A trainers blog:The start of a training career to the present day

[ConLaV]

Sounds like a positive environment, man. If you have all the people willing to help out and give their praise I'd say there's no stopping the progression that's possible. Keep working hard

[soccerpro6]

Thanks all for the kind words!

Update time!

Ran my second boot camp the other day! It was a lot of fun! Went from 6 people the first time to 14 the second time! Did a lot of stuff involving the stairs, burpees and burpee variations, body weight lunges/squats, wall sits while passing medicine balls down the line of people ect... Everyone had a lot of fun and hopefully I will have another big group next time!

I'm filling up my sechedule in terms of clients! I usually am working from 4-9 or 9:30 with clients pretty much non stop.

I've found on difficult thing to be difficult. I have 2 sets of clients, husband and wife. In both cases, the husband is fairly average in terms of fitness. Slightly overweight, but a hard worker and someone who will see results. The wife in both cases is very overweight, and has a difficult time doing the same exercises as the husband. In both cases, it is difficult to design a workout that will challenge the male, while still be being do-able for the wife! (both clients want to do the same workout as the other BTW). I have started increasing reps and weights for the male, and am still working out ways to make it harder for him.

Busy week coming up! Lots of clients, 2 bootcamps, and continuing my learning processs!


Kyle

[ninjinja]

Hey man great journal I will be checking in again from time to time, its a good read

[l337g0g0]

Good stuff.

Im checking this ouyt for pointers, i will be starting soon and this info is usefull.

Thanks partner, good job keep it up.

[AscendedRicho]

Good luck with it man

[Mr.ILL]

Gj man you're doing a lot for just starting out. Running those bootcamp classes are a lot of fun arent they? I ran my firt 40 min abs class. They all loved it and I plan on doing it again.

[soccerpro6]

Gj man you're doing a lot for just starting out. Running those bootcamp classes are a lot of fun arent they? I ran my firt 40 min abs class. They all loved it and I plan on doing it again.

They are! I was a little nervous at first because I wanted to make sure it was challenging enough for the fitter people in the group, but still something that the more out of shape clients could get through and enjoy!

After I did the first one, I realized it works out pretty well because people can push themselves as hard as they want.

Another kind of cool meathod I learned from a fellow trainer:

Instead of doing an exercise for reps, he does them almost ALL for time. He will time the first rep someone does, and will multiply that amount of time by say 30 (if it takes 2 seconds to do) or whatever number he feels is right. I have found that clients work harder when working toward a time related end, more so than a rep range related end. Just an experience I've had with the 15 or so clients I've worked with, and I like to impliment the meathod in with the traditional rep schemes.

Kyle

[soccerpro6]

Thought I would update since I have not in a few days!

Works been going fantastic! I'm getting very busy and it's a great feeling to see my schedule fill up! I basically have a few distinct groups of clients:

Young, fairly fit, home for the summer from college
Older, 20-40lbs overweight, want to get back into shape for health/asthetic purposes
Middle age, very obese, need to make a lifestyle change.

I like the variety! It's nothing to extreme, but atleast there are a few changes! One of my more overweight clients has already lost 11 lbs, and is so enthused and excited when we workout, I love it! It's amazing to actually see the scale when he gets on and see what he has done already, and to think about what he'll do in the near future!

I'm learning a lot of good variations as well to exercises. Especially the lunge! I've learned a ton of different exercises I like: Lunge with a woodchop with a medicine ball, lunge with a bicep curl, side lunge, ect. All kinds of stuff you can do! I also have started being a big fan of the BOSU ball! Lot's of good core and stability work can be done!

My one wish is that I had more than half an hour with the clients each workout. An hour really would be so much better, but I guess I have to make due with what I am given!

I also have been running bootcamps (did my third one tonight) and I really find them fun! I like it because it tends to be a fitter group overall and I can really do some creative stuff and use the whole gym!

I really love working in the gym so far, but I really now see the allure of working independently! Not just in terms of pay, but freedome in everything else! What I am doing now is perfect for me this summer, I love it, have tons of fun, learn alot, and make some money! But next year, second semester at school and next summer, I am going to hopefully break into the independent realm of work and start doing in-home training, some sort of outdoor boot camps, and/or renting gym space!



Thats it for now!

Kyle

[Mr.ILL]

They are! I was a little nervous at first because I wanted to make sure it was challenging enough for the fitter people in the group, but still something that the more out of shape clients could get through and enjoy!

After I did the first one, I realized it works out pretty well because people can push themselves as hard as they want.

Another kind of cool meathod I learned from a fellow trainer:

Instead of doing an exercise for reps, he does them almost ALL for time. He will time the first rep someone does, and will multiply that amount of time by say 30 (if it takes 2 seconds to do) or whatever number he feels is right. I have found that clients work harder when working toward a time related end, more so than a rep range related end. Just an experience I've had with the 15 or so clients I've worked with, and I like to impliment the meathod in with the traditional rep schemes.

Kyle

Word, almost all of my class was timed instead of # of reps.

[namechange]

great thread man....ill be starting up my PT job soon here as well...great info man subbd

[KyleAaron]

I'm thinking of changing into the same career here Down Under, so this is very interesting for me, thanks for starting the thread and continuing it!

One question: what is an "Australian" pull up? 'Cos this Aussie doesn't know. Is that like when the guys have the baby in the front, carrying them like a kangaroo in her pouch? I don't think I can borrow someone's baby for the gym

[susanq7]

Hey Kyle,

Your thread is great, your bootcamp sounds like a lot of fun!!
Have a great day

[soccerpro6]

I'm thinking of changing into the same career here Down Under, so this is very interesting for me, thanks for starting the thread and continuing it!

One question: what is an "Australian" pull up? 'Cos this Aussie doesn't know. Is that like when the guys have the baby in the front, carrying them like a kangaroo in her pouch? I don't think I can borrow someone's baby for the gym

Haha! I honestly forget where I heard the term Austrailian pull up, but I always liked the name so I stuck with it!

Basically there are two ways to do it, one stresses the upper back, and is similar to seated, high row, and they other stresses the biceps more, and is similar to a pull up.

I usually do this on the smith rack. Place the bar at about 1/4 from the bottom, the person lays underneath it, taking a wide grip on the bar (palms facing away). They walk their feet out and then pull themselves up to the bar, with their feet still on the ground. Lower the body back down until arms are straight, then repeat. The other way to do this, is with a closer grip, with your palms facing torward your body.


Just kind of a fun, easy body weight exercises, that works the upper body pretty hard! All my clients I do it with seem to enjoy it as well.

Nice short day at work today! Only about 6 sessions I think!

Kyle

[soccerpro6]

Oh! Funny story I forgot to post earlier:

So i'm waiting for a client, have about 10 mins before he gets to the gym, and me and our head trainer are watching people go about their workouts. We see an older aged man, maybe late sixties, on the seated chest press. His form is terrible, the seat setting is WAY to low, arches his back every rep, and is pretty much looking like he is trying to commit shoulder suicide with the low seat and added strain on his shoulder.

Now, normally, even as a trainer, I don't like to go up to people at the gym and offer my advice on form/technique. I know people don't like being told they are doing something wrong (although some are very happy to learn!). I had a feeling this man was one of those people who did not want to hear about form from a 20 year old trainer, but my head trainer goes "why don't you go talk to him and show him how to do that the right way". So I walk over.

The man was overweight by, probably 40 pounds, and was resting between another painfull looking set. I came up, introduced myself, asked how his workout was going, and asked if he didn't mind if I gave him a few tips on the chest press. BAD CHOICE! He got this real confused look on his face, and started laughing and shaking his head and says "boy, I have been doing this for 45 years, you think I need, or want advice from you? Besides, I have shoulder problems" and in my mind I was screaminnnnnnnnng "well if you have been doing this for 45 years, you sir have been doing somethin horrrible wrong because you are very overweight AND the reason you HAVE shoulder problems is probably because you have been doing this exercise wrong for 45 years!!!!!!!", but of course I had to response with the "I apologize! I just always look for a chance to offer some tips to people! Have a good rest of your workout!". And walked off to the desk, laughing as I saw all the other trainers laughing pretty hard.

The man then ran upstairs and finished his last 2 sets on the chest press upstairs.

Just thought it was a funny story, people are so set in their ways!

[hithard44]

Really interesting thread mate, keep it up, the thread and the personal training that is lol!

[soccerpro6]

Apologies for the delay! Work/soccer/life has been busy!

Here we go!

I've been very busy at work lately! I have gotten a grove going with my scheduling, so I have pretty much back to back to back sessions all day when I work, with no break in betwee, which I love! It keeps my busy and on my toes!

I have a total of about 20 clients right now. I would have more, but I am basically part time, working around 4-9 every day (30 min sessions), so I can only bring on so many people. The 20 I have are all great clients, each different and each motivated! It's giving me some amazing experience, as well as adding to my resume, and helping me build a base for my future!

Tonight I have one of my busiest nights ever! 5-9:30 straight, non stop sessions, and I am pumped! I have 1 client evaluation with 2 new people, a mother and son, which I am excited about. This will be my first younger client so it should be a good experience!

I went to a lecture my head trainer put on today for me and another new trainer about core strength and stability. It was incredibly interesting! I was a little behind on some of the terminology becaue I am still new to exercise science (starting my first semester of it in the fall) so some of the anatomy I was a little behind on, but overall it was very interesting! It was really in depth (she comes from a medical background) and I learned a lot. I found it interesting that she talked about starting your clients workouts with core work, becuse when you engage your core, the rest of your body engages more soundly because your core acts as a base. Something I am going to keep in mind from now on!

Also learned a lot of new theories and ideas about core training. Next monday she is meeting with me again to talk about some other advanced topics and I am looking forward to it! Bootcamp tomorrow and lots of clients! I like the bootcamp, I have a mini following of about 6-8 people that come to all my camps,plus 3-6 others who pop in when they can!

Kyle

[ninjinja]

hasn't been an update in here forever!

[soccerpro6]

Sooooooo I'm officially back to being a regular on the forum!

I started this thread with the intention of keeping it going for a long time, and I want to pick it back up! I started it as basically a complete noobie to training, and now find myself at a much more experienced level! I think even now, as I basically am a full time trainer/student, it is really important to share experiences and hear about others, so that we can all learn from, and laugh at, the crazy world of fitness

The last post I wrote in this thread was almost a year ago, and was when i was still a very "green" trainer working at a large gym (Urban Active) in Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati area. I was working with 3-6 clients a day, as well as running a small bootcamp several times a week. I really learned a lot during my time training there, and it gave me a great base. I look back on it as the perfect way to start. Experienced trainers always tell new trainers to start at such a gym to build up clients, to get comfortable and to learn the ropes, and I totally agree with this mindset. No matter how much you know the anatomy and biomechanics, there is SO much you cannot learn from a book, and learn by watching other trainers.

So that brings us to what I am doing now!

After I stopped posting this thread last summer, I finished the summer training at Urban Active. In August, I moved out to Dover, Delaware and started my 3rd year of school at Wesley College, majoring in Exercise Science. The Fall semester I played soccer, so focused on that and school. I took several classes for my major (a&p ect) and loved them all! I do a lot of learning outside the classroom and read textbooks/journals non stop. After the first semester ended, I started looking for work since soccer was done. I found on craigslist (of all places!) a small studio in town that was hiring, emailed the owner and set up an interview! Went in, loved the place, and he apparently liked me because he hired me! The studio is small, http://www.firststatehealthandfitness.com/ , but effective for our clients! We focus on weight loss, and do this through private sessions, but a big focus is bootcamps! We run 6-10 bootcamps a week, personally I run 3 a week, and they have been amazing! Our programs run typically 12 weeks, with weigh ins/measurements every 4 weeks. It's been great thus far! I've been there since January working and my bootcamp (8-12 people, some come and go) has lost almost exactly 100lbs as a group! We are currently also training for a 5k race in town as a kind of fun, extra motivation!

So thats wher I am at right now! I've been a little torn lately, because after transfering twice, I've finally found a school I feel comfortable at, but I know I have most likely 2 more years of school left. I'm making a good living right now, and know I could make so much more if I could go full time, and it's always a temptation! I've worked on a business model for a training business based in the Caribbean ( http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=124518481 ) that could also be used somewhere like Fla, and have been very tempted to look into something like this more!

I'm also about to start my next certification (maybe more than 1), most likely ACSM, and then I am thinkng about getting a kettlebell cert, or something a little more "out there" to have and to learn from!

I'll be updating this whenever I have thoughts/experiences! Most likely daily or a few times a week! Any new trainers, or experienced trainers, feel free to put any thoughts, comments or questions in and I'm sure either myself, or another poster can help!


Glad to be back in action
Kyle

[soccerpro6]

Hey guys!

Just got done with a few bootcamps this evening. Nothin to crazy going on but had a few new ideas i'm working into my classses!

Before each class, I've been bringing everyone in, kind of taking a knee or in a mini huddle. I have people talk about their goals, remind themselves and everyone else, why they are there, and its really motivated them! They get focused like you would before a sports game!

Second thing thats kinda been cool is we have started putting a dry erase board in our small studio in the area we do bootcamps. We use it to write out the circuits or progressions, so that way people aren't asking "what do we do next" the whole class. Works well and saves some time because they just look at it and go!

Just a few cool ideas!

[soccerpro6]

Had a nice little group session tonight, thought i'd throw out most of the workout if anyone wants a nice work out to use:

2.5 minute warm up jog
60 sec jumping jacks/ 60 sec squat jumps/ 6 sec mountain climbers

2.5 minutes of partner sprints (1 partner sprinted about 25 yards) whil the other partner did burpees
2.5 minutes of partner springs while other parter did jumping jacks

Two station circuit, 2 people at each:
Weighted bench step ups/weighted lunges 2x90 sec each
Kettlebell swing squats/Bosu burpees 2x90

5 minute short partner sprints, partner rests while other sprints 15 yards

5 minutes of core

60 sec wall sit/60s squats/60 sec wall sit/60 sec junges/60 sec wall sit

4 stations, 1 person at each
Bosu burpee, quick step ups, bench jumps (hold onto the edge of the bench, put a heavy ball under the persons legs, jump side to side over the ball), one person sprints. Did each circuit for 2 minutes

Then finished the day with some core stability stuff to let them relax and some flexibliity.

Just thought I'd throw it out there so people could get an idea of a workout

Kyle

[Physiologist]

awesome. Do you still do one on one personal training?
Can you go tthrough that routine too?

[soccerpro6]

awesome. Do you still do one on one personal training?
Can you go tthrough that routine too?

I do do private training, usually 10-15 sessions a week. Each individual training session varies greatly depending on which client, what my plan for them is, which mesocycle of training the are in ect.

Had a fun experience this morning! I did my first in-home training session with a client! I have a male client that is having me come to his place several times a week to work with him, and after today he is also going to have me work with his wife! I was a little worried, not that I would not be able to provide a challenging workout, but that he would have trouble pushing himself as hard as he would in a gym, while at home. He surprised me though and worked his butt off! I work with him in an actual gym twice a week, and we focus mostly on aerobic, high intensity circuits there. At his place, he has a small exercise room with a bowflex, some dumbbells ect, and we are focusing more on strength training while at his place.

Worked out great and is something I see you can do with very little equipment if you desing the workout correctly!

Kyle

[baseripper1]

Kyle,

First, let me say that you are an inspiration and a role model to aspiring personal trainers. You did things the hard way, but the right way. (Nothing good is ever easy!)

I am at the exact same point you were a year ago. I was recently certified as an ACSM CPT and am a current Kinesiology senior at a major university. The point I'm at now is the "impress the top dog" day. I'm going in tomorrow to take what he calls the "Practical Examination". The setting is in a private, studio-based personal training LLC that trains clients at their home location, as well as many high-end condominiums. Basically, he has already offered me the position, so long as I pass this test of about "3 case studies". I'm nervous, but after reading your thread/posts on the subject matter I feel much more confident. I don't think he's going to hand me the keys and have me drive Dad's car, per se, but I believe he will evaluate me on more structured set of practical skills and knowledge.

Anyway, great progress, great thread, and great attitude. This thread deserves more praise than it gets! Keep on working hard man, I will be checking for your updates and progress!

[soccerpro6]

Kyle,

First, let me say that you are an inspiration and a role model to aspiring personal trainers. You did things the hard way, but the right way. (Nothing good is ever easy!)

I am at the exact same point you were a year ago. I was recently certified as an ACSM CPT and am a current Kinesiology senior at a major university. The point I'm at now is the "impress the top dog" day. I'm going in tomorrow to take what he calls the "Practical Examination". The setting is in a private, studio-based personal training LLC that trains clients at their home location, as well as many high-end condominiums. Basically, he has already offered me the position, so long as I pass this test of about "3 case studies". I'm nervous, but after reading your thread/posts on the subject matter I feel much more confident. I don't think he's going to hand me the keys and have me drive Dad's car, per se, but I believe he will evaluate me on more structured set of practical skills and knowledge.

Anyway, great progress, great thread, and great attitude. This thread deserves more praise than it gets! Keep on working hard man, I will be checking for your updates and progress!

First off, Thank you for the extremely kind words! It really keeps me going hearing that I can help new trainers/aspiring trainers!

Congratulations on your certification and upcoming interview! As long as you are professional and confident (you know your stuff, so just be relaxed!) you should do excellent!

If you ever have any questions about anything, feel free to shoot me a PM or post a message in this thread for me!


As an update:

Nothing too new going on at the studio the last few days! Bootcamps and private sessions, but nothing that stands out!

Right now I'm working on deciding what I'm going to do in terms of continuing my education. I have 3 semesters of school left before I finish my B.S in Exercise Science, and then I have to decide if I wanted to get my masters (and beyond?). I've found a few PhD programs and have talked to them, where you can go in as a first year masters student, and if you do well, you can enter straight into the PhD program after that. I'm considering this so I could teach in a college setting down the road (a&p, physiology, sports phys ect), and I could also do a lot of research. I think most likely I will see what job opportunities I have after I finish my B.S, and then either focus on working or start my masters!

Hope everyone has a great friday!
Kyle

[baseripper1]

Everything went well... I impressed the Founder/CEO/Head Trainer (all the same person) and was formally offered the position. I start tomorrow at 9 AM!

My "practical examination" consisted of three case studies where I sat in a 1 on 1 consultation with 3 different people (the head trainer did some role playing and acted as the client). One was 32, F, pre-diabetic, 5'4" 230, depressed, and an emotional eater. One was a 46, M, overweight, lower back pain. One was 62, F, osteoporosis, limited ROM/weak joints.

My job was to assess their needs in resistance training, cardio, nutrition, and lifestyle. I even needed to form sort of a accountability deal/support group for the emotional eater!(which I did to an extent)

Then he took me out onto the weight floor and had me coach him on the barbell squat, dumbbell chest press, and lat pulldown. After this, he had pretty much seen enough. Though, he did give me a quick 10 question quiz with simple questions like, "What is the eccentric phase of a squat", "How much stored energy must a person burn to lose 10 lbs of bodyweight", "What would you do if you noticed a person (or knew a person) had an eating disorder"....

Overall, it was a thorough examination, but I blew him away from the start. We ended up chatting for 90 minutes after as I filled out the paperwork, and it looks like he is starting me out with about six clients next week. Tomorrow morning we train, together, a young married couple. I'm going to start a THREAD like you did, not to steal your idea, but I just think it is extremely useful to jot things down and keep notes for other trainers to see.

Anyway, thanks again for this thread!

-Dave-

[soccerpro6]

Everything went well... I impressed the Founder/CEO/Head Trainer (all the same person) and was formally offered the position. I start tomorrow at 9 AM!

My "practical examination" consisted of three case studies where I sat in a 1 on 1 consultation with 3 different people (the head trainer did some role playing and acted as the client). One was 32, F, pre-diabetic, 5'4" 230, depressed, and an emotional eater. One was a 46, M, overweight, lower back pain. One was 62, F, osteoporosis, limited ROM/weak joints.

My job was to assess their needs in resistance training, cardio, nutrition, and lifestyle. I even needed to form sort of a accountability deal/support group for the emotional eater!(which I did to an extent)

Then he took me out onto the weight floor and had me coach him on the barbell squat, dumbbell chest press, and lat pulldown. After this, he had pretty much seen enough. Though, he did give me a quick 10 question quiz with simple questions like, "What is the eccentric phase of a squat", "How much stored energy must a person burn to lose 10 lbs of bodyweight", "What would you do if you noticed a person (or knew a person) had an eating disorder"....

Overall, it was a thorough examination, but I blew him away from the start. We ended up chatting for 90 minutes after as I filled out the paperwork, and it looks like he is starting me out with about six clients next week. Tomorrow morning we train, together, a young married couple. I'm going to start a THREAD like you did, not to steal your idea, but I just think it is extremely useful to jot things down and keep notes for other trainers to see.

Anyway, thanks again for this thread!

-Dave-

Congrats man!

That sounds like a pretty thourough interview, but it shows that the head trainer/owner knows his stuff pretty well! I look forward to hearing how everything goes your first day!

I woudl def say start something like this thread! It's fun down the road to look back at when you started, and you can see what you had on your mind, and what you knew/had questions about back in the day!

Good luck tomorrow with the couple! I'm sure it will go smoothly!

Kyle

[soccerpro6]

Hey guys!

Just checkin in and saying hey!

Had an awesome day today! Little background:

A couple months ago, we made it a goal in one of my bootcamp classes (roughly 8-12 peope, three times a week), as well as several other trainers classes, to run a 5k down the road. Some of my clients were already close to being able to do so, others were far from it! We worked on a progression, at the start of each class, we'd go for a run, we started with 8 minutes, then 9, then 11, and so on until we hit a 20 minute mark! We did this in addition to our normal bootcamp workouts, and everyones endurance rose rapidly!

Well this morning we ran a local 5k, and it was a blast! All of our clients finished (I finished 15th out of 350 ) and all have commited to another one down the road!

For all trainers, look at using 5k's as a chance to be visible! During the race, all our clients wore shirts with our logo, phone number and website on the back. Us trainers wore bright yellow trainer shirts with our logo on the front, and we talked to a lot of people before and after the race who were interested!

An idea we are going to look at doing next time, there was a local racing team (they do triathalons, endurance races ect) had one of those tall thin flags you'll see outside companies advertising things sometime, with their logo and information on it, had a ton of people milling around it! I think setting up a little location with a little banner could really help draw people to you and your training business!


Kyle

[Exdee]

Hey man, just want to say congrats on making it as a trainer and thanks for the highly informative thread, I've read the thread all the way through (over 2 days) and have found it really useful, really gives an insight about what's coming up.

I'm in the UK but I bet it's pretty similar in the way of becoming a PT. I'm currently working in a crappy gym/pool as a 'fitness instructor' whilst I carry on with my studies, studying 6 courses ranging from A+P, to circuit training, core and torso training, gym instructor, a few nutrition courses, weight management, then I will finally go on to studying my Lvl 3 PT. At which point I hope to pass that and get into a mainstream gym where I can start my dream of working as a PT.

So yeah, just wanna say, this thread is old but It's still helping ppl- reps going to you, although I don't think you're too fussed about them

[BodyQuest1]

Soccerpro, what are some good exercises for an injured back and knee that you have learned?

[soccerpro6]

Hey man, just want to say congrats on making it as a trainer and thanks for the highly informative thread, I've read the thread all the way through (over 2 days) and have found it really useful, really gives an insight about what's coming up.

I'm in the UK but I bet it's pretty similar in the way of becoming a PT. I'm currently working in a crappy gym/pool as a 'fitness instructor' whilst I carry on with my studies, studying 6 courses ranging from A+P, to circuit training, core and torso training, gym instructor, a few nutrition courses, weight management, then I will finally go on to studying my Lvl 3 PT. At which point I hope to pass that and get into a mainstream gym where I can start my dream of working as a PT.

So yeah, just wanna say, this thread is old but It's still helping ppl- reps going to you, although I don't think you're too fussed about them

Thanks for the kind words! It sounds lik your off to a great start as well! Get through the school and the crappy pool/gym and you'll be where you wanna be before too long! Just a progression ya go through! If you have any questions about anything let me know!


Bodyquest, could you be more specific? What kind of knee/back injuries? Lower/upper?