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View Full Version : Personal Trainer...what do u need?



jay42w8
08-13-2006, 10:31 PM
what type of certification/training do u need to become a personal trainer? how much does it cost? and how much do they get paid?...i would love to do it as a 2nd job

AD_Runner
08-14-2006, 10:20 AM
http://www.healthclubdirectory.com/health_club/Canada/PersonalTraining/

try this link ....

~Leah~
08-14-2006, 02:42 PM
A good gym requires a degree in Kinesiology.... some accept the Mount Royal Personal Training program. And some don't require much education.

I'll tell you now though, you better damn well know what you're doing and establish yourself, and believe in yourself and the fact that you actually can help these people, not just in it for the money, because sometimes it isn't even that good.

I, for one, would NEVER invest in a trainer who has little to no education or experience in the field. I am very close to being done my Kinesiology degree, I've taken my AFLCA resistance training (which is pretty much crap anyway), Can-fit pro... also crap. etc etc.... as well as being involved in coaching and athletic training my entire life, I've been a personal trainer at a gym for over 2 years now. I don't mind it... but it's not what I want to do, I only do it because I'm good at it, I have the client base, and client results to prove it.

Anyway, unless you have a lot of training experience in all aspects of training (sport specific, weight loss for men and women, building muscle, losing fat, maintainance, etc) it'll be a long shot.... but I'm just biased because I've met soooooo many trainers who train only the way they train, and I think it's ridiculous because every client has their own specific goal. And be prepared to constantly be learning about disabilities because they will come into effect in training all the time. PM me if you have any questions I'll try to answer

Weapon_R
08-14-2006, 02:52 PM
I'll chime in a bit because one of my good friends did this program a while back and is working as a fitness trainer.

She took the 10 month fitness program at MRC. She also completed her AFLCA training and has a few other certifications. Surprisingly, she and the U of C Kineseology graduates are being paid the same amount and they both have similar advancement prospects. There is not much difference between MRC and UC graduates except that UC graduates can continue further and land better positions (as physiotherapists, etc).

The money is not that good at all. Some city gyms will give you a flat hourly rate (~10/hr) + more for training programs (usually 50% of what you charge the client). This usually translates to about 2500-3000/monthly.

Other gyms pay commission only. You can make a decent living doing this but you continually have to sell yourself, and if you are not a good salesperson you will not make any money. The rate is typically $50/hr, and its hard to convince a lot of people to pay that much for your services. The gym also takes a cut of what you make.

Disability training is very popular and should increase in popularity in the future. Many fitness trainers are finding work as disability trainers, which gives you the opportunity to work with the disabled and help keep them mobile. It's fulfilling if you are able to stomach that kind of work, but its also very hard because sometimes you get people who cannot move much and you must be able to get close to them.

Leah touched base on other stuff in the field. If you really want to know more, I can give you her email address. Oh, and although I don't want to turn you off the position, she has already enrolled in the MRC nursing program and has decided to become a registered nurse. Her training as a fitness trainer will complimented her nursing degree well, but the compensation (both monetary and personal) as an RN is far greater and the work is far more stable than anything in fitness.

1-Bar
08-14-2006, 02:54 PM
^^WERD!!

The PT industry is pretty challenging. There is a wealth of information out there and you have to pick your niche in the giant web. From naturalistic, to strength/endurance/power/sport training, to diet/nutrition, different kinds of programs....etc

Certification IMO does not = personal experience, but hey if your gun-ho jump on in....

Wildcat
08-14-2006, 04:42 PM
i'll pipe in briefly on this one too. many commercial gyms ie. goodlife, golds, ymca's etc. hire those with their weekend training certificate as mentioned (canfit, aflca) which as mentioned by leah... dont mean much. i wouldnt let half the trainers at my gym (goodlife canyon meadows) train my non-existant dog.

but then on the other hand lets be realistic... if you have a masters in kines, or are educated up the wazoo in some discipline of physio.. what the f are you doing being a personal trainer for $13 an hour?? lol. honestly its a great job, especially if its paying your way through uni, but dont confuse it as being a prosperous career.

in reality its a stepping stone job for young students who are passionate in the field, or a after-hours side job for the middle-aged fitness buff. by no means is it a career, id actually be doing myself a diservice if i decided to work in a commercial gym and id be discrediting my clients being under the same roof as some of those employed.

the real trainers arent the ones lifting weights with you for $80/hr sessions twice a week at your local gym so they can pay their rent every month. the real trainers are the ones that live it everyday and can be the one exception where it can become a career. the canadian guru of bodybuilding, fitness, strength and conditioning is scott abel, almost all his clients are respected trainers aswell; www.scottabel.com