About becoming a personal trainer

[Zarkov]

You`re obviously a smart guy and serious about working out.Most people just follow along and never,ever work out that they are wasting their time doing those Mcworkouts.Just by realizing that you are off to a good start.Youtube, forums,books,mags,will teach you more than that idiot did.Just stick at it.

 

[Rugby88]

Hey man,

Sorry I didn't read through the whole thread - but im just wondering where you are doing your course? AIF? If so how are you finding the course content?

 

[Josh_GTiR]

You need to read that whole thread man, it will easily answer your questions.

 

[Kyle Aaron]

PowerSports, RTFM mate

if he was a more approachable guy, i might have been inclined to ask, but frankly, i dont trust anyone there because they are all douches.

It's true that many people in the fitness industry are lacking, to put it mildly - as you would have seen discussed in this thread at some length.

However, it's always best to actually speak to people to see what they're like, rather than judging them with a glance. A gym is like any other workplace: most people are pretty ordinary at their jobs, but a few are good and hardworking, and they do a lot of good stuff in that work.

Some unlucky places have no good hardworking people, some lucky places have several. But most have a few, and you won't know about them until you take the time to talk to them.

i just dont trust anything or anyone and dont really know if it would be a wise choice to outlay the dosh to take a [PT] course.

A school, like a gym, is like any other workplace, some are productive, some not. However, the most important point is that you get out of an education what you put in. The laziest and most unethusiastic student at the best school will get nowhere; the hardest-working and most passionate student at the worst school will get a good education.

So whether an education is worth it depends not on the school, but on you. In this respect it's just like a gym. They may have the best or worst equipment, but in the end it's about how you sweat lifting that equipment.

As with exercise, so with education: consistent effort over time gets results.

If you think that most people in the industry are lazy and stupid, then I would not advise you to enter it. You won't have success, and you won't be happy. If you can change your attitude to dealing with each person as an individual, then you may have success and be happy in the industry.

Remember that the main failing of the PT you described was that he didn't treat you as an individual: he gave you a cookie-cutter workout, explained nothing and left you to it. In saying that "they are all douches", you are doing the same thing, not treating them as individuals.

This attitude is not going to change because you're dealing with clients rather than staff. So you'd end up doing exactly the same as you say this guy did to you. Based on what you say here, I advise you to maybe do a PT course for the sake of your own personal knowledge, but definitely not to enter the industry.

 

[PTC]

If you want to learn about lifting, doing a PT course isnt the best way to do it.

I got a drivers licence, but didnt learn to drive until years later. The instructor simply taught me how to get a licence.

Just because someone has a licence doesnt mean they know how to drive.

 

[Kyle Aaron]

Or as I like to put it, school is only the start of learning.

But it's only maybe suitable for soalexable here. Probably not, though - he's coming in with the wrong attitude. "They are all douches." There's nowhere good to go from there.

Markos is right about driving, I have a license and I'm a crap driver. And there are crapper drivers than me out there, I dodge them every day on my bicycle

 

[soalexable]

i agree with all of the above posts, i dont mean to come off like a don't like the industry.

its exactly the reason id like to get into it, because i know i could be different than these guys, and offer customers quality service and information and actually make an effort to help people.

in fact, its that reason right there, as you guys said previously, a lot of PT's get into it thinking they are going to work with athletes and what not - which is exactly the opposite of what i was thinking - i was in fact thinking of working with just your average john doe who walks in, and actually make it interesting and enjoyable for them and work and help them to stick with it. i mean thats basics, you dont need cert 3 to motivate someone to change there lifestyle, although some psycology and body language books could help.. but thats a different story. regardless, thats where im sort of coming from.

the thing with gyms is, people are obviously intrested in fitness, or getting fit - you just need to keep it intresting, and TEACH them, theres nothing better than learning something truly intresting about yourself, how the body works, give it to people in doses, tell them how the shoulder works and how many different muscles it takes to make it work the way it does, and why the exercise your telling them to do is working all of those muscles at once, tell them about muscle growth and general nutrition when they bring up there diet.

i see these guys every day, same ol same ol, there client rocks up - "how ya doin mate" yea good "ready to get into it" yea mate *they go over to a machine* "alright, 10 reps, come on, you can do it, thats it, thats it, go hard, go ha rd" *next machine* "well done man, yea your doing great" thanks mate "alright mate , see you next week" - client never comes back, or stops taking lessons

thats a perfect example of motivation, which is needed i understand, but it doesnt keep people intrested. you have 20 odd seconds at least, if your not properly resting, walking between machines, in that time, its quite easy to explain how basic compound lifts can help your body grow completely and in proportion and discard myths and preconcieved ideas that people like myself might have - that its going to make you look like some huge bearmode dude. you can explain why what your teaching them is the correct way to reach there goals, intricately so everything is outlayed for them to help them understand, and with understanding, comes CONFIDENCE. theres no stopping a motivated, intrested, educated, confident person from achieving there goals, is there?

anywho, i went into the gym today, and it was a bit of a laugh.

everyone was busy, lots of school kids had there gym session in the gym (oh god), once it quieted down, i asked the only available PT, the one PT i judged from the get go, this slightly overweight indian guy..

i said "hey man, are you busy?"
nah man what do you need
"was wondering if you c ould teach me how to do squats and deadlifts properly and check my form on the benchpress"
yeah sure man no problem

everyone around me sort of just looked at me... i felt really weird. anyway, we talked about what i was doing, and he basically couldnt even keep a strait face when i showed him the paper with the routine i was given.. then i told him what i was doing and helped me correct my routine, then i told him about my situation - and he b asically said, switch to a full body routine, 3 days a week, incorperate all the basic compound lifts and work your whole body, and youll grow a lot faster until you get to where you want to be in terms of core body strength, then start a 5 day routine working out different sections.. i coudlnt believe it. just goes to show, never judge a book by its cover.

 

[katie]

This thread has been given a new lease of life (at Kyle's request).

Carry on!

 

[Kyle Aaron]

Below is the account I wrote for my mates the day of the incident, below that is the results of the incident.

Some Training Could Have Come Sooner

Today I went for lunch with my friend Wilfrid, as I usually do on a Thursday. As I walked up the street to the train station, about four metres down a side street I saw an Indian man in his 40s sitting slumped against a wall, apparently with foam coming from his mouth - he wasn't moving. A couple of people walked past him, and lots of people walked down the main street, all only glancing at him quickly. I went over to him, I saw that the foam was actually rice, and his left hand was clenched tight. A heart attack, maybe?

I squatted down by him, and shook him. "Mate, are you alright?" No response. I leant in, and couldn't tell if he was breathing. He had a pulse at his neck. Again I shook him, and with no response. I called out to passersby, "This man's collapsed, can you call an ambulance?"?

"No phone," one person said, though there were shops around anyone could walk into, and several other people again only glanced at us. Cursing, I called 000 on my mobile. A prerecorded message told me some other number is the emergency number. They asked if I wanted police, fire or ambulance, and what state I was in. I told them. I checked his pulse again, still beating.

Next on the phone was a woman. She asked what state I was in, too. I told her. So far about 1'00" had been wasted listening to messages and going through bull****.

I said, "I have an Indian male in his 40s, unconscious and unresponsive, I'm not sure if he's breathing, his heart is beating, he's vomited. I need an ambulance."

"Okay the ambulance is on the way. Does he have any history of heart disease?"

"I dunno, I don't know him, he's some guy in the street."

"What I want you to do is lie him down on his back -"

"I said, he's vomited, he may choke, I'll put him on his side and -" I lay him down and turned him over.

"Use his fingers to clear out his mouth."?

No way I could do that, I used my own instead, but - "His jaw is pretty tight and his tongue forward or swollen, maybe he's choked."

"Can you put something under his head?" I was just wearing shorts and shirt, and my shirt wouldn't be much padding. I looked around - a woman was standing in the crowd with her woolen coat on - "Can I take your coat and use it as a pillow?" She shook her head and took a step back.

I looked back at him, I saw that his eyes were open, pupils dilated. I checked his pulse again. None. Again. None. "****, he's arrested." I turned him on his back, cradled the phone in my shoulder, I heard the ambulance coming down the road, put my hands on his chest in the right position.

"Do you have a defibrillator?" she asked.

"What? No, I told you, it's some guy in the street."

"Alright," she went on, "I want you to put him on his back, put your hands on the middle of his chest about five centimetres down from his neck -"

"Yep, I'm doing that, I've done CPR before. I can't give him a breath though. Mouth still clogged up." I was pushing down on him, I felt a crack - woops, broke some ribs, never mind, I can't make him any sicker.

The ambos rolled up now and started unpacking lots of gear. I called out to them what I knew, they came over and basically shoved me aside, though asked if I knew him.

Now all the people who moments ago had been running away were hanging around watching. I hung around for a bit to see if they could revive him, and also not sure if they needed my number or something.

One older woman was standing there and basically patted me on the back asking me if I was okay, introduced herself. She'd been there first apart from me and after I'd hung up on the emergency line asked if I needed help. I saw the paramedics fail to get a breathing tube into him, then get forceps to drag food out of his throat - a sushi roll. A sushi pack lay on the ground a metre or so away. Maybe he was just really hungry and forgot to chew.

I was amazed at how many people they sent - two ambulances, a fire truck. Four or five paramedics were helping him, a couple of fireies standing around joking with each-other. Everyone was quite relaxed and professional. A paramedic started shooing the rubbernecking crowd away, including me. "Do I need to give my contact details? I was first on the scene." She said no and shooed me away again.

I went to the train station, and as the train pulled away I saw the two amulances and fire truck were still there, and some cops had showed up, too - probably to control the crowd.

Afterwards I felt a bit bad that I'd stopped to look at the op shop just before seeing the guy, maybe if I'd been earlier - but then, maybe I would have passed before he collapsed, and nobody would have helped him. I was also not pleased with my performance, I could have acted much more quickly and calmly, I forgot to try to smack his back and side to get the food out, and so on.

Anyway, I doubt he'll live. He was probably not breathing when I found him, and I think I was doing the depressions a bit low on his chest. So he would have been a few minutes without oxygen.

We're meant to start our first aid course at PT school in a week or so. Of course I did it all years ago in the Army, and in the Red Cross ERU in NZ. But I've only done the heart part once before, the breathing a few times - though minor injuries heaps of times. I could have done with some more recent practice, I think I would have acted more quickly and calmly.

Still, whatever happens, I'll never know if he lived or died. A strange feeling. I spent dinner tonight thinking, "There's some family without their dad or husband with them tonight." I couldn't sleep, tossed and turned as I reviewed everything I'd done and not done. It's like after an exam, but an exam where you'll never know the results and the stakes are as high as they can be.

I seem to be a magnet for poo. I'm always finding people's wallets, having chroming kids fall over and knock their heads open in front of me, getting smacked in the head by random strangers, finding people collapsed in the street, all sorts of ****. But then, maybe it's not that I'm a magnet, and simply that I don't walk on by. I know that sounds self-righteous, but I am not impressed at all those people walking on by.

I guess the lesson is, don't buy sushi from that joint in Clayton Rd!

*******************

Update

I wrote to the Clayton cop shop to say I'd been the person there, here were my details if they needed them, and I understood there were privacy issues but if they could let me know if the man had survived or not I'd be grateful.

On Friday morning they replied as below.

From: Murray, Nicholas <[removed so he doesn't get spam]>
Date: 2009/10/30
Subject: emergency incident Haughton Rd 2009-10-29 1215
To: [to my email]


Hi Kyle

I was one of the police members who attended this incident yesterday.

Thanks very much for providing assistance to this male who had a choking incident after swallowing some food he had just bought. Your actions may have helped save his life!

I have been to the hospital today and he is in a stable condition, and at this stage, the medical team expect him to recover slowly in coming weeks.

I will keep your details on file in the event that he takes an unlikely turn for the worse and passes away. It would be only then that I would need to take a statement from you regarding the incident.

Thanks again for your assistance

Regards

Nick MURRAY
Leading Senior Constable
Clayton Police
Ph: 9543 3888​

********

Morals of the story:

• learn first aid!
• your mother was right, you should chew before swallowing.

Lessons learned
I made some mistakes, hesitated too much before doing various things, forgot to do other things, and so on. The mistakes and right things I did both are useful teaching points for my class, I think - and for all of us. Because of my mistakes and hesitation, the guy might have brain damage - comparable to after a stroke. BUT - he's alive. If there were someone more competent than me to do, okay I hand over to them (as I did when the ambos came). But if not, well better to be alive and a bit crippled than dead.

But even that not very impressive effort improved his chances of survival a lot. Someone had told me only 2% of CPR patients survive. That sounded low to me so I looked up the statistics, and it's,

• no bystander CPR, no medical help = 0% survival rate
• bystander CPR only = 2%
• no bystander CPR, professional medical help after 10 minutes = 2%
• no bystander CPR, professional medical help in 5-10 minutes = 8%
• bystander CPR + professional medical help in 5-10 minutes = 20%
• instant medical help (eg in hospital) = 40%

So, just by being nosey to see if the person is alright and calling an ambulance you greatly improve their chances of survival (from 0% to 2-8%), but even with poorly-performed CPR it improves yet again (from 2% to 20%). Every minute is vital, quite literally.

Many people are scared of doing a cruddy job at it, but even if they do it badly, it helps. An important point to remember, I think - so that people will have the confidence to use what they've learned!

Confidence is helped by knowing that the professionals are on the way, and they'll be doing the real work. I was VERY relieved when the ambulance showed up. If you think it's all up to you, you might panic!

A final point might be that it's pretty gross and unglamorous. Puke in the mouth, the patient wetting themselves, and they don't just cough and leap up alright afterwards like in Baywatch. It's something that if people are unprepared for, they might panic.

The other thing is that I was lucky, I found out the guy lived. Most likely you will never find out, and it's extremely unlikely you'll become bosom buddies afterwards. Yes, Hollywood lied to us. Oh well. That does make things harder - I'd be a mess for some time, I think, if I hadn't found out.

These are all things to keep in mind, and make you more likely to step on up and help someone who needs it. Yes, you might do a crap job - but even a crap job greatly improves their chances of survival.

I write all this not to gloat - I had a really good gloat to my family and friends on Friday, and my woman took me ought for beer, steak and chips. But I'm over myself now. I just think it's an experience which it's good to share. Others can learn from what I did wrong and what I did right...

And learn that you don't have to be highly-trained, super-calm and professional to do useful stuff. You just have to step on up and give it a go. I sweated, hesitated, ****ed up - but the guy lived.

Learn first aid. Don't walk on by.

 

[PTC]

Damn, you have been busy, nice work

 

[raphsta]

Wow.. Good work Kyle! Must have been great getting that email from the cops..

 

[Bluey]

thats fkn intense man! holy crap! O_O

good on you for saving this guy! Too many people are afraid to help strangers now in case they die and get sued by the family or they have a disease or some crap.

Suck it up princess, what if the show was on the other foot and you needed help from a stranger?

Good Job Kyle!

 

[Josh_GTiR]

Good to hear Kyle! You can definitely say that you have saved someone's life! It is amazing how many people won't even do the smallest stuff to help out a fellow human.

I recently did a First Aid course as I am the First Aid Officer in my office. I found it very interesting and informative. You are spot on about the chances of survival as well, doing something is a hell of a lot better than doing nothing.

Something else that I found very interesting. Just the compressions used in CPR is enough to fill someone's lungs with enough air to help them breathe. The Ambo who ran the course said he thinks in a few years they won't even teach CPR as the breaths ans compression, just the compression. It was also pretty interesting to find out how much pressure is required with the compresssions.

How long did it take for the Ambulance to show up?

Always remember DR. ABC folks.

If you find someone in this position look for Danger, check for a Response, check their Airway, check their Breathing and check their Circulation (pulse).

 

[Kyle Aaron]

Must have been great getting that email from the cops..

I say without shame that I blubbered like a kid. I was laughing happily, then crying, dancing a little bit, then laughing at myself for crying... pretty sloppy

Too many people are afraid to help strangers now in case they die and get sued by the family or they have a disease or some crap.

Under Victorian common law, and with recent changes to the written law, you cannot be sued if you are an unpaid person.

For example, if an ambo stuffs up, they can be sued, because they're paid and highly-qualified. But some unpaid person can't be.

Not in Victorian law but in some other states there's the extra thing that you have to not have acted recklessly. For example, if you pull a person from a car and break their back and the car wasn't burning, they might argue you were reckless - you could have just left them there. But then the court would look at the circumstances, had you never seen an accident before except on American movies, did you need to pull them out to get at them to do CPR, and so on.

I figured whatever disease the guy might have could be treated, and I would send him the bill

People have looked into the "Bystander Effect". In truth, I don't hold too much blame for the people who walked on by or stood around rubbernecking, it's natural and human. I hold blame for those who refused the help I asked which would have cost them little or nothing (calling an ambulance for me so I stick with looking after the guy, refusing the jacket for a pillow).

To stand there not knowing what to do, or too scared to do it, I can understand - but to refuse simple help when asked I can't understand.

But then, the woman who patted me on the back was on her way to a job interview, and her pats made her late. If she'd arrived before me she'd've helped the guy, she'd been in some medical profession in the past.

I was unimpressed with the emergency phone system, that wasted at least a minute. I was very impressed by the professionalism of the emergency line staff - even though I knew what to do, it was good to have a calm voice telling me so I'd minimise the fckups - and the ambo and firey staff. They don't mess around, they just step right in and do the job.

I recommend people get ambulance cover, too, it's only about $120 for a year for the whole family, saves you an expensive ride...!

 

[Admin]

good job kyle , well done for stopping and offering your assistance

I've done first aid level 2 and do refreshers every year , the only time i have had to use my training was when my dad who is a diabetic had a hypo collapsed from the chair onto the floor frothing from the mouth and shaking , i managed to pour some lemonade down his throat.... it scared the **** out of me i forgot pretty much all that i had learnt and just went with instinct the ambo's arrived gave me a pat on the back and said job well done

glad i did my first aid level 2 and make sure to do refreshers every year , hopefully i will never need to use the training again but it's will always be handy to know

One again kyle job well done

 

[Kyle Aaron]

Something else that I found very interesting. Just the compressions used in CPR is enough to fill someone's lungs with enough air to help them breathe.

Yes, I have heard that they've changed the old "10 compressions, 2 quick breaths" thing to 30/1.

However, that does not work if the person has choked - no air can get into them. You have to remove the obstruction. As I said, I felt bad that I'd not done that - but if the ambos had to intubate him, and needed forceps to clear his airway, I probably wouldn't have been able to just with whacking him.

It was also pretty interesting to find out how much pressure is required with the compresssions.

Yes, I looked it up and apparently most non-medical people don't use enough pressure, they're scared of breaking ribs. In hospitals they just go ahead and break the ribs, you're not getting any sicker Since I broke his ribs, I must have used around the right amount of pressure.

That said, you don't want to leap on the guy like Hulk Hogan doing a bodyslam and drive his ribs into his lungs

How long did it take for the Ambulance to show up?

I couldn't honestly say. When you are a not-very-experienced person in a crisis situation, the adrenalin runs, you get tunnel vision, your hearing becomes more acute, your perceptions of time and space turn weird.

And then afterwards you might wet yourself or throw up. I didn't this time, but I was nauseous, and my poor friend Wilfrid was subjected to me running my mouth off at a million miles an hour

I don't think it could have been more than five minutes for the ambos to show up. Luckily there's Monash hospital nearby, the fire brigade is within 3km, and there are lots of medical centres around, quite a lot of elderly people. So there are probably always going to be ambulances around my area, maybe having lunch in the shopping strip or something.

Cheers Admin, I cacked myself and forgot most of everything, too.

 

[katie]

What a story. That was quite chilling to read, I honestly thought the guy had died. I am glad you had some follow-up from the cop.

I wonder if you did break his ribs after all? Well, you had to do what you had to do.

Good on you for not walking on by.

 

[Josh_GTiR]

Ah Kyle, your posts always make me laugh. Granted the first one back in this thread didn't, but the ones after have.

In the first Aid Course they said exactly that, if you break ribs who cares. If they are in the position to need CPR they are either dead or close to dead so you aren't really doing them any harm.

I also recall (maybe this is only in Queensland) that by doing a First Aid course and how ever long it is valid for that you are covered by some type of insurance if you do any damage to the person. As already said, most times if you need to do CPR they are already in big trouble anyway.

 

[Kyle Aaron]

I honestly thought the guy had died.

So did I. I thought it'd been too long and that I might even have been mistaken, and his heart had stopped before I got there - a small pulse on someone's neck isn't a very vivid memory. That and I had no idea how long he'd been there. Chances drop significantly as time goes on.

But maybe it wasn't that long at all, and probably the compressions make a big difference.

I wonder if you did break his ribs after all? Well, you had to do what you had to do.

Yes, there was a distinct "crunch". I did it the only other time I've had to do compressions, too. And I've had my own ribs broken so I am familiar with the sensation.

In the first Aid Course they said exactly that, if you break ribs who cares. If they are in the position to need CPR they are either dead or close to dead so you aren't really doing them any harm.

Yeah, way back in the Army I remember it went something like,

"Hey but what if you push too hard and break his ribs?"
"So what? You're not going to make him any sicker."
"What if like he's in a burning car and you pull him out and he can't walk afterwards?"
"If you leave him to burn to death he won't walk again, will he?"
"Oh but I wouldn't want to live if I was crippled."
"Maybe so, but that isn't your decision to make for the guy. Aaargh, aaargh, I'm burning, help me! Sorry mate you might break a nail if I pull you out, bye. No. If he wants to die he can always top himself later."

etc. Soldiers aren't very bright, and NCOs are very matter-of-fact

One point about the compressions not needing a lot of breaths, that's for when it's one person doing CPR without equipment. If there are two and the other person has one of those squeezy things to pump air in, use it! It's only if you have to interrupt the compressions to give the casualty breath that it's bad.

Amazingly, I didn't have a breather thingo on me anymore than I had a defibrillator. Anyway as I said he wasn't getting breath from me as his airway was blocked.

That bloke must have felt so bloody stupid when he woke up. I'll bet his wife slapped him. What a way to go, didn't chew your sushi roll.

 

[-LJ-]

Kyle. If you need to talk with someone, give Ambulance Victoria a call. They might offer counselling for people in your situation. Well at least they did when people used first aid at my work using Ambulance Victoria sponsered defibrillators.