About becoming a personal trainer

Well inverted rows are the easiest way to get to pullups. And these weren't even full inverted rows, it was knees-up. Like I said, she could do them correctly and safely, they were just hard. So I thought that was the perfect level of difficulty. But it's fair to tone it down a bit if the person will be working out on their own. Of course if they sign up for PT time, well then.... bwahahaha!

I always keep it simple, just not short and simple

But to be honest, this is a difficult thing with these scenarios. Usually the person playing the client is actually an experienced trainer. I adjust what I'm saying based on the responses of the person, if they look lost and confused I make it short and simple, if they're understanding it all then I can add bits. And the trainer playing a client never looks confused, so...

Plus you're always being watched by some supervisor, and it's an assessment - so there's always the temptation to say just a little bit more, just to demonstrate that you know your stuff, show off a little bit.

But in the end, I've only done two practical interviews, and I've got both jobs from it, so my approach can't be that bad

I've applied for the third place, too.

I went to sign up at the YMCA yesterday.

The top two trainers there do 60-80 sessions a month in addition to their general gym instructor work. Apparently most common is that clients will have 2x 1/2hr sessions each week, so those 60-80 sessions would translate to 8-10 clients. But those are guys working 5+ gym shifts each week, those working 2-3 have 30-40 sessions a month.

They begin you as a plain old gym instructor, it takes 1-3 months before they trust you enough to do PT. As I have my own clients outside the gym already, and a couple would like to come to the Y to train, I expect I'll be PTing there fairly soon. I only have 2 shifts at present (Thursday open and Sunday close), this of course can go up as people quit etc. Lots of those working just a few shifts there are university students working part-time, so they come and go.

Business tends to pick up at gyms when the warmer weather kicks in around October/November. We've a swimming pool there, so lots and lots of people will be coming through.

So I expect zero in-gym clients in the first month or so, still keeping up with my out-of-gym clients I already have, and then a few from there on. I'm happy to start slow, I'm there to learn. They have trainers who are physiotherapy students, myotherapists, older adult and rehab-focused trainers, I can learn a lot from people like that.

On topic, I've noticed a guy in Frankston who is a PT. He musnt have a gym or home to train people at, he trains them on the street and parks.

One session he was by Kananook creek. He had the guy doing squats while leaning back on a bouncy ball pressed against the wall. He later had him doing step ups on a ledge.

Today I saw him with a client doing sprints on an off ramp near Olivers Hill.

This guy is doing the best he can with limited resources. Both his clients were young guys, not knowing the full extent of their sessions with him, without other equipment, theyre progress will stall.

Of course I'm only assuming he doesnt have other equipment, its just I dont know why you would go to the creek to rub up against a ball and step up on a ledge.

The way he talks to the client makes me feel he is straight out of school with no training himself, just starting out.

I had a guy telling me I should do 1/2 a burpee, the jump part and when I land fall straight into a bodyweight squat. He then told me it was much more efficient than a barbell squat because you are doing your bodyweight.

True story.

There are indeed some wacky training ideas out there. The other day I saw a guy kneeling on a swiss ball, doing overhead presses with 3kg dumbells. What he was trying to achieve apart from a strong risk of breaking his arm, I am not sure.

But I mean, you never know. Today in the gym I saw three separate guys doing exercises in what seemed like a dodgy way. Each of the guys I talked to, it turned out they had some previous injury that meant that was the best they could do - lifting over the longest range of motion they could without pain or further injury.

I really cannot imagine why anyone outside a circus would need to be doing 3kg overhead presses while kneeling on a swiss ball, but it's always possible...

Most likely they're just clueless. But you never know.

After my shadow shifts, I had today my first real shift in the gym. It's a very diverse bunch of people there. I've seen a young footballer following his coach's routine, another young footballer having an hour of PT (strength, balance focus) while his dad did his own workout, an elderly gentleman improving his cardiovascular fitness on the cross-trainer, lots of women on treadmills, a couple of retired blokes who cycle together working out, a woman recovering from a calf tear from her sport, an overweight woman with a severe learning disability trying to slim down, and so on.

It's nothing like PTC, but nobody's kneeling on Swiss balls overhead pressing, either. I'm taking my time to get to know the regulars and the many different staff.

Lots to learn in a place like that.

Signed up to do the cert 3 and 4 today, once I finish that - level 1 and 2 in strength and conditioning.

Got 20-40hrs work experiance with Jeff Lam, a pretty strong QLD powerlifter. Bit excited about that .

Sticky is going to be teaching people to squat on swiss balls soon.

Swiss balls lol, do they make them that low .

From what I have heard you take a swiss ball and a client to the park and they stand on it and squat to just above parallel (you do not want to go further as it will damage your knees) and repeat. It is really functional strength as I find I only ever do a squatting movement when I am on top of some unstable ball like surface.

More commonly we see people putting the ball against the wall, and leaning on it as they squat.

I'm not sure what benefit it's supposed to offer over simple bodyweight squats. It adds some stability if the person concentrates, but it seems simpler and easier to me to just have them do a bodyweight squat over the longest range of motion they can do safely, over time this range will increase.

In the next few weeks I have a fair few shifts at the gym. Looking at my appointments, during those shifts I'll meet a number of different people training, including someone with a hobby of triathlons, an office worker who says, "I want to lose this" as they point to their belly, an older person with MS (I'd not normally work with this person, I'm covering another's shift), and a bunch of mentally disabled kids who'll come in with their carers, I just have to make sure nobody crushes themselves under the leg press or something.

It's a lot more difficult than just counting reps or getting people to kneel on swiss balls and overhead press 3kg dumbells. Some of the work is easy, some not. But mostly pretty rewarding.

Kyle Aaron said:

More commonly we see people putting the ball against the wall, and leaning on it as they squat.

I'm not sure what benefit it's supposed to offer over simple bodyweight squats. It adds some stability if the person concentrates, but it seems simpler and easier to me to just have them do a bodyweight squat over the longest range of motion they can do safely, over time this range will increase.

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This is a fairly common exercise for pregnant women to do, from what I've been told and read. I have also used it for an overweight client with back issues during the period where I was strengthening her lower back.

Firstly, the ball squat squat like the trap bar lift is more a standing leg-press.

If a ball is going to be used a smaller ball like the size of a medicine ball would be a much better option.
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Here's another rant.

I have a girl training with me, Nikki. She has just had 3 months off, she has been on holidays in England. When she started training with me, she complained of sore knees. She has had sore knees for quite a while, even having to miss netball games.

Earlier this year, her doctor contacted me, asking me if she is squatting correctly, I said she was, I explained I have lots of girls squatting at PTC.

Anyway, after 3 months off training, Nikki tries to squat last Monday, and complains her knees are sore. She goes to her doctor, her doctor tells her its the squatting. Now remember, she had sore knees BEFORE she started, hasnt trained for 3 months and said her knees were sore BEFORE her session.

Her doctor sends her to a PT at the local health spa. Nikki informs me he tells her she's squatting incorrectly. I really dont know what to say, she trains with Britt and Emma who have both squatted over 80kg. They all train the same. Nikki's knees even hurt on bench squats.

Her doctors inability to find a problem has led to her giving Nikki incorrect advice, her knees have been an issue long before I met her. Actually, her doctor is a physio. Combined with the PT, Nikki has no hope, theyve actually stopped trying to help her.

You know the funniest thing about all this is..................Nikki only ever squats an EMPTY bar, usually to a 42cm high bench.

Oh the indignity.

Hey M you can design a better saddle for a horse, you can better train a horse and you can better feed a horse, but you must realize you are forced and restricted to work within the limitations of a horse.
You will never increase the efficiency of travel with a horse.

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Ms Nicky evidently needs a better doctor/physio. She needs one who tells her what the problem is, and the steps to be taken to fix it. I can recommend a good one.

Observations from a gym shift:

Today I taught 3 people to squat. They'd been given walking lunges with medicine ball twists and things like that. Which can be useful exercises, but how about a simple bodyweight squat first, eh?

One woman told me she couldn't squat because of her knees, but leg press was okay.
"If you can do leg press but not squat without pain, perhaps there's a technique issue. Could you show me your squat?"
She did and there it was - knees coming together. Surprise surprise, they hurt. Two minutes later she was squatting past parallel without discomfort.

Two ladies were doing overhead presses with dumbells while standing on these squishy half-balls.
"Tell me, ladies, do you have particular injuries or balance problems which this is supposed to help?"
"No, why?"
"Are you planning to join the circus?"
"No, so-and-so gave us these to do so we could work on our cores at the same time as our shoulders."
"Ah, okay, if you'd like to do that, I suggest: step off the ball, put your heels together, and press one dumbell overhead, put the other hand where you like to balance... That's it, press all the way up, keep your body upright... Chest
up... good. Do you feel your cores working now?"
"Yes, and my shoulder."
"Excellent. Now you don't have to worry about falling over, either."

People really like talking about themselves. Except the ones with the iPods, they hate all humanity.

You did some good work there Kyle. I would have loaded up 50kg and made them front squat it then asked how their cores and shoulders felt, but then again I am an iPod user

Also find the idiot who put them on the ball and explain a little gym safety to them.
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do Nikki's knees still hurt when she squats the way the PT wants her too? im betting they still do unless he has her doing 1/8th squats....

dave said:

You did some good work there Kyle. I would have loaded up 50kg and made them front squat it then asked how their cores and shoulders felt

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One step at a time, mate, one step at a time

but then again I am an iPod user

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Scum!

Also find the idiot who put them on the ball and explain a little gym safety to them.

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There's more than one trainer I'd like to have words with at my two gyms. Email me and I'll tell you about them

their lucky to have you, the 'GOD' of personal training there to help them out.

Um, sure, haz. Sarcasm noted.

All I can say is, I know what I know, and what I don't. I'm working on improving my skills and knowledge, I've got a lot to learn. I sat in today on an older adults trainer working with two clients, I learned a lot.