RSS Feed
Twitter
06:44
Executive Republic
culled from:amazon.com
Every year, thousands of fitness and nutrition enthusiasts
consider switching careers. They consider starting a new path as a
personal trainer or coach. Most have no idea how to make their dream a
reality.
But it’s not just new trainers who struggle with success. Many established professionals aren’t sure how to round our their skill set. How to start driving business growth and career opportunity.
Should they go back to school? Get certified? Sign up for mentorships? Something else entirely?
This article weighs the positives and negatives of those big questions. And it even introduces a new curriculum for trainers and coaches.
[Note: we’ve also prepared an audio recording of this article for you to listen to. So, if you’d rather listen to the piece, click here.]
I caught the fitness bug early. I started working out and reading articles about nutrition and fitness when I was in high school. By the time I was 21, I’d put on 30 lb of muscle, felt awesome, and vanquished my “skinny guy” genetics.
Like many people who start living the “healthy lifestyle”, I quickly became the go-to fitness and nutrition expert for my friends and family, a position and responsibility I enjoyed and cherished.
My new-found love for exercising and eating healthy — coupled with the results I saw in the mirror and my ability to help others get in shape — made me feel like a brand new person.
Well, almost.
(Here’s where the “life perspective” thing comes in.)
Even though I looked and felt different, the rest of my life seemed tethered to the “old me.” Sure, I’d transformed my mind and body… but I was still doing the same old stuff.
Working the same unsatisfying job. Going through the motions at my local community college. Following the same routines.
Taking control of my own health and fitness had shown me how much potential I had to change things in my life. To become happier. To find meaning and purpose. To make a difference.
So why the hell was I doing all the boring stuff I was “supposed” to do when I could do something that actually mattered?
A crazy idea popped into my head: What if I became a personal trainer and tried helping others transform their bodies and minds? What if that was my job?
As I thought about the possibilities, I got excited. This could really work, I thought.
Then reality slapped me in the face. The way I saw it, I had one huge problem:
I had no formal education, no certification, and worse… absolutely no idea where to start.
There are thousands of people out there who are passionate about health and fitness and considering a career change.
But like me back then, they don’t know where to start.
Should they go back to school for a new degree? Get certified as a personal trainer? Or maybe something else entirely?
I remember thinking through the positives and negatives of each before deciding on a course of action.
I got a rather crappy personal training certification, sweet-talked my way into a job as a “fitness assistant” at a local gym, and started training clients.
(I eventually earned a better certification.)
At times, I felt like I was on top of the world. I had gamed the system! Here I was working with people, building my business, reading nutrition and exercise text books, and attending seminars. Screw college! I felt like I had a big head-start.
But at other times, I felt like a fraud. I worried that everyone would look at my lack of formal education and know I was unfit to work with people, even if I was a certified trainer.
I worried that because I didn’t follow any sort of “path”, my new career in fitness was a joke. It was debilitating and even a little depressing.
But as I would later learn, my lack of a formal fitness and nutrition education put me in good company.
While Dan laughs when he says this, that’s exactly what he did.
And his hint of sarcasm isn’t missed, largely because Dan knows something most people don’t:
Unlike in certain fields like law and medicine, there are no clear, predetermined paths in fitness.
In other words, there is no single — or obvious — path to becoming a successful health and fitness coach.
When I realized that, I felt a huge burden lift off me. I wasn’t a fraud. I was just a guy who wanted to help people get in good shape. And, like Dan, I had simply taken an “unconventional” path to get there.
What’s that mean for you?
It means that you can find the path that suits you. The path that matches your experience. Your personality, character, and principles. Your interests. Your real life.
YOU create your own unique path to the dream job you want.
Wow. That’s exciting.
How?
In other words, you don’t need permission from anyone to get started.
All you have to do is help someone get in shape and improve their life, one step at a time.
It doesn’t matter if that someone is a friend, family member, or a paying client. The only way to see if you actually enjoy working with people is to start working with people.
And if you’re not feeling confident enough to coach on your own, ask if you can “shadow” a personal trainer or another experienced coach for a day.
Remember: You don’t have to know everything about exercise and nutrition to help someone get in shape and improve their life. All you need is to know a little bit more about health and fitness than the person you’re trying to help.
Becoming great at something (like coaching) is always about trial and error.
No matter how well prepared you think you are, no matter how many tests you pass, no matter how many internships you do, you will eventually have to try and err. On your own.
So start erring — and learning — now.
In fact, stop reading this article for a moment. Write down 3 small things you could do today to get started immediately, even if that’s just, “Call mom and ask if she wants to help test my kale chip recipe.”
I’ll wait.
Yes, we all know that most certifications in fitness are considered a joke. Many require a single weekend of “effort” (and I put that in quotations deliberately).
Most barely scratch the surface of what a trainer really needs to know to work effectively with a client. (In other words, to help real people get real results in the real world.)
But if you want to be viewed as a professional — and if you want insurance — you’ll need the paperwork. So get some kind of certification anyway.
Start with a basic but quality certification like one of the following:
However, we now know that exercise alone won’t get your clients the kind of results they’re hiring you for.
And your clients will need more help than just the 2-3 sessions a week they have with you.
So what you should you do?
Nutrition is where people 1) need the most help and 2) will see the greatest results.
In fact, including nutrition coaching with your training advice can increase your effectiveness as a trainer by at least five times.
In other words:
Once you know what to do and how to do it, and once you have a system for applying it, you put in less work. You worry less. But you get vastly better client results.
Less anxiety and effort for better client outcomes, on top of living your dream? Sounds like a pretty good deal.
Since a high-quality, real-world nutrition certification didn’t exist a few years ago, we set out to create one. The result? The Precision Nutrition Certification. (It’s quickly become the industry’s most respected nutrition certification.)
Of course, if you’re already a student or graduate of the Level 1 program, we’ve got something for you too. Check out this Level 2 page where you can learn more about the Master Class.
Also, if you want more research on the different nutrition education options out there, check out this site. It compares and contrasts the best schools and online education platforms. That way you can make an educated decision on what’s best for you.
Most exercise programming assumes that clients move well to begin with. And that might be true, if you were training child circus performers, instead of office workers or athletes and manual laborers with years of repetitive stresses and strains.
As physical therapist Gray Cook says, don’t load dysfunction. Adding weight to a structure that can’t support it isn’t going to make that structure any better.
Your exercise programming can actually hurt your clients if you don’t first learn how to help them fix their dysfunctional movement patterns.
So, consider checking out one of the following education tracks for better understanding and programming movement.
Now, learn how to work with and legitimately coach your clients.
Coaching clients to lasting success depends on saying the right things in the right ways at the right times — and really connecting.
You can have someone do all the squats and eat all the broccoli you want, but until you learn change psychology and the art of coaching, you’ll never be able to actually help your clients change their habits. Even with the best intentions, you’ll both end up frustrated.
On the other hand, if you truly understand how to communicate with real people, how to build meaningful connections, and how the process of change actually works — then you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.
But where should you start?
Here are two must-read (and free) resources to check out:
And if you’ve done all that and you’re ready to level up, you might consider these courses:
If you’re considering opening your own personal training studio or gym — or if you work at a bigger gym and want to learn how to get more clients — you’ll need to get some business training.
And I’m not talking about a MBA here (although that’d be nice). I’m talking about fitness-specific training taught by people who’ve actually had success in the field.
In my opinion, this is the best business coaching program out there for fitness professionals:
(And here’s a great article outlining the 5 key stages of a successful fitness business).
Other great options are:
What’s next? A lifetime of learning and personal development.
Feel free to pick the books, courses, internships, and certifications that most resonate with you. Or will most help your clients.
Geek out about advanced programming for different populations, nutrient timing, soft-tissue therapy, hormonal issues, advanced exercise and diet techniques, and more.
These internships and mentorships come highly recommended:
If you’re interested in more athletic populations:
If you’re interested in special populations:
And I kinda like it that way. It means that possibilities are infinite.
The best trainers can come from anywhere: 4-year colleges. Doctoral programs. Theology school. College drop-outs. Someone who found a gym flyer in the parking lot.
It doesn’t matter.
All that matters is your dream and your desire to help people — your passion for health, fitness, and nutrition.
If you’ve got the energy, the drive, and the interest to do this work, you can eventually do it… no matter what you’re doing as a career now.
If you’d like to fast track the process, consider working with us.
Our next Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification group kicks off shortly and is designed to teach fitness, strength, nutrition, and rehab professionals how to be awesome coaches and help clients get in the best shape of their lives.
Since we only take a limited amount of students, and the program sells out every time, I strongly recommend you add your name to our presale list below.
When you do, you get the chance to sign up 24 hours before everyone else. Even better, you save $200 off the cost of the program.
[Of course, if you’re already a student or graduate of the Level 1 program, we’ve got something for you too. Check out this Level 2 page where you can learn more about the upcoming Master Class.]
But it’s not just new trainers who struggle with success. Many established professionals aren’t sure how to round our their skill set. How to start driving business growth and career opportunity.
Should they go back to school? Get certified? Sign up for mentorships? Something else entirely?
This article weighs the positives and negatives of those big questions. And it even introduces a new curriculum for trainers and coaches.
[Note: we’ve also prepared an audio recording of this article for you to listen to. So, if you’d rather listen to the piece, click here.]
Change your body, change your… career?
Becoming passionate about health and fitness put the rest of my life into perspective.I caught the fitness bug early. I started working out and reading articles about nutrition and fitness when I was in high school. By the time I was 21, I’d put on 30 lb of muscle, felt awesome, and vanquished my “skinny guy” genetics.
Like many people who start living the “healthy lifestyle”, I quickly became the go-to fitness and nutrition expert for my friends and family, a position and responsibility I enjoyed and cherished.
My new-found love for exercising and eating healthy — coupled with the results I saw in the mirror and my ability to help others get in shape — made me feel like a brand new person.
Well, almost.
(Here’s where the “life perspective” thing comes in.)
Even though I looked and felt different, the rest of my life seemed tethered to the “old me.” Sure, I’d transformed my mind and body… but I was still doing the same old stuff.
Working the same unsatisfying job. Going through the motions at my local community college. Following the same routines.
Taking control of my own health and fitness had shown me how much potential I had to change things in my life. To become happier. To find meaning and purpose. To make a difference.
So why the hell was I doing all the boring stuff I was “supposed” to do when I could do something that actually mattered?
A crazy idea popped into my head: What if I became a personal trainer and tried helping others transform their bodies and minds? What if that was my job?
As I thought about the possibilities, I got excited. This could really work, I thought.
Then reality slapped me in the face. The way I saw it, I had one huge problem:
I had no formal education, no certification, and worse… absolutely no idea where to start.
How do you become successful in the fitness industry?
I wasn’t alone. And I’m still not.There are thousands of people out there who are passionate about health and fitness and considering a career change.
But like me back then, they don’t know where to start.
Should they go back to school for a new degree? Get certified as a personal trainer? Or maybe something else entirely?
I remember thinking through the positives and negatives of each before deciding on a course of action.
Option 1: Go back to school.
Positives:- Earn a degree. (Duh.)
- Learn all about biochemistry, anatomy, and exercise physiology.
- Go to frat parties. No, wait, I’m too old for that crap. Put that on the negatives list. Darn rowdy kids!
- Takes at least 2 years to finish (and more likely, 4-6 years).
- Costs tens of thousands of dollars and could leave me deep in debt.
- Doesn’t prepare me for the day-to-day work of training real people (i.e. doesn’t show me how to write training programs or nutritional plans people will actually follow).
- Delivers few (if any) classes or resources on change psychology or business development.
Option 2: Get certified as a personal trainer.
Positives:- Faster than going back to school (Usually self-study, so I could go at my own pace.)
- Costs way less money.
- Learn enough anatomy and physiology to feel semi-competent.
- The certificate I earned after taking the test would make me seem more credible to potential clients.
- Doesn’t seem as “credible” as a degree.
- I don’t know which certification is “good” and which certification is “bad”.
- Still doesn’t teach me much about change psychology or business development.
I got a rather crappy personal training certification, sweet-talked my way into a job as a “fitness assistant” at a local gym, and started training clients.
(I eventually earned a better certification.)
At times, I felt like I was on top of the world. I had gamed the system! Here I was working with people, building my business, reading nutrition and exercise text books, and attending seminars. Screw college! I felt like I had a big head-start.
But at other times, I felt like a fraud. I worried that everyone would look at my lack of formal education and know I was unfit to work with people, even if I was a certified trainer.
I worried that because I didn’t follow any sort of “path”, my new career in fitness was a joke. It was debilitating and even a little depressing.
But as I would later learn, my lack of a formal fitness and nutrition education put me in good company.
Be a world-class strength coach in 3 easy steps
When people ask renowned strength coach Dan John what they should do to become a successful trainer or coach, here’s what he tells them:
Step 1: Get a degree in English, study Theology, score a job as a high school teacher.
Step 2: Spend evenings teaching an online religious studies course.
Step 3: Volunteer as a strength coach with your high school track team.
Voilá, just 25 years later, you’ll be a household name in strength and conditioning!While Dan laughs when he says this, that’s exactly what he did.
And his hint of sarcasm isn’t missed, largely because Dan knows something most people don’t:
Unlike in certain fields like law and medicine, there are no clear, predetermined paths in fitness.
In other words, there is no single — or obvious — path to becoming a successful health and fitness coach.
When I realized that, I felt a huge burden lift off me. I wasn’t a fraud. I was just a guy who wanted to help people get in good shape. And, like Dan, I had simply taken an “unconventional” path to get there.
What’s that mean for you?
It means that you can find the path that suits you. The path that matches your experience. Your personality, character, and principles. Your interests. Your real life.
YOU create your own unique path to the dream job you want.
Wow. That’s exciting.
How?
Start here: The new fitness industry curriculum
Of course, even though there’s no single template, you can still follow and adapt some of the patterns of the top coaches. (Hey, why re-invent the wheel?)1. Start coaching immediately
You don’t have to do anything fancy from the start. You don’t need to get a degree. Or rent space in a gym. Or start your own studio.In other words, you don’t need permission from anyone to get started.
All you have to do is help someone get in shape and improve their life, one step at a time.
It doesn’t matter if that someone is a friend, family member, or a paying client. The only way to see if you actually enjoy working with people is to start working with people.
And if you’re not feeling confident enough to coach on your own, ask if you can “shadow” a personal trainer or another experienced coach for a day.
Remember: You don’t have to know everything about exercise and nutrition to help someone get in shape and improve their life. All you need is to know a little bit more about health and fitness than the person you’re trying to help.
Becoming great at something (like coaching) is always about trial and error.
No matter how well prepared you think you are, no matter how many tests you pass, no matter how many internships you do, you will eventually have to try and err. On your own.
So start erring — and learning — now.
In fact, stop reading this article for a moment. Write down 3 small things you could do today to get started immediately, even if that’s just, “Call mom and ask if she wants to help test my kale chip recipe.”
I’ll wait.
2. Get certified
While you’re coaching, start earning your credentials.Yes, we all know that most certifications in fitness are considered a joke. Many require a single weekend of “effort” (and I put that in quotations deliberately).
Most barely scratch the surface of what a trainer really needs to know to work effectively with a client. (In other words, to help real people get real results in the real world.)
But if you want to be viewed as a professional — and if you want insurance — you’ll need the paperwork. So get some kind of certification anyway.
Start with a basic but quality certification like one of the following:
- American College of Sports Medicine – Certified Personal Trainer
- International Sports Sciences Association – Personal Trainer Certification
- National Academy of Sports Medicine – Certified Personal Trainer
- National Strength and Conditioning Association – Certified Personal Trainer
3. Become a “Trainer Plus”
Okay, so you’re certified as a personal trainer, and Mom loves your kale chips. That’s awesome.However, we now know that exercise alone won’t get your clients the kind of results they’re hiring you for.
And your clients will need more help than just the 2-3 sessions a week they have with you.
So what you should you do?
Nutrition education
First, learn more about nutrition, so you can feel more confident discussing food and diet with your clients.Nutrition is where people 1) need the most help and 2) will see the greatest results.
In fact, including nutrition coaching with your training advice can increase your effectiveness as a trainer by at least five times.
In other words:
- That could be 25 lb lost, instead of 5.
- That could be 20 points knocked off the blood pressure score, instead of 4.
- That could be 5 inches off someone’s waist, not 1. (Or 2 inches added to their arms, instead of a measly 0.4.)
Once you know what to do and how to do it, and once you have a system for applying it, you put in less work. You worry less. But you get vastly better client results.
Less anxiety and effort for better client outcomes, on top of living your dream? Sounds like a pretty good deal.
Since a high-quality, real-world nutrition certification didn’t exist a few years ago, we set out to create one. The result? The Precision Nutrition Certification. (It’s quickly become the industry’s most respected nutrition certification.)
Of course, if you’re already a student or graduate of the Level 1 program, we’ve got something for you too. Check out this Level 2 page where you can learn more about the Master Class.
Also, if you want more research on the different nutrition education options out there, check out this site. It compares and contrasts the best schools and online education platforms. That way you can make an educated decision on what’s best for you.
Movement education
After establishing your nutrition system, I recommend one more thing to round out your basic skill set: improving your ability to assess movement.Most exercise programming assumes that clients move well to begin with. And that might be true, if you were training child circus performers, instead of office workers or athletes and manual laborers with years of repetitive stresses and strains.
As physical therapist Gray Cook says, don’t load dysfunction. Adding weight to a structure that can’t support it isn’t going to make that structure any better.
Your exercise programming can actually hurt your clients if you don’t first learn how to help them fix their dysfunctional movement patterns.
So, consider checking out one of the following education tracks for better understanding and programming movement.
4. Learn how to coach real people.
You’ve spent some time learning about movement, nutrition, and exercise programing and you have a strong foundation of knowledge. Awesome.Now, learn how to work with and legitimately coach your clients.
Coaching clients to lasting success depends on saying the right things in the right ways at the right times — and really connecting.
You can have someone do all the squats and eat all the broccoli you want, but until you learn change psychology and the art of coaching, you’ll never be able to actually help your clients change their habits. Even with the best intentions, you’ll both end up frustrated.
On the other hand, if you truly understand how to communicate with real people, how to build meaningful connections, and how the process of change actually works — then you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.
But where should you start?
Here are two must-read (and free) resources to check out:
- Effective coach talk: What to say to clients and why it matters
- 10 things elite coaches do (And 6 things they read)
And if you’ve done all that and you’re ready to level up, you might consider these courses:
5. Get some business training
You’ve gotta keep the lights on, your financials in order, and clients coming in the door. How?If you’re considering opening your own personal training studio or gym — or if you work at a bigger gym and want to learn how to get more clients — you’ll need to get some business training.
And I’m not talking about a MBA here (although that’d be nice). I’m talking about fitness-specific training taught by people who’ve actually had success in the field.
In my opinion, this is the best business coaching program out there for fitness professionals:
(And here’s a great article outlining the 5 key stages of a successful fitness business).
Other great options are:
- Results Fitness University
- Fitness Consulting Group
- National Fitness Business Alliance
- 100K Info Group (for online businesses)
6. A career of learning and development
Now you’ve built a strong foundation of training, nutrition, movement, change, and business knowledge. You even have a bunch of new certifications hanging on your wall!What’s next? A lifetime of learning and personal development.
Feel free to pick the books, courses, internships, and certifications that most resonate with you. Or will most help your clients.
Geek out about advanced programming for different populations, nutrient timing, soft-tissue therapy, hormonal issues, advanced exercise and diet techniques, and more.
These internships and mentorships come highly recommended:
- World Athletics Center
- EXOS (formerly Athlete’s Performance)
- Cressey Sports Performance
- IFAST
- Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning
If you’re interested in more athletic populations:
- Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
- Certified Physical Preparation Specialist (CPPS)
- Certified Functional Strength Coach (CFSC)
If you’re interested in special populations:
- Corrective Exercise Specialist (NASM)
- Fitness and Exercise Therapy Certification (ISSA)
- Youth Fitness Specialist (IYCA)
- Senior Fitness Certification (ISSA)
- Golf Fitness Certification (TPI)
Remember: There is no one “right” way to make it in the fitness industry
Fitness and nutrition is still a young industry. There is no one “right” path to success. In fact, there may never be.And I kinda like it that way. It means that possibilities are infinite.
The best trainers can come from anywhere: 4-year colleges. Doctoral programs. Theology school. College drop-outs. Someone who found a gym flyer in the parking lot.
It doesn’t matter.
All that matters is your dream and your desire to help people — your passion for health, fitness, and nutrition.
If you’ve got the energy, the drive, and the interest to do this work, you can eventually do it… no matter what you’re doing as a career now.
What to do
While there isn’t one “right” path, there are 5 things you can do to set yourself apart from 99% of other trainers out there:- Start coaching now — even if it’s just family or friends.
- Get certified — even if it’s a basic entry-level certification.
- Become a “Trainer Plus” — someone who understands exercise, but also nutrition and quality movement.
- Learn how to coach real people — by focusing on change psychology and connections.
- Get business training — so you can take your fitness “pipe dream” and turn it into something meaningful and profitable.
- Commit to a career of learning and development — geek out on advanced programs and build your skills and specialties.
Take the next step
Regardless of which field you’re coming from, developing your skill set and becoming a great coach takes education and practice.If you’d like to fast track the process, consider working with us.
Our next Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification group kicks off shortly and is designed to teach fitness, strength, nutrition, and rehab professionals how to be awesome coaches and help clients get in the best shape of their lives.
Since we only take a limited amount of students, and the program sells out every time, I strongly recommend you add your name to our presale list below.
When you do, you get the chance to sign up 24 hours before everyone else. Even better, you save $200 off the cost of the program.
[Of course, if you’re already a student or graduate of the Level 1 program, we’ve got something for you too. Check out this Level 2 page where you can learn more about the upcoming Master Class.]
Posted in 
0 comments:
Post a Comment