Personal Training and Strenght & Conditioning

Vwgolf88

Hi Guys,

First time post so take it easy on me. Well I'm looking to find my best way into Personal Training & Strenght & Conditioning. A bit of background on myself :

25 years old
Recently lost over 6stone
Have a mortgage on my own
No kids
Very motivated person
Very good organiser
Strong work ethic
Currently have a great job in Construction. To go into PT or a fitness instructor I would be taking a 50-60% pay cut but feel it is the career for me and money isn't everything.

Well I have been looking into this for 6 months now and have decided it's about time I jumped. I would have to study part time as I would need to pay the mortgage/ bills etc but would be looking to jump ship from my current job as soon as possible. I have been looking at the NTC courses but would anyone recommend a better course. My hopes are to become a personal trainer, run bootcamps & hopefully work closely with some team sports. Any help you might have would be greatly appreciated and if you need any more information jus say the word. Thanks guys:)

Laydbaklube

LIA blackrock is doing a sweet pt course really no there stuff plus the touch of Olympic lifting and have really good add on courses worth a look

Will Heffernan

Vwgolf88 wrote: »

Hi Guys,

First time post so take it easy on me. Well I'm looking to find my best way into Personal Training & Strenght & Conditioning. A bit of background on myself :

25 years old
Recently lost over 6stone
Have a mortgage on my own
No kids
Very motivated person
Very good organiser
Strong work ethic
Currently have a great job in Construction. To go into PT or a fitness instructor I would be taking a 50-60% pay cut but feel it is the career for me and money isn't everything.

Well I have been looking into this for 6 months now and have decided it's about time I jumped. I would have to study part time as I would need to pay the mortgage/ bills etc but would be looking to jump ship from my current job as soon as possible. I have been looking at the NTC courses but would anyone recommend a better course. My hopes are to become a personal trainer, run bootcamps & hopefully work closely with some team sports. Any help you might have would be greatly appreciated and if you need any more information jus say the word. Thanks guys:)

Didn't we just do this last week...and the week before...and the week before that?

I need to copy and paste some of my posts here.

Find the cheapest, fastest way to get qualified and insured and then get a job in a gym. Personal training, boot camps and working with sports teams is an unrealistic first step...the majority of sports science graduates from UL find their first job out of Uni in the construction industry so you'd be very much going against the current.

Good luck.

Laydbaklube

The work is hard to get no gym will take u on unless u have hours behind u. Try a internship. I passed Ntc in jan and started internship in a new gym now ill be pt there in summer. Ya need info on course pm ill help u best I can

Will Heffernan

What I said in a previous thread was as follows:

Steps to becoming a fitness instructor
1. Find out what courses enable you to get public liability and private indemnity insurance.
2. Find the cheapest of these that enable you to complete course and achieve objective (1.)
3. Find the course that enables you to achieve objective (1.) and (2.) the fastest and easiest way possible.
4. Find the course in your nearest proximity that enables you to achieve objective (1.), (2.) and (3.) and thus eliminating as many of the costs of travel etc.
5. Once you are qualified and insured then start seeking out as many free and or cheap qualifications with as many sports as you can i.e basketball, hockey, tennis, GAA, rugby, athletics etc etc.
6. Look for an entry level job in ANY gym and gain experience.

The thing is no course is going to make you a good fitness instructor...it is the beginning of your learning/education not the end. In the long run the first course you do to gain your qualification makes absolutely no difference whatsoever and anyone that tells you different doesn't know what they are talking about.

Spend as little money as you have to getting 'qualified' and insured and do it as fast as you can and then get a job.

What I will do to qualify these statements is as follows:

1. The reason that the course doesn't matter is because no matter what course you do to be a personal trainer or fitness instructor what you'll learn relative to what you need to actually even be competent at your job is minimal.

2. Students finish sports science and exercise science DEGREES without being able to write a proper gym program...if you think whatever course you do to become a fitness instructor or personal trainer is going to teach you everything you need to know you are deluded.

3. No matter what course you do...I could take you to ANY gym and find you gym goers who've read what you've read in your course and so much more. Who have years and years more experience training and coaching than you have and are far more QUALIFIED to work even if they aren't officially qualified.

4. You have to look at the course in isolation anyone here who thinks I am wrong post a link to any course here and it curriculum that you think would qualify (not in the official sense) someone in the real world to be a personal training or fitness instructor? Now what you have to keep in mind is this has to be a course that can take someone with no experience and no background in health, fitness or sports and qualify them to coach and or be a fitness instructor or personal trainer. I want someone to show me a course that I could send my grandmother to that would teach her what she needs to do to get the job done?

5. If you can't satisfy point 4. then it really doesn't matter what course you do...because becoming a personal trainer or gym instructor depends on qualifications like modelling depends on qualifications. So you might as well do the fastest and cheapest course you can and then try and learn or develop the skills you need to get the job done and be successful.

I know individuals who have masters degrees and one with a PhD in exercise science related fields that can't get a job in a gym let alone have the aptitude and ability to be successful personal trainers. I also know individuals who were professional team strength and conditioning coaches on salaries in excess of $400K who never had ANY qualifications until AFTER they held these positions.

So everyone is entitled to their opinions and yes, if you have money to burn and time to spare then yes, pick the most well structured, comprehensive and highest regarded course to do but if you think it is going to make you better qualified on the strength of the course alone you're deluded.

Personally...I'd pick the one that was renowned for having the best industry contacts and the best success in getting students into work myself and I'd factor that into my cost and time to qualification calculations.

Adventure Pout

Hi Will,
Kind of agreed with you..
However,like the original poster I am also wanting to change career and move into health and fitness..when you are kind of "nobody" how will you even get into the industry? No gym will take you on without a cert..unless you have good connections...and I think (I might be wrong..) guys have better chance to get a spot than a girl (cos I'm one!). Some or even lots of places love to take on all those very tall and muscular people, cause it also represents them well...good image and all the blabla..
I am doing a course at the moment - btw,your friend Bryan K. is my nutritionist and PT instructor and talking to him, I didnt not realise he was the one who took over the former IP .. Snif!
I trained with you there and have to say you were a good inspiration to me :-) and learned a lot from you.
So hopefully, one of the gym will take me on...