About becoming a personal trainer - Ausbb

Kyle Aaron · 13-06-2009, 03:01 PM

Kyle is lost
As most know, at the moment I'm a chef, and years ago was infantry in the army, some years regular, some years reserves. I love cooking, but when you hit your 30s you find that there are hardly any chefs of your age or older in commercial kitchens. People burn out, decide they want more sane hours for their families, and so on.

I have my own small business doing office catering, but lately it's been more marketing than cooking, which I don't like. So I'm thinking of a career change. I thought to myself, what's a profession in which age helps you? Well, teaching. But I wouldn't want to deal with hundreds of whiny teenagers. One-on-one, or small groups would suit me better.

Where do I want to go?
Now, what do I enjoy in work life? Well, in chef work I like to look out at the dining area and see people drinking, eating, laughing and having fun - and know that I helped make that happen. And in both the Army and kitchen, I've always enjoyed teaching people simple skills, seeing them go from incompetent to masters of it, and taking people who are really not confident, and getting them to do things they thought they could never do, seeing them come out feeling two metres tall and bulletproof.

So I was wondering what profession could I do these things in, and I was thinking this one day while lifting iron. Thus: personal trainer. Okay, that's the destination: how do we get there?

Education
Education, first up. I know a fair bit about exercise and nutrition from Army, cheffing, and my own research to help my workouts. But it's one thing to have a bunch of facts, and another to bring them together into a profession. Plus you need bits of paper to do anything these days.

There are few key things to think of. One is that there are two Certificates to becoming a PTI. The first is Certificate III (gym instructor). That just lets you hang out at the gym, show people how to bench press and that sort of thing.

The second is Certificate IV, and there you specialise in either Group Trainer or Personal Trainer. The group one is for aerobics classes, that sort of thing. The personal one is what most of us here are interested in, it's one trainer with one to a few people. This lets you take people in at the gym or on your own somewhere, assess their fitness and strength, discover their goals and tailor a workout to suit.

The thing about TAFE courses generally is that they vary a lot from one institution to another. There are a few core subjects they have to cover, like anatomy and basic exercise physiology (eg "the pectoralis major inserts on the humerus") then a whole swag of optional ones - it's up to them which they present you with, so two people going to two different institutions, one might know about (for example) aquatic training, and the other doesn't.

It seems that Cert III and IV each have around 100 contact hours, that is hours in classes. Supposedly it's an hour or two outside the class for each hour in class, for reading and study. You can do these hours full-time and get each Cert in 3-4 weeks, or do them part-time an evening or two a week and it'll take 10-16 weeks.

A few institutions offer Cert III/IV as a package, you do them both together in one course.

In addition, you need a practical placement of around 20-40 hours - that is, putting into practice what you learned in class and study. Some institutions offer this practical placement in-house, others expect you to go and ask your local gym or something. In-house is better, since some gyms will say "okay" and then just get you to do photocopying and making coffees for the day, doesn't teach you much.

Lastly, you need Level 2 First Aid. That's CPR, recognising signs of a stroke, stopping bleeding, recognising and treating shock, basic binding of sprains, that sort of thing. Some institutions just slot it in as part of Cert III/IV, others expect you to do it separately.

Prices vary widly, from about $1,000 per Cert to $5,000. Level 2 First Aid is $200-$500 on its own. I'm visiting the places which interest me. I think you have to balance cost with travelling distance, the facilities offered, whether the practical and first aid are part of it, how you like the instructors, and so on.

That's all I know so far.

Standards in institutions obviously do vary - just look at gyms you've been to, and how different PTIs are. Some are great, some useless, some could be great but seem burned out and don't care, etc.

I think some people enter the profession imagining they'll be cruising along with Ian Thorpe counting his reps on his bench press or something. They're not really prepared for the fact that 99% of clients are going to be ordinary overweight and unfit people with terrible diets who want a big change without any change, if you know what I mean

Any questions, anything you can tell me?

13-06-2009, 03:57 PM

First aid 2-500???
That is nuts.I did it for about $85 if I remember rightly through
the ambulance service.

breebreerocks · 14-06-2009, 05:53 PM

Looked into becoming a PT myself. Before I did any courses, I went a worked in a gym forst to see if I enjoyed it (already have a very expensive uni degree that took me six years, so don't want to spend any more on degrees I don't use).

Came to the realisation that I would throttle most of the people who hire trainers. All they do is complain. Always complain about things being hard, are reluctant to put in the work required, etc. I really wanted to help middle aged women in particular- those with kids who have grown up and left home and not looked after themselves in years. But even those who are paying trainers aren't generally ready to make a real change.

I've been fat, I know how it feels. But just came to realise that most want miracles.

Kyle Aaron · 15-06-2009, 02:32 PM

Yeah, I'd expect that most would be a dead loss. Instant gratification, push-button society and all that.

I think you need to care enough to do your job well, but be distant and callous enough that if they fail due to lack of effort, you say "oh well, next!" Like a good schoolteacher. I think the Army gave me enough of a callous bastard attitude that I could manage it

But that's a good thought, to try working in a gym first. If I can make that happen, I will.

kindred · 15-06-2009, 04:57 PM

http://www.careerexpo.com.au/index.php

Find a personal trainer booth and ask them questions till thier ears bleed. If your not located in that state then find an expo in the state your in! They have them in SA all the time and I often appear in quite a state! hahah get it state quite a state... anyway.

Kyle Aaron · 20-06-2009, 02:12 PM

Thanks Kindred, I'd missed your post earlier.

Actually I've been talking to a lot of PTIs and managers at gyms, and people at institutions, too, just to get an idea of what are good places to go - "good" in the sense of teaching me the job thoroughly and looking good on the resume.

It seems that the TAFEs have the best reputation among the PTIs and gyms.

Apparently education is like everything else: you can have good, cheap or quick, if you're lucky you get two out of three, but you never get all three. So:-

somewhere like AIF is quick: 8 weeks for Cert III and IV, about 240 contact hours and $5,000,
all the private colleges are quick - 3-4 weeks for each of Cert III/IV, about 300 contact hours in all, and some are good, but $3,000-$4,000 for the two
TAFE is good and cheap - a semester for each of Cert III/IV, over 1,000 contact hours in all, but will only cost $1,150 (plus some books)

Perhaps after doing Cert III I'll be able to get a part-time job at a gym to build up my experience and cash, then I can rush through Cert IV at one of the good and quick joints. In the meantime, I'll probably enrol at Holmesglen this semester for Cert III.

Kyle Aaron · 22-06-2009, 11:39 PM

I'll be signing up at Holmesglen on Thursday, and the course runs from 2009-07-13 to 2009-11-20.

kindred · 23-06-2009, 09:41 AM

I wouldnt mind doing cert 3 and 4 just so i know what im talking about for a change haha. Wonder if TAFE does it via correspondence!

Kyle Aaron · 23-06-2009, 11:59 AM

There are some online courses.

But knowing what you're talking about depends on you. There are PTIs with no clue at all, just visit any gym and see. And then there are unqualified people who have a lot to teach, and who get excellent results for them and anyone they coach.

katie · 23-06-2009, 12:32 PM

Good onya Kyle for enrolling.

I love the idea of being a PT but not sure if I can handle the realities of being a PT eg. early starts, recalcitrant clients, etc. I used to tutor students one-on-one and while I generally loved the job, sometimes I just really didn't want to do it.

I currently work full time and study part time towards a professional qualification for my job, so I can't see myself enrolling in a Cert III too soon. Looking forward to hearing about your experiences with TAFE though, as I would like to do it a couple of years down the track.

bree - how were you able to work in a gym without a Cert III or IV? To me, it's a catch 22 - I can't get casual work in a gym until I have a Cert III - but I don't want to start a Cert III until I have tried working in a gym.

13-06-2009, 03:01 PM	#1 (permalink)
Kyle Aaron Active Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Melbourne Gender: Posts: 3,682	About becoming a personal trainer Kyle is lost As most know, at the moment I'm a chef, and years ago was infantry in the army, some years regular, some years reserves. I love cooking, but when you hit your 30s you find that there are hardly any chefs of your age or older in commercial kitchens. People burn out, decide they want more sane hours for their families, and so on. I have my own small business doing office catering, but lately it's been more marketing than cooking, which I don't like. So I'm thinking of a career change. I thought to myself, what's a profession in which age helps you? Well, teaching. But I wouldn't want to deal with hundreds of whiny teenagers. One-on-one, or small groups would suit me better. Where do I want to go? Now, what do I enjoy in work life? Well, in chef work I like to look out at the dining area and see people drinking, eating, laughing and having fun - and know that I helped make that happen. And in both the Army and kitchen, I've always enjoyed teaching people simple skills, seeing them go from incompetent to masters of it, and taking people who are really not confident, and getting them to do things they thought they could never do, seeing them come out feeling two metres tall and bulletproof. So I was wondering what profession could I do these things in, and I was thinking this one day while lifting iron. Thus: personal trainer. Okay, that's the destination: how do we get there? Education Education, first up. I know a fair bit about exercise and nutrition from Army, cheffing, and my own research to help my workouts. But it's one thing to have a bunch of facts, and another to bring them together into a profession. Plus you need bits of paper to do anything these days. There are few key things to think of. One is that there are two Certificates to becoming a PTI. The first is Certificate III (gym instructor). That just lets you hang out at the gym, show people how to bench press and that sort of thing. The second is Certificate IV, and there you specialise in either Group Trainer or Personal Trainer. The group one is for aerobics classes, that sort of thing. The personal one is what most of us here are interested in, it's one trainer with one to a few people. This lets you take people in at the gym or on your own somewhere, assess their fitness and strength, discover their goals and tailor a workout to suit. The thing about TAFE courses generally is that they vary a lot from one institution to another. There are a few core subjects they have to cover, like anatomy and basic exercise physiology (eg "the pectoralis major inserts on the humerus") then a whole swag of optional ones - it's up to them which they present you with, so two people going to two different institutions, one might know about (for example) aquatic training, and the other doesn't. It seems that Cert III and IV each have around 100 contact hours, that is hours in classes. Supposedly it's an hour or two outside the class for each hour in class, for reading and study. You can do these hours full-time and get each Cert in 3-4 weeks, or do them part-time an evening or two a week and it'll take 10-16 weeks. A few institutions offer Cert III/IV as a package, you do them both together in one course. In addition, you need a practical placement of around 20-40 hours - that is, putting into practice what you learned in class and study. Some institutions offer this practical placement in-house, others expect you to go and ask your local gym or something. In-house is better, since some gyms will say "okay" and then just get you to do photocopying and making coffees for the day, doesn't teach you much. Lastly, you need Level 2 First Aid. That's CPR, recognising signs of a stroke, stopping bleeding, recognising and treating shock, basic binding of sprains, that sort of thing. Some institutions just slot it in as part of Cert III/IV, others expect you to do it separately. Prices vary widly, from about $1,000 per Cert to $5,000. Level 2 First Aid is $200-$500 on its own. I'm visiting the places which interest me. I think you have to balance cost with travelling distance, the facilities offered, whether the practical and first aid are part of it, how you like the instructors, and so on. That's all I know so far. Standards in institutions obviously do vary - just look at gyms you've been to, and how different PTIs are. Some are great, some useless, some could be great but seem burned out and don't care, etc. I think some people enter the profession imagining they'll be cruising along with Ian Thorpe counting his reps on his bench press or something. They're not really prepared for the fact that 99% of clients are going to be ordinary overweight and unfit people with terrible diets who want a big change without any change, if you know what I mean Any questions, anything you can tell me? __________________ Recent clients' best results: BW +10kg/-27kg ... BF-11% ... ♀/♂1RM/kg SQ65/145 OHP30/65 DL75/170 "fitness and lifting is just an interest I have. Plain and simple. Some people like music, others like shopping, I like deadlifts." - a client[/SIZE] Last edited by Kyle Aaron; 24-09-2010 at 12:10 AM.

15-06-2009, 02:32 PM	#4 (permalink)
Kyle Aaron Active Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Melbourne Gender: Posts: 3,682	Yeah, I'd expect that most would be a dead loss. Instant gratification, push-button society and all that. I think you need to care enough to do your job well, but be distant and callous enough that if they fail due to lack of effort, you say "oh well, next!" Like a good schoolteacher. I think the Army gave me enough of a callous bastard attitude that I could manage it But that's a good thought, to try working in a gym first. If I can make that happen, I will. __________________ Recent clients' best results: BW +10kg/-27kg ... BF-11% ... ♀/♂1RM/kg SQ65/145 OHP30/65 DL75/170 "fitness and lifting is just an interest I have. Plain and simple. Some people like music, others like shopping, I like deadlifts." - a client[/SIZE]

15-06-2009, 04:57 PM	#5 (permalink)
kindred Active Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: South Australia Gender: Posts: 3,102	http://www.careerexpo.com.au/index.php Find a personal trainer booth and ask them questions till thier ears bleed. If your not located in that state then find an expo in the state your in! They have them in SA all the time and I often appear in quite a state! hahah get it state quite a state... anyway. __________________ http://ausbb.com/member-training-dia...html#post80479

20-06-2009, 02:12 PM	#6 (permalink)
Kyle Aaron Active Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Melbourne Gender: Posts: 3,682	Thanks Kindred, I'd missed your post earlier. Actually I've been talking to a lot of PTIs and managers at gyms, and people at institutions, too, just to get an idea of what are good places to go - "good" in the sense of teaching me the job thoroughly and looking good on the resume. It seems that the TAFEs have the best reputation among the PTIs and gyms. Apparently education is like everything else: you can have good, cheap or quick, if you're lucky you get two out of three, but you never get all three. So:- somewhere like AIF is quick: 8 weeks for Cert III and IV, about 240 contact hours and $5,000, all the private colleges are quick - 3-4 weeks for each of Cert III/IV, about 300 contact hours in all, and some are good, but $3,000-$4,000 for the two TAFE is good and cheap - a semester for each of Cert III/IV, over 1,000 contact hours in all, but will only cost $1,150 (plus some books) Perhaps after doing Cert III I'll be able to get a part-time job at a gym to build up my experience and cash, then I can rush through Cert IV at one of the good and quick joints. In the meantime, I'll probably enrol at Holmesglen this semester for Cert III. __________________ Recent clients' best results: BW +10kg/-27kg ... BF-11% ... ♀/♂1RM/kg SQ65/145 OHP30/65 DL75/170 "fitness and lifting is just an interest I have. Plain and simple. Some people like music, others like shopping, I like deadlifts." - a client[/SIZE]

22-06-2009, 11:39 PM	#7 (permalink)
Kyle Aaron Active Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Melbourne Gender: Posts: 3,682	I'll be signing up at Holmesglen on Thursday, and the course runs from 2009-07-13 to 2009-11-20. __________________ Recent clients' best results: BW +10kg/-27kg ... BF-11% ... ♀/♂1RM/kg SQ65/145 OHP30/65 DL75/170 "fitness and lifting is just an interest I have. Plain and simple. Some people like music, others like shopping, I like deadlifts." - a client[/SIZE]

13-06-2009, 03:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
Zarkov Guest Posts: n/a	First aid 2-500??? That is nuts.I did it for about $85 if I remember rightly through the ambulance service.

14-06-2009, 05:53 PM	#3 (permalink)
breebreerocks Elite Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sydney Gender: Posts: 668	Looked into becoming a PT myself. Before I did any courses, I went a worked in a gym forst to see if I enjoyed it (already have a very expensive uni degree that took me six years, so don't want to spend any more on degrees I don't use). Came to the realisation that I would throttle most of the people who hire trainers. All they do is complain. Always complain about things being hard, are reluctant to put in the work required, etc. I really wanted to help middle aged women in particular- those with kids who have grown up and left home and not looked after themselves in years. But even those who are paying trainers aren't generally ready to make a real change. I've been fat, I know how it feels. But just came to realise that most want miracles.

23-06-2009, 09:41 AM	#8 (permalink)
kindred Active Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: South Australia Gender: Posts: 3,102	I wouldnt mind doing cert 3 and 4 just so i know what im talking about for a change haha. Wonder if TAFE does it via correspondence! __________________ http://ausbb.com/member-training-dia...html#post80479

23-06-2009, 11:59 AM	#9 (permalink)
Kyle Aaron Active Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Melbourne Gender: Posts: 3,682	There are some online courses. But knowing what you're talking about depends on you. There are PTIs with no clue at all, just visit any gym and see. And then there are unqualified people who have a lot to teach, and who get excellent results for them and anyone they coach. __________________ Recent clients' best results: BW +10kg/-27kg ... BF-11% ... ♀/♂1RM/kg SQ65/145 OHP30/65 DL75/170 "fitness and lifting is just an interest I have. Plain and simple. Some people like music, others like shopping, I like deadlifts." - a client[/SIZE]

23-06-2009, 12:32 PM	#10 (permalink)
katie Active Member Join Date: May 2009 Gender: Posts: 1,130	Good onya Kyle for enrolling. I love the idea of being a PT but not sure if I can handle the realities of being a PT eg. early starts, recalcitrant clients, etc. I used to tutor students one-on-one and while I generally loved the job, sometimes I just really didn't want to do it. I currently work full time and study part time towards a professional qualification for my job, so I can't see myself enrolling in a Cert III too soon. Looking forward to hearing about your experiences with TAFE though, as I would like to do it a couple of years down the track. bree - how were you able to work in a gym without a Cert III or IV? To me, it's a catch 22 - I can't get casual work in a gym until I have a Cert III - but I don't want to start a Cert III until I have tried working in a gym. __________________ Rock climbing since 2005; running and resistance training since May 2009