Week 161 :: How Can One Become A Personal Trainer?

[the_fake_webmaster]

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* Note: How can I win? 1. Answer all questions in the order that they are asked. 2. Go over reviews (located at the bottom of past TOTW articles) and see what was said about those that did not win. Good Luck!
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TOPIC: How Can One Become A Personal Trainer?

For the week of: April 16th - April 22nd
Tuesday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

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When you exercise consistently it becomes a part of your lifestyle. And sometimes that interest may lead into a possible career in the fitness community.

How can one become a personal trainer?

What are some good certifications to become a personal trainer?
*Please be as detailed as possible.

What are the benefits and downfalls of being a personal trainer?

Besides personal training, what are some other career choices in fitness?

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* New Rule (beginning: June 1st, 2006): Any exercise not listed on our exercise listing (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm) must be accompanied by a full and complete description and pictures (or a link to the exercise(s) where pictures and description are given).

Thanks.

Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

The best response will get $75 in credit to use in our online store! The other good responses will be used in an article on the main Bodybuilding.com site, with the poster's forum name listed by it. Become famous!

Thanks,
Will
Webmaster
Bodybuilding.com

[Liquid_diet]

Woohoo, another topic FINALLY

And a great one too. I've had several certifications...

[jdiritto]

im in the process of becoming certified... in the past few months Ive spent alot of time searching for places to get certs from and brainstorming the pros/cons etc. plus with my kines degree we discuss sport/exercise related jobs day in day out...


too bad the topic wasnt up 2-3months ago, it could of been more relevant for myself.


got bored in my office -- aka didn't want to write papers for class.

goodluck to those writing on thiss =)

[u5711]

Good topic. Please make it a requirement that people who submit/place should actually be going through the course (such as jdiritto) or already be certified!

Looking forward to reading these! And jdiritto's article was very informative IMO!

[joakman]

Good topic. Please make it a requirement that people who submit/place should actually be going through the course (such as jdiritto) or already be certified!

Looking forward to reading these! And jdiritto's article was very informative IMO!

Agreed

[mrkdrt]

Good topic. Please make it a requirement that people who submit/place should actually be going through the course (such as jdiritto) or already be certified!

Looking forward to reading these! And jdiritto's article was very informative IMO!

Agreed on all counts.. great article JD

[HockeyKid]

Well since nobody else posted a guide I guess I'll go for second place.

When you exercise consistently it becomes a part of your lifestyle. And sometimes that interest may lead into a possible career in the fitness community.

How can one become a personal trainer?
Get certified

What are some good certifications to become a personal trainer?
*Please be as detailed as possible.
Personal Trainer certification

What are the benefits and downfalls of being a personal trainer?
Benefits - It could be a very fun job if you are in to bodybuilding, weightlifting or getting fit in general.

Downfalls- Work hours aren't too great, might be hard to find clients

Besides personal training, what are some other career choices in fitness?

Nutritionist, coach, gym owner

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I know it sucks but since nobody else posted I thought i might be able to get third =p

[u5711]

Well since nobody else posted a guide I guess I'll go for second place.

When you exercise consistently it becomes a part of your lifestyle. And sometimes that interest may lead into a possible career in the fitness community.

How can one become a personal trainer?
Get certified

What are some good certifications to become a personal trainer?
*Please be as detailed as possible.
Personal Trainer certification

What are the benefits and downfalls of being a personal trainer?
Benefits - It could be a very fun job if you are in to bodybuilding, weightlifting or getting fit in general.

Downfalls- Work hours aren't too great, might be hard to find clients

Besides personal training, what are some other career choices in fitness?

Nutritionist, coach, gym owner

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I know it sucks but since nobody else posted I thought i might be able to get third =p

I believe when the article submissions are redundant, uninformative, or written badly they don't place at all. I think there's a few articles that only have 1 winner.

[HockeyKid]

alright...well it was worth a try lol.

[illnino]

Well since nobody else posted a guide I guess I'll go for second place.

When you exercise consistently it becomes a part of your lifestyle. And sometimes that interest may lead into a possible career in the fitness community.

How can one become a personal trainer?
Get certified

What are some good certifications to become a personal trainer?
*Please be as detailed as possible.
Personal Trainer certification

What are the benefits and downfalls of being a personal trainer?
Benefits - It could be a very fun job if you are in to bodybuilding, weightlifting or getting fit in general.

Downfalls- Work hours aren't too great, might be hard to find clients

Besides personal training, what are some other career choices in fitness?

Nutritionist, coach, gym owner

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Nutritionist, coach, gym owner=p

being a nutritionist isnt possible with just a personal trainer qualifications. you need correct qualifications to be a nutritionist and they are very in depth qualifications to often requiring years to get them. all you can do being a pt is being able to offer advice but by no means can you write out nutrition programs for clients.

and the personal training course i did was a piss in a park. did i gain anything out of it?? no what did happen was i spent a **** load of money just for a certificate.

the end

[Beast2Be]

Well since nobody else posted a guide I guess I'll go for second place.

When you exercise consistently it becomes a part of your lifestyle. And sometimes that interest may lead into a possible career in the fitness community.

How can one become a personal trainer?
Get certified

What are some good certifications to become a personal trainer?
*Please be as detailed as possible.
Personal Trainer certification

What are the benefits and downfalls of being a personal trainer?
Benefits - It could be a very fun job if you are in to bodybuilding, weightlifting or getting fit in general.

Downfalls- Work hours aren't too great, might be hard to find clients

Besides personal training, what are some other career choices in fitness?

Nutritionist, coach, gym owner

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I know it sucks but since nobody else posted I thought i might be able to get third =p

Nobody else has posted because we still have 2 days

[ATownDRock]

Is 2nd place even worth anything? it doesn't say that in the first post.

[vike272000]

When you exercise consistently it becomes a part of your lifestyle. And sometimes that interest may lead into a possible career in the fitness community.

How can one become a personal trainer?

It is pretty easy really. Usually, when you look at a lot of fitness magazines, there will be an ad that will tell you to call this number. Then you do have to pay quite a bit of money to actually get the material (Up to $500-$1000). But if you have the drive, it should be relatively easy to find clients, especially if you have the body. Be careful, I would seek out the gym that you want to work at first. Certain gyms require that you have a certification from a certain program. The wrong certification and you are out of work. There are different programs that you can go for to become certified (aqua fitness, geriatric fitness, personal trainer, etc). Research the client base in your area also.

What are some good certifications to become a personal trainer?

certified fitness/personal trainer
performance nutrition
fitness for older adults
sports conditioning
youth fitness
water fitness
martial arts
Those are some of the ones with just certification programs


What are the benefits and downfalls of being a personal trainer?

Benifits:

-You are your own boss.
-You can get a work out in with your client.
-Good clients will recommend others.
-See results in your clients.
-You are a counselor/bartender. You get to know everything about a person!!
-$$$$$

Cons:

-You may have to pay the gym a fee plus a membership.
-Competitive field
-May have to be flexible with clients (scheduling, cancellations, attitudes)
-Unreal expectations from clients (they may want a six pack in 2 weeks)
-You will have to step out of your comfort zone to get clients. (giving out cards, show off the bod a little)
-You will have to pay to make money.


Besides personal training, what are some other career choices in fitness?

-Coach
-Some people have opened their own gyms.
-Some people have held managerial jobs with gyms, school teams.
-Fitness consultant for a firm (insurance companies are giving corporations tax breaks if their employees work out).

[joakman]

8 posts in 2 years

[jdiritto]

being a nutritionist isnt possible with just a personal trainer qualifications. you need correct qualifications to be a nutritionist and they are very in depth qualifications to often requiring years to get them. all you can do being a pt is being able to offer advice but by no means can you write out nutrition programs for clients.

and the personal training course i did was a piss in a park. did i gain anything out of it?? no what did happen was i spent a **** load of money just for a certificate.

the end

being a nutritionist is another possible fitness related career though, they didn't ask for anything related to being a PT or what requirements there are for any other jobs..

poor choice on your certification, where was it from?! theres a couple hundrend places you can get certified to be a personal trainer, and only a handful or two of quality certifications.

What are the benefits and downfalls of being a personal trainer?

Benifits:

-You are your own boss.
-You can get a work out in with your client.
-Good clients will recommend others.
-See results in your clients.
-You are a counselor/bartender. You get to know everything about a person!!
-$$$$$

...please google competence and confidentiality

[punksurfer024]

entry

[vike272000]

0 body blog entries in 1 1/2 years, come on? I try something out and people start hating. Way to welcome people to try new things, good job.

[joakman]

0 body blog entries in 1 1/2 years, come on? I try something out and people start hating. Way to welcome people to try new things, good job.

Don't need a blog, I have 2 logs.

I'm not here for the free stuff, most who post here are.

[jdiritto]

children; this is a topic of the week entry thread, not a post/blog flame wars thread...please argue about who is more dedicated to bodybuilding.com through PMs.

[joakman]

children; this is a topic of the week entry thread, not a post/blog flame wars thread...please argue about who is more dedicated to bodybuilding.com through PMs.

Nice copy and pasted response

[NoNameNecessary]

Good topic - some very interesting responses. Good luck to all.

[dragontraining]

Personal Training





Q. How can one become a personal trainer?

Not everybody can become a personal trainer. For someone to train anyone in bodybuilding, you need to have a

burning passion and interest in your overall physical and mental health. You will need to make special bonds with

your trainees and mold the body's and mind's of tomorrow. You are a teacher and a friend, you will be looked up to

for information and guidence in the field of fitness.



Q. What are some good certifications to become a personal trainer?

I personally recommend the following certifications to become the most elite personal trainer.

a. Sports Nutrition - This certification helps clients in healthy eating ways and meeting their athletic performance goals.

You can get a degree in sports nutrition at your local college if they have the course for it.

b. American Academy of Personal Training- You can certify yourself in personal training at this school, you will get a deep understanding of biomechanics, training adaptations, nutrition, anatomy, exercise physiology, and exercise prescription. * information was taken from www.aaptschool.com

You can apply to the academy at http://aaptschool.com/default.aspx


Q. What are the benefits and downfalls of being a personal trainer?

Benefits

a. Being educated about your body and nutrition, you will have good knowledge on how to keep you and your trainee(s) body and mind in sharp.

b. The feeling of helping someone achieve their goal. Nothing feels better than putting down the stepping stones for someone's self confidence.

c. Good pay. If you have a degree in sports nutrition you can have a range of pay for $25.00 to $100.00.

d. Doing what you love, for $$$. It's a great thing when you get too work out, help people achieve their physical goals, look good... AND GET PAID FOR IT!



Downfalls

a. There should be no downfalls in your job, everything isn't perfect but if you don't love your job than you shouldn't be here.




Besides personal training, what are some other career choices in fitness?


Nutritionist, You can get a degree in nutrition and help people with their diets. You can lift all the weights you

want, but if you don't eat the correct amount of food or drink enough water, you will not be successful in bodybuilding.

I know of a friend who worked in the nutrition field and she said it was very rewarding knowing that she is helping

people change their lives for the better.




**You can ask your local college if they have courses for Nutrition.


By: Matthew Groezinger

[Liquid_diet]

I guess I'm gunning for 2nd place

I really wish I had more time to write this week, but I had a competition.

Mine is attached. Good luck everyone.

[illnino]

my pt course is one of the best ones here its just i already new most of it anyway so its really designed for the novice bascially.

whilst being a nutrionist is a fitness related career its totally different than a personal training course... trust me im studying to be a nutrionist now and its alot more in depth than what everyone thinks...

you can be a qualified personal trainer in 8 weeks. it all depends on what your interests are thats fine if you want to be a personal trainer im just broadening my horizons as personal training is starting to get over populated i think and nutrition stimulates my brain more and is so interesting.

[sthill]

1) How can one become a personal trainer?
Most states require a certification of some sort or another (there are several types of certifications that will properly equip you to train individuals seeking help). These certifications help protect people that may be looking for a trainer. However there are a handful of states that may not require a certification but you can bet a smart employer most likely will. If nothing else at least you can say that you have the proper know how and you have proper documentation. This will also look more professional and you will seem more credible. So take the weekend classes which you should be able to find by typing in PERSONAL TRAINING CERTIFICATION in any search bar. Next, make sure they are State and or Nationally recognized. This can be done by getting in touch with local gyms/clubs and asking them if they have heard of a specific organization or get in touch with other personal trainers and see who they used.

2) What are some good certifications to become a personal trainer?
ACSM American College of Sport Medicine In my opinion is the best and most nationally recognized. The test is very in depth and touches on special population, planes of motion, degrees of freedom, anatomical position, skin fold, BMI conversion, heart rates, and much more. http://www.acsm.org/Content/Navigati...tification.htm
ACE American Council on Exercise another nationally recognized and very respected organization http://www.acefitness.org/

3) What are the benefits and downfalls of being a personal trainer?
Benefits: Free gym membership, helping people reach goals, meet new people and network, you don't have to wear a suite to work, pay is very good.
Downfalls: Unfortunately you will not always be working with elite athletes, mostly the older population, overweight and obese people, unless your training 5 people everyday the amount of money being earned is not very much, now your mixing work and pleasure and sometimes this causes problems and you might get burned out of being in a gym everyday, liability.

4) Besides personal training, what are some other career choices in fitness?
Many areas of fitness and or sports that require working with other individuals will require some sort of degree from a University. But some other options are : Athletic Trainer, Strength and Conditioning coach, Health education teacher (gym teacher) Volunteer coach for local youth clubs and or parks and rec, Selling fitness equipment such as Life Fitness hammer Strength, working for a supplement company, Physical Therapist, exercise specialist, outdoor guide, doing research for a company like Under Armor in product development. The field of FITNESS is so broad and there are an abundant of opportunities to chose from.

[jdiritto]

Nice copy and pasted response

i only copy/pasted the structure/content knowledge of each exams specifics (i even deleted some of the wordiness in their descriptions, trying to keep it to a basic overview).

they know the exams the best, why rewrite the bible so to speak? ( i know i did fail to make the refernces list, but I provided the link and stated information was from their websites respectively.. this is a bodybuilding.com topic of the week article not an academia publishing right?!)

I added additional thoughts on each certification where able, and answered the other questions to the best of my ability.

Hopefully it is seen as being useful more so than not.

I really wish I had more time to write this week, but I had a competition.

the joys of being a college student -- I take 9 credit hours a week.. teach 20 hours of weight training (and make bank), and have the rest of everyday to meself

when i hear my peers talk about being excitied to finish school..im like WTF you crazy. i'm excitied to finish my MS so i can get my PhD, lol

[Mighty Kev]

Man, forget the article liquid, your contest photos look sick

[DrPain189]

I'm only posting this cause i've seen noone else say anything about. On the certifications you can get for a personal trainer, it's just about worthless unless it is NCCA, National Commission for Certifying Agencies , certified.

I know that all big name gyms require this and most local gyms as well.

[victoria82]

Thanks for the great info!
I'm hoping to start one of the programs soon!

[jdiritto]

I actually contacted LA Fitness awhile ago (back name gym i think?) and they provided me with an intense list of accepted certifications to train there:


List of acceptable certifications as of 08/16/07


AAAI/ISMA (American Aerobic Assoc International & International Sports Medicine Assoc)

AAPT (American Academy of Personal Training)

ACE (American Council on Exercise)

ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine)

AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America)

BCRPA (British Columbia Recreation & Parks Association)

Cooper Institute

Degree in Kinesiology

Degree in Exercise Science or Science

Degree in Physical Education

IFPA (International Fitness Professionals Association)

ISSA (International Sports Science Association)

NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine)

NCCPT (National Council for Certified Personal Trainers)

NFPT (National Federation of Professional Trainers)

NPTI (National Personal Training Institute)

NSCA (National Strength & Conditioning Association)

NESTA (National Endurance Sports Trainers Association)

PFIT (Professional Fitness Instructor Training)

NCSF (National Council on Strength & Fitness)

AFPA (American Fitness Professionals & Associates)

BTFA (Body Tech Fitness Association)

GCC (Glendale Community College)

WITS (World Instructor Training Schools)

Palm Beach Community College

Ashmead College

Miramar Community College

San Diego City College

Mesa College



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