The Problem With The Process
Back in late 2o18 I received a text message from my mom, “somebody’s 39th birthday is coming up!!” I was at work at that time in used automobile financing. I was also preparing for my 4th marathon. But that text made me think a bit. I’m almost 40 years old. I’ve given this job almost half my life, 17 years in total. Is this all its going to be? So I started thinking about what else I’d like to do. As a new running enthusiast, fitness had been my new go to. I’d spend lots of time looking up fitness related articles during work hours. And I followed a lot of fitness enthusiasts, and personal trainers on social media.
Hey self? How about trying a career in fitness? So I googled the process of becoming a personal trainer. I also DM-ed a few trainers that I followed on social media. They all told me to get “certified”. So I looked up various trainer certifications and gave em all a “test run” with a few practice multiple choice questions. Most told me NASM ( National Academy Of Sports Medicine) was the best. So I fell in line and signed up.
NASM, along with the other trainer certifications are all self studied with a multiple choice exam to become officially certified. Within 6 months I completed the certification process and received the fancy piece of paper shown above. I’m a certified personal trainer. Now here’s the problem:
- We don’t deal with multiple choice questions in the real world. You’re a certified professional, but you’ve never trained anyone?
- A textbook (especially self studied ) can’t teach anyone how to think critically
- The people who own some the certification companies aren’t fitness people themselves (NASM is a subsidiary of a Ascend Learning, which is owned by a global investment business, the Blackstone Group).
- False Expectations
- If the people who run these certifications aren’t even fitness folk, how in the heck can they teach me????(food for thought).
Various surveys amongst gym managers say that 90% of aspiring personal trainers move on to another field within 6 months of getting certified!!!!
So why keep the guideline for aspiring personal trainer to simply reading a book and passing a multiple choice test?
- Keep the demands high with the guidelines very low, get a larger pool of applicants. Employee turnover? Sure but theres a long line of aspiring trainers out there. And there always will be.
- Raise the guidelines = raise the pay(not good for corporate), also a smaller pool of aspiring personal trainers wanting to get certified to start with.
After getting said baseline certification I was fortunate enough to (and have the growth mindset) to find an actual personal trainer school. They go by the name of SHOW UP FITNESS, where Great Trainers are Made. What I got there? Mentors, experienced professionals that I can reach back to, and ask for advice.I’ve trained at EQUINOX on the Miracle Mile in Los Angeles for the past 18 months.
Here’s the truth about working as a personal trainer from my perspective
- You’ve gotta grind!!! This is not a glamorous job. There no such thing as easy money .
- The ancillary focus is just as important as the primary focus.
- Fitness is your “passion”? Thats cool.And thats how most certifications bait aspiring trainers in. Go ahead and get your workouts in. You’ll be great as a fitness influencers on instagram. But this field might not be for you of its only about a passion for fitness.
- We are in the business of working with people. So having people skills is key.
- Being organized and business savvy works across all fields, including personal training.
- Education you’ll need lots more of it. Start with purchasing an anatomy book.
I’m one of the 10% that lasted beyond the baseline certification. And I’m still scratching and clawing. Get into it if you want, but understand the expectations if you want to be successful.
