thing is that you know what you are doing. That I can teach you. There is a LOT of personal training info on my website too - its all free.

Good luck regardless!
Joe