• Keep up to date with Ausbb via Twitter and Facebook. Please add us!
  • Join the Ausbb - Australian BodyBuilding forum

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.

    The Ausbb - Australian BodyBuilding forum is dedicated to no nonsense muscle and strength building. If you need advice that works, you have come to the right place. This forum focuses on building strength and muscle using the basics. You will also find that the Ausbb- Australian Bodybuilding Forum stresses encouragement and respect. Trolls and name calling are not allowed here. No matter what your personal goals are, you will be given effective advice that produces results.

    Please consider registering. It takes 30 seconds, and will allow you to get the most out of the forum.

About becoming a personal trainer

Kyle, unless you are competing just the act of squatting is far more important than trying to chase a figure.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
Shrek said:
I train / advise people all the time without a written qualification except I do it for free.
Does that count?
Click to expand...

Well it would if we payed you for your advice :D

dave said:
It was a reasonable question but definitely not an option for you. Education wise a lot of it is average but you do learn some things, Kyle will know more as I have not gone through the TAFE mode. You really need to know your basic anatomy and in specific functional anatomy. If you do not know how the body moves you can not really train it. Basic exercise physiology is important and from there you really need to know training principles and how to program properly (probably the hardest for TAFE, Undergrad, Post grad, basically anyone to learn as it takes a fair bit of time to get a good understanding or proper programming). A lot of stuff you would learn on the job or as you train but you need that base first. If you could train under a good coach you could learn all of this from them and then you would have contacts and you may have a chance but this would take at least a couple of years even if you are a good student. NPR on here did it this way with PTC (Markos) I believe.
Click to expand...

Well basic anatomy and functional anatomy-wise will be less trouble for me as i'm currently finishing off my 2nd year in medicine and programming-wise i was planning to just read books on the topic such as Practical Programming (which i've already read). But i guess i understand that it'll be different out "on the field" as they say, and i would appreciate learning under coaches or experienced PTs to actually get hands-on experience. It's just that i'm wondering if it could be legal and possible for me to ask my uni gym or a local gym to allow me to become a PT without actually studying for/having a cert.
 
confuzz, would you be happy to have a someone with an interest in medicine remove your tonsils or would you prefer a qualified Doctor?

What makes you think that someone who needs to get stronger/fitter/leaner is happy to throw money away on someone who has an interest?

Would you even get a haircut from someone who like hair?

I think your chances are currently slim, but I also dont believe you need a piece of paper. I have had clients go and work as a trainer at other gyms, but these guys were exceptional lifters who had the runs on the board.

I dont know what its like in Sydney, but Pete at SS&S wont allow PT's into his gym lol

good luck
 
PTC said:
confuzz, would you be happy to have a someone with an interest in medicine remove your tonsils or would you prefer a qualified Doctor?

What makes you think that someone who needs to get stronger/fitter/leaner is happy to throw money away on someone who has an interest?

Would you even get a haircut from someone who like hair?

I think your chances are currently slim, but I also dont believe you need a piece of paper. I have had clients go and work as a trainer at other gyms, but these guys were exceptional lifters who had the runs on the board.

I dont know what its like in Sydney, but Pete at SS&S wont allow PT's into his gym lol

good luck
Click to expand...

Well if you put it that way, i guess i understand where you're coming from. It's just that when i go to my uni gym, i see some so-called personal trainers there that i honestly feel are wasting their clients time with random exercises, ludicrous rep ranges, and other things that i find blatantly wrong. I can't say i know what their client's goals are, but honestly i don't think that they are helping them have the most effective route. I just felt that if they could become a PT then i believe that i would be able to do a better job. I'm not saying i know everything and anything to do with training and programming, but when the PT doesn't even look like he/she lifts or knows what they're doing, i don't get why they have clients.
 
Your observations seem perfectly realistic, that would cover many PT's.

I honestly dont recommend it as a career choice unless you are a cut above whats out there.

You will need qualifications though.
 
PTC said:
Your observations seem perfectly realistic, that would cover many PT's.

I honestly dont recommend it as a career choice unless you are a cut above whats out there.

You will need qualifications though.
Click to expand...

Yeah i didn't want it as a career choice, but rather as a holiday/part time job that i would enjoy/have an interest in doing. If it requires qualifications however i am probably best pursuing another part time job. Would it be illegal though, for me to offer personal training without a certificate as long as the client is willing?
 
No law about helping others.

Like others said, the issue will be insurance. If someone gets hurt while youre training them, it could mean trouble.

Also getting hired will be tough.

Interstingly, here in the US certificates are not needed nor regarded, they are also very cheap to obtain, they worked out a long time ago they meant nothing.

insurance and other typical issues here as well, but feedback from coaches/trainers here in the US, guys from all over the country state no certificates needed.

I explained our system and they laughed their heads off. They cant believe someone that doesnt lift can pay a few thousand dollars and get a piece of paper allowing them to work in gyms.

I'm not sure their information is totally accurate, but I've yet to meet a coach here with papers, I guess you dont get many PT's at lifting comps.
 
PTC said:
No law about helping others.

Like others said, the issue will be insurance. If someone gets hurt while youre training them, it could mean trouble.

Also getting hired will be tough.

Interstingly, here in the US certificates are not needed nor regarded, they are also very cheap to obtain, they worked out a long time ago they meant nothing.

insurance and other typical issues here as well, but feedback from coaches/trainers here in the US, guys from all over the country state no certificates needed.

I explained our system and they laughed their heads off. They cant believe someone that doesnt lift can pay a few thousand dollars and get a piece of paper allowing them to work in gyms.

I'm not sure their information is totally accurate, but I've yet to meet a coach here with papers, I guess you dont get many PT's at lifting comps.
Click to expand...

Wow interesting. I would have thought the US would have a bigger emphasis on certificate and education than us. Anyways i'll do some digging around, maybe ask my uni gym and one of my friend's who actually spent a summer doing a basic course to become a PT and maybe find out how much it costs, was it worth it, etc if i plan on being dedicated to becoming a PT as a part time job.
 
Kyle Aaron said:
I'm also looking for a good coach or trainer. I don't think I can bust through 100kg squats again safely on my own.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat, once I get to that sort of weight my form goes shite and start doing damage to myself. I had some sharp pain in the knee last time and thought bugger it I need a coach to show me how to squat properly. I'm gonna rest the knee for a week or two and then get proper instruction.
 
Everyone needs a coach or competent training partner they are just hard to come by.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
PTC said:
I think your chances are currently slim, but I also dont believe you need a piece of paper. I have had clients go and work as a trainer at other gyms, but these guys were exceptional lifters who had the runs on the board.
Click to expand...
I agree about the piece of paper. That's why I said he should get an education. There are lots of ways to do that. If a person's only education were Cert III/IV, or if their only education were lifting for years, I wouldn't expect them to do well as a coach or trainer. To be a good coach or trainer, the person has to put the extra in.
con said:
Yeah i didn't want it as a career choice, but rather as a holiday/part time job that i would enjoy/have an interest in doing.
Click to expand...
I honestly don't think the best coaches or trainers will be part-time. Same for any job. "Go to Mario's restaurant, Mario cooks not as a career choice, but rather as a holiday part-time job he enjoys and has an interest in doing." Sound appealing? Would you expect the best service and food at Mario's?
 
I think my work experience has fallen through with Jeff as he is so busy, so thats a bummer.
I called FF, you should have heard how keen this dude was for me to come and see him lol.

Anyway I have a question about levers.
Ive got my first and third, but no second.
They give the example of the ball of foot, bodyweight, calf but I dont want to use that one.
I was thinking push-up, but id rather go with a "joint".

Any help?
 
I think you got the only two right there, a push up is good use it. Supposedly it is rare in the body which makes sense as your tendons insert in front of the joint usually.
 
Kyle, have sort of a personal question. Has the step away from more traditional hours had any negative effect? If I remember correctly you were a chef before so maybe not the best comparison (not exactly a regular 9-5 haha), curious though.
 
Smoking my assessments at the moment. Your ment to get 1 done a fortnight, I'm doing 1 a day lol.
Just finished special populations, next up is nutrition!
Posted via Mobile Device
 
moons said:
Kyle, have sort of a personal question. Has the step away from more traditional hours had any negative effect? If I remember correctly you were a chef before so maybe not the best comparison (not exactly a regular 9-5 haha), curious though.
Click to expand...
The cheffing before was pretty much 9-5, since I was doing office catering. Before that, restaurants, so yes crazy hours. And before that still, Army, so even crazier hours.

Yes, it's had a negative effect. See my earlier comment in response to beertank's question about my training.

I spend less quality time with my wife, though I'm physically present in the home plenty, we're often tired from my early starts and late finishes. I've not played around with my hobbies since coming back from my honeymoon. Nor have I seen friends and family much, except those who could meet me for lunch. So I've had a positive change of career and am enjoying my job, but it's been at the expense of the rest of my life.

I don't expect this to last, I expect things to improve and am working towards it. It's the same with any big change in life. If you move to a bigger house, it might be some time searching for the right place, packing things up, moving, unpacking, rearranging things, and so on, and while you're doing that work and family suffer a bit. If you start a new close relationship, it might be some time getting that happening, in the meantime you don't see your friends as much.

With any big change in life, you just need to find a new rhythm to your day or week, takes a month or three for things to settle down.
 
AntiHero said:
has anyone done this with the fia?
Click to expand...

yeh i did, it was pretty good, cant compare it to anything else, but the lectures were good. one of the resistance training tutors was a Mr Australia and now does the ask the expert column in men's health, another guy was a trainer for 25 years and powerlifer, he was REALLY good. and the main tutors have heaps of experience (ex uni lectures)

its good that your not learning from some 28 year old with not much experience. also they had people from FF and vision come in to talk about what they do with there trainers.
 
So I had my first work experience shift at FF today. It was shadowing a guy doing gym instruction. To tell you the absolute truth, It wasn't that bad.

He is 1 of 2 guys who are EMPLOYED by FF to run small (max of 4) group exercise classes. Today we only had 1 person turn up. We did 2, 1 hour classes. A cardio, and a strength.
He get paid $25-$30p/h and gets 9 hours a week.

The cardio was 1/2 hour of treadmill/row/cycle then half hour wall squats/machine row/machine press/ machine MP - The client was 50yo female with knee injury

The strength was just body weight stuff as the client was a 69yo female.

1 hour just crusing the floor, tidying up, talking to clients, giving advice, spotting, and generally just having a laugh.

I could see this as being an alright gig. $250 guaranteed income, make contacts to train in my studio, free membership.

Im going to try and get into a few different gyms to get a taste of it all, but i seriously had fun today.

The only part I didnt like was at the end, we had to fill out if we had got any new clients numbers ect.... Thats all a bit gay. Im guessing their is some sort of target he needs to meet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top