Personal Trainer Careers

Why Is Personal Training A Great Career Choice?

Why would you want to get certified and become a personal trainer?

Could be you love to exercise. You’re fascinated by body movement. You’re good at motivating people. You recognize that everybody – although they might not realize it – wants to be in good physical shape. They want to breathe easier, be stronger, more agile, energetic, comfortable in their own skin. To feel really alive: to move better.

Yes, some people want to get muscular. Others are thin and scrawny and want to fill out, gain weight and muscle, carefully. Some have never exercised and are terrified at the prospect of starting. Others are overweight but determined to lose the pounds with exercise and improved eating habits. Still others admit that they lack the motivation or the know-how (or both) to come up with a systematic, progressive fitness plan, and they need someone to do it for them.

Guess what. If you become a certified personal trainer, you can help. You can make a serious difference in other’s lives. By working with them one-on-one to help them achieve success their fitness goals, you provide a service of real value. You get to know clients as individuals - people of different age groups; their lifestyle, challenges, nutrition habits, attitudes, fitness strengths and weaknesses. Using all of this information you devise a slow and steady progressive fitness plan to set them on their way to optimum fitness, whether that is to tone up, build muscle, get stronger, more flexible, reduce stress, improve balance, or lose weight. With your professional expertise and positive attitude you help them feel and look their best.

Top 6 Reasons To Becoming a Personal Trainer

Not only do you get supreme satisfaction for helping people of all ages, shapes and sizes get into better condition, but there are many other benefits:

Salary. Yes, you get paid for it. Isn’t that wonderful? And the health and fitness industry is a huge market with explosive growth potential right now. If you work in a gym you might have to learn the ropes and work your way up, and as you get better and more experienced, you earn more pay and benefits. And then you might branch out on your own personal training business.

Diversity of Workplace. The fitness career has its perks. Think about it. Local gyms, YMCAs, national fitness clubs, community centers, corporate health programs, private condominiums, hospitals, senior centers, privately, in people’s homes, in your home, outside in the fresh air. So many different kinds of people, and so many places to train them.

Diversity of Population. Although certain fundamentals of fitness apply across the board, specifics change when you zero in on special populations. Getting Teens fit is different than training seniors. Or pregnant women. People with Osteoporosis. The obese. You may decide to specialize. It is a great challenge to understand the training needs of different populations.

Continuing Education. You are constantly learning. To ensure your certification is current you need to keep taking courses. You can attend conferences with other fitness professionals. Learn new strength training techniques. New fitness apparatus. Abdominals. Senior fitness. Yoga for flexibility. Continuous stimulation as your professional expertise grows.

You get to keep yourself fit. Okay, this is not a prerequisite, but being exposed to fitness environments, education and stimulation gives you the distinct edge to get in tip-top shape. You become a shining example of someone who practices what they preach.

Being a Fitness Instructor is Fun, Interesting & Creative. You don’t have to wear a suit and tie to work. You’re in a positive, fitness-oriented environment, with so many tools to choose from. Between machines, free weights, bands, tubes, bars, balance discs, stability balls – plus outdoor benches, playground equipment, and the earth as one giant gym – you can be very creative in your training methods.

Getting Certified: Your Fitness Education

Several well-established and respected organizations offer personal training certification courses, including ACE, AFAA, ISSA, NASM and ACSM. Most cover anatomy, physiology, movement biomechanics and training methods to improve cardiovascular health, strength and flexibility. You are taught exercises using a host of fitness tools. You learn to perform fitness assessments and to create personalized fitness plans with measurable data to track progress. You also learn about training special populations.

Many personal training courses offer on-line (home) study as well. Others offer distance learning via texts and DVDs, where you study at your convenience for several months and then attend an ‘in-person’ weekend review course, ending with a written and practical exam.

So explore. Start today. Do your research, choose a course, and take that first step on your journey to a wonderfully, rich satisfying career as a Personal Fitness Trainer.

Quote of The Day

"The five S's of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit." - Ken Doherty